Session 4 : Learning from the three lives of the great King Bharata

QUIZ : I : Read the text, answer the questions and have your Teacher discuss answers :
Once the world was ruled by a very wise and experienced king
named Maharaja Bharata. After ruling the world for many long
years, being aware of the ultimate goal of life, he renounced
everything that is dear to one’s heart - his queen, family and his
vast empire - and went to a place called Pulahashrama in the
foothills of the Himalayas for pursuing his spiritual career.
There he lived alone in the forest along the bank of the Gandaki
river. Each morning Bharata worshiped the Supreme Lord by
chanting the hymns given in the Rig Veda. Later in the day he
collected various fruits and roots, and as recommended in the
Vedic scriptures, he offered these simple edibles to Lord
Krishna, and then took them as his meals. By his constant
meditation upon the Personality of Godhead, Bharata began to
experience symptoms of spiritual ecstasy.

[Q1]. The purpose of Bharata going to Pulahasrama was……………………………

 To meditate and merge into the impersonal light
 To take a break from the stress and struggle arising in Kingly life
 To pursue his spiritual career by worshipping Supreme Lord to attain love of God
 To renounce everything that is dear to one’s heart – his queen, family and vast empire

Bharata gives shelter to a deer

One day while Bharata was meditating near the bank of the
river, a doe came there to drink water. While she drank water
with fearful eyes, a lion nearby in the forest roared loudly. As
the pregnant doe fled in fear and jumped across the river, a
baby deer fell from her womb into the swiftly flowing waters.
The mother deer, trembling in fright, weakened and pained by
the miscarriage, entered a cave, where she soon died.

As the sage Bharata observed the baby deer floating helplessly

down the river, he felt great compassion. Bharata lifted the
animal from the water and, knowing it to be motherless,
brought it to his ashrama. Because Bharata was self-realized,
he saw all living beings with equal vision. He fed the deer
with fresh green grass daily and tried to make it comfortable.

[Q2]. Bharata lifted the helplessly floating deer from the water
and brought it to his ashram because,
 he was self-realised to see all living beings as spirit souls, children of God
 its mother doe had died leaving the child doe as an orphan
 it is natural for any saintly person to feet compassion for suffering souls
 it would be valuable to have a pet and have sweet relations for a change in the dry jungle

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 Bharata becomes Attached to the Deer and Neglects Spiritual Life
Soon, however, he began to develop great attachment for the deer; he laid
down with it, walked with it, bathed with it, and even ate with it. When
he wanted to enter the forest to collect fruits, flowers, and roots, he
would take the deer with him, fearing that if he left it behind, it would be
killed by dogs, jackals, or tigers. Bharata took great pleasure seeing the
deer leap and frolic in the forest like a child. Sometimes he would carry
the deer on his shoulders; when he slept, the deer would rest upon his
chest and would sometimes even kiss it. Thus his heart became bound by
affection for the deer.
Being attached to raising the deer, Bharata gradually became neglectful
of his meditation upon the Supreme Lord. He thus became distracted
from the path of self-realization, which is the actual goal of human life. The Vedas remind us that
the human form is obtained only after the soul undergoes millions of births in lower species of life.
[Q3]. What is your opinion about Bharata’s care for the deer?
 It is wonderful; anyone in this world should learn from Bharata how to treat our pets
 It was a big mistake on the part of Bharata to have brought the deer to ashram
 Caring for the deer was perfect, but not worthy at the cost of his spiritual life
 His care aroused material attachment to deer, making him get distracted from spiritual life

[Q4]. What is your opinion about TV, movies, Smartphones and media use in modern times?
 People are becoming impersonal; keep limited use and enjoy life with friends and family
 They ruin our academics due to overuse; I’ll carefully use them and focus on spiritual life
 They are a great boon to modern youth, as they’ve boosted our entertainment to great level
 I’ll not let them distract me from spiritual life as deer distracted Bharat; I’ll use them with
caution and care in Lord’s service and for my academics, not for spoiling my life.

Human life is meant for controlling our mind and senses engaging them in
service to the Supreme Lord to purify our heart and go back to Godhead.
Animals gratify their senses simply eating, sleeping, mating and fighting and
defending for food and sex. Human body is like a Mercedes Benz meant to ply in
the smooth road of self-realisation. Animal body is like tractor, meant for sense
gratification and hard labor. Thus the human being is given all facilities for a
comfortable life by the laws of nature because the human form of life is more
important and valuable than animal life. Why is a Judge given ten times salary as a clerk who works
hard putting rubber stamp in a Court? The answer is that a Judge has to discharge duties of a higher
nature. Similarly, the duties human beings have to perform are higher than those of animals. But if a
human spends his entire life gratifying his senses like animals, he is called the killer of the soul.

