Srimad-Bhagavatam: Canto 5: “The Creative Impetus”
by His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada
Chapter Eight
A Description of the Character of Bharata Maharaja
SB5.8Summary
Although Bharata Maharaja was very elevated, he fell down due to his attachment to a young deer. One day after Bharata Maharaja had taken his bath as usual in the River Gandaki and was chanting his mantra, he saw a pregnant deer come to the river to drink water. Suddenly there could be heard the thundering roar of a lion, and the deer was so frightened that it immediately gave birth to its calf. It then crossed the river, but died immediately thereafter. Maharaja Bharata took compassion upon the motherless calf, rescued it from the water, took it to his asrama and cared for it affectionately. He gradually became attached to this young deer and always thought of it affectionately. As it grew up, it became Maharaja Bharata’s constant companion, and he always took care of it. Gradually he became so absorbed in thinking of this deer that his mind became agitated. As he became more attached to the deer, his devotional service slackened. Although he was able to give up his opulent kingdom, he became attached to the deer. Thus he fell down from his mystic yoga practice. Once when the deer was absent, Maharaja Bharata was so disturbed that he began to search for it. While searching and lamenting the deer’s absence, Maharaja Bharata fell down and died. Because his mind was fully absorbed thinking of the deer, he naturally took his next birth from the womb of a deer. However, because he was considerably advanced spiritually, he did not forget his past activities, even though he was in the body of a deer. He could understand how he had fallen down from his exalted position, and remembering this, he left his mother deer and again went to Pulaha-asrama. He finally ended his fruitive activities in the form of a deer, and when he died he was released from the deer’s body.
SB5.8.2
TEXT 2
tatra tada rajan harini pipasaya jalasayabhyasam ekaivopajagama.
SYNONYMS
tatra—on the bank of the river; tada—at the time; rajan—O King; harini—a doe; pipasaya—because of thirst; jalasaya-abhyasam—near the river; eka—one; eva—certainly; upajagama—arrived.
TRANSLATION
O King, while Bharata Maharaja was sitting on the bank of that river, a doe, being very thirsty, came there to drink.
SB5.8.3
TEXT 3
taya pepiyamana udake tavad evavidurena nadato mrga-pater unnado loka-bhayankara udapatat.
SYNONYMS
taya—by the doe; pepiyamane—being drunk with great satisfaction; udake—the water; tavat eva—exactly at that time; avidurena—very near; nadatah—roaring; mrga-pateh—of one lion; unnadah—the tumultuous sound; loka-bhayam-kara—very fearful to all living entities; udapatat—arose.
TRANSLATION
While the doe was drinking with great satisfaction, a lion, which was very close, roared very loudly. This was frightful to every living entity, and it was heard by the doe.
SB5.8.4
TEXT 4
tam upasrutya sa mrga-vadhuh prakrti-viklava cakita-niriksana sutaram api hari-bhayabhinivesa-vyagra-hrdaya pariplava-drstir agata-trsa bhayat sahasaivoccakrama.
SYNONYMS
tam upasrutya—hearing that tumultuous sound; sa—that; mrga-vadhuh—wife of a deer; prakrti-viklava—by nature always afraid of being killed by others; cakita-niriksana—having wandering eyes; sutaram api—almost immediately; hari—of the lion; bhaya—of fear; abhinivesa—by the entrance; vyagra-hrdaya—whose mind was agitated; pariplava-drstih—whose eyes were moving to and fro; agata-trsa—without fully satisfying the thirst; bhayat—out of fear; sahasa—suddenly; eva—certainly; uccakrama—crossed the river.
TRANSLATION
By nature the doe was always afraid of being killed by others, and it was always looking about suspiciously. When it heard the lion’s tumultuous roar, it became very agitated. Looking here and there with disturbed eyes, the doe, although it had not fully satisfied itself by drinking water, suddenly leaped across the river.
SB5.8.5
TEXT 5
tasya utpatantya antarvatnya uru-bhayavagalito yoni-nirgato garbhah srotasi nipapata.
SYNONYMS
tasyah—of it; utpatantyah—forcefully jumping up; antarvatnyah—having a full womb; uru-bhaya—due to great fear; avagalitah—having slipped out; yoni-nirgatah—coming out of the womb; garbhah—the offspring; srotasi—in the flowing water; nipapata—fell down.
TRANSLATION
The doe was pregnant, and when it jumped out of fear, the baby deer fell from its womb into the flowing waters of the river.
