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Bharadvaja is one of the seven presiding Rishis of the present
Manvantara. His name is connected with several Mantras of the
Rig Veda.
The great actors in the Kurukshetra battle were the descen-
dants of Bharadvaja. We find much diversity of spiritual characteris-
tics among them. The material and spiritual forces were gathered
together, in all possible grades from the Pandavas downward to the
sons of Dhrita-rashtra and their allies. The poetical genius of the
author of the Mahabharata has called forth characters in the Drama of
the Kurukshetra battle, that stand out in all the details of real life
and find a permanent place in the genealogy of the Lunar dynasty.
The study of the racial account of the line of Bharadvaja becomes
therefore extremely difficult.
The Lunar dynasty will be revived by Devapi, a descendant of
Bharadvaja, who is biding his time at Kalapa.
The early inhabitants of Bengal, Behar and Urishya were the
sons of Anu, the second son of Sarmistha. The famous Kama, one
of the heroes of Kurukshetra, also belonged to this line.
The eldest son of Sarmistha by Yayati was Druhyu. Prachetas
of this line had one hundred sons, who inhabited the north as Mlechha
races.
But the greatest interest attaches to the line of Yadu, the
eldest son of Yayati by Devayani. The early descendants of this
line were the Haihayas, killed by Parasurama, and the Talajanghas,
killed by Sagar -both of the Solar Dynasty. The Mahabharata has
given an importance to the overthrow of these early Yadu classes
as a victory of the Brahmanas over the Kshatriyas. Next to the
Brahmanas in intelligence were the Kshatriyas. They eagerly accepted
the teachings of Rama, who incarnated as one of them. They knew
fsvara as higher than the Devas and the Brahmanas. They thought
they could profitably employ their time in seeking after the knowledge
of Brahman. This necessarily offended the orthodox Brahmanas,
who performed the Vedic sacrifices and had no higher ambition than
to resort to Devaloka. The Kshatriyas thus represented a religious
evolution, of which the Upanishads were an outcome. In time, some
Brahmanas even became disciples of Kshatriyas. Both Rama and
Krishna incarnated themselves as Kshatriyas. We are to understand
that by Kshatriyas, during this period of Puranic history, is meant
seceders from Vedic Karma Kanda more or less,
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