E - Emperor to Deer (7-15)
The illustrious Maharaja Bharata was the emperor of the world. Though an advanced devotee, the emperor unexpectedly became attached to an orphan deer and thus received a similar body in his next life. When we fall prey to distraction and lose our focus, we inadvertently descend into a lower species of life. Because of his spiritual advancement, Bharata could remember the cause of his animal birth. He thus re-dedicated himself to spiritual life and subsequently became Jada Bharata, a great devotee who remained as an aloof mendicant (avadhuta).
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E - Emperor to Deer (7-15)
E - Emperor to Deer (7-15)
The illustrious Maharaja Bharata was the emperor of the world. Though an advanced devotee, the emperor unexpectedly became attached to an orphan deer and thus received a similar body in his next life. When we fall prey to distraction and lose our focus, we inadvertently descend into a lower species of life. Because of his spiritual advancement, Bharata could remember the cause of his animal birth. He thus re-dedicated himself to spiritual life and subsequently became Jada Bharata, a great devotee who remained as an aloof mendicant (avadhuta).
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1st Life – Emperor Bharata
E - Emperor to Deer (7-15)
1st Life – Emperor Bharata
Chapter 7
Sukadeva Goswami detailed the history of Rishabhadeva’s most famous son, Bharata.
Bharata was a great devotee of the Lord, and when the time was ripe he accepted the position of emperor. After marrying Pancajani, the daughter of Visvarupa, Bharata fathered five sons. The saintly King ruled for many years, during which time he diligently fulfilled his royal duties and performed various sacrifices ( yajnas ) to satisfy the Supreme Lord. His reign was so glorious that the entire world became known as Bharata-varsa.
As with all great kings, Bharata Maharaja eventually renounced the kingdom. He went into seclusion to exclusively focus on worshipping his salagram-sila , the Lord’s form found at the Gandaki river. As the days passed, his bhakti grew to new heights and he displayed the unique symptoms of spiritual emotion ( bhava ).
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2nd Life - Emperor to Deer
E - Emperor to Deer (7-15)
2nd Life - Emperor to Deer
Chapter 8
Once, while meditating, Bharata chanced upon an innocent, gentle deer. Frightened by the roar of a lion, the deer jumped across the river and died in the process, during which time it also gave birth to a baby deer. Bharata’s compassion was awakened, and as he saw that helpless, orphaned deer, he resolved to give it shelter. Over time, his life began to revolve around the deer, so much so that his devotional practices began to slacken. Though he had renounced a kingdom and embraced the path of renunciation, he had now inadvertently become attached to an animal.
Once, while searching for the deer, the degree of his attachment became apparent - his mind was filled with memories, anxiety and excessive material affection. When Bharata became sick, the deer appeared beside him. While immersed in thoughts of his beloved dependent, Bharata ended his life and naturally took his next birth as a deer. Due to his spiritual advancement, Bharata, as a deer, remembered his past life. Ashamed by his ignoble fall, he left his mother deer and lived a life of renunciation in the forest. In the seclusion of that holy place, Bharata completed his term of existence in that animal form.
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3rd Life - Deer to Jada Bharata
E - Emperor to Deer (7-15)
3rd Life - Deer to Jada Bharata
Chapter 9
Bharata next took birth as the son of an advanced brahmana . Fully aware of the powerful influence of illusion ( maya ), Jada Bharata pretended to be deaf and dumb so as to avoid materialistic association and social interaction. When his mother and father died, Jada Bharata was placed under the supervision of his stepbrothers. Though people thought him to be crazy, insulting and exploiting him at every opportunity, Jada Bharata remained absorbed in perfect devotional consciousness and unaffected by such disrespectful behaviour.
Once, having been ordered by his evil stepbrothers to guard a paddy field like a scarecrow, Jada Bharata was captured by dacoits. They placed him as a sacrifice before the Goddess Kali and raised a sword to kill him. Kali was infuriated by the mistreatment of such a saintly person. She burst out of the deity, and, taking the chopper in her own hands, killed all the dacoits there!
