Chapter Seven The Activities of King Bharata
1. Sukadeva Gosvami continued speaking to Maharaja Pariksit: My dear King, Bharata Maharaja was a topmost devotee. Following the orders of his father, who had already decided to install him on the throne, he began to rule the earth accordingly. When Bharata Maharaja ruled the entire globe, he followed the orders of his father and married Pancajani, the daughter of Visvarupa.
2. Just as the false ego creates the subtle sense objects, Maharaja Bharata created five sons in the womb of Pancajani, his wife. These sons were named Sumati, Rastrabhrta, Sudarsana, Avarana and Dhumraketu.
3. Formerly this planet was known as Ajanabha-varsa, but since Maharaja Bharata’s reign, it has become known as Bharata-varsa.
4. Maharaja Bharata was a very learned and experienced king on this earth. He perfectly ruled the citizens, being himself engaged in his own respective duties. Maharaja Bharata was as affectionate to the citizens as his father and grandfather had been. Keeping them engaged in their occupational duties, he ruled the earth.
5. With great faith King Bharata performed various kinds of sacrifice. He performed the sacrifices known as agni-hotra, darsa, purnamasa, caturmasya, pasu-yajna [wherein a horse is sacrificed] and soma-yajna [wherein a kind of beverage is offered]. Sometimes these sacrifices were performed completely and sometimes partially. In any case, in all the sacrifices the regulations of caturhotra were strictly followed. In this way Bharata Maharaja worshiped the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
6. After performing the preliminaries of various sacrifices, Maharaja Bharata offered the results in the name of religion to the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Vasudeva. In other words, he performed all the yajnas for the satisfaction of Lord Vasudeva, Krishna. Maharaja Bharata thought that since the demigods were different parts of Vasudeva’s body, He controls those who are explained in the Vedic mantras. By thinking in this way, Maharaja Bharata was freed from all material contamination, such as attachment, lust and greed. When the priests were about to offer the sacrificial ingredients into the fire, Maharaja Bharata expertly understood how the offering made to different demigods was simply an offering to the different limbs of the Lord. For instance, Indra is the arm of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and Surya [the sun] is His eye. Thus Maharaja Bharata considered that the oblations offered to different demigods were actually offered unto the different limbs of Lord Vasudeva.
7. In this way, being purified by ritualistic sacrifices, the heart of Maharaja Bharata was completely uncontaminated. His devotional service unto Vasudeva, Lord Krishna, increased day after day. Lord Krishna, the son of Vasudeva, is the original Personality of Godhead manifest as the Supersoul [Paramatma] as well as the impersonal Brahman. Yogis meditate upon the localized Paramatma situated in the heart, jnanis worship the impersonal Brahman as the Supreme Absolute Truth, and devotees worship Vasudeva, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, whose transcendental body is described in the sastras. His body is decorated with the Srivatsa, the Kaustubha jewel and a flower garland, and His hands hold a conchshell, disc, club and lotus flower. Devotees like Narada always think of Him within their hearts.
8. Destiny fixed the time for Maharaja Bharata’s enjoyment of material opulence at one thousand times ten thousand years. When that period was finished, he retired from family life and divided the wealth he had received from his forefathers among his sons. He left his paternal home, the reservoir of all opulence, and started for Pulahasrama, which is situated in Hardwar. The salagrama-silas are obtainable there.
9. At Pulaha-asrama, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Hari, out of His transcendental affection for His devotee, becomes visible to His devotee, satisfying His devotee’s desires.
10. In Pulaha-asrama is the Gandaki River, which is the best of all rivers. The salagrama-sila, the marble pebbles, purify all those places. On each and every marble pebble, up and down, circles like navels are visible.
11. In the gardens of Pulaha-asrama, Maharaja Bharata lived alone and collected a variety of flowers, twigs and tulasi leaves. He also collected the water of the Gandaki River, as well as various roots, fruits and bulbs. With these he offered food to the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Vasudeva, and, worshiping Him, he remained satisfied. In this way his heart was completely uncontaminated, and he did not have the least desire for material enjoyment. All material desires vanished. In this steady position, he felt full satisfaction and was situated in devotional service.
12. That most exalted devotee, Maharaja Bharata, in this way engaged constantly in the devotional service of the Lord. Naturally his love for Vasudeva, Krishna, increased more and more and melted his heart. Consequently he gradually lost all attachment for regulative duties. The hairs of his body stood on end, and all the ecstatic bodily symptoms were manifest. Tears flowed from his eyes, so much so that he could not see anything. Thus he constantly meditated on the reddish lotus feet of the Lord. At that time, his heart, which was like a lake, was filled with the water of ecstatic love. When his mind was immersed in that lake, he even forgot the regulative service to the Lord.
13. Maharaja Bharata appeared very beautiful. He had a wealth of curly hair on his head, which was wet from bathing three times daily. He dressed in a deerskin. He worshiped Lord Narayana, whose body was composed of golden effulgence and who resided within the sun. Maharaja Bharata worshiped Lord Narayana by chanting the hymns given in the Rg Veda, and he recited the following verse as the sun rose.
14. “The Supreme Personality of Godhead is situated in pure goodness. He illuminates the entire universe and bestows all benedictions upon His devotees. The Lord has created this universe from His own spiritual potency. According to His desire, the Lord entered this universe as the Supersoul, and by virtue of His different potencies, He is maintaining all living entities desiring material enjoyment. Let me offer my respectful obeisances unto the Lord, who is the giver of intelligence.”
