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The deafening roar of a raging lion filled the vicinity of the riverbank. A heavily pregnant doe felt as if her heart had plummeted into her stomach. Her breathing became heavier every second. Overcome with panic she spontaneously leapt across the Gandaki River to escape. As she flew midair, her premature fawn fell out, landing in the caressing water. But as the exhausted and depressed doe’s black hooves met the river’s other bank, she released her final breath.
Witnessing the orphaned fawn innocently bobbing his head in the water, the heart of an effulgent sadhaka melted in compassion.
This sadhaka was the illustrious King Bharata, the son of Risabhadeva who was an incarnation of Sriman Narayana himself. Bharata had been such a righteous and powerful emperor that the entire Asian continent had been given the name Bharatavarsha after him. Having beyond fulfilled his royal duties, the king had passed on his kingdom to his sons. King Bharata had given up all his worldly connections and left for the forest of Pulahashrama in present-day Nepal. The king had discarded all of his wealth, family, riches, and relationships, seeking nothing but the Truth.
Living as a sadhaka on the banks of the Gandaki River, Bharata had dedicated his life to Sriman Narayana. He would express his devotion by offering flowers, fruits, twigs, and leaves to the Lord. But Bharata’s heart, overflowing with love for Sriman Narayana, would take over. Often forgetting even worship, the sadhaka would spend most of his days simply meditating upon the Lord.
Upon hearing the cries of the fawn, the sadhaka got up from his daily morning chanting. Bharata scooped up the frail baby deer from the river and carried it to his hermitage. He responsibly nourished and bathed the fawn. He kept it safe from the dangerous wildlife roaming in the forest. As he watched the young deer fondly look up at him as its father every day, Bharata couldn’t help but grow closer to the deer. He caressed the deer on his lap, planted kisses on its skin, softly petted its fur, and played with it on the grass.
His dutiful compassion had transformed into personal affection. The same Bharata who had renounced his entire kingdom in search of the Truth was now so attached to the dear that his one-pointed focus on Sriman Narayana had practically slipped from his mind.
Whenever Bharata did manage to redirect his mind and focus on the Lord, worry for the deer’s safety poked at him nearly every other second. He was unable to prevent himself from getting up and frantically searching for the deer. Glimpsing the footprints of the deer outside his hermitage, he envied the earth’s good fortune to have had a physical imprint of the deer. And, of course, as soon he spotted the deer happily running toward him, his mediation was forgotten.
By then, his personal affection had morphed into agonizing attachment. Even when Bharata left his body, his mind was focused only on the deer at his side.
Because it had been his final thought, he returned to Earth with the body of a deer. But his initial austerities and exemplary devotion had not failed him. Because of the merits of his good deeds from his past life, Bharata’s memories from his past life remained with him even when he was a deer.
Curious about what happens to Bharata as a deer? Stay tuned for the second part of the story, coming soon!
This story is found in the fifth canto of the Srimad Bhagavatam.
