Most that are a son and a brother would be devastated to hear this news. Bharata on the other hand was quite happy. His father favored Rama over all of his siblings and Bharata was always jealous. As a result, Bharata and his father did not get along. Bharata also knew that Rama was first in line for the throne of Koshala. Bharata, who was the second eldest son was second in line for king, and always dreamed of being king. With his brother out of the picture, Bharata could make his dreams come true.
Bharata did not want his mother to know that he was happy, so he responded to her with a fake cry saying "Oh mother that is awful news, I need to go up to my room to mourn."
In his room, Bharata spend a full day devising a plan to become king of Koshala. He decided he would pretend to go look for Rama in the forest. When he returned he would lie to the citizens of the kingdom saying that Rama told him to rule. This is exactly what he did.
As the new king of Koshala, Bharata did whatever he wanted. He hunted in the woods, planted fruits in a garden, and filled himself with beer. While Bharata enjoyed himself, the rest of the kingdom suffered from his neglect. Bharata was too worried about himself, that he did not know his people were angry, sick, and starving.
A messenger visited Rama and told him all that had happened in Koshala. Rama, who loved his people said "I will go back and rebuke my brother."
Rama came to the gates of Koshala and sent for his brother. He would not go inside, as he wanted to stay true to his promise of living in exile.
Bharata was struck with fear when he heard that his brother returned. Rama was always the strongest brother, so Bharata thought he might kill him and take the throne.
Bharata arrived at the gates of Koshala and Rama immediately said, "brother, why have you lied to our people. You have deceived them and neglected them. You have hurt the people who have been nothing but good to you your entire life." Bharata's heart sank to his stomach. He replied, "I am sorry, please do not harm me. I will give over my kingship to you, and I will serve you for as long as I live."
Rama, who still loved his brother and also did not want go back on his promise of living in the forest told Bharata, "the kingdom is yours, but you must treat the people the way they deserve to be treated. Stop indulging in your selfish desires. Grow up, take care of your responsibilities, and show compassion for our people." Bharata said, "Oh thank you Rama, I will do as you have said." Rama went on to say, "I love you brother, but if you do not do these things, I will strip this kingdom from you and feed you to the forest." Bharata, knowing that his brother was capable of doing everything he said, promised his brother he would take care of Koshala.
Bharata remained king and the people love him.
Authors Note:
My main inspiration for this story came from Bharata Returns from PDE Ramayanama section B. In the story, Bharata actually goes and finds Rama in the forest and asks him to become king. Bharata was actually a great brother and wanted to see Rama on the throne. I twisted the plot and made Bharata the bad guy. I knew Rama was too moral to go back on his promise and become king so I let him show grace to his brother.
Bibliography
Bharata Returns from Indian Myth and Legend by Donald A. Mackenzie
Image Souce: Bharta Shows Neglect: Wikipedia
Hi Braden! I really enjoyed reading your take on the story. I really liked how you added your own little twist on the story and made Bharata the bad guy. I am not the most creative person, so I really liked reading your story because it flowed very well and you were able to grab my attention and keep it there the entire time! I look forward to reading more of your stories!
ReplyDeleteInteresting take, Braden. As I was reading this section, I had the same thought - what if Bharata was portrayed a bit more realistically? They say power corrupts, and with Rama exiled, there was no one to oppose him. Surely, some of that power would go to his head. Thought I have another question: if Bharata was able to put on a fake face for his mother, couldn't he have done the same to his brother?
ReplyDeleteHey Braden,
ReplyDeleteI liked how you portrayed Bharatha as the antagonist in the story instead of showing him as a benevolent and loyal brother to Rama. It made the character seem more realistic. One aspect of the story that seemed really interesting in your story was that Keikeyi was sad to see Bharatha and tell him about what she did to Dasaratha and Rama. Were you planning on making her repent for her actions or was she simply in mourning for her husband? Also, another interesting thing that you could add to your story would be that when Rama went to see Bharatha, Bharatha could challenge his brother rather than be afraid of him as he knew that Rama would not come out of exile. This could be an interesting commentary between the two characters. However, I do like how you show Rama to be the loving brother, who is willing to forgive Bharatha for his mistakes. It made him seem more humanistic.