Bharadvāja
Vedic age · Saptarṣi · Ṛgveda, Maṇḍala 6
Bharadvāja is one of the Saptarṣi; the sixth book of the Ṛgveda is attributed to him and his family. He is remembered as a great scholar — tradition says he spent lifetimes in Vedic study and was told that what he had learned was only a handful from a mountain of knowledge.
In the Rāmāyaṇa his āśrama stands at Prayāga, where the Gaṅgā and Yamunā meet. Rāma, Sītā and Lakṣmaṇa stay there on their way into exile, and later Bharadvāja hosts Bharata and his army. In the Mahābhārata he is the father of Droṇa, teacher of the Pāṇḍavas and Kauravas.
Saptarṣi · Ṛgveda Maṇḍala 6 · Āśrama at Prayāga · Father of Droṇa