There has been a growing speculation that the Indian government will bring a resolution to change the country’s official name to ‘Bharat’ during the special session of Parliament this month.
The Congress and the opposition alliance has hit out at the government over the possible change of name while the BJP leaders have come in support of renaming the country as ‘Bharat’.
Amid the development, let’s take a look at the origins of the word Bharat, its historical significance and etymology:
Etymology of Bharat
The word Bharata is a Sanskrit word and is derived from the root ‘bhru’, which means to provide for, to be maintained or the one who protects.
From this root ‘Bhrata’ (Brother), the word Bharata has evolved and it means the same as ‘Bhrata’. The word ‘Bharata’ (Bharada, Bharha) meant the land which cherishes and provides.
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King Bharata was the protector of the earth and the cherisher of the people. Hence the country getting name after him was natural as the land also fulfills and supports the meaning that the word “Bharat” has.
According to some reports, the word ‘Bharat’ is the Sanskrit word for the original name of the country was “Bharad” or “Bharah”, which is from Prakrit language. The words “Bharad” or “Bharah” are mentioned in the Kharvela and Wai inscriptions and Jain records.
Origin of Bharat
The word ‘Bharat’ has references in the Mahabharata and the Puranas, where the country was referred to as “Bharatvarsh.” The Puranas describe ‘Bharat’ as a geographical area lying between the oceans in the south and the Himalayas in the North. However, the Puranas also mention that land was politically divided land into several smaller territories.
“This country is known as Bharatvarsha since the times the father entrusted the kingdom to the son Bharata and he himself went to the forest for ascetic practices,” an excerpt of Vishnu Purana reads.
The term ‘Bharat’ has been in use since millenniums and the term also appears in Jain and Hindu mythologies as “Bharat Varsh”, region of Bharata.
However, the most popular mythology behind the name Bharat goes back to the time of the Great Emperor Bharata who was the ruler of the whole subcontinent.
All About King Bharat
The great King Bharata was the son of Queen Shakuntala and King Dushyant. It is also said that he was the ancestor of the Pandavas and the Kauravas.
He was said to be a great Emperor who conquered and reigned over the whole Indian sub-continent, which was called Bharatvarsha and spread from the Himalayas to the sea.
King Bharat, a descendant of the Lunar Dynasty of the Kshatriya Varna, conquered all of the country and united it into a single rule which was named after him as “Bharatavarsha.”
Bharat in Rigveda
The Rigveda mentions a mighty tribe Bharat, which was ruled by King Sudasa. The scripture mentions a war known as ‘Dasharajnya’ or the war of ten kings which was fought between the ten powerful tribes to overthrow King Sudasa of the Bharata tribe. The mighty battle took place on the banks of the river Ravi in Punjab.
Though the Bharata tribe was outnumbered still King Sudasa won the battle due to his highly advanced military skill and established his power throughout the subcontinent. King Sudasa became very popular and people started identifying themselves as members of the Bharata. The name ‘Bharata’ remained in history and the country began to be referred to as the land of Bharata.
The word Bharat also has references in Jainism and according to the Jain theory, the country was named after Bharat Chakravarti, the eldest son of First Jain Tirthankar and it is said that it is solely gift of Jainism.
