Jada bharat and King rahugana
There was a Brahmin from the lineage of Maharishi Angirasa. He had ten children. The youngest among them is Bharata. Bharata, who was determined to attain salvation even in his third birth, from childhood did not associate with anyone, did not speak much, and pretended to be deaf even though he could hear. Also, he practised non-violence so as not to hurt any living being.
People often called him mad after seeing his dirty clothes and weird behaviour. However, Bharata continued to meditate on Vishnu in his mind without losing his mind. People started calling him Jada Bharata because of his habit of sitting and standing idle for a long time. However, his father did not give up and enrolled him in a gurukul. But soon the father died. He was thrown out from the Gurukula for being stupid. When Bharata came home, his nine brothers started torturing him. He was often beaten and fed stale food. Bharata endured all this in silence without any protest.
Sometimes without getting food, Bharata somehow managed his life by begging for alms, eating thrown away food etc. Sleeping on the floor and spending months without a bath was now a habit for him. But no rain and cold did him any harm. People used to throw stones at him and make fun of him. Thinking of giving him food, his brothers tied him to a yoke like an ox and ploughed in their field, giving him food in return. Even though the brothers did all this, Bharata passed the days without saying anything.
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The notorious bandit leader of that town had no children. When he asked a mage what to do for it, the sorcerer asked him to sacrifice a foolish man to Goddess Kali. The leader sent his companions to find such a person.
It was midnight. Tired of searching for a suitable person to sacrifice, the dacoits sat down in a paddy field. Then they saw Jada Bharata sitting in the far distance guardian the field. These bandits, who had already known about him, went behind him without making a sound, grabbed his leg and knocked him to the ground. Then they tied his hands and feet and stuffed him in a sack. From there he was hurried to the temple of Mother Kali. When they reached there, the mage dressed in the hideous garb of a sorcerer was chanting a loud mantra. The leader of the bandits was sitting in front of him with his hands folded.
Having taken the inert Bharata out of the sack, the companions now brought him water from a nearby pool and bathed him. Put new attire on him. He was adorned with jewels and perfumed his body. A red tilak was placed on his forehead. Put different dishes to eat. He had eaten everything in a hurry.
Now the mage was holding a sharp sword in his hand and started dancing. He started reciting strange mantras that came to his mouth. All the devotees held Bharata bowed before the idol of Kali. The mage raised his sword to cut off his head. The zombie started meditating on the Lord in his mind.
Mother Kali was angry when she saw the dacoits who were going to sacrifice a pious person. Thinking to save him, she immediately broke the idol and appeared there. Then there was a terrible noise and a bright light. The mage who was about to swing his sword had trembled.
The bandits, seeing the fierce form of Mother Kali, eyes red as blood, and several hands holding sharp weapons, started running from there. In an instant, Mother Kali, after cutting off all their heads and sucking their blood, started singing and dancing and screaming. Bhatrata trembled at the sight of her ferocious form and crouched in a corner until she was out of sight.
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Once upon a time, Rahugana, the king of the Indus and Sauveera kingdoms, was on his way to Kapila ashram, sitting in his palanquin. The servants carrying him reached the banks of the river Ikshumati. They looked around thinking that they needed on more person to carry the weight of the palanquin. They saw Jada Bharata who was sitting on the bank of the same river. The royal servants, without saying anything to him, forcibly raised him from his seat and dragged him. They lifted the palanquin and shoved it on his shoulder.
As he walked carrying the palanquin, Bharata walked slowly, taking every step carefully, not to trample on an ant or other insects. So he could not match the walking speed of others. As a result, the palanquin started drifting to one side. "Step rightly, servants," said the king calmly. When this behavior was repeated two more times, the king became enraged and shouted, "You fools, if you don't carry properly, I will order you all a hundred lashes."
Then one of the servants took courage and said, "Maharaja, there is nothing wrong with us. This person who joined work today is not walking properly. It is causing trouble for your journey."
"I will advise him," said the king, glaring at the Jada Bharata and shouting, "You are not carrying the palanquin properly even after hearing my warning, the great king of this kingdom. I will give you a severe punishment for your stubborn courage. It might correct you a bit."
King Rahugana's words did not affect Bharata. He smiled and said, "Oh king, everything you have said is true. If you want, you can take my life. I am not afraid of that. The life that leaves my body tomorrow will be left today..But death is only for my body. You cannot kill my soul. It belongs to the Lord. also, don't be proud that you are a king today. Tomorrow you can be a beggar like me.
After hearing his words, King Raghuna looked into the eyes of the Bharata. The king's eyes were filled with tears as he saw a glow in them. His Legs lost their strength. The king knelt in front of Jada Bharata with his palms joined. He felt a lump in his throat. His ego had disappeared and devotion had arisen there. "o great soul, who are you? why are you in disguise? Please introduce yourself," requested Rahugana.
Jada Bharata made him stand on his feet. and told him about his two previous births. Then he taught him how to run the administration and care for the citizens.
After that, Jada Bharata went to the king's palace and started living under his protection. He got salvation by fully engaging himself in the service of the Lord.
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