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Attention!
E - Emperor to Deer (7-15)
Attention!
“The laws of nature work in subtle ways unknown to us. Maharaja Bharata was a great king very advanced in devotional service. He had almost reached the point of loving service to the Supreme Lord, but even from that platform he could fall down onto the material platform... Spiritual salvation and liberation from material bondage must be worked out with great caution, otherwise a little discrepancy will cause one to fall down again into material existence. By studying the activities of Maharaja Bharata, we can learn the art of becoming completely freed from all material attachment. As it will be revealed in later verses, Bharata Maharaja had to accept the body of a deer due to being overly compassionate for this infant deer. We should be compassionate by raising one from the material platform to the spiritual platform; otherwise at any moment our spiritual advancement may be spoiled, and we may fall down onto the material platform.” (SB 5.8.7)
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Bloop
E - Emperor to Deer (7-15)
Attention!
Bloop
Those who embark on the journey towards transcendence are brave indeed. They strive for purity in a world of degradation, they embrace simplicity amongst rampant materialism, and they cultivate selflessness in an atmosphere charged with exploitation. Anyone who goes against the grain in such a bold way will undoubtedly be faced with temptation, doubt, ridicule and moments of weakness. Behind the high ideals and expectations of any religious or spiritual tradition, stands the relatively frail and weak aspirant. Lapses and mistakes are to be expected in the life journey of any human, and spiritualists are no exception. Scriptures are replete with accounts of spiritual aspirants who fell victim to material illusion.
Once, whilst describing how one gives up spiritual life and falls again into the material pool, Srila Prabhupada imitated the sound of a stone falling into water - ‘Bloop!’ That was it. ‘Bloop’ soon became standard devotee-lingo – to give up one’s spiritual practices was to ‘bloop.’ And when an individual did ‘bloop,’ Srila Prabhupada was extremely pained. He would remind the devotees that one who receives the opportunity of Krishna Consciousness is very fortunate, and one who doesn’t is unfortunate. Those who receive the opportunity, however, but then squander it, are to be considered most unfortunate .
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Casual Causes Casualty
E - Emperor to Deer (7-15)
Attention!
Casual Causes Casualty
There are serious lessons to be learnt from the incident of Maharaja Bharata. Before discussing them, it’s important to note that great souls may sometimes act in anomalous ways to teach the masses about potential pitfalls. By the example of their own lives they show the severe consequences of transgressing the laws of God and material nature, and ignoring saintly advice and counsel. In Bharata Maharaja’s case, his compassion for the deer was indeed laudable. The difficulty, however, was that he became neglectful and inattentive in his spiritual practices because of that affection. Furthermore, in the seclusion of the forest, there was nobody to correct him or offer constructive feedback and course correction. His example highlights the dangers of distraction.
In all aspects of life, the message runs through loud and clear – a casual approach will inevitably produce casualties. We’ll witness this principle constantly playing out in our own life. While ‘casual’ can refer to being relaxed and accommodating, it does also relate to being careless and unconcerned. When being ‘casual’ means we lack serious intention and withhold quality attention, we can predict we’re in for trouble. Modern culture tends towards the casual, and as children of the age, it’s inevitable that we may reflect that in our approach to spiritual life.
Most spiritual aspirants are not bad practitioners, but just casual ones. Luke- warm, let’s say. Strict on a few things, and loose on a lot more. We take a bit of this, add a bit of that, ignore the rest, and blend it together with half-hearted attention, and pray it’s the recipe for enlightenment! An attitude survey by the think-tank Theos revealed that about 70% of the British population is neither strictly religious nor strictly non-religious, but rather moving in and out of the undesignated spaces in between. Casual spirituality, however, won’t generate profound existential awakening nor deep spiritual experience. What’s more, casual spirituality leaves room for materialistic desires and illusory ideas to creep in, take root, and eventually wreak havoc.
