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Bhrigu (, ) is a rishi in Hindu tradition. He is one of the seven great sages, the Saptarishi, and one of the many (the facilitators of creation) created by Brahma. He was the first compiler of predictive astrology and also the author of Bhrigu Samhita, an astrological (Hindu astrology) classic. Bhrigu is considered a manasaputra ("mind-born son") of Brahma. The adjectival form of the name, Bhargava, is used to refer to the descendants and the school of Bhrigu. According to Manusmriti, Bhrigu was a compatriot and companion of Swayambhuva Manu, the progenitor of humanity. Along with Manu, Bhrigu made important contributions to the Manusmṛti, which was constituted out of a sermon to a congregation of saints in the state of Brahmavarta, after the great floods in this area.A.V. Sankran, Saraswati – the ancient river lost in the desert, Current Science, 1997, Vol. 72, pages 160–61 As per the Skanda Purana, Bhrigu migrated to Bhrigukaccha, modern Bharuch, on the banks of the Narmada river in Gujarat, leaving his son Chyavana at Dhosi Hill.
According to Bhagavata Purana, he was married to Khyati, one of the nine daughters of Prajāpati Kardama. She was the mother of Lakshmi as Bhargavi. They also had two sons named Dhata and Vidhata. He had one more son with Kavyamata, who is better known than Bhrigu himself – Shukra, learned sage and guru of the asuras. The sage Chyavana is also said to be his son with Puloma, as is the folk hero Mrikanda. Maha:1.5 One of his descendants was sage Jamadagni, who in turn was the father of sage Parashurama, considered an avatar of Vishnu.
In the Bhagavad Gita, Krishna says that among sages, Bhrigu is the representative of the opulence of God. Bhagavad Gītā – Chapter 10 Verse 25
Upon being entrusted with the task, Bhṛgu decided to test each of the Trimurti. He first visited Brahma at Brahmaloka, and to test his patience, he refused to sing in his praise or prostrate before him. Brahma grew angry, but realised that his son was testing him and allowed him to pass. Bhṛgu left for Mount Kailash, the abode of Shiva. Upon seeing the sage, Shiva rose to his feet and moved forward with great joy to embrace the sage. Bhṛgu, however, refused the embrace, and tested him by calling the deity a maligner of social conventions and rituals. Shiva was infuriated and prepared to strike the sage with his trident, but was calmed by his consort, Parvati. The sage then travelled to the abode of Vishnu, Vaikuntha. Vishnu was resting his head on the lap of Lakshmi when the sage arrived. Bhṛgu kicked Vishnu on the chest to wake him up, enraged by the perceived insult. Vishnu woke up, greeted Bhṛgu, and starts massaging his feet, regarding his chest to have been sanctified due to its contact with the sage's foot. Overpowered with emotion, Bhṛgu went back to the sages and declared Vishnu to be the greatest among the Trimurti.
According to some traditions, Vishnu's consort Lakshmi grew angry at him because the chest was considered as Lakshmi's place ( vakshasthala) and left Vaikuntha to be born on earth. She was found on a lotus flower, and was raised by Bhrigu and his wife Khyati, which is why another name of Lakshmi is Bhargavi, daughter of Bhṛgu. Since she was found on a lotus, she is also called Padmavati.
A variation of this is the legend behind Tirupati, in which a furious Lakshmi is born as Padmavati on earth and Vishnu assumes the form of Srinivasa and Venkateswara.
His son Chyavana, known for Chyavanprash also had his āśrama at Dhosi Hill. Bhṛgu is also worshipped at Bharuch, Swamimalai, Tirumala, Ballia, Nanguneri, Thiruneermalai, and Mannargudi.
An āśrama for Bhṛgu is in Maruderi, Chengalpattu district in Tamil Nadu. Khedbrahma in Gujarat is associated with Brahma and Bhṛgu's legend of testing the Trimurti. Lastly, Bhṛgu migrated to Bhuinj Satara, Maharashtra where he took Samadhi. His āśrama and his Lakshmi's temple also situated there. His Chyavana's āśrama and samadhi are also situated on Chyavaneshwar hill near Bhuinj.
After King Krutavirya's death, his sons invaded the Bhargava rishis' ashrams to get their wealth. Since the Kshatriya were hunting them down, the rishis had to leave their ashrams. Among the fleers was Aarushi, who was pregnant at that time. In order to protect her unborn child, she hid her garbha (womb) in her thigh as she fled. The Kshatriyas, however, found out about this and caught her. As she was getting captured, her thigh broke and a child came out. The child was radiating immensely, and his light blinded the Kshatriya kings. The kings realized their mistakes and asked for forgiveness. The child, who was Aurva, returned their eyesight, however, his strong hatred towards the Kshatriyas remained even as he grew older. Aurva began to perform austerities to bring justice to his ancestors (Pitrs) for how the Kshatriya kings had treated them, and the rigorousness of his austerities caused the world to start burning down. Frightened by the destruction caused by Aurva's intense austerities, Aurva's pitrus appeared before him, and pleaded him to withdraw the fire, force it into the ocean, and stop his austerities to prevent further damage.
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