Many millennia ago, in India, there was a king named Bharata, who was one of the great kings of Lunar Dynasty or Kuru Dynasty. Bharata was not famous for extending the borders of his nation and having the nation named after him (the word for “India” in Sanskrit is “Bharata-varsa”), but he was a righteous, moral king who obeyed dharma and religious principles. He instilled the fact that one’s deeds have more value than one birth and he had a truly democratic government, where citizens had a say in their ideas. Bharata was so righteous that in selecting his heir apparent, he chose the son of an ascetic, rather than his own nine sons. Bharata’s decision shocked everyone, as he chose some other child other than his own. However, Bharata stood firm in his decision, as his own sons were unworthy of ruling such a kingdom.
As Dvapara Yuga, the third cosmic era where vice and sinful actions are on the rise, came by, the lineage of king Bharata started to put more emphasis on birth rather than deeds and true democratic thinking. This lay the foundations of the Mahabharata war.
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