English
According to the usual specification, it consists of 18,000 slokas, distributed amongst 332 chapters, divided into twelve skandlias or books. It is named Bliiigavata from its being dedicated to the glorification of Bhagavata or Yislmu." The most popular and cliaractcristic part of this BHAGIRA THI—BHARADWAJA. 45 PuraTza is tlie tentli book, which narrates in detail the history of IvrishTza, and has been translated into perhaps all the ver- nacnlar languages of India. Colebrooke concurs in the opinion of many learned Hindus that this Pura?ia is the composition of the grammarian Vopadeva, who lived about six or seven cen- turies ago at the court of Hemadri, Kaja of Deva-giri (Deogurh or Daulatabad), and "Wilson sees no reason for calling in question the tradition which assigns the work to this writer. This Purawa has been translated into French by Burnouf, and has been published with the text in three volumes folio, and in other forms. BHAGlEATHI. The Ganges. The name is derived from Bhagiratha, a descendant of Sagara, whose austerities induced iS'iva to allow the sacred river to descend to the earth for the" purpose of bathing the ashes of Sagara's sons, who had been consumed by the wrath of the sage Kapila. Bhagiratha named the river Sagara, and after leading it over the earth to the sea, he conducted it to Patala, where the ashes of his ancestors were laved with its waters and purified. BHAIRAYA (mas.), BH AIR A VI (fem.). 'The terrible.' Names of /Siva and his wife Devi. The Bhairavas are eight in- ferior forms or manifestations of iS'iva, all of them of a terrible character: — (i.) Asitanga, black limbed; (2.) Sanhara, destruc- tion; (3.) Ruru, a dog; (4.) Kala, black; (5.) Krodha, anger; (6.) Tamra-chii(ia, red crested ; (7.) Chandra-chiic^a, moon crested ; (8.) j\Iaha, great. Other names are met with as variants : Ka- pala, Rudra, BhTsha?za, Un-matta, Kn-pati, &c. In these forms iS'iva often rides upon a dog, wherefore he is called /Swaiw^a, 'whose horse is a clog.' BHAMATl. A gloss on >Sankara's commentary upon the Brahma Sutras by Yachaspati Mi^ra. It is in course of publi- cation in the Bibliotheca Indica. BHANUMATI Daughter of BhSnu, a Yadava chief, who was abducted from her home in Dwaraka, during the absence of her father, by the demon Nikumbha, BHARADWAJA. A Bkhi to whom many Yedic hjmms are attributed. He was the son of Brdiaspati and father of Dro/ta, the preceptor of the VandaYas. The Taittiiiya BrahmaTza says that " he lived through three lives " (probably meaning a life of great length), and that " he became immortal and ascended to 46 BHARADWAJA—BHARATA. the heavenly world, to union with the sun." In the Maha- bharata he is represented as Hving at Hard war ; in the Kamaya?ia he received Eania and Sita in his hermitage at Prayaga, wliich was then and afterwards much celebrated. According to some of the Pura7ias and the Hari-vansa, he became by gift or adop- tion the son of King Bharata, and an absurd story is told about his birth to account for his name : His mother, the wife of Utathya, was pregnant by her husband and by Br/haspati. Dirgha-tamas, the son by her husband, kicked his half-brother out of the womb before his time, when Br/haspati said to his mother, ' Bhara-dwa-jam,' ' Cherish this child of two fathers.' BHARADWAJA. i. Dro?ia. 2. Any descendant of Bharad- waja or follower of his teaching. 3, Xame of a grammarian and author of Siitras. BHARATA. i. A hero and king from whom the warlike people called Bharatas, frequently mentioned in the i?ig-veda, were descended. The name is mixed up with that of Viswami- tra. Bharata's sons were called Yiswamitras and Yiswamitra's sons were called Bharatas. 