तत्रापि स्वजनसङ्गाच्च भृशमुद्विजमानो भगवत: कर्मबन्धविध्वंसनश्रवणस्मरणगुणविवरणचरणारविन्दयुगलं मनसा विदधदात्मन: प्रतिघातमाशङ्कमानो भगवदनुग्रहेणानुस्मृतस्वपूर्वजन्मावलिरात्मानमुन्मत्तजडान्धबधिरस्वरूपेण दर्शयामास लोकस्य ॥ ३ ॥
tatrapi svajana-sangac ca bhrsam udvijamano bhagavatah karma-bandha-vidhvamsana-sravana-smarana-guna-vivarana-caranaravinda-yugalam manasa vidadhad atmanah pratighatam asankamano bhagavad-anugrahenanusmrta-sva-purva-janmavalir atmanam unmatta-jadandha-badhira-svarupena darsayam asa lokasya.
- tatra api
- in that brahmana birth also
- sva-jana-sangat
- from association with relatives and friends
- ca
- and
- bhrsam
- greatly
- udvijamanah
- being always afraid that he would fall down again
- bhagavatah
- of the Supreme Personality of Godhead
- karma-bandha
- the bondage of the reactions of fruitive activities
- vidhvamsana
- which vanquishes
- sravana
- hearing
- smarana
- remembering
- guna-vivarana
- hearing descriptions of the qualities of the Lord
- carana-aravinda
- lotus feet
- yugalam
- the two
- manasa
- with the mind
- vidadhat
- always thinking of
- atmanah
- of his soul
- pratighatam
- obstruction on the path of devotional service
- asankamanah
- always fearing
- bhagavat-anugrahena
- by the special mercy of the Supreme Personality of Godhead
- anusmrta
- remembered
- sva-purva
- his own previous
- janma-avalih
- string of births
- atmanam
- himself
- unmatta
- mad
- jada
- dull
- andha
- blind
- badhira
- and deaf
- svarupena
- with these features
- darsayam asa
- he exhibited
- lokasya
- to people in general
Due to his being especially gifted with the Lord’s mercy, Bharata Maharaja could remember the incidents of his past life. Although he received the body of a brahmana, he was still very much afraid of his relatives and friends who were not devotees. He was always very cautious of such association because he feared that he would again fall down. Consequently he manifested himself before the public eye as a madman—dull, blind and deaf—so that others would not try to talk to him. In this way he saved himself from bad association. Within he was always thinking of the lotus feet of the Lord and chanting the Lord’s glories, which save one from the bondage of fruitive action. In this way he saved himself from the onslaught of nondevotee associates.