Srimadh Bagawatham - Jata Bharatar Part 2

Continued From: http://thoughtsonsanathanadharma.blogspot.ca/2013/06/srimadh-bagawatham-jata-bharatar_7437.html

 

He spent his waking hours finding fresh green grass for the deer. He wouldn’t let it wander away from his eye sight. He followed it everywhere afraid that some wild beast might kill it. Even if he did not see the deer for a few seconds, he started to worry about it. He thought about the welfare of the deer even on his death bed. Thus as he died thinking about the deer, he took birth as a deer in his next life.

According to Bagawad Geetha, the last memory a person has decides the next birth which would follow death.

Bagawad Geetha, Chapter 8 Verse 6

yam yam vapi smaran bhavam
tyajaty ante kalevaram
tam tam evaiti kaunteya
sada tad-bhava-bhavitah

“Whatever state of being one remembers when he quits his body, that state he will attain without fail.”

This rule is only for people who perform Bakthi Yoga and not for those people who have performed Saranagathi at the Lord’s divine feet. Only those Bakthi Yogins who leave their last breath thinking about the Lord reach His divine feet. Anthima Smruthi is not required for Saranagathas.

Bagawad Geetha, Chapter 8 Verse 5

anta-kale ca mam eva
smaran muktva kalevaram
yah prayati sa mad-bhavam
yati nasty atra samsayah

“The person who remembers Perumal at the time of death and quits his/her body while remembering Perumal alone, at once attains Mukthi. Of this there is no doubt.”

As Bharatar retained memory about his past birth, Bharathan remained detached from the herd as a deer and soon died. He then took birth as a Brahmin and was called as Bharatan. He once again retained memory about his past lives and hence stayed detached from life. As a child he didn’t even drink mother’s milk. His parents thought that he was under the influence of a spell and tried to cure his condition but were unsuccessful.  People mistook him to be retarded and he came to be called as Jata Bharathar.

His siblings made him sit in the field to protect the crops.  Jata Bharatar saw the Lord in the crops as well as the birds which came to peck on the grains. He didn’t shoo the birds away but yet his siblings made him sit in the crops as even if he didn’t shoo away the birds, the birds refrained from coming near the crops after seeing a human sitting amongst the crops.

One day Jata Bharatar wandered away from home. He had no idea about his destination. He walked without paying heed to the direction. He reached a region inhabited by men who worshiped Badra Kali. They were involved in gruesome anti Vedic practice of human sacrifice. They noticed that Jata Bharatar looked very able and had no deformity. They pounced on him and carried him in to the forest to a Kali temple. Jata Bharatar did not resist their attack and went with them. The men bathed Jata Bharatar, decorated him with the most expensive clothes and jwellery. Jata Bharatar realized that they were planning to sacrifice him but he wasn’t worried as his life has to end one day and if it ended soon, he could reach the Lord immediately.

The men brought Jata Bharatar in front of the idle of Kali Devi. The chief priest with the cry of terrifying war shouts grabbed a sword and rushed towards Jata Bharatar while the others stood cheering the priest playing their drums waiting eagerly to taste fresh blood.

Goddess Kali couldn’t bear to see the injustice against Jata Bharatar carried out in her name. She appeared from her idle in lightening speed with her celestial attendants. With one single blow, she felled the priest along with all the mad men gathered at her temple to witness the human sacrifice. Even after witnessing Goddess Kali, Jata Bharatar’s attitude did not change as he neither rejected pain nor embraced pleassure.  He walked away from the temple and went wherever his feet carried him. He reached a highway and sat under a tree with a smile on his face.

Continued On: http://thoughtsonsanathanadharma.blogspot.ca/2013/06/srimadh-bagawatham-jata-bharatar_19.html