Practising spirituality in a distracted way will cause one to slowly become more and more disinterested. That disinterest will eventually lead to disengagement with the process. On the other hand, attentive spiritual practice will generate attraction. When that attraction matures, it will create genuine, powerful, spontaneous attachment. We may want to pause for thought and question the trajectory of our spiritual journey.
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Deepening our Devotion
E - Emperor to Deer (7-15)
Attention!
Deepening our Devotion
In Visvanatha Chakravarti Thakura’s model of spiritual progress, he outlines the stages from initial faith to pure love of God. To summarise it further, we could boil it down to three broad stages of spirituality:
Identity – sraddha (faith), sadhu-sanga (association)
In the beginning, our spirituality is about an identity change. We identify with a new way of life and a fresh community of people, and making that social shift in our life dominates our attention. Our values and principles change, but since we are still in the early stages, many of our activities, habits and desires may remain as they are. Although externally associated with a spiritual process, we may not have fully adopted it internally.
Process – bhajana-kriya (regulation), anartha-nivrtti (purification), nistha (conviction), ruci (attraction)
As we go deeper, we realise that spirituality is more than an identity. Here, we actually embrace the process of transformation and all the ups and downs that go with it. At this stage, along with our values, we make a substantial commitment to devotional service and change our lifestyle and routines. The process is likened to cleaning, and it can be a struggle with determination to work through all the obstacles and issues that appear on the journey. For those who persevere, the heart is cleansed, conviction grows, and one develops a natural attachment to the practices that previously seemed difficult.
Krishna – asakti (connection), bhava (emotion), prema (intoxication)
The process of spiritual life brings one face-to-face with Krishna. Krishna consciousness is not simply aimed at cultivating faith in God but empowering one to dynamically feel His presence at every moment. In these later stages of the journey, that is exactly what happens. Through dedicated, intense practice of the process, the heart is transformed and one reawakens their connection with Krishna. The relationship matures into a deep emotional exchange, after which one arrives at the apex of spiritual life – pure love of God.
Bharata Maharaja was at the stage of ecstatic emotion ( bhava ), yet he fell from his spiritual practice. Thus, the lessons regarding attentive spiritual practice are acutely relevant at every stage of spiritual life. Srila Prabhupada sends out a stern warning: “Spiritual salvation and liberation from material bondage must be worked out with great caution, otherwise a little discrepancy will cause one to fall down again into material existence.” (SB 5.8.7)
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Bharata’s Descendants
E - Emperor to Deer (7-15)
Bharata’s Descendants
Chapter 15
The descendants of Maharaja Bharata are described, including King Gaya, who was a perfect monarch and unalloyed devotee.
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Jada Bharata instructs Rahugana
E - Emperor to Deer (7-15)
Jada Bharata instructs Rahugana
Chapter 10, 11, 12, 13, 14
When the youthful Jada Bharata was enlisted as a palanquin carrier for King Rahugana, instead of protesting the demeaning order, he humbly accepted. There was, however, one slight problem – because Jada Bharata was so careful to avoid stepping on any ants, the palanquin never remained steady! Outraged by his ‘incompetence,’ the King chastised Jada Bharata with vile language and threatened him with punishment. The saintly avadhuta , however, responded with perfect humility, clarity and spirituality and gave deeply philosophical responses to the insults. Humbled and repentant, Rahugana immediately detected the greatness of Jada Bharata and begged forgiveness and guidance. He asked a variety of questions to further understand the deep philosophical import of Jada Bharata’s words. Jada Bharata’s main teachings covered:
• The nature of the mind, how it entangles the soul and how to conquer it [ 16 ]
• The falsity and temporality of the material world and its identities, in contrast with the eternality of the Lord, His devotees and His abode [ 17 ]
• The forest of material enjoyment – an allegory to explain how the conditioned soul enters this world with the selfish, enjoying spirit, but is then attacked, plundered, injured, illusioned and completely victimised by different aspects of the material world [ 18 ]
Jada Bharata thus concluded his profound dissemination of knowledge and encouraged the appreciative King Rahugana to perfect his life and cross the ocean of material existence.
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— S.B. Keshava Swami, Book Bhagavata