अथ कस्यचिद्द् विजवरस्याङ्गिरःप्रवरस्य शमदमतपःस्वाध्यायाध्ययनत्याग
सन्तोषतितिक्षाप्रश्रयविद्यानसूयात्मज्ञानानन्दयुक्तस्यात्मसदृशश्रुतशीलाचाररूपौ
दार्यगुणा नव सोदर्या अङ्गजा बभूवुर्मिथुनं च यवीयस्यां भार्यायाम्
॥१॥ यस्तु तत्र पुमांस्तं परमभागवतं राजर्षिप्रवरं भरतमुत्सृष्टमृग
शरीरं चरमशरीरेण विप्रत्वं गतमाहुः ॥२॥
Å›rÄ«-Å›uka uvÄca
atha kasyacid dvija-varasyÄá¹…giraḥ-pravarasya Å›ama-dama-tapaḥ-svÄdhyÄyÄdhyayana-tyÄga-santoá¹£a-titiká¹£Ä-praÅ›raya-vidyÄnasÅ«yÄtma-jñÄnÄnanda-yuktasyÄtma-sadṛśa-Å›ruta-śīlÄcÄra-rÅ«paudÄrya-guá¹‡Ä nava sodaryÄ aá¹…gajÄ babhÅ«vur mithunaá¹ ca yavÄ«yasyÄá¹ bhÄryÄyÄm yas tu tatra pumÄá¹s taá¹ parama-bhÄgavataá¹ rÄjará¹£i-pravaraá¹ bharatam utsṛṣá¹a-má¹›ga-Å›arÄ«raá¹ carama-Å›arÄ«reṇa vipratvaá¹ gatam Ähuḥ
Å›rÄ«-Å›ukaḥ uvÄca - Åšukadeva GosvÄmÄ« continued to speak; atha - thereafter; kasyacit - of some; dvija-varasya - brÄhmaṇa; aá¹…giraḥ-pravarasya - who came in the dynasty of the great saint Aá¹…girÄ; Å›ama - control of the mind; dama - control of the senses; tapaḥ - practice of austerities and penances; svÄdhyÄya - recitation of the Vedic literatures; adhyayana - studying; tyÄga - renunciation; santoá¹£a - satisfaction; titiká¹£Ä - tolerance; praÅ›raya - very gentle; vidyÄ - knowledge; anasÅ«ya - without envy; Ätma-jñÄna-Änanda - satisfied in self-realization; yuktasya - who was qualified with; Ätma-sadṛśa - and exactly like himself; Å›ruta - in education; śīla - in character; ÄcÄra - in behavior; rÅ«pa - in beauty; audÄrya - in magnanimity; guṇÄḥ - possessing all these qualities; nava sa-udaryÄḥ - nine brothers born of the same womb; aá¹…ga-jÄḥ - sons; babhÅ«vuḥ - were born; mithunam - a twin brother and sister; ca - and; yavÄ«yasyÄm - in the youngest; bhÄryÄyÄm - wife; yaḥ - who; tu - but; tatra - there; pumÄn - the male child; tam - him; parama-bhÄgavatam - the most exalted devotee; rÄja-ṛṣi - of saintly kings; pravaram - most honored; bharatam - Bharata MahÄrÄja; utsṛṣá¹a - having given up; má¹›ga-Å›arÄ«ram - the body of a deer; carama-Å›arÄ«reṇa - with the last body; vipratvam - being a brÄhmaṇa; gatam - obtained; Ähuḥ - they said.
ÅšrÄ«la Åšukadeva GosvÄmÄ« continued: My dear King, after giving up the body of a deer, Bharata MahÄrÄja took birth in a very pure brÄhmaṇa family. There was a brÄhmaṇa who belonged to the dynasty of Aá¹…girÄ. He was fully qualified with brahminical qualifications. He could control his mind and senses, and he had studied the Vedic literatures and other subsidiary literatures. He was expert in giving charity, and he was always satisfied, tolerant, very gentle, learned and nonenvious. He was self-realized and engaged in the devotional service of the Lord. He remained always in a trance. He had nine equally qualified sons by his first wife, and by his second wife he begot twins — a brother and a sister, of which the male child was said to be the topmost devotee and foremost of saintly kings — Bharata MahÄrÄja. This, then, is the story of the birth he took after giving up the body of a deer.
Bharata MahÄrÄja was a great devotee, but he did not attain success in one life. In Bhagavad-gÄ«tÄ it is said that a devotee who does not fulfill his devotional duties in one life is given the chance to be born in a fully qualified brÄhmaṇa family or a rich ká¹£atriya or vaiÅ›ya family. ÅšucÄ«nÄá¹ Å›rÄ«matÄá¹ gehe (Bg. 6.41). Bharata MahÄrÄja was the firstborn son of MahÄrÄja Ṛṣabha in a rich ká¹£atriya family, but due to his willful negligence of his spiritual duties and his excessive attachment to an insignificant deer, he was obliged to take birth as the son of a deer. However, due to his strong position as a devotee, he was gifted with the remembrance of his past life. Being repentant, he remained in a solitary forest and always thought of Kṛṣṇa. Then he was given the chance to take birth in a very good brÄhmaṇa family.
