Why Was King Bharat Reborn As A Deer? King Bharat Reincarnation Story

Bharat was a legendary emperor of India and is often referred in the Hindu and the Jain theology. He was the son of King Dushyant of Hastinapur and Queen Shakuntala and thus a descendant of the lunar dynasty of the Kshatriya Varna. To know the full story of King Bharat's birth, watch this video linked in the comments below. Bharat had conquered all of Greater India. It was the custom in ancient India that when a man got his daughters married and his sons well established in life, he would retire to the forest to spend the rest of his life in prayer and meditation. This was the duty of every man, whether he was a priest, king, merchant or a labourer. Bharat was a mighty monarch of his time. So when he had done his duty for his people, his children and his country, he left his palace, gave up his wealth and power and withdrew into the forest. One morning, the people in the palace woke up to find that the king was not there. This meant that he had donned the robes of a medican and went on to lead the life of an ascetic. King Bharat went to the banks of the river Gandaki. He built himself a small hut of reeds thatched with leaves. He chose for his meditation the most sacred Gayatri mantra. Like this passed many days, months and years and Bharat enjoyed perfect peace and tranquility within his heart. One early morning, the sun was slowly rising over the horizon. Bharat had just bathed in the water. He had offered the last oblations to the rising sun and clad in deer skin, he was preparing for his meditation. A doe, which had strayed from a deer, felt thirsty and came to the river to quench its thirst. Just then, in a nearby jungle, a lion roared. The mother deer was with the young one. The lion's roar frightened her. She delivered her baby fawn in the river. Somehow, she managed to get back to the banks, where due to extreme shock and exertion, she died almost instantly. The baby fawn, with no one else to care for it, was being slowly swept down by the river current. Bharat had watched this sight from the hermitage. Now, seeing the urgency of the situation, he rose at once from his seat of meditation and jumped into the river to rescue the little animal. The poor thing was cold and frightened. Gently, he carried it in his arms back to the hermitage. There, he lit a fire and warmed it back to its life. This was a beautiful act, but in vain. It proved to be the spiritual downfall of Bharat. He now became fond of the deer child. He looked after it with paternal care, fed it soft green grass and juicy fruits till it grew up to become a beautiful deer. Now, it so happened that instead of turning more towards God, his mind turned more towards his deer. In the evening, when he should have been meditating upon the Lord, he would anxiously be waiting for the deer to come back from its romping in the forest. He would sit at the door of his hermitage in deep concern and wonder, Oh, why has my little one not come yet? Is it in trouble? Has a tiger attacked it? Thus, past some years, the noble king who had given up wealth and power, the rule of an entire country, who had made his mind pure and free from attachments, had now become so attached to a little deer he rescued from a running stream that he completely stopped his devotional practices. The more fonder he grew of the deer, the less he thought of God. The time came for Bharat to die. As he lay then, waiting for death, the deer stood by his side like a faithful son, shedding tears of sorrow. Bharat was touched by this, that his last thought, instead of being God, was of a deer. We have always been told that a man's last thought determines his future life. So, Bharat was born again as a deer. But he was not happy with the memory of his past life. Being put in an animal's body, he could not speak. He left his deer family in the hills and came to the Pulaha ashram on the banks of river Gandaki. Here, he would listen to the talks of rishis, hear the readings of Upanishads and eat the remains of the offerings. He would then patiently wait for the time when he could give up his body of the deer because it made meditation impossible for him. After his deer birth, Bharat was born again as the youngest son in the family of a wealthy Brahmin. This Brahmin was a very good man. Bharat had not forgotten the experiences of his two previous births. He still remembered the pains and pangs caused by attachment. So, in this life, he would not even talk. He shunned Sangha or socialization of any kind. People soon took him to be a madman. His father and mother, however, treated him like a normal child. But soon enough, they died and left him to the care of his elder brothers and their wives. The brothers, sad to say, did not take very good care of him. They made him do all their heavy work and their wives too treated him very unkindly. They would not even give him enough food or clothing. But the reincarnated Bharat uttered not a word in protest or anger. He would obey them and with perfect peace and quiet of mind, he would do all the work allotted to him whether it was fetching, carrying or ploughing the fields. Sometimes, when he lost his temper with them, he would go and sit under a tree till his anger had cooled off. He would then go back to the house. A robber once wanted to offer a sacrifice to Goddess Bhadrakali as he wanted to be blessed with a son. But it so happened, the victim whom they had untied himself and ran away. The band of robbers looked high and low for him but all in vain. After much searching, they came across the insane-looking Bharat sitting under a tree, watching and keeping guard over a field. They caught him and took him to their chief who was pleased to see such a strong man as a victim for the sacrifice. The robbers then bathed Bharat in fragrant waters, gave him new clothes, gold ornaments, sandalwood paste, flower garlands and fed him a good meal. They then took him and tied him to a post. The fires were lit and the mantras were being chanted. The chief of the robbers drew out his sword and raised it to cut off Bharat's head. Goddess Bhadrakali could not bear this any longer. In her fury, she emerged out of her statue and snatched away the weapon from the hand of the chief and set Bharat free. One day it so happened that the palanquin of the king Rahugana was passing by. One of the bearers of the palanquin suddenly fainted and Bharat who was sitting quietly under a tree was forced to take his place. He took the pole of the palanquin and placed it on his shoulder but his steps were unsteady. For his heart was full of mercy and he walked slowly, so he does not step upon an ant or a beetle and ending up killing them. Now it must have been terribly uncomfortable to be carried in jolting palanquin. King Rahugana looked out and saw that this new bearer, although strong and sturdy, was constantly hopping and jerking. So he called out and said, Fool, put down the pole and rest a while if you are tired. Yes, rest if you are tired, though you look strong to me as two ox put together. Bharat then laid down the pole. He smiled and for the first time in his life he opened his lips to speak. He said, My mind is steadily fixed upon the Lord, but this body did not want to trample poor and innocent calling worms, therefore it went slow. The true self never varies, for it has nothing to do with the body. It knows no command because it is neither master nor slave. It is the same self everywhere in the universe. Then who should command and who should obey? Realize this truth, O great king, that you too may come to know this self. King Rahugana was astonished to hear Bharat's words of wisdom. He got down from his palanquin and prostrated before him. Pardon me for insulting you, O holy sage, for I did not know your greatness. I wish to learn more about this from you. Please teach me, for I now consider myself as your disciple, said the king. Bharat advised the king, O king, cut your bonds of attachment, embrace the world in your love for the Supreme, you shall reach Him who dwells in the heart of all. This holy land of ours has always been the land of sages and men of wisdom, for it is only here that the supreme ideals of love, service, worship and meditation are taught as the means of self-realization. We are taught to love and serve the Supreme, not for any material gains or benefits, but for the sake of love and service themselves. In this story, we see how a mighty king gave their throne and power because of their love for truth, like the king Bharat renounced all so that he may be one with the Supreme God.