However, even though Bharata was aware of these considerations, he thought to himself, “Because
this deer has taken shelter of me, how can I neglect it? Even though it is disturbing my spiritual life,
I cannot ignore it. To neglect a helpless person who has taken shelter of me would be a great fault.”

[Q5]. What will you do if some important thing forces you to compromise your spiritual life?
 I’ll be attentive to my spiritual life and seek association of devotees for help
 I’ll finish that pressing thing and return to spiritual life after some time
 Especially I am worried about my play and academics; I’ll do spiritual life after these two
 I’ll practice spiritual life as and when I get time; first I’ve to sort out my material life
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[Q6] We have given some examples of material situations that preoccupy one, pushing spiritual life
to back. Which of the ones do you feel that you can forego to ensure your spiritual life is intact?
 Watching movies, video games, surfing internet, playing guitar
 playing cricket, going out with friends, performing exercises or jogging
 sleeping in the afternoon, relaxing on a holiday, chatting with friends
 early morning sleep

[Q7] Can you suggest a corrective action for Bharata’s behavior?

 He can’t do both; either take care of deer or meditate on God; let him choose one
 He has not come to forest for cultivating relation with a deer; I’ll say throw away the deer
 If with deer, his spiritual life is affected, he could let it go with other deers, as it is big now
 Reduce attachment to deer by putting spiritual life first, deer next; get help by association

Bharata searches anxiously for the Lost Deer

One day, as Bharata was meditating, he began, as usual, to think of the deer instead of the Lord.
Breaking his concentration, he glanced around to see where the deer was, and when he could not
discover it, his mind became agitated, like that of a miser who has lost his money. He got up and
searched the area around his ashrama, but the deer was not to be found anywhere.
Bharata thought, “When will my deer return? Is it safe from tigers and other
animals? When shall I again see it wandering in my garden, eating the soft
green grass?” The deer did not return till evening. Bharata became
overwhelmed with anxiety, “Has my deer been eaten by a wolf or a dog or
attacked by wild boars or a tiger? The sun is setting now, and the poor
animal who has trusted me.”

He remembered how the deer would play with him. He remembered how he
would sometimes push the deer away from him, pretending to be annoyed with it for
disturbing his worship or meditation, and how it would then immediately become fearful and sit
down motionless a short distance away. “My deer is exactly like a little prince. Oh, when will he
return again? When will he again pacify my wounded heart?”
[Q8] Can you think of any scriptural example where a spiritualist got distracted from his spiritual
practices and became attached to something material?
 Vishwamitra to Menaka
 Rishyasringa to Urvashi
 Haridas thakura to a prostitute
 Ajamila to a prostitute
[Q9] How can a person allured by Maya get out of her clutches?
 Be being aware of Maya’s power and focusing on sense control
 By praying to Supreme Lord for help and guidance
 By good association of devotees and revealing mind to them in such situations
 Maya is too powerful. If one is gone to Maya, he is gone; no question of coming back.
Bharata searches anxiously for the Lost Deer
Unable to restrain himself, Bharata set out after the deer, following its tiny hoof prints in the
moonlight. In his madness, he began to talk to himself, “This creature was so dear to me that I feel
as though I have lost my own son. Due to the burning fever of separation, I feel as if I were in the
middle of a blazing forest fire. My heart is now blazing with distress.”
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While frantically searching for the lost deer along the dangerous forest
paths, Bharata suddenly fell and was fatally injured. Lying there on the
verge of death, he saw that his deer had suddenly appeared and was
sitting at his side, watching over him just like a loving son. Thus, at the
moment of death, the king’s mind was completely on the deer. In the
Bhagavad-gita (8.6) we learn, “Whatever state of being one remembers
when he quits his body, that state he will attain without fail.”

[Q10] Bharata after falling to ground and fatally wounded, watched

deer like an affectionate son
 Such absorption in material relationship degrades the soul to
lower bodies of animals
 After all showing affection to such innocent creatures as pets should not be discouraged
 If we can have a pussy cat or a puppy dog like our affectionate son, life would be enjoyable
 Spiritual life is a serious business; if we give up attachment to Lord and become pre-occupied
developing attachment to cat, dog, woman, material relationships, then we may fall down.

