Bhagwat Session 36

Shrimad Bhagavata Mahapurana

Synopsis of the Thirty Sixth Session 

Bhagavata Chaturth Skanda (Book Five)

Chapter 7 to 9

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Story

Rishabh dev crowned Bharat the King and guided all his sons to support him in ruling the kingdom. When Bharat ruled the kingdom it is said that every citizen was selfless and the entire globe was a safe heaven. His rule was so divine that, the subdivision of Jambudwipa, known as Ajanabha, was renamed Bharat Varsa (Varsa meaning subdivision). Bharat Varsa is the name of our country, which is currently called India or at times Hindustan.

During his reign he conduced many Yagnas and offered even the rewards, which was expected by all the sacrifices to the Lord of the Sacrifices. He could see that there was no two, there was only one in the offering, the person offering and that God (various deities including Indra) who was accepting. Such elevated was King Bharat’s state of being.

He was married to Pancajani and had 5 sons, each as divine as Bharat himself. King Bharat realised that 10 million years had gone by and now he must have exhausted all the good merits. Not only this, he also saw that all his sons were able and ready to shoulder his responsibility. Hence, he just like all his ancestors tore down the shackles of the material world, and went on to the next Ashram - Vanaprasth Ashrama. 

King Bharat went near the hermitage of Sage Pulaha, situated at the banks of Gandaki, also knows as the Salagramaksetra, a place where Shri Hari reveals himself in his true devotees desired form even today. He made a small tattered hut for himself and immersed in deep Tapa (austerities) with one pointed focus - The Lord. He was focused and discipled and could think of nothing other than the Lord with every breath.

One morning while he was engaged in his daily Tapa, he saw a Doe which had by chance strayed from its herd, drinking water, when a loud roar of the lion scared her into taking a leap from one bank to another, in the course of the leap, its womb gave way and the baby deer feel into the stream of water. The doe reached the other side but died immediately due to fear and fatigue.

Bharat immediately jumped to rescue the deer and nursed it back to health. In the process, he developed a strong attachment towards the deer and spend most of his time tending and waiting on the deer. When the deer went into the jungle, Bharat would spend time worried waiting for it to return safely. His entire being was immersed in the thought of the deer, leaving no place for anything else.

Soon all his austerities and spiritual practices were forgotten and the Great King Bharat who was able to snap in a minute the ties with his kith and kin, got entangled in attachment with this deer. Time went by and the time for his death arrived, even then all he could think of was this deer standing next to him like a son, shedding tears and worrying about what would happen to the deer after he died, he left his body, without turning his mind towards God.

Hence, he was born as a deer in his next birth, and luckily because of his love for the Lord, his precious lives memories did not leave him. He repented and left his mother, the doe and his home in the Kalanjara forest and ones again went to sage Pulastya and Pulaha’s ashram, there keeping away from all, yet listening to the divine Satsang, he waiting for the time to leave this animal body, which was unfit for meditation. He would stand in the water half submerged, this posture knowns as Ardhajala, which is said to have a potential to give a higher birth, if in this posture at the time of death. 

When the time came, he left the Deer Body and was born in the family of a great Brahmin sage, who was a decedent of sage Angira. This Brahim had 2 wives, from the first he had 9 sons and from the second he had 1 son (Jada Bharat) and a daughter. 

He still had the memories of his previous births, and determined not get entangled in infatuations and attachment, he depited him self and as a dim wit and a fool. He kept to himself and all the efforts put in by his father to teach him failed, he was even unable or unwilling to learn the ‘Gayatri Mantra’. The brahmin father, however made sure he did all the Samskaras for Jada Bharat up till the Samavartana and soon passed away. His mother too handed over her two children to the first wife and left her body with her husband.

His bothers and their family tried to be patient with Jada Bharat but, at last lost all patience and thinking of him as dull and stupid, started mistreating him. Not knowing, that the knowledge of the three veda, which they possessed, is not higher than the knowledge of the self, which Jada Bharat revelled in. He was miss treated, humiliated and shouted at, at times was denied food and at times given left over or rotten food. Inspite of all this, Jada Bharat remained ‘equipoise’ and kept his cover.

He was asked to guard the fields and would spend his time there. One day a few people of the bandit tribes kidnapped him. They were preparing a human sacrifice for their Chieftain, who wanted to offer a human to Bhadrakali, seeking to be blessed with a son. However, the human, somehow escaped and when they saw Jada Bharat and his strong personality, they felt he would make a good sacrifice.

Jada Bharat did not resist the attack, nor did he resist the preparation baths and food he was offered. Later when the sword was approaching him to chop his neck, he sat unruffled immersed in the bliss of the divine. However, Ma Kali could not see this torture of a divine devotee and immerged from the statue with her retinue and lopping the heads of all the bandit, she drank the blood and danced the dance of horror. Even at this Jada Bharat exhibitted not emotions and walked aways lost in divine bliss.

He wandered from place to place and was noticed by a group of palanquin bearers at the bank of Iksumati river. Seeing his stout, young and muscular personality they got him to help them lift the Palanquin of Kind Rahugana - of the region Sindhu and Sauvira, who was headed to the the Ashram of Kapila Muni. 

King Rahugana, was no other than the Deer, which was nurtured with so much attachment by Bharat in his previous birth. It is said that he was to have taken 100 more births before getting a human body. However, that company a saint like King Bharat, got him a Human body in just few births. Such is the magic of the company of the sages.

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Points to Ponder

It is all That One

King Bharat knew the subtle secret, that all is one hence, while doing the yangna he was offering back all the reward to the Lord himself.

Tera tujhko arpan,

Kya lage mera.

‘The jiva has acquired the false vanity, thinking that it is he who is making the offering in the yagna. The fact is that the person can offer oblation in the yagna when inspired by the Lord to do so, only then can the deity (say Indra) receive it.

There is not body who is doing the rituals and no body who is enjoying the results. It is the one Lord seated in the heart of all. The giver and the taker are not two. There is only one.’

Attachment - The cause of Downfall

‘Ante matih saa gatih’

Whatever we have in mind in our last moments and whatever we are attached to determines our next birth. Just like, Bharat had the deer in his mind, hence was born as a deer himself.

Raag - Attachment is not necessary and not having attachment does not mean that one is void of Love.

Attachment is selfish, love is selfless 

Attachment hurts, love heals

Attachment binds, love liberates

These two terms can not be used interchangeably or in the same breath.

Attachment - Clouds ones thinking, is filled with fear of loss and disappointments due to expectations.

Detachment - Clears ones thinking, is filled will feeling of freedom for self/others and is liberating cause there is no expectation involved.

Sub Stories to explain attachment:

- Burning House

A man was discussing about the news of a house which was on fire, he was eating and having drink and very casually talking, occasionally with a smile on his face. When suddenly his servant ran in and informed the that house which was on fire was his. This same man who as calm and composed a minute back, panicked and dropped his drink, started perspiring profusely and ran madly towards his home. 

What had changed? 

It was a house, later it became ‘My’ house. It is all about me and mine that drives us. Or shall is say the false notion of ‘Mine’ and ‘Thine’, this maya, the deluding power clouds our judgement. 

- Sage (The women and that baby)

There was this Girl and a boy who loved each other, but knew that the family will never accept their relation. It just to happened that this girl became pregnant and later gave birth to a baby. But, refused to tell anyone who the father was. On being, pressured to tell, she looked at the sage who was just walking by and said, eh is the father.

The villager got wild and started abusing the sage. The sage remained quiet and when asked to look after the girl and the baby. He took the baby and walked to his ashram. People kept on abusing the sage over the years. Yet the sage kept taking care of the girl and the baby.

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