India, that is Bharat

https://www.roundtableindia.co.in/india-that-is-bharat/

*Excerpt* from above article

Theory No. 1

According to many writers, India is named ‘Bharatavarṣha’ (the country of Bharata) after a king known as Bharat3. According to Art.1(1) of the Constitution of India, Bharat is the official name of the Republic of India4. According to the stories we read, Bharata was the son of Dushyanta and Shakuntala. The original name of King Bharata was ‘Sarvadamana’, given by Sage Kanwa. However, Mahabharata traces several events after which Sarvadamana came to be known as Bharata (The Cherished). King Bharata ruled over the entire Indian subcontinent, which is why the whole sub-continent was famously known as Bharatavasha5. Another reference to Bharatavarsha can be found in Vishnupurana6 –

उत्तरं यत्समुद्रस्य हिमाद्रेश्चैव दक्षिणम् ।

वर्षं तद् भारतं नाम भारती यत्र संततिः ।।

“The country (varṣam) that lies north of the ocean and south of the snowy mountains iscalled Bhāratam; there dwell the descendants of Bharata.”

ऋषभो मरुदेव्याश्च ऋषभात भरतो भवेत् |

भरताद भारतं वर्षं, भरतात सुमतिस्त्वभूत् ||

Rishabha was born to Marudevi, Bharata was born to Rishabha,

Bharatavarsha arose from Bharata, and Sumati arose from Bharata.

ततश्च भारतं वर्षमेतल्लोकेषुगीयते |

भरताय यत: पित्रा दत्तं प्रतिष्ठिता वनम ||

“This country is known as Bharatavarsha since the times the father entrusted the kingdom to the son Bharata and he himself went to the forest for ascetic practices”7.

It is said that King Bharata ruled very virtuously. He gained name and fame and was also known as ‘Chakravarthy’. I do not see any reason to understand that this ‘Chakravarthy’ was anyone other than Emperor Ashoka! This is because there is no other king in the entire world history who ruled 3/4th of the Indan geographical area at that time without provoking any war and hatred. The distortion of history is evident when we see how one of the greatest kings is projected as someone else and his identity is altered and projected as someone else’s identity.

To speak further on the historical background of Bharata, “The Bhāratas were a vedic tribe mentioned in the Rigveda, notably participating in the Battle of the Ten Kings”, and “The realm of Bharata is known as Bharātavarṣa in the Mahabhārata”. Matsyapurana too has a reference that says,”…the king (Bharata) who conquered the whole of Bharatvarsa is styled as samrat, universal sovereign”9.

Theory No. 2

The second theory on ‘Bharata’ relates to Bharat Chakravarthy. According to the available Jain literature,Bharat Chakravarthy was the son of Lord Rishabhdev Jineshwar (The First Tirthankar). As per the Brahmandpurana, Lord Rishabhdev was the son of Nabhiraja and Marudevi (Kshatriyas) of Ikshavaku dynasty (First dynasty of Ayodhya).

Agnipurana says, “Rishabh was born to Marudevi. Bharata was born to Rishabh and hence India got its name from Bharata the son of Lord Rishabhdev.”

Manusrmriti also has a reference to Rishabhdev. It says, “Marudevi was the sixth lineage and Nabhi was the Seventh. Rishabh (First Tirthankar) who was born to Marudevi and Nabhi. Rishabhdev was a great man with high valor. He became great King in the beginning of Yuga.”

It is said that since King Bharata ruled over the whole of Jambudwipa, this nation was named after him.

Theory No. 3

According to Sanjeev Sanyal’s Land of Seven Rivers: History of India’s Geography, “the Rig Veda describes a terrible war known as ‘Dasharajnya’ or War of Ten Kings. The war was between ten powerful tribes who plotted to overthrow King Sudasa of the Bharata Tribe. The mighty battle took place on the banks of the river Ravi in Punjab. According to legend, the Bharata tribe was outnumbered, yet King Sudasa led them to victory due to his highly advanced military skill and established his power throughout the sub-continent. King Sudasa’s diplomacy ensured that the Vedas did not just record his victories but also the ideas of the sages, including the famed Vishwamitra, from other tribes were also meticulously recorded.” This led to the popularity of King Sudasa and eventually more and more people started identifying themselves as members of the Bharata tribe. The name ‘Bharata’ stuck on and ultimately, India was named ‘Bharat varsha’, meaning the land of Bharata10.

Here, Mr. Sanjeev Sanyal is referring to one Bharat tribe that was led by King Sudasa. According to this theory, Bharata is neither a man nor a woman. Mr. Sanjeev Sanyal is referring to a tribe called Bharata.

If we take the above theories into consideration, we can understand that the name Bharat refers to a King, who is a ‘man’. Though he is a mythological character in the texts that are highly revered by a certain section of society, one simple doubt comes in my mind – why has a male name been projected as a female name? What was the need to impose a male king on a female identity and relate it to the national identity? I am sure the nationalists and the media will initiate a rational debate in this regard, which will help common people like me to understand the rationale behind all these controversies related to Bharat Mata.

The rise of the slogan ‘Bharat Mata Ki Jai’

Neither Bharat Mata’s image nor the slogan ‘Bharat Mata ki Jai’ can be found in ancient Indian texts or in the slogans that were used during several invasions that took place in history. The rapidly growing national identity and the related slogans were formulated and used during the Indian Independence movement. The genealogy of the figure of Bharat Mata has been traced to a satirical piece titled ‘Unabimsa Purana‘, by Bhudev Mukhopadhyay, first published anonymously in 1866. Bharat Mata is identified in this text as ‘Adhi-Bharati’, the widow of Arya Swami, the embodiment of all that is essentially ‘Aryan’11.