As often happens, someone in a comment has once again brought up the story of Bharata Maharaja, apparently implying one should not show kindness to animals:

“Better to be absorbed in the Holy Names and in constant connection/communication with your eternal best friend Krishna in the heart. Have you ever heard of Bharata Maharaja and Jada Bharata?”

The idea that you have to be mean and cruel to animals or even indifferent and neglectful is nowhere taught in our scriptures. As mentioned in the Bhagavad Gita:

adveṣṭā sarva-bhūtānāṁ
maitraḥ karuṇa eva ca

“One should be free from envy toward all living beings, treating them with friendship and compassion.”

This is actually a very minimal and basic level. Being nonenvious, kind and compassionate towards all living beings is like the beginner level of spiritual progression. Its not at all an advanced stage, but those that lack it (sometimes even intentionally) have failed to even begin the journey of progression.

The story of Bharata is completely misunderstood by some people and twisted to be about never being kind to animals. It is latched on to by people who have an aversion to kindness. Attachment to money also leads one to hell, but you never hear people quoting the story of Hiranyakashipu everytime someone touches money. Attachment to nearly anything can lead one to degradation, but that does not mean indifference is the solution.

Linking everything to the Supreme and understanding their connection with Lord Krishna is the solution. It is the same for children, family, money and even animals, nature, the planet, the sun, the moon, water, air, food, etc. Understanding everything in connection with Lord Krishna solves all problems.

The actual direct instruction of the Srimad Bhagavatam on how you should treat animals is as follows:

mṛgoṣṭra-khara-markākhu-
sarīsṛp khaga-makṣikāḥ
ātmanaḥ putravat paśyet
tair eṣām antaraṁ kiyat

“One should treat animals such as deer, camels, asses, monkeys, mice, snakes, birds and flies exactly like one’s own son. How little difference there actually is between children and these innocent animals.” – Srimad Bhagavatam 7.14.9

In his purport to this verse Srila Prabhupada states: “One who is in Krishna consciousness understands that there is no difference between the animals and the innocent children in one’s home. […] Like children, the unintelligent animals are also sons of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and therefore a Krishna conscious person, even though a householder, should not discriminate between children and poor animals.”

As far as the actual story of Bharata Maharaja, that has repeatedly been misused to justify mistreatment and neglect of animals, let us look at Srila Vishvanatha Chakravarthi’s commentary to some of those verses in Srimad Bhagavatam to understand what the story is actually about.

In his commentary to Srimad Bhagavatam 5.8.26 he states:

yadyapi bhakti-yogo bahu-vighnākulo na bhavati, tad api bhagavad-icchayā tad-ārādhanād vibhraṁśita ity arthaḥ.

“Although bhakti-yoga is not generally beset by numerous obstacles, the meaning here is that Bharata was diverted from the worship of the Supreme Lord by the Lord’s own will.”

Bharata’s diversion from devotional service was by the Lord’s own will, not simply because he was kind to animals. It was arranged by the Lord to increase his longing for devotional service (bhakty-utkaṇṭhā):

bharatasya vibhraṁśas tu – bhagavad-ukta-nyāyena mṛga-janmani brāhmaṇa-janmani ca bhakty-utkaṇṭhā-vardhanārtho bhagavataiva nirmitaḥ
yathādhano labdha-dhane vinaṣṭe tac-cintayānyan na nibhṛto na veda.

“As for Bharata’s deviation from his devotional practice, it was arranged by the Supreme Lord Himself for the purpose of increasing his eagerness for devotional service in both his birth as a deer and his subsequent birth in a brāhmaṇa family. This follows the principle stated by the Lord: ‘Just as a poor man, upon acquiring wealth and then losing it, becomes so absorbed in thinking about that wealth that he can no longer think of anything else.’ [quoted from Srimad Bhagavatam 10.32.20].”

Thus the story of Bharata has nothing to do with the external kindness he showed to animals. It has a much deeper meaning of the Lord wanting to increase his devotee’s intense longing for devotional service. Otherwise it is impossible for an exalted devotee of the Lord engaged in devotional service to fall down to the body of a deer. It is only by the Lord’s own will that it happened.

The true message of the story of Bharata Maharaja is the Lord’s personal involvement to increase the vipralambha bhava of his devotee, but ignorant people think the moral of the story is that we should not be kind to animals. They have completely missed the message of the Bhagavatam due to an inherent aversion towards kindness.

Every cow and calf at our sanctuary has a story of rescue, healing, and hope. Your generous support provides them with food, shelter, medical care, and a lifetime of protection. Together, we can give these sacred animals the love and safety they deserve.