sa bhukta-bhogÄá¹ tyaktvemÄá¹
nirgatas tapasÄ harim
upÄsÄ«nas tat-padavÄ«á¹
lebhe vai janṛnabhis tribhiḥ
saḥ - he; bhukta - used up; bhogÄm - all the pleasures; tyaktvÄ - rejecting; imÄm - of this (earth); nirgataḥ - having left home; tapasÄ - by austerities; harim - the Supreme Lord, Hari; upÄsÄ«naḥ - having worshiped; tat-padavÄ«m - His destination; lebhe - he achieved; vai - indeed; janmabhiḥ - in births; tribhiḥ - three.
King Bharata rejected this material world, considering all types of material pleasure temporary and useless. Leaving his beautiful young wife and family, he worshiped Lord Hari by severe austerities and attained the abode of the Lord after three lifetimes.
The complete narration of the three lives of Bharata — as a king, as a deer and as an exalted paramahaá¹sa devotee of the Lord — is given in the Fifth Canto of ÅšrÄ«mad-BhÄgavatam.
