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Bharata ( sa, भरत, translit=bharata) is a character in the ancient Indian epic '' Ramayana''. He is the son of Dasharatha, the virtuous king of
Kosala The Kingdom of Kosala (Sanskrit: ) was an ancient Indian kingdom with a rich culture, corresponding to the area within the region of Awadh in present-day Uttar Pradesh to Western Odisha. It emerged as a janapada, small state during the late Ve ...
, and Kaikeyi, daughter of the King Ashwapati of Kekeya. He is a younger half-brother of Rama and rules Ayodhya while Rama is banished from the country and fights to recover his wife Sita, kidnapped by Ravana. He is married to
Mandavi Mandavi () is the eldest daughter of King Kushadhwaja and Queen Chandrabhaga in the Hindu epic Ramayana. She is the wife of Bharata, a younger brother of Rama. Legend Princess Mandavi has a younger sister, Shrutakirti. Mandavi is married to ...
, daughter of
Kushadhvaja Kushadhvaja ( IAST: Kuśadhvaja) is a king in the Ramayana, the younger brother of King Janaka of Mithila. Kushadhvaja's two daughters, Mandavi and Shrutakirti, were married to Rama's younger brothers, Bharata and Shatrughna, respectively. W ...
, with whom he has sons –
Taksha Bharata ( sa, भरत, translit=bharata) is a character in the ancient Indian epic ''Ramayana''. He is the son of Dasharatha, the virtuous king of Kosala Kingdom, Kosala, and Kaikeyi, daughter of the King Ashwapati of Kekeya Kingdom, Kekey ...
and
Pushkala Bharata ( sa, भरत, translit=bharata) is a character in the ancient Indian epic ''Ramayana''. He is the son of Dasharatha, the virtuous king of Kosala, and Kaikeyi, daughter of the King Ashwapati of Kekeya. He is a younger half-brother ...
. In the ''Ramayana'', Bharata is presented as a symbol of
dharma Dharma (; sa, धर्म, dharma, ; pi, dhamma, italic=yes) is a key concept with multiple meanings in Indian religions, such as Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism, Sikhism and others. Although there is no direct single-word translation for '' ...
. He is also an incarnation of
Sudarshana Chakra Sudarshana Chakra (Sanskrit: सुदर्शन चक्र, lit. "disc of auspicious vision", IAST: Sudarśana Chakra) is a spinning, celestial discus with 108 serrated edges, attributed to Vishnu and Krishna in the Hindu scriptures. The Sud ...
, the divine weapon of Vishnu, while Rama is the incarnation of Vishnu himself. Today, Bharata is mostly worshipped in Kerala. One of the few temples in India dedicated to him is the Koodalmanikyam Temple.


Etymology

According to Monier Monier-Williams, ''bharata'' in Sanskrit means "one to be
r being R, or r, is the eighteenth letter of the Latin alphabet, used in the modern English alphabet, the alphabets of other western European languages and others worldwide. Its name in English is ''ar'' (pronounced ), plural ''ars'', or in Irelan ...
maintained".Monier Monier-Williams
भरत
Sanskrit English Dictionary with Etymology, Oxford University Press, page 747


Early life

Bharata was born in Ayodhya as the second son of King Dasharata, and the only child of his second wife, Kaikeyi. His childhood was knitted together with his elder half-brother and heir apparent to the Kosala Kingdom, Rama, and his younger half-brothers; Lakshmana and Shatrughana. Akin to Lakshmana's devotion to Rama, Shatrughana had been a devotee of Bharata. During Rama's betrothal to Sita, King Janaka of Videha and his younger brother King Kushadhwaja of Sāṃkāśya had permitted Dasharatha's request for the unity between the Ikshvaku and Nimi, and as such was married to Kushadhwaj's daughter,
Mandavi Mandavi () is the eldest daughter of King Kushadhwaja and Queen Chandrabhaga in the Hindu epic Ramayana. She is the wife of Bharata, a younger brother of Rama. Legend Princess Mandavi has a younger sister, Shrutakirti. Mandavi is married to ...
.