PURPORT
There is every chance of a woman’s having a miscarriage if she experiences some ecstatic emotion or is frightened. Pregnant women should therefore be spared all these external influences.
SB5.8.7
TEXT 7
tam tv ena-kunakam krpanam srotasanuhyamanam abhiviksyapaviddham bandhur ivanukampaya rajarsir bharata adaya mrta-mataram ity asrama-padam anayat.
SYNONYMS
tam—that; tu—but; ena-kunakam—the deer calf; krpanam—helpless; srotasa—by the waves; anuhyamanam—floating; abhiviksya—seeing; apaviddham—removed from its own kind; bandhuh iva—just like a friend; anukampaya—with compassion; raja-rsih bharatah—the great, saintly King Bharata; adaya—taking; mrta-mataram—who lost its mother; iti—thus thinking; asrama-padam—to the asrama; anayat—brought.
TRANSLATION
The great King Bharata, while sitting on the bank of the river, saw the small deer, bereft of its mother, floating down the river. Seeing this, he felt great compassion. Like a sincere friend, he lifted the infant deer from the waves, and, knowing it to be motherless, brought it to his asrama.
PURPORT
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. In Bhagavad-gita we are therefore warned:
yam hi na vyathayanty ete
purusam purusarsabha
sama-duhkha-sukham dhiram
so ’mrtatvaya kalpate
“O best among men [Arjuna], the person who is not disturbed by happiness and distress and is steady in both is certainly eligible for liberation.” (Bg. 2.15)
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. Maharaja Bharata’s compassion for the deer was the beginning of his falldown into the material world.
From this we can understand how we have to be very cautious in executing our spiritual duties by observing the rules and regulations and regularly chanting the Hare Krsna maha-mantra. If we neglect doing this, we will eventually fall down. We must rise early in the morning. bathe, attend mangala-arati, worship the Deities, chant the Hare Krsna mantra, study the Vedic literatures and follow all the rules prescribed by the acaryas and the spiritual master. If we deviate from this process, we may fall down, even though we may be very highly advanced. As stated in Bhagavad-gita (18.5):
yajna-dana-tapah-karma
na tyajyam karyam eva tat
yajno danam tapas caiva
pavanani manisinam
“Acts of sacrifice, charity and penance are not to be given up but should be performed. Indeed, sacrifice, charity and penance purify even the great soul.” Even if one is in the renounced order, he should never give up the regulative principles. He should worship the Deity and give his time and life to the service of Krsna. He should also continue following the rules and regulations of austerity and penance. These things cannot be given up. One should not think oneself very advanced simply because one has accepted the sannyasa order. The activities of Bharata Maharaja should be carefully studied for one’s spiritual advancement.
When a person is advanced in spiritual consciousness or Krsna consciousness, he naturally becomes very sympathetic toward all living entities suffering in the material world. Naturally such an advanced person thinks of the suffering of the people in general. However, if one does not know of the material sufferings of fallen souls and becomes sympathetic because of bodily comforts, as in the case of Bharata Maharaja, such sympathy or compassion is the cause of one’s downfall. If one is actually sympathetic to fallen, suffering humanity, he should try to elevate people from material consciousness to spiritual consciousness. As far as the deer was concerned, Bharata Maharaja became very sympathetic, but he forgot that it was impossible for him to elevate a deer to spiritual consciousness, because, after all, a deer is but an animal. It was very dangerous for Bharata Maharaja to sacrifice all his regulative principles simply to take care of an animal. The principles enunciated in Bhagavad-gita should be followed. Yam hi na vyathayanty ete purusam purusarsabha. As far as the material body is concerned, we cannot do anything for anyone. However, by the grace of Krsna, we may raise a person to spiritual consciousness if we ourselves follow the rules and regulations. If we give up our own spiritual activities and simply become concerned with the bodily comforts of others, we will fall into a dangerous position.
nunam hy aryah sadhava upasama-silah krpana-suhrda evam-vidharthe svarthan api gurutaran upeksante.
