Bharata was a devotee par excellence, while Lakshmana was a dependable and faithful servant of Rama. Lakshmana took into consideration the physical manifestation, while Bharata looked at Divinity without any form. Without resting his eyes even once, Lakshmana took care to see that Rama and Sita were always comfortable. He did not know what sleep was for fourteen years! Such a great renunciator was he, a worshipper of the form of the Lord.

Bharata, who on the other hand, was a worshipper of the formless God, stayed away from Ayodhya.  He set up a small Hermitage at Nandigrama and constantly kept chanting the name of Rama. He focused his entire mind on Rama while Lakshmana was the one who had given up his body in Rama’s service. This is the difference between them. Lakshmana prayed, ‘I am Your servant, to be used according to Your wish. I have no life other than this. I shall be Your sixth prana.’ Bharata, on the other hand, prayed, ‘I do not have a body. I am entirely in You.’ With this thought, he constantly kept chanting the name of the Lord. This is what is spoken of as ‘Brahmavid Brahmaiva Bhavati’—think of the Lord and the Lord you become. After constantly thinking of Rama for fourteen years, Bharata too assumed the dark blue complexion of Rama. (SSS 1996, p.96)

Whereas Lakshmana was a direct devotee (pratyaksha bhakta) serving Sri Rama constantly in His divine presence, Bharata was a parosksha bhakta (indirect devotee) constantly contemplating on Rama. Whereas Lakshmana was a Sagunopasaka (worshipping form and attributes of God), Bharata was Nirgunopasaka (worshipping formless, attribute-less God). However, the fact that both aspects of God are the same was proved by the divine experiences of Lakshmana and Bharata. (Beacons of Divine Wisdom, Part I p.57)

Lakshmana’s devotion was apparent and was always seen easily. Lakshmana had always attributes and qualities, whereas Bharata was attributeless and without gunas. Here the form-less and the form are like the two legs. Here is an example for this. This is a pillow. There is a cloth covering the pillow. Inside the cloth is cotton. There is cotton inside and there is cotton on the outside in the form of a cloth. The cloth is the quality and has a form. The cotton is without quality. Here we see that the formless is contained within the form. In the outer cloth, cotton is contained. In Vedantic parlance, we can say that the cloth and the cotton are one and the same. Bharata has demonstrated this simple truth. (SSB 1977, p.53)