Raja Bharat was a great and legendary king of Bharat. The land which Raja Bharat ruled is called ‘Bharat’. In ancient times it was called ‘Bharatvarsh’. He was the son of Raja Dushyant of Hastinapur and Queen Shakuntala. There is a very interesting account of his birth which is mentioned in the Adi Parva of Mahabharat.
Once a celestial nymph called Menaka came down to the earth to distract Rishi Vishwamitra from his penance. She did this at the behest of Devraj Indra – the king of the Gods. A daughter was born from this union. Rishi Vishwamitra left the place, angered by the fact that he had lost all the virtues he had earned through years of penance. Menaka had to return back to Devlok and she couldn’t take the child along. She left the child on the banks of the Malini river in the Shivalik mountain ranges of the Himalayas. This new born girl was found by Rishi Kanva. The baby was surrounded by the birds who were protecting her. This is why she was named Shakuntala. Bird means ‘Shakuton’ in Sanskrit. Rishi Kanva brought up Shakuntala in his hermitage.
One day Raja Dushyant was passing through the forest with his entourage on a hunting expedition. He had pursued a male deer and wounded him with his arrows. Dushyant saw Shakuntala nursing the deer and fell in love with her at first sight. He begged for her forgiveness and married Shakuntala in a ‘gandharv’ wedding while Rishi Kanva was away. A ‘gandharv’ marraige requires the approval of only those who are getting married. Shakuntala agreed to marry Raja Dushyant and laid the condition that their son would be the heir to Raja Dushyant. Dushyant accepted this condition. Raja Dushyant left for Hastinapur after a few days. He gave Shakuntala a ring as a memory of their time spent together and promised to come back later.
When Rishi Kanva returned, he learned about the events that had unfolded. He was pleased with the marriage and blessed Shakuntala. After a few months, Shakuntala gave birth to a boy. Rishi Kanva named him ‘Sarvadama’. Sarvadama grew to become a very strong child. He was always surrounded by wild animals. He used to open the mouths of tigers and lions and count their teeth as a child. Six years had passed since Raja Dushyant left for Hastinapur. Rishi Kanva decided that it was now time for the boy to meet his father. He told Shakuntala to take ‘Sarvadama’ to Raja Dushyant.
Shankuntala lost the ring which Dushyant had given her, while crossing the river on her way to Hastinapur. On arrival, she presented their son to Dushyant. Though Raja Dushyant remembered everything, he refused to acknowledge Shakuntala and their son. Shakuntala was very hurt by this rejection and said ‘O King! I will return to my father’s hermitage. But you must acknowledge and accept our son. He will rule the earth one day.’
As soon as she uttered these words, a voice from the celestial realms spoke ‘Dushyant! Shakuntala is speaking the truth. Sarvadama is your and Shakuntala’s son. Accept them warmly. Also today I will rename ‘Sarvadama’. From this moment, he will be called ‘Bharat’ and he will rule the earth one day.’
Dushyant was overcome with joy and hugged Shakuntala and his son. He addressed the court and said ‘I knew she was Shakuntala and the boy was my son. Had I accepted the boy because of Shakuntala’s claim, my paternity would have been questioned. Now as the celestial voice has confirmed what I already knew, I welcome them both.’
Bharat became king in his youth. He conquered the world and truly ruled the earth. He was a virtuous ruler and he earned great fame. He was also known as ‘Digvijay Chakravarti Samrat’ or ‘Sarvabhauma’. He performed many Ashwamedh Yagnas, Rajasuya Yagnas and Vajapeya Yagnas. His grandfather, Rishi Kanva, was the chief priest for all his ‘yagnas’. During his reign there was harmony, wealth and prosperity and it was the golden period of Bharatvarsh. He ruled for twenty seven thousand years.
His empire was spread across the Indian subcontinent and along with India (Bharat) included present day Pakistan, Afghanistan, Iran, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Turkmenistan, North-west Tibet, Nepal and Bangladesh. The Vishnu Puran gives an extent of Raja Bharat’s empire ‘The country that lies north of the ocean and south of the snowy mountains is called Bharatam, there dwell the descendents of Bharat.’
When it was time to handover his kingdom, he appointed Bhumanyu as his successor. Bhumanyu was not a heir to the throne or a lineal descendent. When Raja Bharat concluded that his sons were not worthy of becoming king he did not shy away from appointing another person as his successor. Raja Bharat gave a lesson to mankind, that power should go to the person who is worthy, capable and virtuous enough to rule in a just manner.
Raja Bharat reached the top of ‘Meru’ mountain (the center of the world and tallest mountain) and placed a flag. But upon reaching the top he saw numerous such flags of world conquerors before him. This made him feel very insignificant and he took to penance and attained nirvana.
Raja Bharat’s actions and deeds made him the legend that he is today. He was the ancestor of Pandav’s and Kaurav’s – the opposing cousins in Mahabharat war. A role model and inspiration for many centuries, Raja Bharat’s life is an example for everyone to follow.
