Article 1 of the Constitution of India starts with the clause: “India, that is Bharat, shall be a Union of States”. The formal word: ‘India’ both locally and globally. The name “India” has been in existence, from the times of its independence from colonial powers, and even much longer in the annals of time. However, the word ‘Bharat’ has also been in vogue for a long time, to denote the country – albeit only at a local level and not on a global scale. Many assume that the word ‘India’ is foreign-born, and only the word ‘Bharat’ is locally grown. They also tend to think that ‘India’ is rooted in English or historically from Latin & Greek, whereas ‘Bharat’ is rooted in Hindi or historically from Sanskrit & Prakrit.
This paper critically examines the above-mentioned curious case of India vs. Bharat, and inquires on both the names, from various source materials available in multiple fields: history, linguistics, archaeology, geography, literature, inscriptions, lore, narrative, mythology, astrology and various other epistemic segments.
Even though the word ‘India’ seems to stem from ancient koine Greek India, it is actually an exonym of the endonym ‘sindhu’ –a Sanskrit term ( ) for the river in the indus basin. The words – ‘Hindu’. ‘Hindus’. ‘indus’. ‘indica’ – are all mere phonetic derivations of the Sanskrit Toponym ‘Sindhu’ – the root word. If out of ignorance, some may dislike this root as foreign- born, the some can be said of the ‘Bharatam’ –which is a derivation from indi- Iranian & Indo-European roots.
Going back to roots, this paper establishes the etymological root of ‘Bharatam’ as: bhara – & bharata – meaning ‘to carry/to bear’ – which exists across many indo-Iranian languages even today. The Sanskrit language too, borrows aptly from that root/ and names Agni (Fire God) as ‘Bharata’ – one who ‘carries/bears’ the yagna offerings (fire sacrifice) from earthly mortals to heavenly gods/ Adi Sankara attests to the same in his Brhadaranyaka Bhasya. The same words bhara & bharato- meaning ‘to carry/to bear’ cognate with indo-Iranian & Indo-European words like bharati, Bhereti, burden, burden and barada. Hence the word ‘Bharat’ is also of Indo-Iranian roots.
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This papers further dwells upon the Pre-Vedic ‘Bharata’ Tribes and their migration. It touches upon passages from Rig Veda, Bharata/Puru conflict (Dasarajna yuddham), Emergence of the early Kuru Kingdom, References from Mahabharata on Lunar Dynasty kings – Dushyanta & Bharata, Jain Religious reference on the 1st Preceptor (Tirthankara) Rishabha Natha & his son Bharata Chakravarthi, and finally lines from the Hathigumpha inscription, empirical evidences and geographical manuscripts.
Such an anthropological and ethnographical review would clear the air, and help in the true understanding of both the words: India & bharat – used to signify a great subcontinent and its populace – that has been culturally diverse across many centuries of world history.
