Bhagwat Puran Fifth Skandh: Rishabhadeva, Jada Bharata and the Structure of the Worlds

The fifth skandh tells of the line of Priyavrata, son of Svayambhuva Manu, in which the great renunciates Rishabhadeva and Jada Bharata were born. It then describes the cosmos, the planets and the hells.

Chapter 1: Priyavrata

Priyavrata was devoted to the Lord and did not wish to marry, but at Brahma's urging became king. The ruts of his chariot wheels formed the seven seas, and the land between them the seven continents.

Chapters 2 to 6: Rishabhadeva

In Priyavrata's line the Lord himself was born as Rishabhadeva to King Nabhi and Merudevi. He ruled ideally and taught his hundred sons:

• "This human body is not for sense pleasure, like that of dogs and pigs, but for austerity, which brings endless joy."
• Serving great souls is the door to liberation; the company of the lustful is the door to hell.
• One who does not give their children and dependants the knowledge that frees from the cycle of death is not fit to be a teacher, father, mother or husband.

Then Rishabhadeva gave the kingdom to his eldest son Bharata and lived as an avadhuta: unclad, homeless, silent, seeing God in all beings. (In the Jain tradition Rishabhadeva is revered as the first Tirthankara, Adinatha.)

Chapters 7 to 14: Bharata and Jada Bharata

Bharata ruled righteously, and the land was called Bharatavarsha after him. Later he went to practise austerities at Pulaha's hermitage on the Gandaki. There, out of compassion, he raised a fawn and became attached to it; thinking of it at death, he was born a deer, though his memory remained. In his third birth he was born to a Brahmin and remained "jada", seemingly mad and silent, so as not to become attached to anyone.

Robbers seized him as a sacrifice to Kali, but the goddess herself appeared and destroyed them. Then he was seized to carry the palanquin of King Rahugana of Sindhu-Sauvira. He paused to avoid stepping on ants, and the palanquin jolted. When the king mocked him, Jada Bharata replied: "Fat or thin, tired or not, these belong to the body, not the self." The king stepped down and fell at his feet. Jada Bharata described the world as a fearsome forest where six robbers, the five senses and the mind, plunder the soul, and said the way out is the company of the good and service of God.

Chapters 15 to 20: continents and regions

Jambudvipa and its nine regions, the glory of Bharatavarsha ("even the gods long to be born in Bharat"), and the other continents are described. In each region a form of the Lord is worshipped; in Bharatavarsha Nara-Narayana, and in Kimpurushavarsha Hanuman worships Shri Ram.

Chapters 21 to 23: the sun, the planets and the Shishumara

The sun's chariot and course, the northern and southern passages, the positions of the moon and planets, the seven sages and the pole star are described. The whole starry sphere is pictured as a Shishumara (dolphin) with the pole star at its tail, to be saluted morning and evening as a form of God.

Chapters 24 and 25: the nether worlds and Ananta

The seven nether worlds, from Atala to Patala, are described, where Bali, Maya, Vasuki and others dwell. Bali lives in Sutala, where Lord Vamana himself guards his door. Below all is Lord Ananta (Shesha), on one of whose hoods the whole universe rests like a mustard seed.

Chapter 26: the hells

Twenty-eight hells are described, such as Tamisra, Andhatamisra, Raurava, Kumbhipaka and Asipatravana, with the sins that lead to each: seizing others' wealth, violence, deceit, cruelty to animals, disrespect of parents and more. The aim is that people understand every action bears fruit and turn from wrongdoing.

What this skandh teaches

• Human birth is for self-improvement, not only pleasure (Rishabhadeva's teaching).
• The greatest duty of parents and teachers is to give children right knowledge.
• Even compassion becomes bondage when it turns to attachment; balance is needed.
• The senses and mind are robbers in the world; good company is the safe road.
• Even the gods long for birth in Bharat; do not waste the chance.