Bharadvaja

Bharadvaja
Watercolour painting of Bharadvaja, 19th century
AffiliationBrahmarshi, Saptarishi
Genealogy
Parents
SiblingsKacha, Revati, Kesari
SpouseSushila
ChildrenGarga, Drona and Ilavida

Bharadvaja (Sanskrit: भरद्वाज, IAST: Bharadvāja; also spelled Bharadwaja) was one of the revered Vedic sages (maharishi) in Ancient India. He was a renowned scholar, economist, grammarian and a physician. He is one of the Saptarshis (seven great sages or Maharṣis).

His contributions to ancient Indian literature, specifically the Rigveda, provide significant insight into ancient Vedic society. He and his family of students were the authors of Mandala 6 in the Rigveda. In the epic Mahabharata, Bharadvaja was the father of Droṇācārya, the guru and instructor to the Pandava and Kaurava princes in the Mahabharata. Bharadvaja is also mentioned in Charaka Samhita, an authoritative ancient Indian medical text.