Ancient Indian Historical Tradition c18.103

c18.103

The Aitareya Brāhmaṇa says Dīrghatamas consecrated Bharata with the mahābhiṣeka.⁷ He could not have done that until he had established his reputation, that is, not until he was old; and he certainly lived to a great age.⁸ He would therefore be two (or even possibly three) generations senior to Bharata. Hence the first Bharadvāja, who was his equal in age, could not have been taken as soon as born to Bharata as a son, as alleged.⁹ That both these rishis were some two generations older than Bharata is corroborated by the facts shown above that Bharadvāja was purohita to Divodāsa, king of Kāśī, and, if a young man then, would have been contemporary with Pratardana, who was contemporary with Sagara and one or two generations prior to Duṣyanta—that is, two or three prior to Bharata. The aged Dīrghatamas, and Bharadvāja also,¹ may thus have lived till the beginning of Bharata’s reign. Though that, the first, Bharadvāja could not have been given in adoption to Bharata, yet his grandson (or perhaps great grandson) may have been so given, and this was no doubt the Bharadvāja named Vidathin above, because the fact that the Vāyu, Brahmāṇḍa and Bhāgavata confuse the adopted Bharadvāja with his son Vitatha strongly suggests that it was Vidathin who was adopted. These Puranas have confused the two Bharadvājas as they have apparently confused the names Vidathin and Vitatha.²