Puranic encyclopaedia
by Vettam Mani | 1975 | 609,556 words | ISBN-10: 0842608222
This page describes the Story of Bharata included the Puranic encyclopaedia by Vettam Mani that was translated into English in 1975. The Puranas have for centuries profoundly influenced Indian life and Culture and are defined by their characteristic features (panca-lakshana, literally, ‘the five characteristics of a Purana�).
Story of Bharata
Son of ٲśٳ.
Genealogy.
Descending in order from վṣṇ--Ѳī-śⲹ貹-վ-Vaivasvatamanu-ṣv-վܰṣi-Śś岹-Kakutstha-Anenas-ṛtܱś-Prasenajit-۳ܱś-Ի-Purukutsa-Trasadasyu-Բṇy-Ჹⲹś-ղܳԲ-ܻԱ-հṇa-ٲⲹٲ-(հśṅk)-ᲹśԻ-dzś-Harita-ñ-Sudeva-Bharuka-ܰ첹-Sagara-ñᲹ-ṃśu-īٳ-Śܳٲ-Իܻ屹ī貹-ܳܲ-Ṛtܱ貹ṇa-峾-ܻ-Mitrasaha (ṣa岹)-ś첹-ū첹-ṭvṅg (پī貹, ī)-Raghu-Aja-ٲśٳ-Bharata.
Birth.
ٲśٳ, King of ǻ, had three wives: ܲ, ī and ٰܳ. ܲ gave birth to Śrī 峾, ī to Bharata and ٰܳ to ṣmṇa and ŚٰܲԲ. ī, mother of Bharata, was the sister of ۳ܻᾱ, of Kekeya. Bharata was born on the day of Pūya. (Śǰ첹 14, Sarga 18, ī쾱 峾ⲹṇa)
ٲśٳ remained in sorrow without children for a very long time and then he performed a Putrakāmeṣṭi yāga (A sacrificial ceremony to get children) with the Ѳṣi Ṛṣⲹśṛṅ as the officiating priest. From the sacred fire arose a divine figure carrying a pot of pudding and it was after taking that pudding that the wives of ٲśٳ became pregnant. (Sarga 15, Bālakāṇḍa, ī쾱 峾ⲹṇa).
Till the end of Śrī 峾’s forest life.
The sons of ٲśٳ married the daughters of Janaka, King of Ѿٳ. Śrī 峾 married ī, Bharata, ṇḍī, ṣmṇa, Ū and ŚٰܲԲ, Śܳٲīī.
ٲśٳ made arrangements to crown 峾 as King and then leave for the forests and lead an ascetic life. At that time Bharata and ŚٰܲԲ were in the country of Kekaya with their uncle, ۳ܻᾱ. When the day of coronation was drawing near ī demanded of ٲśٳ the execution of two boons which were once promised by ٲśٳ to her long ago during a battle between the devas and asuras. One of them was to crown her son, Bharata, as king and the other to send 峾 to the forests for a period of fourteen years. ٲśٳ was shocked to hear that. But, without any hesitation, 峾 and ṣmṇa accompanied by ī went to the forests and ٲśٳ overcome with immense grief caused by this unpleasant turn of events fell down dead. Messengers were sent then to Kekaya to bring Bharata and after travelling for three days Bharata and Śatrughṇa reached ǻ. Though they were not informed of the death of their father they were worried all the way because of the several bad omens which they saw. On entering ǻ they were shocked to find all the roads desolate and arriving at the palace they found it silent and gloomy. ī then told him all that had happened and when Bharata knew that his mother was at the root of all this calamity his rage knew no bounds. Forgetting himself he drew from the sheath the glittering sword and stood before his mother with the drawn sword wavering to strike or not to strike and mused to himself "No, Not a woman and not one’s own mother, No, it should not be done". Immediately after this was decided, he swung the sword straight to his throat. But adroitly ŚٰܲԲ intervened and swept away the sword before it fell at its aim. This strong move of ŚٰܲԲ brought Bharata to his senses and he looked at his mother so fiendishly that at his stare his mother turned pale like a flower brought near a burning flame. Bharata immediately changed into the dress of a ԲԲī and started to go to the forests. ŚٰܲԲ followed his brother. ղṣṭ also started. The news spread like wildfire and people began to crowd at the palace eager to follow the brothers. Very soon a huge procession was seen moving towards the forests. ղṣṭ and ܲԻī in a chariot in the front, ܲ and ٰܳ in another next to it and Bharata and ŚٰܲԲ closely following the chariots, walking. People joined the procession from behind. The great crowd of people reached the banks of the river Ҳṅg. Guha coming to know of the great exile of people from ǻ through spies went and saw Bharata, at first in disguise, and later as himself made his acquaintance. He then took Bharata and ŚٰܲԲ across the river to the presence of Śri 峾 at 侱ٰūṭa.
When they reached 侱ٰūṭa only Bharata-ŚٰܲԲ, ղṣṭ and ܲԻī, ܲ and ٰܳ entered the ś of Śrī 峾, all the others remaining outside. When 峾 and ṣmṇa were told about the death of their father they were filled with grief. All the sons, then, ղṣṭ officiating, performed the obsequies of their father. 峾 and Bharata then discussed the future. Śrī 峾 persisted in his vow and said he would return to his country only after fourteen years and insisted that Bharata should rule the country during that period. Bharata accepted the arrangement saying that if his brother did not come back after fourteen years he would give up his life by jumping into the fire. Śrī 峾 then gave his sandals to Bharata who accepting the same with due respect returned home followed by others. On reaching ǻ Bharata did not go to the royal palace which he considered as empty because of the absence of his brother, 峾 and abhorrent because of the presence of his mother, ī. Instead, he went to a nearby village called Nandi and installing the sandals there lived there and ruled the country.
Return of Śrī 峾.
Śrī 峾 when he came back to ǻ after fourteen years was crowned King. Bharata got two sons of his wife ṇḍī, ܲ and ŚūԲ. While they were thus living happily in ǻ, message was sent through an ascetic by ۳ܻᾱ from Kekaya that some gandharvas were creating trouble in that country. It was the state of Sindhu in Kekaya which was subjected to this molestation and on the advice of 峾 Bharata went and subdued the trouble, killing the gandharvas. He then created two small states on either side of Sindhu and made his two sons the Kings of those states. When Śrī 峾 gave up his life in ū river and rose to heaven as վṣṇ Bharata and ŚٰܲԲ also gave up their lives and took the forms of the conch and the wheel which adorn the hands of վṣṇ. (Uttara 峾ⲹṇa).