Bhumanyu - The successor of Raja Bharatha

Raja Bharatha, son of Raja Dushyanta and Shakuntala, was such a king who believed more in karma than birth rights. He realised that none of his sons were worthy enough for the throne of Hastinapur. It has always been a tradition that the eldest son of the king would ascend the throne. But he thought that it would be a complete injustice to his praja. He can't be selfish, he is their father and well-wisher. He can't let his praja be in the wrong hands. It is his utmost duty to make sure that his praja are under good guidance in his absence. Hence, Raja Bharatha declared an ordinary boy, Bhumanyu, as his successor and the crown prince of Hastinapur, whom he found the most eligible candidate for the throne and adopted as his own son. And Raja Shantanu was the successor of Bhumanyu (correct me if I am wrong).

Now my question is : was Bhumanyu an adopted son of Raja Bharatha or was he born out of the yajna that Raja Bharatha performed under the instructions of the sage Bharadwaja?

Tagging a few, others are free to share their thoughts and informations too.

I'm not aware of this story. 😆 but it was quite common to have an adopted heir and back then divine kids were in fashion too 😆 so either may be a possibility.

Even I am not aware of this story.. but if this is fact than it can be because as Neha had stated it was very common to adopt during those days. I won’t be surprised.

I just know the story from Raja Shantanu before that even I've no idea😆

Originally posted by: DelusionsOfNeha

I'm not aware of this story. 😆 but it was quite common to have an adopted heir and back then divine kids were in fashion too 😆 so either may be a possibility.

Originally posted by: Interstellarr

I have heard this story, plus it was also shown in the B.R. Chopra's Mahabharat version.

Wo to bachpan mein dekha tha 🤣 might've been 5😆 I remember watching it but itni sab stories nahi yaad 😆

I saw you deleted your into post 😂

Originally posted by: DelusionsOfNeha

Wo to bachpan mein dekha tha 🤣 might've been 5😆 I remember watching it but itni sab stories nahi yaad 😆

I saw you deleted your into post 😂

BTW kaunsa post delete kiya? 

Originally posted by: Interstellarr

I have heard this story, plus it was also shown in the B.R. Chopra's Mahabharat version.

I followed BRC version during lockdown woh bhi aadha khatam ho chuka tha😆

I remember reading the born out of sacrifice part. He is also alluded to be a blood related son from his wife Sunandā 

Originally posted by: Interstellarr

I have heard this story, plus it was also shown in the B.R. Chopra's Mahabharat version.

If you can't refer to a text, maybe the story was invented for TV. Mahābhārata tells us at three places that Bhumanyu or Vitatha was born to Bharata, and never suggests that Bhumanyu was born "an ordinary boy" (or an exalted brāhmaṇa of Bharadvāja's gotra) and then adopted.

Ādiparvan 90.34 reads:

Bharataḥ khalu Kāśeyīm upayeme Sārvasenīṃ Sunandāṃ nāma;

tasyām asya jajñe Bhumanyuḥ

It is understood that Bharata married a woman of the Kāśi dynasty, the daughter of Sarvasena, Sunandā by name; from her and from him was born Bhumanyu.

Ādiparvan 89.18-20 tells us this:

tato mahadbhiḥ kratubhir ījāno Bharatas tadā

lebhe putraṃ Bharadvājād Bhumanyuṃ nāma Bhārata

tataḥ putriṇam ātmānaṃ jñātvā Paurava-nandanaḥ

Bhumanyuṃ Bharata-śreṣṭha yauvarājye'bhyaṣecayat

tatas tasya mahīndrasya Vitathaḥ putrako'bhavat

tataḥ sa Vitatho nāma Bhumanyor abhavat sutaḥ

Thereat, Bharata sacrificed with grand ceremonies and then obtained a son from Bharadvāja named Bhumanyu, descendant of Bharata! Thereby knowing himself to have a son, the delight of Pūru's descendants had Bhumanyu consecrated as heir apparent, president of the Bharatas! Thereat, that earthly Indra's little son became Vitatha. Thereby that Vitatha in name became Bhumanyu's son.

The last verse of this passage has a strange "tatas ... tataḥ" syntax instead of proper "yatas ... tataḥ" (since ... thereby) syntax, and it reads as if Bharata went on to beget Vitatha who was adopted as a son by his brother Bhumanyu. I think the text of this verse would make better sense if emended thus, interpreting "putraka" not as a little son but as "putra-karaṇa" - son-begetting:

yatas tasya mahīndrasya vitathaḥ putrako'bhavat

tataḥ sa Vitatho nāma Bhumanyur abhavat sutaḥ

Since that earthly Indra's son-begetting had been futile, thereby that son Bhumanyu had the name Vitatha.

Identification of Bhumanyu and Vitatha as the same person makes sense because Suhotra Vaitithi/Vaitithin (son of Vititha = Vitatha), one of the sixteen great kings in Śāntiparvan chapter 29, is the son of Bhumanyu at Ādiparvan 90.35, and because Vitatha's birth is the same as Bhumanyu's at Harivaṃśa 23.50-52:

Bharatasya vinaṣṭeṣu tanayeṣu mahīpate

mātṝṇāṃ tāta kopena yathā te kathitaṃ tadā

Bṛhaspater Āṅgirasaḥ putro rājan mahāmuniḥ

ayājayad Bharadvājo mahadbhiḥ kratubhir vibhuḥ

pūrvaṃ tu vitathe tasya kṛte vai putra-janmani

tato ’tha Vitatho nāma Bharadvājāt suto'bhavat

When Bharata's sons had been destroyed, lord of the earth! my boy, by the fury of their mothers, as I told you then, the master Bharadvāja, son of Bṛhaspati and descendant of Aṅgiras, a great saint, king! sacrificed for him with grand ceremonies. Formerly, though, son-birth had really been made futile for him, and thereby now a son named Vitatha became his from Bharadvāja.

This passage refers to the detail that Bharata's queens killed their own sons whom he rejected for not resembling him, which is not in the critical edition, but is found in all but one of the northern manuscripts after Ādiparvan 89.17. The syntax "Bharadvājāt" - from Bharadvāja - allows that Bhumanyu/Vitatha was begotten by Bharadvāja with Bharata's queen, making him a kṣetraja son of Bharata, not adopted. However, it's possible that Bharadvāja simply performed the ceremonies and Bharata impregnated his own queen.