Live the Bhāgavatam · SB 5.9.1-2
Visarga· Brahmā's creationAnother Opportunity for Devotional Service
“Śrīla Śukadeva Gosvāmī continued: My dear King, after giving up the body of a deer, Bharata Mahārāja took birth in a very pure brāhmaṇa family. There was a brāhmaṇa who belonged to the dynasty of Aṅgirā. 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 Mahārāja. This, then, is the story of the birth he took after giving up the body of a deer.”
What the purport teaches
- A devotee who does not complete his devotional duties in one life receives another opportunity in a qualified or prosperous family.
- Bharata Mahārāja’s neglect of spiritual duties and excessive attachment to a deer led to his birth as a deer. Yet his strong devotional position allowed him to remember his previous life.
- Repentant, he remained in a solitary forest and always thought of Kṛṣṇa. He then received birth in a pure brāhmaṇa family devoted to the Lord.
Try this today
Set aside a few quiet minutes today to think of Kṛṣṇa without attending to other interests.
Ask yourself
Is any attachment drawing my attention away from devotional service?
Carry the question through the day, then answer it in your own words before sleep.
The study points, practice and question are short summaries drawn from Śrīla Prabhupāda's translation and purport. Read the full purport to go deeper.