Bhartri Hari, king
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A brief biography
King Bhartri Hari is a legendary figure from ancient Indian history, whose life and deeds have been the subject of many myths and stories. He is said to have ruled over the kingdom of Ujjain in central India, and is known for his great wisdom, courage, and piety.
The story of Bhartri Hari is intertwined with that of his two brothers, Vikramaditya and Bhatti. According to legend, these three brothers were born to the king of Ujjain, but were separated at a young age due to a curse placed upon them by a sage. Bhartri Hari was raised by a hermit in the forest, where he learned the ways of the wild and gained a deep understanding of the natural world.
When he reached adulthood, Bhartri Hari returned to Ujjain to claim his birthright as the rightful king. He proved to be a wise and just ruler, who was beloved by his people for his kindness and generosity. He was known for his devotion to the gods, and spent much of his time in prayer and meditation. Despite his piety, Bhartri Hari was also a fierce warrior, who led his armies into battle against the enemies of Ujjain. He was known for his bravery and cunning, and was able to defeat even the most powerful foes. His victories on the battlefield earned him the respect and admiration of his subjects, who saw him as a true hero and champion of the people.
Bhartri Hari's life was not without its challenges, however. He was often tested by the gods, who sought to see if he was truly worthy of his position as king. One such test came in the form of a beautiful woman, who appeared before Bhartri Hari and offered him her love. Despite his attraction to her, Bhartri Hari remained faithful to his wife and refused the woman's advances. Impressed by his loyalty and virtue, the gods rewarded him with even greater wisdom and insight.
Another challenge came when Bhartri Hari's brother Vikramaditya was captured by an enemy king. Bhartri Hari led his army into battle to rescue his brother, but was captured himself and sentenced to death. However, his bravery and cunning once again saved him, as he was able to outwit his captors and escape to safety.
Throughout his life, Bhartri Hari remained devoted to his people and to the gods. He was known for his compassion and his willingness to help those in need, and his reign was a time of peace and prosperity for Ujjain. Even after his death, he was remembered as a great king and a wise and virtuous man. The legacy of King Bhartri Hari continues to this day, as his story is told and retold in Indian literature and folklore. He is seen as a symbol of courage, wisdom, and piety, and his life serves as an inspiration to all who hear his tale. Whether as a warrior on the battlefield or a devout worshipper of the gods, Bhartri Hari exemplified the best qualities of a true leader, and his memory lives on as a testament to the power of faith, virtue, and selflessness.
The Traya Shatak
April 9, 2023: The Times of India
Life flows in a vast Heraclitan flux in which glory and darkness coexist. In the journey of life, both these phases have a significant role to play. Many times, the inner or outer storm leaves behind a flood of light and in that divine state, piercing the veil of Maya, the truth is suddenly perceived. Something of this sort happened in the life of Bhartrihari.
The story goes that the king of Ujjain, Bhartrihari, was madly in love with his beautiful wife. He was cautioned by his brother, Vikramaditya, to take more interest in the affairs of the kingdom but to no avail. Once, a mahatma offered Bhartrihari a fruit, saying that it would give long life to him. He lovingly gave that fruit to his wife, Pingla, to eat. She, however, was in love with one of his courtiers and gave that fruit to him. The courtier was in love with one courtesan and the fruit reached her. Instead of eating it herself, the courtesan wished her king to live long and offered the fruit to him. When King Bhartrihari saw the same fruit coming back to him, the reality of the entire affair dawned upon him.
Petrified first, but wise as he was, he realised the emptiness of worldly bonds and became a renunciant. A great scholar, now an awakened soul, he composed the Traya Shatak — namely Shringar, Niti and Vairagya. Together these deeply reflective, three hundred verses contain personal, worldly and spiritual wisdom of great significance.
Artha, dharma, kama, moksha are considered the four goals of life in Hindu thought and form the undercurrents of the stream of all life. Money is the need of life and lust the natural primal urge. If dharma is the base in enjoying these pleasures, liberation from the cycle of birth and death becomes possible.
Jatak stories of the previous lives of Siddharth are an evidence of how consciousness evolves gradually, purifying all the dirt accumulated over many births wasted in senseless living, to become a Buddha, the Enlightened One. Bhartrihari realised the truth of this fact from his own life and made his personal experience the base of his Traya Shatak. He glorifies the physical charm of women, discourses on the role of ethical conduct and wonders how, even on the verge of dying, man cannot renounce his desires. These verses have been composed in mellifluous Sanskrit. The first hundred shlokas, the Shringar Shatak, celebrate the sensuous beauty of the woman, an ornament gifted to her by Nature. Her magnetic pull of attraction is her weapon, hence she cannot be ignored as a weak person.
Niti Shatak highlights the practical virtues of day-to-day life, like knowledge,austerity, charity, wisdom, modesty, skill, and dharma. In the absence of these, man roams on earth like a beast without tail. In another shloka he exhorts everybody to make an effort to materialise their wishes instead of dreaming, because no prey ever enters the closed mouth of a lion. The wisdom of ethics imbibed in conduct and behaviour smoothens the functioning of worldly life.
Vairagya Shatak is the culmination of Bhartrihari’s sagacious insight. Renounce not the world but the materialistic objects and attachment for them. He paints a picture of dangers hovering over a roaring river of hope, flowing madly to fulfil all desires, even when the old body can no longer enjoy.
Swami Vivekananda admired Bhartrihari’s Vairagya Shatak and translated it into English: When the body is still healthy and disease-less, /When old age has not yet attacked it, /When the organs have not yet lost their power, /And life is still full and undiminished, /Now, now, struggle on, rendering great help to yourself. / My friend, it is useless to try to dig a well in a house that is already on fire.
The Traya Shatak verses contain the philosophy of life that embodies the essence of spirituality. ■ The writer is a former professor, Department of English, BHU
