Srimad Bhagavatam — Panchama Skandha, Shloka 2
Jaḍa Bharata’s Birth, Feigned Madness, and Protection by Goddess Kālī
श्रीशुक उवाच अथ कस्यचिद् द्विजवरस्याङ्गिर:प्रवरस्य शमदमतप:स्वाध्यायाध्ययनत्यागसन्तोषतितिक्षाप्रश्रयविद्यानसूयात्मज्ञानानन्दयुक्तस्यात्मसदृशश्रुतशीलाचाररूपौदार्यगुणा नव सोदर्या अङ्गजा बभूवुर्मिथुनं च यवीयस्यां भार्यायाम् ॥ १ ॥ यस्तु तत्र पुमांस्तं परमभागवतं राजर्षिप्रवरं भरतमुत्सृष्टमृगशरीरं चरमशरीरेण विप्रत्वं गतमाहु: ॥ २ ॥
śrī-śuka uvāca atha kasyacid dvija-varasyāṅgiraḥ-pravarasya śama-dama-tapaḥ-svādhyāyādhyayana-tyāga-santoṣa-titikṣā-praśraya-vidyānasūyātma-jñānānanda-yuktasyātma-sadṛśa-śruta-śīlācāra-rūpaudārya-guṇā nava sodaryā aṅgajā babhūvur mithunaṁ ca yavīyasyāṁ bhāryāyām yas tu tatra pumāṁs taṁ parama-bhāgavataṁ rājarṣi-pravaraṁ bharatam utsṛṣṭa-mṛga-śarīraṁ carama-śarīreṇa vipratvaṁ gatam āhuḥ.
Śrī Śukadeva Gosvāmī bersabda: Wahai Raja, setelah meninggalkan tubuh rusa, Mahārāja Bharata lahir dalam keluarga brāhmaṇa yang amat suci. Seorang brāhmaṇa daripada keturunan Aṅgirā memiliki sifat-sifat brahmin: mengawal minda dan pancaindera, tekun swādhyāya, pemurah dalam derma dan pelepasan, sentiasa reda, tabah, lemah lembut, berilmu, tidak dengki, mengenal diri, serta bersukacita dalam bhakti kepada Bhagavān. Daripada isteri pertama lahir sembilan putera yang setara; daripada isteri kedua lahir pasangan kembar—seorang lelaki dan seorang perempuan. Putera itu dikenali sebagai Bharata, bhāgavata tertinggi dan raja-suci terunggul; demikianlah kelahiran baginda selepas meninggalkan tubuh rusa.
Bharata Mahārāja was a great devotee, but he did not attain success in one life. In Bhagavad-gītā it is said that a devotee who does not fulfill his devotional duties in one life is given the chance to be born in a fully qualified brāhmaṇa family or a rich kṣatriya or vaiśya family. Śucīnāṁ śrīmatāṁ gehe ( Bg. 6.41 ). Bharata Mahārāja was the firstborn son of Mahārāja Ṛṣabha in a rich kṣatriya family, but due to his willful negligence of his spiritual duties and his excessive attachment to an insignificant deer, he was obliged to take birth as the son of a deer. However, due to his strong position as a devotee, he was gifted with the remembrance of his past life. Being repentant, he remained in a solitary forest and always thought of Kṛṣṇa. Then he was given the chance to take birth in a very good brāhmaṇa family.
FAQs
This verse states that Bharata had previously taken a deer body, but after giving it up he attained his final birth as a brāhmaṇa—showing how remaining impressions shape rebirth, and how devotion ultimately brings elevation.
Śukadeva identifies him as the topmost devotee and best of royal sages, indicating that despite the interruption of a deer birth, Bharata’s devotion and realization matured to the highest standard.
Guard your consciousness and attachments, because they shape your future; keep steady devotional practice and self-discipline, since sincere bhakti can restore and elevate one even after setbacks.