नारद उवाच दौष्यन्तिं भरतं चापि मृतं सृञ्जय शुश्रुम। कर्माण्यसुकराण्यन्यैः कृतवान् यः शिशुर्वने॥
Narada said O Srinjaya, we heard that Dushyanta's son Bharata, who, when a child, performed in the woods many feats difficult of being performed by others, had also to suffer death.
हिमावदातान् यः सिंहान् नखदंष्ट्रायुधान् बली। निर्वीर्यास्तरसा कृत्वा विचकर्ष बबन्ध च॥
Possessed of great prowess, he used quickly to deprive the very lions armed with teeth and claws, of all their ferocity and dragged them and bound them at his own pleasure.
क्रूरांश्चोग्रतरान् व्याघ्रान् दमित्वा चाकरोद्वशे। मन:शिला इव शिलाः संयुक्ता जतुराशिभिः॥ व्यालादींश्चातिबलवान् सुप्रतीकान् गजानपि। दंष्ट्रासु गृह्य विमुखाशुष्कासयानकरोद् वशे॥
He used to tame down the very tigers, more ferocious and more ruthless than the lions. Seizing various beasts of prey and even prodigious elephants dyed with red chalksolution and bespattered with other liquid minerals, by their teeth and tusks, that highly powerful one used to bring them to his subjection causing their throats to become parched up and compelling them to fly away.
महिषानप्यतिबलो बलिनो विचकर्ष ह। सिंहानां च सुदृप्तानां शतान्याकर्षयद् बलात्॥
Endued with great strength he used to drag down the mightiest of buffaloes. Through his prowess, he tamed hundreds of ferocious lions.
बलिनः सृमरान् खड्गान् नानासत्त्वानि चाप्युत। कृच्छ्रप्राणं वने बद्ध्वादमयित्वाप्यवासृजत्॥
And powerful tigers and horned rhinoceroses and other animals. Binding them by their necks and twisting the ropes (around their necks) to an inch of their lives, he used to release them.
तं सर्वदमनेत्याहुर्द्विजास्तेनास्य कर्मणा। तं प्रत्यषेधज्जननी मा सत्त्वानि विजीजहि॥
For those feats of his, the regenerate sages residing there used to call him Sarvadamana (or the subduer of all). But at last his mother forbade him do so, saying-'Do not torture animals thus.'
सोऽश्वमेधशतेनेष्ट्वा यमुनामनु वीर्यवान्। त्रिशताश्वान् सरस्वत्यां गङ्गामनु चतुःशतान्॥
Possessed of great energy, he celebrated a hundred Horse-sacrifices on the banks of the river Yamuna, three hundred such sacrifices on the banks of the Sarasvati and four hundred such on the banks of the Ganges.
सोऽश्वमेधसहस्रेण राजसूयशतेन च। पुनरीजे महायज्ञैः समाप्तवरदक्षिणैः॥
Having accomplished all those sacrifices he once more performed a thousand great Horsesacrifices and a hundred such Rajasuya, in which he made profuse gifts to the Brahmanas.
अग्निष्टोमातिरात्राभ्यामिष्ट्वा विश्वजिता अपि। वाजपेयसहस्राणां सहस्रश्च सुसंवृतैः॥
He performed also such other sacrifices, as the Agnisthoma, the Atiratra, the Vektha, the Visvajit and thousands of Vajapeyas.
इष्ट्वा शाकुन्तलो राजा तर्पयित्वा द्विजान् घनैः। सहस्रं यत्र पद्यानां कण्वाय भरतो ददौ॥ जाम्बूनदस्य शुद्धस्य कनकस्य महायशाः। यस्य यूपः शतव्यामः परिणाहेन काञ्चनः॥ समागम्य द्विजैः सार्धे सेन्ट्रैर्देवैः समुच्छ्रितः। अलंकृतान् राजमानान् सर्वरत्नैर्मनोहरैः॥ हैरण्यानश्वान् द्विरदान् स्थानुष्ट्रानजाविकम्। दासीदासंघनं धान्यं गाः सवत्साः पयस्विनीः॥ ग्रामान् गृहांश्च क्षेत्राणि विविधांश्च परिच्छदान्। कोटीशतायुतांश्चैव ब्राह्मणेभ्यो ह्यमन्यत॥ चक्रवर्ती ह्यदीनात्मा जितारिॉजितः परैः। स चेन्ममार सृञ्जय चतुर्भद्रतरस्त्वया॥
Then the royal son of Sakuntala gratified the Brahmanas with the present of riches; then Bharata of illustrious fame gave ten thousand billions of coins made of the purest gold to Kanwa (who had reared his mother). The gods with Indra at their head, accompanied by the twice-born ones, coming to this sacrifices, set up his sacrificial stake made wholly of gold and measuring hundred vyamas in width. The royal Bharata of magnanimous soul, that conqueror of his foes, that sovereign ever unsubdued by his enemies gave away unto the Brahimanas, charming steeds, elephants and chariots, adorned with gold and embossed with gems of the first water of all sorts and camels and goats and sheep and male and female servants, wealth, grain, milch-cows with calves and villages, houses and fields and garments of various kinds, countless in number. When, O Srinjaya, even such a king had to suffer death who was superior to you in respect to the four cardinal virtues.
पुत्रात् पुण्यतरस्तुभ्यं मा पुत्रमनुतप्यथाः। अयज्वानमदाक्षिण्यमभि श्वैत्येत्युदाहरत्॥
And consequently to your son, you should not lament for your son who performed no sacrifice and made no sacrificial gifts saying, 'O Shvaitya.'