CHAPTER V

l C iU S 101

Bhrgu, the progenitor of the Bhargavas is

regarded as a mythical sage. The Bhargavas belong

to an ancient clan of Brahmins, who are well known

as fire-priests, and are believed to have received

fire, from flatarisvan, the Indian Prometheus and to

have communicated it to mankind. Sometimes they are

known as producer of fire by attrition for the purpose

of sacrifice. Like the Angirasas and Atharvans, the

Bhrgus are devoted to fire-cult. Besides this func-

tion, they attain celebrity as the composer of some

of the yedic hymns. Because of their significant

contribution to the Atharvaveda, it is known as

Bhrgvangirasa Veda. While Bhrgu is described as a

mythical being, because of their {Bhrgus') association

with Drufsyus in the battle of Ten Kings, the descen

dants of his family are said to belong to an historical

tribe.

The parentage of Bhrgu is shrouded in mystery.

Sometimes he is identified as the son of Brahma (Praja-

pati), elsewhere he is related to Indra. Due to his

adoption by Varuna, he is called Varuni. But the story

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relating to the birth of other members of his family

is not clear. Among the Bhargavas who figure in the

Vedic literature, Grtsamada, Jamadagni, Usanas-Kavya,

Cyavana and Parasurama are important. As poets of

the Vedas, certain hymns are attributed to each of

them. For want of sufficient materials in the Vedic

texts, it is difficult to construct a systematic

genealogy of the Bhargav/as.

Various accounts of the Bhargavas in the vedic

mythology are amplified in the epics. The Bhargava

episodes traced in the Ramayana are not so signifi

cant. On the other hand we meet with a large number of

sub-myths in the flahabharata As the Plahabharata furni

shes us with the most extensive treatment of Bhargaua

legends, it is very significant from the stand point of

the study of the Bhargavas. During the.epic era the

Bhrgus are believed to be more powerful than the gods

because of their rigid austerities and magical as well

as spiritual powers*

The Bhrgus turnjp against Brahma, Visnu and Siva,

the supreme deities of sectarian Hinduism. Among the

Bhrgus Uttanka threatens Krsna for failure of protecting

9 mu

Kauravas in the fjahabharata war, Krsna

tries to pacify
9 9

him by demonstrating his cosmic form. God Agni, the

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great sacrificial divinity of the Vedas is cyrsed by

Bhrgu to be all^-eater. Bhargava Jamadagni threatens

Surya to shoot him down. Cyavana paralyzes Indra,

the lord of heaven* The bitter eno-.mity prevails

between Siva and Sukra. Not only that the Bhrgus were

hostile towards the gods but one of the Bhargava's named

Sukra was appointed as the chaplain of the demons, the

enemies of heaven.

It seems thfe\ hostile relation of the Bhrgus

with the gods was coiorverted into cordial one atleast

in some eases. Bhargava Flarkandeya survives in the

cosmic dissolution due to Krsna. Rcika obtains pecu-

liar coloured horses from Varuna, to pay the bride .

price to Gadhi to win over Satyavatl. 8hrgu obtains

Sarasvati mantra and Kavaca from Brahma.

Though BrShmins by origin the Bhargavas seem to

have more intimate social relation with the ancient

Ksatriyas in comparison to most of the other Brahmin

classes. It appears that the descendants of Bhargava

Cyavana unanimously take Ksatriya wives. So that matri-

monial relationship is established with^sat riyas.
vm
A /

Cyavana marries Sukanya, the daughter of king Siaryati..

Elsewhere Arusi, the daughter of Manu is said to be the

fca*

wife of Cyavana. Rcika marries Satyavati, the daughter

of king Gadhi of Kanyakubja. Jamadagni follows the

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family tradition and marries Renuka, the daughter of

king Prasenjit of Ayodhya. Their son Parasurama remains

celibate. Besides, cases of anuloma type of marriage is

also traceable. These are exceptions to it. Bhrgu

marries Puloma, the daughter of a demon* S.ukra is

married to dayanti, the daughter of Indra. Devayani,

the daughter of Sukra marries the king Yayati of the

lunar dynasty. Ruru marries Pramadvara, the daughter of

the celestial nymph flenaka by Uisvavasu, the king of

Gandharv/as and his mother is said to have been the

nymph, Ghrtaci. In fact there is not even a single Bhrgu

who takes a Brihmin lady for his wife.

Later on this matrimonial as well as cordial re

lation of the Bhrgus with the Ksatriyas is converted into

rivalry. This nucleus of antagonism may be traced in the

Atharvaveda where the Ksatriyas like Sr'njayas and Uitahavyas

are said to have perished due to their hostility with the

Bhargavas. As the Bhrgus are the sacrificial priests of

Krtavirya, they are richly rewarded for their services.

When the sons of Krtavirya fall into want, they demand

it from the Bhargavas. Due to their failure to accede

to their request, bitterness between them starts. In the

case of Aurva, damadagni and Parasurama the conflict becomes

severe. Of all the Bhargava myths, the violent conflict

with the Ksatriyas

is represented in the career of Bhargava
*
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Rama. He is the only person who obstructs the terri

torial expansion of Haihayas and destroys the Ksatriyas

twenty one times from the earth. In the story of Aurva

and Rama the violence between the Bhargavas and the

Haihayas give genocidal consequence. The Bhrgus show

their indomitable power before which all had to surren

der. The mighty Haihayas tremble before the infant

Bhargava Aurva whom he blinds with his splendour. Bhrgu

*

curses Nahusa, the elected king of gods to be reduced to

f
a serpent. Saryati gives his daughter in marriage to

uyavana to pacify him. King Kusika submits at the feet

of Cyavana and endures all sorts of provocations without

complaint for fear of sage's curse.