Ascension to King

Prior to Dasharatha's attempt to abdicate and hand over the throne to Lord Rama, Bharata had left for Kekaya along with Shatrughana, as his Grandfather King Ashwapati requested his presence, as he was ill. During his absence; his mother Kaikayi, under the influence of her maid
Manthara ''Manthara'' ( sa, मन्थरा; lit: "humpbacked") in the Hindu epic ''Ramayana'' convinced Queen Kaikeyi that the throne of maharaja belonged to her son Bharata and that her step-son—crown-prince Rama (the hero of the ''Ramayana'') ...
, had forced Dasharatha to overturn his decision for Rama to be king, in favour for Rama to be exiled for 14 Years, as well as Bharata to become the Maharaja of Kosala. Lord Rama had accepted this decision and went to live in Chitrakoot, accompanied by his wife Sita and half-brother Lakshmana. Soon after, Dasharatha had died due to the grief of being separated from his sons. Upon returning to Ayodhya, Bharata and Shatrughana were mortified to find out the events which transpired in their absence. Bharata had proceeded to shun his relationship with Kekayi, as a son; and attempted to retrieve Rama, Sita and Lakshmana. After meeting the tribal king Guha of the Nishadas, and crossing the river
Ganga The Ganges ( ) (in India: Ganga ( ); in Bangladesh: Padma ( )). "The Ganges Basin, known in India as the Ganga and in Bangladesh as the Padma, is an international river to which India, Bangladesh, Nepal and China are the riparian states." is ...
, Bharata, along with Shatrughana and the army of Kosala had reached Chitrakoot. Initially, Lakshamana had perceived the incoming army as an attempt to oust Rama permanently, and attempted to attack first; before being stopped by Rama. Bharata had greeted and embraced his brothers and sister-in-law, begging them to forgive him for his actions; and later on broke the news of Dasharatha's passing, and his desire to see Rama on the throne. However, Lord Rama was persistent in maintaining his oath given to his late father; and allowed Bharata to take his shoes, as a symbol of his presence. Bharata had accepted, and placed the shoes on the throne of Ayodhya, and declared that he will rule under his brother's presence; but would live in a rural town of Nandigrama as an ascetic, till his brother returns.


Later life

During the War in
Lanka Lanka (, ) is the name given in Hindu epics to the island fortress capital of the legendary asura king Ravana in the epics of the ''Ramayana'' and the ''Mahabharata''. The fortress was situated on a plateau between three mountain peaks known ...
, in the 14th year of Rama's exile; after Lakshmana's defeat by
Indrajit Meghanada (), also referred to by his epithet Indrajita , according to Hindu texts, was the crown prince of Lanka, who conquered Indraloka (Heaven). He is regarded as one of the greatest warriors in Hindu texts. He is a major character mentio ...
, Hanuman had went to the Himalayas to fetch Mount Dronagiri; which contained the plants needed to save Lakshmana. During his return, he had met Bharata in Nandigrama and told him about the events that had transpired during the year, and soon left. When Lord Rama had returned, Bharata approached him, with Rama's shoes above his head, and gave it to him. After Rama's coronation as King of Kosala, Bharata later on reconciled with Kaikayi. After Sita's Exile, Mandavi had borne him two sons; Taksha and Pushkala, and Bharata had vanquished
Sindh Sindh (; ; ur, , ; historically romanized as Sind) is one of the four provinces of Pakistan. Located in the southeastern region of the country, Sindh is the third-largest province of Pakistan by land area and the second-largest province ...
, and became it's overlord. During Lord Rama's Ashwamedha Yagna, in order to become a Chakravarti, he had fought with Lava and Kusha, the twin sons of Rama, who were borne to Sita, during her exile; and lost to them in combat, along with Shatrughana and Lakshmana. Years after the revelation of the identities of Lava and Kusha, and Sita's return to the Earth; Bharata had waged war against Nagnajit of
Gandhara Gandhāra is the name of an ancient region located in the northwestern region of the Indian subcontinent, more precisely in present-day north-west Pakistan and parts of south-east Afghanistan. The region centered around the Peshawar Vall ...
for his repeated aggressions against the Kekaya kingdom. After exterminating his rivals; Bharata had placed Taksha as the King of Takshashila and Pushkala as the King of Pushkalavati. Bharata had later on committed Samadhi, by drowning in the River Sarayu alongside Lord Rama, and Shatrughana; and became the
Panchajanya Panchajanya (IAST: Pāñcajanya) is the ''shankha'' or conch of the Hindu preserver deity Vishnu, known to be one of his four divine attributes. It is stated to have been one among the various substances that emerged during the Samudra Manthana ...
of Vishnu, once more.


See also

* Genealogy of Rama


References


Further reading

* , translated in English by
Griffith Griffith may refer to: People * Griffith (name) * Griffith (surname) * Griffith (given name) Places Antarctica * Mount Griffith, Ross Dependency * Griffith Peak (Antarctica), Marie Byrd Land * Griffith Glacier, Marie Byrd Land * Griffith Rid ...
, from Project Gutenberg * * {{HinduMythology Characters in the Ramayana Solar dynasty