Emperor Bharata

“O monarch! Thy mighty son born of Shakuntala, shall grow to conquer the earth and his vigorous glory shall echo through the eternity of time. And because this child is to be cherished by thee, therefore shall this thy son be known by the name of Bharata (the cherished one).”

- The Mahabharata (Sambhav Parva)


Emperor Bharata, the mighty son of Dushyant (Dushmanta) and Shakuntala, was a prestigious monarch of Lunar Dynasty, whose legacy is the entire Indian Subcontinent. In his glory, this country is called Bharat (The land of Bharata) and the subcontinent is called Bharatvarsha.

The story of his birth is mentioned in the first Parva of the Mahabharata and in one of the greatest poems by Kalidas, Abhigyan Shankuntalam. The clan of Emperor Bharata inherited his name and became famous as Bharat Race. The Bharat Dynasty was dignified by many glorious monarchs such as Bhumanyu, Hastin, Shantanu, Yudhishthira, Parikshit, Janmenjaya and many more prestigious rulers. He was also a great ancestor to both Pandavas and Kauravas. All the great Kuru Warriors in epic Mahabharata were born in his dynasty. And thus the greatest poem of all time earns its name as the Mahabharata (The legend of Bharata Race).

Bharata was born to Shakuntala in the forest in the Ashram of Kanwa. He grew playing with lions, bears, tigers and other wild animals. Since he was finicky by nature, he was originally named as Sarvadaman (the one who subdues all). After the events of Hastinapur followed by the curse of Durvasa when Dushyant realizes about his son and his wife, he makes Shakuntala her queen and installs Bharata as his heir-apparent.

Emperor Bharata grew to be a Chakravartin Samrat who conquered the entire subcontinent and unified all the kingdoms into one invincible empire. He married to Princess Sunanda of Kashi and begot a son named Bhumanyu, who succeeded him on the throne after his demise.

For we have inherited the glorious name of Bharat, we all are his descendants. Till there remains the shape of Bharat (India) on the face of earth, his glory shall thrive in the heart of this nation.