By Dr. Devdutt Pattanaik - Author, Speaker, Illustrator, Mythologist
Bharadvaja is a famous Rishi in ancient Hindu lore, listed as one of the Sapta Rishis, or the seven celestial sages. Bharadvaja is one of the sages that Ram meets on his exile. It was he who asked Indra to give him knowledge of Ayurveda, so that humans had the strength to follow spiritual pursuits. He is also linked with Dhanur-vidya (archery), rituals (Grihya-sutra, Srauta-sutra, Agama), Niti-shastra (governance) and Siksha (phonetics). There are many stories related to him, though we can never be sure if the stories relate to one Bharadvaja, or many. Some of these stories can be rather controversial.
