Garga

Who is Garga?

Garga was one of the greatest sages of Puranic times. He was better known as Garga Muni. He was the family priest of the family of Nanda.

He named Krishna after receiving the name by meditation. From the Vishnu Purana and other Puranas, one understands that although basically of Kshatriya origin, a branch of Gargas became Brahmins and migrated westwards and joined the Yavanas. This could be the reason that later day Indians referred to Greek mathematicians and astronomers as Gargacharyas while maintaining that a Vridha-Garga was the pioneer in astronomy.

Gargas were warriors and some text indicates they were the descendants of Guru Dronacharya, the legendary character from Mahabharata. The names Gargas and Garg are not the same. Garg are purely vaishya and have no connection to Rishi Gargas.

Guru Dronacharya was the son of Rishi Bhardwaj's descendant. The descendants of Bharadwaj Gotra display warrior skills, because sage Bharadwaj married a Kshatriya woman called Suseela. According to Anuloma marriage, those born to a Brahmin father and a Kshatriya woman take the characteristics of Kshatriya though technically being a Brahmin.