Bharat: The Brother Who Refused the Throne He Was Given

Bharat is the character the exile was arranged for, and the one who refused every part of it. He was away when it happened, returned to find his father dead and his brother gone, and rejected the throne outright.

What He Walked Into

Bharat was at his maternal grandfather's home during the entire sequence. He had no knowledge of Manthara's argument, Kaikeyi's demand, or Dasharatha's collapse.

He came back to a dead father, an exiled brother, a crown waiting for him, and a mother who had secured it in his name. His response to Kaikeyi is one of the harshest exchanges in the epic.

The Journey to Chitrakoot

Rather than accept, he assembled the court and travelled to Chitrakoot to bring Ram home. Not a message. The whole apparatus of the kingdom, moved to a forest, to argue in person.

Ram declined, on the grounds that his father's word could not be conditional on convenience. That refusal is the hinge of the entire epic, and its logic is set out in why Ram went to vanvaas.

The Sandals

What Bharat did next is the detail the story is remembered for. He took Ram's sandals, placed them on the throne, and ruled as regent in their name.

He also refused to rule from Ayodhya, governing instead from Nandigram outside the capital, and by most accounts lived as an ascetic through the period, matching his brother's conditions rather than enjoying the position.

• Fourteen years of administration with no title of his own

• Ruling from outside the capital rather than from the palace

• Living austerely, mirroring the exile rather than the throne

• A vow to end his own life if Ram did not return on the appointed day

• Immediate handover on Ram's return, with no negotiation

Why This Is the Harder Position

Ram's refusal is dramatic and gets the attention. Bharat's is arguably more demanding, because it had no end condition he controlled and no audience.

Ram was in a forest with a stated term. Bharat was in a palace he would not occupy, doing the work of a king he refused to be, for a period he could not shorten, surrounded by people who would have accepted him.

Nobody was watching to see whether he took the crown when it became convenient. That is the same test the exile applies to Ram, discussed in what Ram's transformation teaches about character.

What the Character Is Doing in the Story

Bharat proves the exile was not about Ram being uniquely virtuous. Two brothers, given opposite circumstances, behave identically. One refuses a throne he could have kept, the other refuses a throne offered back.

The epic is making a claim about conduct that does not vary with position, which is the thread running through dharma as everyday practice. Further background at Wikipedia's entry on Bharata.

Whatever Kaikeyi thought fourteen years would secure, her own son spent every one of them refusing it.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why did Bharat refuse the throne?

He considered it illegitimately obtained through his mother's demand and held that the kingdom belonged to Ram. He travelled to Chitrakoot to persuade Ram to return instead.

What did Bharat do with Ram's sandals?

He placed them on the throne of Ayodhya and ruled as regent in their name for the full fourteen years, governing from Nandigram outside the capital.

Did Bharat know about his mother's plan?

No. He was at his maternal grandfather's home throughout and returned to find his father dead and Ram exiled. He rejected Kaikeyi harshly on learning what had happened.

What happened when Ram returned?

Bharat handed over the kingdom immediately without negotiation. He had vowed to end his own life had Ram not returned on the appointed day.

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