Bharadwaja

Quick Facts

About Bharadwaja

A rigid ascetic of the source of the Ganga who, seeing the apsara Ghritachi rise from the water, caught his seed in a drona vessel, and from it Drona was born. Friend of King Prishata and master of the Agneya weapon, he passed that knowledge to Agnivesa, from whom it came back to his own son.

In Their Words

The vessel held what the river could not carry away, and a son grew in it.

Bharadwaja

Traits

• Austere
• Learned
• Fatherly
• Weapon-wise

Story Appearances

• Drona and DrupadaThe sage in whose hermitage Drona and Drupada grew up❧ 7 min
• Bharata, the All-TamerWhose grace gave the sonless Bharata an heir
• Bhrigu and BharadvajaQuestioner of Bhrigu on the making of the world

Stories Featuring Bharadwaja

11 further tales on this site name Bharadwaja, in canonical reading order.

• The Children of AgniMarkandeya names the whole family of fires, from the daughters of Angiras to the rivers who mothered themVana Parva ‧ 18 min
• The Two Who RememberedDuryodhana and Satyaki meet on the fifteenth day and talk about their childhood before they fightDrona Parva ‧ 15 min
• Sword and Shield Against the PreceptorDhrishtadyumna, stripped of car and bow, dances the twenty-one motions to reach DronaDrona Parva ‧ 17 min
• What Drupada Said About DuryodhanaFive kings die in front of Drona in one afternoon, and Drupada names the man who is not on the fieldDrona Parva ‧ 15 min
• The Arrow Cut in the AirSatyaki saves Dhrishtadyumna from the preceptor's shaft and holds three great bowmen at once, and the day ends with Drona's head in the dustDrona Parva ‧ 18 min
• The Lords of the Waters and the TreasuresBalarama walks the Sarasvati past the fords where Varuna, Kubera, Indra and Surya won what they holdShalya Parva ‧ 18 min
• The Curses of the RishisKrishna names the marks that Brahmanas left on gods, seas and mountainsShanti Parva ‧ 19 min
• The Savitri Mantra of SalutationsBhishma gives Yudhishthira the roll of names to be said at dawnAnushasana Parva ‧ 21 min
• The Names That Cleanse SinAsked what destroys sin, Bhishma answers with a litany of gods, rivers, mountains, sages and kingsAnushasana Parva ‧ 15 min
• The Brahmanas Who Deserve WorshipNarada tells Krishna whom he bows to, and Bhishma tells a king what it costs to forgetAnushasana Parva ‧ 24 min
• The Eight Who Questioned BrahmaThe ladder from the Unmanifest down to a bodyAshvamedhika Parva ‧ 21 min

Character Arc

1. 1The VesselThe seed is caught in a drona and a son grows in it
2. 2The Two BoysPrishata's son Drupada comes daily to study beside Drona
3. 3The Fire WeaponThe Agneya passes through Agnivesa back to his own line

Key Relationships

• Father➝Drona
• Grandfather➝Ashwatthama
• Enamoured of➝Ghritachi
• Questioner of➝Bhrigu

Places in Bharadwaja's Story

Drawn from the stories Bharadwaja appears in.

• Kurukshetraकुरुक्षेत्र
• Brahmalokaब्रह्मलोक
• Indraprasthaइंद्रप्रस्थ
• Mount Meruमेरु
• Amaravatiअमरावती
• Gangaगङ्गा
• Himavatहिमवत्
• Saraswatiसरस्वती
• Alakaअलका
• Yamunaयमुना
• Kamyaka Forestकाम्यक वन
• The Oceanसमुद्र

Related Characters

Others counted among the Sages & Others.

• ✦Sage Kanva
• ◎Eklavya
• ★Shukracharya
• ♛Vrishaparva
• ♛Yadu
• ✧Princess Amba