[Q11] What is law of last thought and absorption according to Bhagavad gita 8.5 and 8.6?
 Whatever state of mind we have while quitting body at death, we attain that state
 Law of last thought is the grateful thoughts one gets for relatives at the time of death are the
real essence of life and a person who gets such feelings of gratitude is a success in life.
 Our mental state during life brings about positive or negative or spiritual thoughts at death
 We get what we’re looking for – sense gratification or Krishna; make wise choice

[Q12] If death comes to you the next moment, what body do you feel you might get? Answer this
question based on what are the things that you’re attracted to or attached to?
 I may become a puppy dog of my girl friend, as I am lusty after a woman
 I may become a scientist in NASA as I am mad after space research
 I may be born in some pious family as I’ve a curiosity to know and search for God
 I might become ___________________ because of ___________________ thoughts.

[Q13] Parents give names like Krishna, Govinda, Radha to their children so that they can remember
the Lord always by calling these names. Can you think of other ways to remember the Lord?
 We could regularly visit temple of Lord and take darshan and remember His beautiful form
 Visiting different holy dhams like Char dham yatras helps us to get chance for sight-seeing.
 We can study His qualities and pastimes from scriptures and meditate on them
 I get tears sometimes when I go to temples.

King Bharata becomes a Deer

In his next life, Bharata got the body of a deer. Most living entities are not able to remember their
past lives, but because of the spiritual progress the King had made in his
previous life, by Lord’s mercy, he could, even though in the body of a
deer, understand the cause of his taking birth in that body as said in
Gita verse 6.44. He began to lament, “What a fool I was! I have
fallen from the path of self-realization. I gave up my family and
kingdom and went to a solitary holy place in the forest to meditate,
where I always contemplated on the Lord of the universe. But due to
my foolishness, I let my mind become attached to – of all things – a deer.
And now I have justly received such a body. No one is to blame but myself.”
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But even as a deer, Bharata, having learned a valuable lesson, was able to continue his progress in
self-realization. He became detached from all material desires. He no longer cared for the succulent
green grasses, nor did he give a thought to how long his antlers would grow. He returned to
Pulahashrama, the very place where he had practiced meditation in his previous life. But this time he
was careful never to forget the Supreme Lord. Staying near the hermitages of the great sages, and
avoiding all contact with materialists, he lived very simply, eating only dry leaves. When the time of
death came and Bharata was leaving the body of the deer, he loudly uttered a prayer to Supreme
Lord expressing his hope to perpetually engage in His transcendental loving service.

[Q14] What did Bharata lament about after occupying the body of a deer?
 He lamented that he lost the deer, whom he considered more than his life itself.
 He lamented that he went to forest leaving behind his wife, children and kingdom
 He lamented that he went to forest to attain the Lord, but ended up getting a deer body
 He lamented that he forgot the goal for which he had gone to the forest leaving kingdom

[Q15] After occupying the body of a deer, how do you know that Bharata was serious about going
back to Godhead?
 His austerities of not eating succulent grass, avoiding bad company and aspiring for saintly
association proves it.
 His lamentation over the past mistake and resolve to stick to serious spiritual life proves it.
 His prayer to Supreme Lord at the end of life shows that he has led life in God consciousness.
 His carefulness never to forget the Supreme Lord in all circumstances.

[Q16] What precautionary measures do you take to avoid becoming a prey to bad things that take
you away from Krishna consciousness?
 I flank myself with boys with good habits, pious disposition and focused in academics
 I can’t say how long will I survive in spiritual life, as this world is a dangerous place of maya
 I avoid boys who break regulative principles and drag their friends into such habits
 I never miss my weekly Bhagavad gita class, where I get my batteries charged

The life of Jada Bharata

In his next life, King Bharata took birth in the family of a pure, saintly brahmana priest and was
known as Jada Bharata. By the Lord’s mercy, he could again remember his past lives. As he grew
up, Jada Bharata became very much afraid of his friends and relatives, because they were very
materialistic and not at all interested in making spiritual progress. Therefore, although he was very
intelligent, he behaved just like a madman. He pretended to be dull, blind, and deaf, so that mundane
people would not try to talk to him. But within himself, he was always thinking of the Lord and
remembering His glories, which alone can save one from repeated birth and death.

Jada Bharata’s father was filled with affection for his son, and in his heart he hoped that Jada Bharata
would someday become a learned scholar. Therefore he tried to teach him the intricacies of Vedic
knowledge. But Jada Bharata purposely behaved like a fool so that his father would abandon his
attempts to instruct him. If his father told him to do something, he would do exactly the opposite.

