DIRGHATAMAS

Dirghatamas was an ancient sage well known for his philosophical verses in the Rig Ved. He was author of Suktas (hymns) 140 to 164 in the first Mandala (section) of the Rig Ved. However there was another Dirghatamas named Dirghatama Mamteya.

Dirghatamas was one of the Angiras Rishis, the oldest of the Rishi families, and regarded as brother to the Rishi Bharadvaj, who is the seer of the sixth Mandala of the Rig Veda. Dirghatamas is also the chief predecessor of the Gautama family of Rishis that includes Kakshivan, Gautam, Nodha and Vamadev (seer of the fourth Mandala of the Rig Ved), who along with Dirghatamas account for almost 150 of the 1000 hymns of the Rig Veda. His own verses occur frequently in many Vedic texts, a few even in the Upanishads.

He was the reputed purohit or chief priest of King Bharat (Aitareya Brahman VIII.23), one of the earliest kings of the land, after whom India was named as Bharat (the traditional name of the country).

Some also say that Dirghatamas was adopted by Bharat. Dirghatamas was born blind.