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Jain World
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BHARATA
AND BHARATA |
Meaning- When Rsabha grew up, Nabhi went to the jungle (to meditate).
Rsabha looked after his people and kingdom and became well-known in the
world. When Rsabha went into jungle for penance, his 9 sons became the
kings of nine kingdoms. Bharata became the king of Bharata kingdom and
ruled with religion and justice. Important accreditions related to
�Sankara� have been established in �Sivapurana�, e.g., was he Arya or
Anarya? Through the plots of wives of sages the 10th Samhita (chapter
treatise) throw enough light on this. This Purana contains 24,000 couplets
and 5aiva philosophy is very well explained in it. In between, at
intervals, stories related to Siva and Parvati are cited. There is a spot
related to Bharata in this book�
��ֳ��: ���ֿ�� ����ֳ��� ����ֳ�֟�� �ָ����s�־֟�� l
��õ� ��ִ��� ן�֤� ����� ��ָ��� ���ן� ��ߟ��ԟ�� ll
-(־֯�����, 37/57)
Meaning- Nabhi had a son called �Vrsabha� and Vrsabha had a son called
Bharata. After his name, this varsa (country) is called �Bharatavarsa�.
Mahapurana also has a number of citations related to �Vrsabha� and �Bharata�.
Mahapurana is a well-known work written by Bhagavajjinasenacarya. It was
composed in the 9th century A.D. Now this book is already published by
Bharatiya Jnanapitha alongwith the Hindi-translation. At one place in it,
it is written��
�֟���s׳���֓�� ��ִ��֕��� �ָ��� ���������δִ�� l
���־�֮�� ��ָ��� ����� �֟�֮�֣�� ��֬��פ���� ll
- (���֯����� 17/76 )
After this, Lord Vrsabhanatha annointed his eldest son and installed him
on the Royal throne and declared, �May the territory ruled by Bharata be
Bharatavarsa.�
At another place in this very Mahapurana, significance of both the names,
Bharata and Bharata, is narrated :��
��δ��ꤳָ��: �����ֳ�Ը� �֮����� �֤� l
�ִ��ž֟� �ָ��� ���� �ִ�ßֳָ���ִ֯֟�� ll
�֮��ִ��� ��ָ��� �����״�ן�����ߕ�֮��ï֤��� l
�ƴ�֦���ִ��֓�� ����� ���γ����״֤��� ll
-( ���֯�����, 15/158-159)
Meaning- The Kinsmen who loved the future king of entire Bharataksetra
with deep affection, addressed him as �Bharata�. This territory of the
Cakravartis (conquerors of the world) which spread from the Himalayas to
the south-seas, became well-known as Bharatvarsa.
Matsyapurana is an elaborate work. It has 291 chapters containing 15,000
couplets. In the beginning of this work, Mann and Mdnvantara are discussed
in detail. The list of contents of the entire puranas is given in the 53rd
chapter. That is why this Purana is specifically important. In addition to
this, the speciality of this work is assessed because of the description
of clans of rsis, (sages) theoretical discussion of royal duty and
iconography. This is such a Purana which agrees that �Bharata came to be
because of Bharata�, but does not accept Bharata as the son of Rsabhadeva.
According to it, �Manu�, the. primitive procreator of human beings,
himself was called Bharata because of nourishing and protection of
subjects :��
�ָ��֟�� ��Ε�֮�֡���� �֮���Ը�� ���֟�� l
ֹ���-�֮֓���� ����� �֤� ��ָ��� ô��ִ�� ll
-(�֟õ֯�����, 114/5-6)
While considering this statement, Dr. Baladeva Upadhyaya has written in
his book �Purana Vimarsa�: �It seems that this is a charge of etymology of
some secondary age against the ancient etymology. According to the ancient
etymology, Svayambhuva Manu�s son was Priyavrata, whose son was Nabhi.
Nabhi�s son was Vrsabha, whose eldest son of all the hundred sons Bharata
got his father�s royal throne. From this very Bharata, the name of the
country changed from �Ajanabha� to �Bharatavarsa�. Those who consider the
name to be after Dusyanta�s son Bharata, are invalid and against
tradition. �33 This proves that the present etymology of Matsyapurana is
not the genuine etymology. According to the ancient etymology,
Rsabhadeva�s son Bharata himself was called Bharata because of the good
reign over his subjects. The statement of �Mahapurana� as seen earlier
also authenticates the same.
In this context, a quotation from �Srimadbhagavata� is very important. It
says that Lord Rsabhadeva has said, �Sons ! you are all my dear sons.