[Q17] Can you think of a way to escape a friend who is adamantly calling you for a movie?
 I’ll give some excuse that I’ve to study my subjects for the forthcoming exam next week.
 I’ll tell him I am not interested in movies; I only like chanting Hare Krishna.
 I’ll tell him that I have a slight headache and don’t feel like going out.
 I’ll tell him I’ve dissentry and I may have to go to washroom anytime.
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[Q18] Why did Jada Bharata not want to become a Vedic scholar?
 He thought it is very time consuming to study all the four Vedas
 He was dull, blind, and deaf and thus could not be trained in Vedas
 His goal was not to become a learned scholar, but to be a devotee of Supreme Lord
 Vedic followers often become caught up in ritualistic procedures forgetting Supreme Lord

Jada Bharata’s Inner Spiritual Advancement unknown to People

Jada Bharata’s nine stepbrothers considered him dull and brainless. They could not understand Jada
Bharata’s inner spiritual advancement. They made him work like a slave in the fields and his only
wages were the small burnt grains. Each day he was insulted and neglected by ordinary people, who
considered him to be nothing more than a useless fool. But Jada Bharata never protested the
mistreatment, for he was completely liberated from the bodily concept of life. Whatever food came
his way, he would accept it and eat it, whether it was plenty or little, palatable or unpalatable. His
body was as strong as a bull’s. He was like a valuable gem covered by dirt.

[Q19] Why did Jada Bharata not protest when his brothers insulted him?
 He was completely liberated from bodily concept of life
 They were nine stepbrothers and he was single and it was better for him not to protest
 He did not want to be distracted this time by anything as it happened in earlier life as Bharata
 By tolerating insults in life, Jada Bharata knew that wages and food will get better over time

[Q20] What should we do when someone insults us?

 By tolerating insults in life, we get career growth and can go to high ranks in company.
 I’ll give back a greater dose of insult; if we don’t do that, people take us cheaply.
 I’ll analyse why they said what they said and check who was at fault; if I was, I’ll say sorry
and rectify my fault and try to improve. If they were at fault, I’ll point out the problem
without blaming the person. I’ll try my best to act like a gentle devotee of God.
 I’ll tolerate and go on with my spiritual life. I can’t afford to spoil my spiritual consciousness
fighting back with everyone for every small mistake they do.

Jada Bharata taken for Sacrifice to the Temple of Goddess Kali

Once a leader of a band of dacoits went to the temple of the goddess Bhadrakali to offer in sacrifice a
dull, unintelligent human being resembling an animal. Such sacrifices are nowhere mentioned in the
Vedas and were concocted by the robbers for the purpose of gaining material wealth. Their plan was
foiled, however, when the man who was to have been sacrificed escaped. So the chief robber sent his
men out to find him. Searching through fields and forests in the darkness of night, the robbers came
to a rice field and saw Jada Bharata, who was sitting on high ground guarding the field against the
attacks of wild boars. The robbers thought Jada Bharata would be a perfect sacrifice. They bound
him with strong ropes and brought him to the temple of goddess Kali.

Due to his complete faith in the protection of the Supreme Lord, Jada Bharata did not protest. His
consciousness was, “My Lord, I am Your eternal servant, and if You like You can kill me, or if You
like You can protect me. In any case, I am fully surrendered unto You.”

[Q21] Why did Jada Bharata not protest when he was taken by the robbers to be killed?
 He was dull, deaf and blind with his relatives and friends; so did he behave with robbers
 He thought it was best to give up life as his nine stepbrothers already mistreated him
 Because Lord has given full assurance to His devotees of protection
 Due to his complete faith that there was no way he could escape from the robbers now
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Jada Bharata saved from the Robbers
The robbers bathed Jada Bharata, dressed him in new silk garments,
and decorated him with ornaments and garlands. They fed him a
sumptuous last meal and brought him before the goddess. Then, one
of the thieves, acting as the chief priest, raised a razor-sharp sword to
slit Jada Bharata’s throat so they could offer his warm blood as liquor
to Kali. But the goddess could not bear this. Suddenly, the form of
the deity burst open and the goddess herself appeared. Leaping
violently from the altar, she quickly decapitated all the thieves with
the very sword with which they had intended to kill Jada Bharata.

[Q22] What would you infer from this instance of Kali decapitating
her own worshippers?
 Demigods are devotees of the Supreme Lord and they cannot
tolerate seeing a Lord’s great devotee abused or killed.
 The goddess Kali could not bear human offering; she wanted warm blood of goat and liquor.
 The chief priest who raised the razor-sharp sword was sinful as well as the thieves.
 Kali is unhappy with her followers who mishandle Supreme Lord’s pure devotees.