Maya is very strong. In the name of philanthropy, altruism and communism, people are feeling compassion for suffering humanity throughout the world. Philanthropists and altruists do not realize that it is impossible to improve people’s material conditions. Material conditions are already established by the superior administration according to one’s karma. They cannot be changed. The only benefit we can render to suffering beings is to try to raise them to spiritual consciousness. Material comforts cannot be increased or decreased. It is therefore said in Srimad-Bhagavatam (1.5.18), tal labhyate duhkhavad anyatah sukham: “As far as material happiness is concerned, that comes without effort, just as tribulations come without effort.” Material happiness and pain can be attained without endeavor. One should not bother for material activities. If one is at all sympathetic or able to do good to others, he should endeavor to raise people to Krsna consciousness. In this way everyone advances spiritually by the grace of the Lord. For our instruction, Bharata Maharaja acted in such a way. We should be very careful not to be misled by so-called welfare activities conducted in bodily, terms. One should not give up his interest in attaining the favor of Lord Visnu at any cost. Generally people do not know this, or they forget it. Consequently they sacrifice their original interest, the attainment of Visnu’s favor, and engage in philanthropic activities for bodily comfort.
iti krtanusanga asana-sayanatana-snanasanadisu saha mrga-jahuna snehanubaddha-hrdaya asit.
SB5.8.12
TEXT 12
kusa-kusuma-samit-palasa-phala-mulodakany aharisyamano vrkasala-vrkadibhyo bhayam asamsamano yada saha harina-kunakena vanam samavisati.
SYNONYMS
kusa—a kind of grass required for ritualistic ceremonies; kusuma—flowers; samit—firewood; palasa—leaves; phala-mula—fruits and roots; udakani—and water; aharisyamanah—desiring to collect; vrkasala-vrka—from wolves and dogs; adibhyah—and other animals, such as tigers; bhayam—fear; asamsamanah—doubting; yada—when; saha—with; harina-kunakena—the deer calf; vanam—the forest; samavisati—enters.
TRANSLATION
When Maharaja Bharata wanted to enter the forest to collect kusa grass, flowers, wood, leaves, fruits, roots and water, he would fear that dogs, jackals, tigers and other ferocious animals might kill the deer. He would therefore always take the deer with him when entering the forest.
PURPORT
How Maharaja Bharata increased his affection for the deer is described herein. Even such an exalted personality as Bharata Maharaja, who had attained loving affection for the Supreme Personality of Godhead, fell down from his position due to his affection for some animal. Consequently, as will be seen. he had to accept the body of a deer in his next life. Since this was the case with Bharata Maharaja, what can we say of those who are not advanced in spiritual life but who become attached to cats and dogs? Due to their affection for their cats and dogs, they have to take the same bodily forms in the next life unless they clearly increase their affection and love for the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Unless we increase our faith in the Supreme Lord, we shall be attracted to many other things. That is the cause of our material bondage.
Maharaja Bharata left his home, wife, children, kingdom and everything else to advance his spiritual life in the forest, but again he fell victim to material affection due to his attachment to an insignificant pet deer. What, then. was the use of his renouncing his family? One who is serious in advancing his spiritual life should be very cautious not to become attached to anything but Krsna. Sometimes, in order to preach. we have to accept many material activities, but we should remember that everything is for Krsna. If we remember this, there is no chance of our being victimized by material activities.
Because his attraction for the deer was so intense, Bharata Maharaja could not concentrate upon worshiping the Lord or performing his ritualistic ceremonies. Even though he was engaged in worshiping the Deity, his mind was restless due to his inordinate affection. While trying to meditate, he would simply think of the deer, wondering where it had gone. In other words, if one’s mind is distracted from worship, a mere show of worship will not be of any benefit. The fact that Bharata Maharaja had to get up at intervals to look for the deer was simply a sign that he had fallen down from the spiritual platform.
If a poor man loses some money or gold, he at once becomes very agitated. Similarly, the mind of Maharaja Bharata would become agitated when he did not see the deer. This is an example of how our attachment can be transferred. If our attachment is transferred to the Lord’s service, we progress. Srila Rupa Gosvami prayed to the Lord that he would be as naturally attracted to the Lord’s service as young men and young women are naturally attracted to each other. Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu exhibited such attachment to the Lord when He jumped into the ocean or cried at night in separation. However, if our attachment is diverted to material things instead of to the Lord, we will fall down from the spiritual platform.
Bharata Maharaja was very noble and exalted, and therefore when the deer was absent from him he thought himself unworthy to give it protection. Due to his attachment for the animal, he thought that the animal was as noble and exalted as he himself was. According to the logic of atmavan manyate jagat, everyone thinks of others according to his own position. Therefore Maharaja Bharata felt that the deer had left him due to his negligence and that due to the animal’s noble heart, it would again return.
api ksemenasminn asramopavane saspani carantam deva-guptam drak-syami.