Five Sufferings Of Bharata Upon Returning Home

“Rama, Bharata, Lakshmana and Shatrughna, of such beautiful and auspicious names – remembering those four sons of King Dasharatha and worshiping them fulfills all the desires of the mind.” (Dohavali, 121)

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राम भरत लचिमन ललित सत्रु समन सुभ नाम
सुमिरत दसरथ सुवन सब पूजहिं सब मन काम

rāma bharata lacimana lalita satru samana subha nāma
sumirata dasaratha suvana saba pūjahiṃ saba mana kāma

We posit this hypothetical situation as a kind of thought exercise. To train the mind, to gauge the current ability to deal with and process grief, we start with a trip abroad. You and your younger brother are going somewhere. It could be for a few weeks or a few months. There is nothing out of the ordinary for such travel. Nothing suspicious or particularly noteworthy except for the fact that you must leave your family, both immediate and extended, behind at home.

Upon returning home, however, things are drastically different. There is so much to deal with at a single moment that it is almost impossible to believe. The news came suddenly. It is not like there is any time to prepare. This is what actually happened, known through the history of the Ramayana poem, to a prince named Bharata.

1. Lost his father

King Dasharatha was gone. No more in this world. He was a beloved leader, who was named for his ability to defend against the ten directions simultaneously. He was so adept in this art that the devas, the celestials aligning with good, would periodically call upon him for assistance in battling the asuras.

Bharata returned home to see that his cherished father had left this world. Not too soon before, but enough such that there were no last moments of interaction. It is never easy to lose a parent. There is nothing that can prepare a child for such a moment, though the potential is always there as soon as the association begins.

2. Lost his elder brother

If anything could cushion the blow, it would be the association of Shri Rama. Bharata was one of the three younger brothers to Rama, and so Bharata could also go by the name Ramanuja. Rama was already like a father to the brothers. His association would be a great comfort during this time of grief.

The problem is that Rama was also gone. The two departures were related. Rama left the kingdom for fourteen years. King Dasharatha could not survive the separation. The grief was too much to bear. Rama had to live the life of an ascetic during that time. The people of Ayodhya could wait out that long span of time, but there is never a guarantee that someone in that situation will eventually return.

3. Lost the association of his younger brother

As if someone were playing a cruel trick on him, Bharata learned that Lakshmana had also left. Lakshmana decided to live up to the name of Ramanuja by following Rama into the period of exile. The same was true of Sita Devi, the beloved wife of Rama. A father gone forever. Three beloved family members far away in an area with not a hint of comfort or luxury.

4. Lost the association of his mother

Bharata then learned the cause. His mother was responsible for everything. She was the one who orchestrated the plot of destruction. She insisted that Rama be exiled. She asked this favor of the king, her husband, who essentially owed her one. The king had no idea what to do. He did not want to look like a miser or a liar.

Bharata decided to never speak to his mother again. He essentially became an orphan. No more support from a previous generation. No support from the beloved elder brother. How could a person be expected to move on with life in such a situation?

5. Lost his home

Bharata tried to persuade Rama to change His mind. Bharata proposed trading places with Lakshmana. Nothing worked, so as the last resort Bharata agreed to put Rama’s sandals on the throne. Bharata would also live like an ascetic, though holding the title of king in name only. He would worship those sandals every day until Rama’s return. He would not profit one bit from the scheme devised by his mother, Queen Kaikeyi.

Despite so much suffering involved in their lives, Goswami Tulsidas says that the names of those four brothers are beautiful and auspicious. It is worthwhile to remember those names. In the same manner that Bharata meditated on those sandals, we can meditate on the names of those four brothers.

Shastra reveals that those four brothers are incarnations of Lord Vishnu, the Supreme Personality of Godhead. This means that the living experience will always involve suffering. Sometimes Vishnu takes the most suffering, placing it on His shoulders, for the benefit of others. This means that we will surely suffer in this life experience, but that our only hope is to remember the Supreme Lord and His kindness upon us, which flows like an ocean that never settles.

In Closing:

Dreaded news upon returning home,
That now to live all alone.

The father this world left,
Since vision of Rama bereft.

For plan of his mother to keep,
No longer with her to speak.

Despite Bharata troubles to endure,
Auspicious names of those brothers four.