The Bhrgus are said to have handled the power of

S/amjivani Vidya. One who dies an unnatural death, is

immediately restored to life through that spell. The

power is not restricted to the resurrection of the dead

only, it is applied to any miraculous feat. The restora

tion of Renuka serves the best example. But Bhrgu's

power to bring back his wife to life is derived through

Satyakriya, an act of truth based upon the sage's perfect

knowledge and conduct of dharma. The issue of death and

resurrection remains as the focus point in the myth of
*
Sukra and Kaca. And Rurus restoration to Pramadvara

is quite different from Satyakriya also.

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Besides their priestly duties they used to

gain mastery in the art of war. Bust like the flrta-

tmt

samjivani yidya of Sukra, the dhanurveda "science of

archery** is taken to be the special province of the

descendants of Qyavana. This knowledge is transmitted

from generation to generation. It passes on from Aurva

to Reika, Bamadagni and Parasurama subsequently. The

epic expresses Aurva's anger more fully than his

possession of the science of arms. His extermination

of the Ksatriyas of Talajangha line may serve as the

demonstration of his prowess and valour. The epiG

tradition fluctuates from one parvan to the other in

this context. In some versions it is said that the

dhanurveda is revealed to Bamadagni but begins with

Reika and then the proficiency in that science is clearly

demonstrated to Parasurama, but elsebhere Bamadagni is

pictured as an extremely tranquil sage merged in his

austerities, whereas his son Parasurama is the

great master of dhanurveda as well as the teacher and

counsellor of some prominent Ksatriya heroes of the epic.

On other occasions the Bhrgus

t
are pictured as

victims and are punished. In the story of Aurva the

/
entire Bhargava clan is put to death. Sukra is threatened
 279

by Siva and Cyavana by Inara. Camadagni's wife Renuka

9

is slain by her son Para^urama and the uife of Bhrgu

is killed by visnu. Sukra is killed uhen he summons

9 9

his pupil Kaca to burst forth from his belly. Cyavana

and Sukra are threatened by Indra and Siva, but at

last they are rescued.

The Bhrgus are the purveyors of violence. Cyavana

9

responds to Indra's attack and creates a monster in order

to put Indra into death. Uisnu beheads Sukra's mother
9 9

when she is on the point of slaying him and Indra.

Damadagni, the victim of Klrtavirya's sons and the insti

gator of violence against his own uife, threatens the

sun-god to shoot him down. Vipula saves his preceptor's

uife from Indra by paralyzing him. The story of Aurva

is the brightest example of the motif of vengeance.

Thus the Bhargavas are pictured as sages, domi

neering, arrogant, unbending and revengeful in nature.

Simultaneously they are shown to be omniscient, omnipotent

and superman. They have committed such crimes like the

murder of a lady, stealing, drinking of liquor, violations j,

of Varnasramadharma, which are ordinarily prescribed in 1/
* - "f=C---- -
the society. Besides these qualities they are well known

as the promulgator of Qharma and Nitisastra. The flanusmrti,

a Nxtisastra par excellence is also called Bhrgu Samhita

' 9 9
 280

as Bhrgu is put in the position of a interlocutor in

su
it. Thus Bhrgus combine in themselves the amiable as
A.
well as the antagonistic features in their character.

Besides them, being the author of Nitisastra, they are

said to be the promulgator of dharma. The great epic

is composed on the basis of dharma. So the Mahabharata

is itself a aharmagrantha. The hero of the epic is

dharmaraja, the son of Dharma. The Bharata war is

dharmayuddha, yato dharma/tato jayafc. The field of
yv
Bharata is dharma-Ksetra and Narayana incarnates to
0
l
restore the fallen dharma.

The Purina Pancalaksana Texts which are taken as

0 0 0

v4
the urkern of the Puranas appears to be less affected by

the sectarian redaction. In these Texts, the nucleus of

some of the Bhrguid myths of the epic are traced. Here

0

liisnu marries Bhrgus daughter Laksmlj but when Visnu

0 0 0 0 0 0

beheads Bhrgus wife to protect Indra, he is cursed by

Bhrgu to take incarnation on earth for killing a woman.

0

The episode of Usanas- ukra as the master of the SjamjivanI

0

Vidya and as the preceptor of the demons is clearly illu

strated.

Due to later redactions, Puranas appear to be

0

more sectarian in character. In these- versions, the

Bhargava myths present a very complicated picture.

Bhrgu is related as the arbiter to judge the greatness

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of Brahma. Uisnu,

and Siva. The tendency of deifica-
*

tion of Bhrgu which originates in the yedas reaches

its final stage in the present versions of the Puranas.

He is considered so much sacred like the gods

that on various auspicious occasions he is adorned along

with the gods. Parasurama Bhargava, one of the premia

nent members of his family is narrated as an incarna

tion of Uisnu. Sacred Tirthas, Ksetras, Lakes, Banapadas

are named after Bhrgu and some of his prominent descen-

dants. The Bhrgus are stated to have communicated the

Puranic versions of yisnu and Bhagavata and are respon-

sible for their redaction while they appear to have

predilection for Uisnu, but at times their devotion

seems to vary from Siva to yisnu

and vice versa.

Above all,r, a peculiar feature referred in the

_
epics, is marked in the narration of Bhargava-Sukra as

a planet, yarying effect due to its location in the

planetary sphere as well in the nativity of a person

is nicely illustrated. This aspect of the Bhargava
myth needs further study.