Bharata (Mahabharata)

In Hindu scriptures, Bharata (Sanskrit: भरत, romanized: bharata, lit. 'The Cherished')[1][2] is an ancestor of the Pandavas and the Kauravas in the Sanskrit epic Mahabharata. Though the Bhāratas are a prominent community in the Rigveda,[3] the story of Bharata is first told in the Adi Parva of the Mahabharata, wherein he is the son of Dushyanta and Shakuntala.[4][5] The story of his parents and his birth is also related in Kalidasa's famous play Abhijñānashākuntala.

This article is about legendary king Bharata of Mahabharata. For character from Hindu Epic Ramayana, see Bharata (Ramayana). For other uses, see Bharat (disambiguation).

Bharata
Samrat
Bharat plays with lion cubs Painting by Raja Ravi Varma
Predecessor	Dushyanta
Successor	Bhumanyu
Born	Sage Kanva hermitage
Spouse	Sunanda, 2 others
Dynasty	Lunar
Father	Dushyanta of Hastinapura
Mother	Śakuntalā

In the epic Mahābhārata, the ancestor of Kurus becomes Emperor Bharata, and his ruler and kingdom is called Bhārata.[6] The Bharata clan mentioned in Mahabharata is a Kuru clan which is a sub clan of the Puru clan.[7]

Bharata in Literature

According to the Mahābhārata (Adi Parva), Bharata was the son of King Dushyanta and Shakuntala and thus a descendant of the Lunar dynasty of the Kshatriya Varna.[8] He was originally named Sarvadamana ("the subduer of all"); the Mahābhārata traces the events in his life by which he came to be known as Bharata ("the cherished"). Bharata's exploits as a child prince are dramatised in Kalidasa's poetic play Abhijñānaśākuntalam.[9]

Story of Bharat

Abhijñānaśakuntalā version

According to a dramatized version of the events by the poet Kalidasa, the king Dushyanta married Shakuntala on his hunting expeditions in forests. He was captivated by Shakuntala's beauty, courted her in royal style and married her. He then had to leave to take care of affairs in the capital.[10] She was given a ring by the king, to be presented to him when she was ready to appear in his court. She could then claim her place as queen. Shakuntala gave birth to her child who was named Sarvadamana by the sage Kanwa. Surrounded only by wild animals, Sarvadamana grew to be a strong child and made a sport of opening the mouths of tigers and lions and counting their teeth.[9]

This narrative varies dramatically from the version in the epic Mahabharata.[11]

Mahabharata version

In the Mahabharata, the core story remains the same. However, in the story, Shakuntala's son Bharata is already 6 years old, and when they both appear in Dushyanta's court, the latter rejects both of them by saying that he had no relation with both of them and women are often experts at speaking lies, so he pretends to forget them in order to avoid embarassment in front of his ministers and public. Shakuntala leaves angrily and frustrated. Days pass, and Dushyanta feels guilty of his act, and decides to go back, and bring Shakuntala and Bharata back.

Bharat performed many sacrifices and Sage Kanva was the chief priest at those sacrifices. Bharata performed a horse sacrifices on the banks of the Yamuna, three on the banks of Saraswati and four on the banks of the Ganga. He again performed horse sacrifices and a Rajasuya. He also conducted sacrifices such as Agnishtoma, Atiratra, Uktha and Viswajit. He also performed many thousands of Vajapeyas.[12]

Bharat had a son named Bhúmanyu. The Adi Parva of Mahabharata tells two different stories about Bhúmanyu's birth. The first story says that Bharat married Sunanda, the daughter of Sarvasena, the King of Kasi Kingdom and begot upon her the son named Bhumanyu.[13] According to the second story, Bhúmanyu was born out of a great sacrifice that Bharata performed for the sage Bharadwaja.[14]

Bharata lineage

Emperor Bharat gave his name to the dynasty of which he was the founder. It was in the Bharats' dynasty that later the Pandavas of the epic Mahabharata were born.[15]

See also

• Bharata Khanda

Notes

1. Mahabharata, Adi Parva, Sambhava Parva
2. Mahabharata, Adi Parva, Sambhava Parva (in Sanskrit)
3. Singh, U. (2009), A History of Ancient and Medieval India: From the Stone Age to the 12th Century, Delhi: Longman, p. 187, ISBN 978-81-317-1677-9
4. Apte, Vaman Shivaram (1959). "भरतः". Revised and enlarged edition of Prin. V. S. Apte's The practical Sanskrit-English dictionary. Poona: Prasad Prakashan.
5. Buitenen, J. A. B. van (1973). "Introduction". Mahabharata Book I: The book of beginnings. University of Chicago Press. ISBN 9780226846637.
6. Julius Lipner (2010) "Hindus: Their Religious Beliefs and Practices.", p.23
7. National Council of Educational Research and Training, History Text Book, Part 1, India
8. The Mahābhārata. Buitenen, J. A. B. van (Johannes Adrianus Bernardus), 1928-1979,, Fitzgerald, James L. Chicago: University of Chicago Press. 1973. pp. 214. ISBN 0226846636. OCLC 831317.CS1 maint: others (link)
9. Ganguly 2006, pp. 130–132.
10. Kālidāsa. (1984). Theater of memory : the plays of Kālidāsa. Miller, Barbara Stoler. New York: Columbia University Press. pp. 109, 122. ISBN 0231058381. OCLC 10299417.
11. Macfie, J. M (1993). Myths and Legends of India. New Delhi: Rupa & Co. p. 323. ISBN 978-81-7167-131-1.
12. Ganguly 2006, pp. 130–131.
13. Mahabharata, Adi Parva, Sambhava Parva - Bharat Vamsha in Detail Archived 16 January 2010 at the Wayback Machine
15. Mackenzie 2004, p. 157.

References

• Ganguly, KM (2006) [1883], The Mahabharata of Krishna-Dwaipayana Vyasa (Drona Parva Section LXVIII ed.), Sacred Texts
• Mackenzie, Donald A (2004) [1913], Indian Myth and Legend, CHAPTER IX: Prelude to the Great Bharata War, Sacred Texts