2. An ancient king of the first Manwantara. He was devoted to Vish?m, and abdicated his throne that he might continue constant in meditation upon him. While at his hermitage, he went to bathe in the river, and there saw a doe big with young frightened by a lion. Her fawn, which was brought forth suddenly, fell into the water, and the sage rescued it. He brought the animal up, and becoming excessively fond of it, his abstraction was interrupted. " In the course of time he died, watched by the deer with tears in its eyes, hke a son mourning for his father ; and he liimself, as he expired, cast his eyes upon the deer and thought of nothing else, being wholly occuj)ied with one idea." For this misapj)lied devotion he was born again as a deer with the faculty of recollecting his former life. Li this form he lived an austere retired life, and having atoned for his former error, was born again as a Brahman. But his person was ungainly, and he looked like a crazy idiot. Ho discharged servile offices, and was a palankin bearer; but he had true wisdom, and discoursed deeply upon philosophy and the power of Yishyzu. Finally he obtained exemj^tion from future birtli. This legend is '' a sectarial graft upon a Paura?iik stem." BHARATA—BHARGAVA. 47 3. Son of Dasaratlia by his wife Kaikeyi, and lialf-brotlier of Rama-chandra. He was educated by his mother's father, Aswa-pati, king of Kekaya, and married Ma?2(iavi, the cousin of Sita. His mother, through maternal fondness, brought about the exile of Rama, and endeavoured to secure her own son's succession to the throne, but Bharata refused to su^^plant his elder brother. On the death of his father Bharata per- formed the funeral rites, and went after Rama with a complete army to bring him back to Ayodliya and place him on the throne. He found Rama at Chitra-kii/a, and there was a generous con- tention between them as to which should reign. Rama refused to return until the period of his exile was completed, and Bharata dechned to be king; but he returned to Ayodhya as Rama's representative, and setting up a pair of Rama's shoes as a mark of his authority, Bharata ruled the country in his brother's name. " He destroyed thirty millions of terribla gandharvas " and made himself master of their country. 4. A prince of the Puru branch of the Lunar race. Bharata was son of Dushyanta and iSakuntala. Ninth in descent from him came Kuru, and fourteenth from Ivuru came /Santanu. This king had a son named Vichitra-virya, who died child- less, leaving two widows. Krzslwa Dwaipayana was natural brother to Yichitra-virya. Under the law he raised up seed to his brother from the widows, whose sons were Dh?'ita-rash/ra and Pa?i(iu, between whose descendants, the Kauravas and Pa/ic/avas, the great war of the IMaha-bharata was fought. Through their descent from Bharata, these princes, but more especially the Pa/it^avas, were called Bharatas. 5. A sage who is the reputed inventor of dramatic entertain- ments. 6. A name borne by several others of less note than the above. BHARATA. A descendant of Bharata, especially one of the Fa,ndii princes. BHARATA- VARSHA. India, as having been the kingdom of Bharata. It is divided into nine Kha?if/as or parts : Indra- dwipa, Kaserumat, Tamra-varwa, Gabhastimat, ISTaga-dwIpa, Saumya, Gandharva, Yaru?za. BHARATi. A name of SaraswatL BHARGAA^A. a descendant of Bh?i'gu, as Chyavana, /Sau- 48 BHARTRI-HA RI—DHA TTI-KA VYA. naka, Jamad-agni, but more especially used for the latter and Para.?u-rama. BIIAETit/-HAEL A celebrated poet and grammarian, wbo is said to have been the brother of Yikramaditya. He wrote three A^atakas or Centuries of verses, called — (i.) /6Vmgara-5ataka, on amatory matters ; (2.) Mti-5ataka, on polity and ethics; (3.) A^'airagya-sataka, on religious austerity. These maxims are said to have been written when he had taken to a religious life after a licentious youth. He was also author of a grammatical work of high repute called Yakya-padiya, and the poem called Bha//i- kavya is by some attributed to him. The moral verses were translated into French so long ago as 1 6 7 o. A note at the end of that translation says, " Trad, par le Brahmine Padmanaba en flamand et du flamand en fran9ais par Th. La Grue." The text Avith a Latin translation was printed by S chief ner and Weber. There is a translation in German by Bohlen and Schiitz, in French by Fauche, and of the erotic verses by Regnaud; in English by Professor Tawney in the Indian Antiquary. BHASHA-PARICHCHHEDA. An exposition of the NySya philosophy. There are several editions. BHASKARACHARYA. (Bhaskara + Acharya.) A cele- brated* mathematician and astronomer, who was born early in the eleventh century a.d. He Avas author of the Bija-gamta on arithmetic, the Lilavati on algebra, and the Siddhanta /S'iromam on astronomy.