After l have gone, you all brothers shall honour your eldest brother
Bharata heartily and serve him with simple-heartedness. This eldest son of
mine will be famous by the name �Bharata� because of his service in the
form of nourishing and nurturing of the subjects.� The couplet narrating
this meaning is as follows
��ô�֤� �־֮���� Ȥ���� ��֟��: l
�־��� ���ߵ����ִִ��� �֮�ִ֣�� ll
�����㬪� �ָ��� �֕֬��� l
����������� �֤˳ָ��� ��Ε�֮�ִ�� ll - (����־֟�, 5/5/20 )
Meaning- Dr. Vasudevasarana Agrawal, the well-known scholar, had stated
that this country came to be known as Bharata after Bharata, the son of
Dusyanta. Rectifying this earlier error of his, he wrote in ����՛�� ������:
��������ן��� ���ֵ֮�, �I had committed a mistake by stating in my book
��ָ�� ��� ������� ������ (���22-24) that this country came
33. �֓�ֵ�� �ֻ֤�� ���֬��ֵ�, ������ ִֿ��, �֯�ִ� �����, �����ֿ���-
�����ִ��� ֳ֪־֮�, ��ָ������ 1995 ��. l
to be known as Bharata after Bharata, the son of Dusyanta, but some of my
friends drew my attention towards this and now I must rectify it.�to be
known as Bharata after Bharata, the son of Dusyanta, but some of my
friends drew my attention towards this and now I must rectify it.�34 He
justified his revised view in the introduction to ���� ����Ɵ�� ��� �ן�����.
Therein he wrote, �Priyavrata was the son of Svayambhuva Manu, Nabhi was
the son of Priyavrata, Rsabha was the son of Nabhi. Rsabhadeva had hundred
sons, among whom Bharata was the eldest. This very Nabhi was also called
Ajanabha, who possessed overwhelming glory and after whose name this
country began to be called as �Ajanabhavarsa�.
This very �Ajanabhakhanda� was later called �Bharatakhanda�. Nabhi�s
grandson Bharata was a more glorious cakravarti (conquorer of the world)
than his grandfather. This most precious historic statement is somehow
well preserved in the Puranas.�35
�Purudeva Campu� is an elegant poetry of Jaina literature. It is popular
among the Jaina readers. The biography of Purudeva (Rsabhadeva) is
presented in it in literary mould. In the context of Purudeva itself,
Bharata and Bharata are also mentioned in it.
�֮��ִ��� ��ָ��� �����״֟������ߕ�֮��ï֤��� l
�ƴ�֦���ִ��֓�� ����� ���γ����״֤��� ll
-( ������ִ֓��� 6/32)
Meaning- That this country is known as Bharatavarsa after his Bharata�s
name is now history. The territory ranging between the Himavana Kulacala
(snow clad mountains) and Lavana Samudra (salty sea) is called the
territory of Cakravartins.�
�Vasudevahindi� is a famous Jaina work in Prakrta. Dharmasenagani, the
author of this work, was a great thinker. In it, he has written
�Vasudevacarita� (the life of Vasudeva). It was to some degree,
Srutanibaddha, (based on scriptures) and, to some degree, traditional.
Sanghadasa Vacaka, in the first part of �Vasudevahindi� has stated that
Sudharmasvami was informed by Jambu about the Prathamanuyoga (one end of
the Jaina Scriptures) in which the stories of Tirthankaras, Cakravartis
(world conquorors), facility of the Yadavas are (lineage)
3. ����՛�֯����� : ��������ן��� ���ֵ֮�, ���. 138, ��֤י����� - ���.
1 l
4. ���� ����Ɵ�� ��� �ן����� : ����ԯ��ך���, ���״����, ���. 8 l
stated. The biography of ������� is also given. At one place in it, it
is mentioned that after the name of Bharata, the son of Lord Rsabha,
Bharatavarsa became famous��
��� �������Ӥ�Ӥ���פ��-�ֻ���ָ�Ӥ�� ��ֳ��� ��ִ� �֜���� �ֵ�� ����ׯ�ֵ�ִ����
����� l ����� �����ֵ�� l ���� ������� �ָ��� �����ֻ�� �� l ��ֳ���ָ�
�����ֵ���� ����ֵ�� �� �։��� �ֲ�և���� l �֟�� �ָ���
�ָƾ���֓��ִ����, ������� ��ִ���� ��� ��ָ�־����� ן� �־�㓓��ן� l
-(���������ޛ�, ���.���. ���. 186)
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