Bhrithari
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For 6th - 7th century AD, Sanskrit grammarian, see Bhartṛhari
Raja Bhrithari (Bharthari) (Hindi: भरथरी), also known as "Sant" Bharthari, in many parts of India was a Sanskrit poet and the ruler of Ujjain, before renouncing the world and abdicating in the favor of his younger brother, Vikramaditya (1st century BC). He is most known for his Sanskrit work Satakatraya[1].
Stories of Bharthari and his nephew King Gopi Chand of Bengal (Hindi: गोपीचन्द), who are considered Nath panth yogis, abound in the Indian folklore of Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Chhatisgarh and West Bengal [2]. His poetry displays the depth and intensity of his renunciation as he vacillates between the pursuits of fleshly desires and those of the spirit. This is most evident in the Vairagyasataka, the third and final section of the Satakatraya, which is translated by Sanskrit scholar Barbara Stoler Miller as Refuge in the Forest. The first and second sections are the Nitisataka or Among Fools and Kings and the Srngarasataka or Passionate Encounters.
Much of the details about the lives of Bharthari and his brother Vikramaditya are from the tales of Baital Pachisi (Twenty five tales of Baital), translated as 'Vikram and The Vampire' by Sir Richard Francis Burton, in 1870.
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[edit] Biography
Bharthari was the elder son of King Gandharba-Sena, by a handmaiden, and received the kingdom of Ujjain from The celestial god Indra and the King of Dhara [3].[4].
When Bharthari was king of 'Ujjayani' (modern day Ujjain) (1st century BC), in his state there lived a Brahman who after years of austerities was given, the fruit of immortality, from the celestial tree of Kalpavriksha. The Brahman presented the same to his monarch, Raja Bharthari, who in turn, passed it on to his love, the beautiful, Dangalah Rani, Raja Bhartari's last and youngest wife. The queen, being in love with the Head police officer of the state, Mahipala, presented the fruit to him, who further passed it on to his beloved, Lakha, one of the maids of honour. Eventually, Lakha being in love with the king presented the fruit back to the king. Having completed the circle, the fruit revealed the downsides of infidelity to the king, he summoned the queen and ordered her beheading, and ate the fruit himself. After that he abdicated the throne, to his younger brother Vikramaditya, and became a religious mendicant [3][5].
He later became a disciple of Nath saint, ‘Jalandhara Natha’, along with the son of his sister Menâwati (also Mayanamati) , Raja Gopi Chand of Bengal [6].
[edit] Folklore
There is a very famous song sung by the bards of Chhatisgarh in the memory of Raja Bhrithari. The story says that Queen Pingla and Raja Bhrithari did not have a son and the queen was very sad as a result of that.
A saint came to the door of their palace one day and asked for alms. When Rani Pingla went down to give him alms, he said, "I know you are sad and I have brought some holy water for you. If you drink this water with faith, you will have a son in twelve months' time."
Rani Pingla had the water and as promised by the "Yogi", she had a son after twelve months.
There is one more very interesting story related to Raja Bhrithari and Rani Pingla. It is said that Raja Bharthari was out for a hunt one day and he saw a woman jump into the pyre of her husband (Sati) as her grief would not let her stay alive.
Raja Bhrithari was moved and this incident stayed in his mind. When he returned to his palace, he told the story to Rani Pingla and asked her if she would do the same. Rani Pingla said that she would die on hearing the news itself and there would be no chance of her staying alive till the funeral ceremony.
Raja Bhrithari decided to test her and went on a hunt once again and sent the news of his death back to the palace. The Maharani died on hearing the news as she had promised and Raja Bhrithari was grief-stricken.
Guru Gorakhnath heard about the grief of the King and came to help him overcome his grief. It is said that Guru Gorakhnath created 750 copies of Rani Pingla to demonstrate the illusory nature of the world to Raja Bharthari.
Even though Rani Pingla came alive Raja Bharthari decided to renounce the world and became a follower of Guru Gorakhnath. He became a very famous saint and is also known as "Sant" Bhrithari by the people of North India.
[edit] In Popular Media
- Raja Bharthari (1973) - Gujrati
- Rajyogi Bharthari (1954) - Hindi
- Bhartrahari (1944) - Hindi
- Bhartruhari (1944) - Hindi [7]
- Raja Bharthari (1932) - Hindi
- Bhartruhari (1922) - Silent
[edit] Further reading
- Bharthari: A Chhattisgarhi Oral Epic by Nandkishore Tiwari, Arvind Macwan, and H. U. Khan. 2002, Sahitya Akademi. ISBN 812601363X.
- A Carnival of Parting: The Tales of King Bharthari and King Gopi Chand as Sung and Told by Madhu Natisar Nath of Ghatiyali, Rajasthan by Ann Grodzins Gold. Berkeley, 1993, University of California Press. ISBN 0-520-07533-1, ISBN 0-520-07535-8. [1]
- Bharthari and the Buddhists by Radhika Herzberger. 1986, Springer. ISBN 9027722501.
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ Satakatraya online
- ^ Chhatisgarh Folktales of Bhartari Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts 2004.
- ^ a b Introduction Vikram and The Vampire by Richard Francis Burton, 1870.
- ^ Footnote 13 Vikram and The Vampire by Richard Francis Burton, 1870.
- ^ The Sikh Religion, Volume 1 Max Arthur Macauliffe [1842-1913], Oxford University Press [1909]. Chapter XIV.
- ^ History and Doctrines of the Nathas Gopinath Kaviraj, The Princess of Wales Sarasvati Bhavan Series, Vol VI, 1927.
- ^ Bhartrahari (1944) www.imdb.com.