Jada Bharata encounters King Rahugana

After his escape from Kali temple, Jada Bharata continued his
wanderings, remaining aloof from materialistic men. One day, as King
Rahugana of Sauvira was being carried on a palanquin by men, who
were fatigued. Realizing they would need another carrier to help them
cross the Ikshumati River, the king’s servants began searching for
someone.

They came upon Jada Bharata, who appeared to be a good choice

because he was very young and as strong as an ox. Jada Bharata agreed
to follow their order. But because he saw all living beings as his
brothers, Jada Bharata could not perform this task very well – as he
walked, he kept stopping to make sure that he did not step on any ants.
Unaware of what was causing the sudden jolts, King Rahugana
shouted, “What’s going on? Can’t you carry the palanquin properly?”
Hearing the threatening voice of the king, the frightened servants replied that the new man, Jada
Bharata, was causing the disturbance. The king angrily chastised Jada Bharata, sarcastically
accusing him of carrying the palanquin like a weak, skinny, tired, old man. But Jada Bharata, who
understood his true spiritual identity as spirit soul, knew that he was not his body. Therefore, Jada
Bharata remained unaffected by the king’s angry criticism.

Jada Bharata remained silent and kept carrying the palanquin as before, but the king, being unable to
control his temper, shouted, “You rascal, what are you doing? Don’t you know that I am your
master? For your disobedience I shall now punish you.”

[Q23] How could Jada Bharata remain unaffected by King’s angry criticism?
 He knew that he is soul different from the body, like a operator of a car different from the car.
 He knew that Rahugana was King of Sauvira and it was best not to rebel against a King
 Just now he escaped with his life from dacoits; he thought why to again create another risk.
 He was not the body that Rahugana was insulting; therefore he had no reason to be agitated.

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 Jada Bharata Instructs King Rahugana
“My dear king”, said Jada Bharata, “ The body may be fat or thin, or
weak or strong, but no learned man would say such things about the real
soul within. You think you are the lord and master, and you are therefore
trying to command me, but this is also incorrect, because these positions
are temporary. Today you are a king and I am your servant, but in our
next lives our positions may be reversed.” The Vedas explain that the
human beings in this material world are like actors on a stage. Onstage,
one actor may play the role of a master, and another may play the role of
his servant, but they are both actually the servants of the Director. In the
same way, all living entities are the servants of the Supreme Lord, Shri Krishna.
King Rahugana, who had been trained in spiritual science, was astonished to hear the teachings of
Jada Bharata. Recognizing him as a saintly person, the king quickly descended from his palanquin.
He gave up his material conception of being a great monarch and he offered obeisances and inquired
from him submissively. Vedas declare that everyone, even kings, must approach a spiritual master to
gain knowledge of the soul and process of reincarnation.
[Q24] Why is the master-servant relationship in the material world illusory?
 Soul changes body; today one who is king may be servant tomorrow.
 All souls are like actors on a drama stage acting as per the Director Supreme Lord.
 Because sometimes servant over throws the master and usurps his position like Aurangazeb.
 Because servant today gets promotion and becomes master tomorrow.

[Q25] What made King Rahugana descend from his palanquin and fall humbly on the ground?
 King felt he should have restrained anger on a citizen; so he felt sorry.
 King was already trained in spiritual science.
 King saw that Jada Bharata was a self-realised soul to be respectfully treated as a guru.
 Teachings of Jada Bharata were spiritual and no ordinary palanquin carrier can speak them.
Jada Bharata then explained how the soul, due to uncontrolled mind and ignorance of
his identity, wanders throughout the unlimited universes in different species of life.
Jada Bharata then revealed his own past lives, “In a previous birth, I was known as
King Bharata. I was fully detached from material activities and engaged in the service
of the Lord, but I relaxed my control over my mind and became so attached to a small
deer that I neglected my spiritual duties. At the time of death, I could think of nothing
but the deer, so in my next life I had to accept a body of a deer.”
Importance of Saintly Association
Jada Bharata concluded that in the assembly of pure devotees, there is no question of
discussing material subjects like politics and sociology. Rather there is discussion only
of the qualities, forms, and pastimes of the Supreme Lord, who is praised and
worshiped with full attention. This is the simple secret by which one can cut illusion
into pieces, end the vicious cycle of reincarnation, and return back home back to Godhead.
[Q26] What is discussed in the assembly of pure devotees?
 discussion only of the qualities, forms, and pastimes of the Supreme Lord.
 discussion on Politics, Sociology, Economic development etc
 discussion on the glories of Kings and their qualities, pastimes etc
 discussion on the Supreme Lord, who is praised and worshiped with full attention
* * * *
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