Shloka 9
Ṛṣabhadeva’s Enthronement, Exemplary Household Life, and the Birth of Bharata and the Nine Yogendras
येषां खलु महायोगी भरतो ज्येष्ठ: श्रेष्ठगुण आसीद्येनेदं वर्षं भारतमिति व्यपदिशन्ति ॥ ९ ॥
yeṣāṁ khalu mahā-yogī bharato jyeṣṭhaḥ śreṣṭha-guṇa āsīd yenedaṁ varṣaṁ bhāratam iti vyapadiśanti.
Among Ṛṣabhadeva’s one hundred sons, the eldest—Bharata—was a mahāyogī and an exalted devotee adorned with the finest virtues; in his honor this land is known as Bhārata-varṣa.
This planet known as Bhārata-varṣa is also called puṇya-bhūmi, the pious land. At the present moment Bhārata-bhūmi, or Bhārata-varṣa, is a small piece of land extending from the Himālaya Mountains to Cape Comorin. Sometimes this peninsula is called puṇya-bhūmi. Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu has given special importance to the people of this land.
FAQs
This verse states that the region is named Bhārata-varṣa because of Bharata, the eldest son and a great yogī whose exceptional qualities made his name synonymous with the land.
Śukadeva Gosvāmī speaks this verse while narrating the descendants of Ṛṣabhadeva and highlighting Bharata’s eminence.
Spiritual life is strengthened by cultivating exemplary character—self-control, devotion, and responsibility—so that one’s life becomes beneficial and inspiring to society.