Srimadh Bagawatham - Jata Bharatar Charitram Part 1

Continued From: http://thoughtsonsanathanadharma.blogspot.ca/2013/06/srimadh-bagawatham-puranjaro-vyakyanam.html

Jata Bharathar Charitram:

King Prachinaparhis had ten sons called Prachetas. The first three didn’t want any kindom. He divided the world into seven dwipas and gave one dwipa to each of his seven sons. He gave Jambhdwipa to his oldest son Agnithran.

Agnithran had nine sons. He divided Jambhudwipa into nine varshas (countries) and gave one country to each of his nine sons. Agnithran’s son was Naabhi who obtained Lord Narayanan as his son and named him Rishaban. After ruling the kingdom for many years, Rishabadevar handed over the reign of Bharatavarsham to His son Bharatar and went away as an ascetic. Rishabadevar travelled far and wide preaching to the common people. At the origin of River Cauvery, Rishabadevar completed His incarnation.

After ruling for many years King Bharatan retired to the forest. He set up an ashram on the banks of River Chakra in Salagrama Divya Desam near the ashram of Pulastya Maharishi. Bharatar started to meditate upon the Lord. One day he found a pregnant deer near the river but as it heard a lion roar; the deer tried to jump across the river in fright and prematurely delivered a fawn. The mother deer abandoned the fawn. King Bharatan took pity on the fawn and raised it. He soon became very attached to the deer.

The Shastras prescribe certain actions for us to do which are generally called as “karmas”; but, the same Shastras asks us to refrain from doing certain actions i.e they ask us to follow “akarma”. For example, if we see a snake attack a frog, we are not allowed to kill the snake in order to help the frog. Here, even when we hear the frog cry for help, we have to ignore its cries. We have to follow “akarma” during this situation as otherwise we will save the frog but injure the snake. The natural food of snakes is frogs and we are not allowed to interfere with nature.

Vikarma is a type of action which we must not do even in our dreams. For example, lying is a vikarma which must be avoided. The rules of karma, akarma and vikarma are very subtle. At times, karma could end up as akarma. The Sandhyavandhanam rite has to be performed three times a day; prior to Sun rise, at noon and before Sun set. If there is a festival in the temple in which the person is volunteering, then that work takes precedence and the shastras teach us that at times like this a person need not perform sandhyavandhanam.  Not performing an action is “akarma”. In the above example “akarma” is the actual “karma” prescribed.

Akarma could also turn in to vikarma . A person who does not interact with anyone follows akarma in their life. The person doesn’t wish to influence fate and leaves everything to fate. If such a person sees a child about to fall in to a well and does not do anything to save the child, then the person will end up doing vikarma.  As seen earlier, vikarmas are those actions which should never be done even in ones dreams. Here not saving a child in danger is vikarma. This situation is different from the snake and frog situation. The snake and the frog follow the laws of nature where the frog is the natural food of the snake. This is not the case in the example of the child in danger.

King Bharathar saved the young deer abandoned by its mother because he felt that not saving it will turn in to vikarma. He did the right thing by saving the deer but he made a mistake by becoming attached to the deer. He had come to the forest in order to cut off emotional ties. He cut off ties with even his children but fell in to the emotional trap when he fell in love with the deer. 

Continued On:http://thoughtsonsanathanadharma.blogspot.ca/2013/06/srimadh-bagawatham-jata-bharatar-part-2.html