Bhargava () or Bhṛguvamsha refers to a

Brahmin Brahmin (; ) is a ''Varna (Hinduism), varna'' (theoretical social classes) within Hindu society. The other three varnas are the ''Kshatriya'' (rulers and warriors), ''Vaishya'' (traders, merchants, and farmers), and ''Shudra'' (labourers). Th ...

race or dynasty that is said to have been founded by the legendary

Hindu Hindus (; ; also known as Sanātanīs) are people who religiously adhere to Hinduism, also known by its endonym Sanātana Dharma. Jeffery D. Long (2007), A Vision for Hinduism, IB Tauris, , pp. 35–37 Historically, the term has also be ...

sage

Bhrigu Bhrigu (, ) is a rishi in Hindu tradition. He is one of the seven great sages, the Saptarshis, and one of the many Prajapatis (the facilitators of creation) created by Brahma. He was the first compiler of predictive astrology and also the aut ...

Legend

In Hinduism, the Bhargavas are the purohitas, the family priests, of the daityas and the

danavas In Hindu mythology, the danavas are a race descending from Kashyapa and his wife Danu, a daughter of the progenitor god, Daksha. It is mentioned that there are one hundred danavas. Origin The danavas are a mythological race of asuras, the ...

. They are regarded to be associated with the Angiras, the Atharvans, and the Ribhus, races named for their founders, who were also great sages. Some of the notable characters in Hinduism who belong to the Bhargava race include: *

Chyavana Chyavana () was a sage (rishi) in Hinduism. He was a son of Bhrigu, also known as Bhrigu Varuni in the Upanishads, and is known for his rejuvenation through a special herbal paste (ayurvedic jam) or tonic known as '' chyavanaprasham'', which ...

* Shukra *

Shaunaka Shaunaka (, ) is the name applied to teachers, and to a Shakha of the Atharvaveda. It is especially the name of a celebrated Sanskrit grammarian, author of the , the , the , six Anukramaṇīs (indices) to the Rigveda, and the Vidhāna of the Rig ...

* Richika * Jamadagni *

Parashurama Parashurama (), also referred to as Rama Jamadagnya, Rama Bhargava and Virarama, is the sixth avatar among the Dashavatara of the preserver god Vishnu in Hinduism. Hindu tradition holds him to be the destroyer of the evil on Earth. According t ...

Valmiki Valmiki (; , ) was a legendary poet who is celebrated as the traditional author of the epic ''Ramayana'', based on the attribution in the text itself. He is revered as ''Ādi Kavi'', the first poet, author of ''Ramayana'', the first epic poe ...

The rulers of the Haihaya dynasty are first described to be great patrons of Bhargavas such as Richika, to whom the latter served as the chief priest. When his son, Jamadagni, is murdered by the Haihaya king, Kartavirya Arjuna, his son, Parashurama, the incarnation of

Vishnu Vishnu (; , , ), also known as Narayana and Hari, is one of the Hindu deities, principal deities of Hinduism. He is the supreme being within Vaishnavism, one of the major traditions within contemporary Hinduism, and the god of preservation ( ...

, slays him. When his resurrected father is killed once more by the king's son, he begins a quest to wipe out all the

Kshatriya Kshatriya () (from Sanskrit ''kṣatra'', "rule, authority"; also called Rajanya) is one of the four varnas (social orders) of Hindu society and is associated with the warrior aristocracy. The Sanskrit term ''kṣatriyaḥ'' is used in the con ...

rulers he could find on earth, and bequeaths the colonised land to the

Saptarishi The Saptarshi ( ) are the seven seers of ancient India who are extolled in the Vedas, and other Hindu literature such as the Skanda Purana. The Vedic Samhitas never enumerate these rishis by name, although later Vedic texts such as the Br ...

Lineage

In later legends, the Bhargavas were associated with the Haihayas, the Anarta of Gujarat, Kanyakubja of Madhyadesa, as well as the rulers of Malabar. It also refers to one of the Gotra's of Shivalli Madhwa Brahmin ( Shivalli Brahmin) community of coastal Karnataka state. Today, Bhargava also refers to a

community in India, who claim descent from the sage

References

{{reflist Hindu mythology Rishis