How did the word bhārata - भारत emanate?

 The information available on the internet is as follows:

·   The name bhārata is derived from the name of the Vedic tribe Bharatas, who are mentioned in the Rigveda as one of the original tribes of the Aryavarta . Some other Puranic passages refer to the same as Bhārata people, who are described as the descendants of Dushyanta's son Bharata in the Mahabharata.

· The earliest recorded use of Bhārata-varṣa (lit. 'Bhārata mainland') in a geographical sense is in the Hathigumpha inscription of King Kharavela (first century BCE), where it applies only to a restrained area of northern India, namely the part of the Ganges west of Magadha. 

· The Sanskrit word Bhārata is a vṛddhi derivation of Bharata, which was originally an epithet of Agni. The term is a verbal noun of the Sanskrit root bhr-, "to bear/to carry", with a literal meaning of to be maintained (of fire). The root bhr is cognate with the English verb to bear and Latin ferō. This term also means "one who is engaged in search for knowledge". Barato, the Esperanto name for India, is also a derivation of Bhārata.

· According to the Puranas, this country is known as Bhāratavarṣa after Bharat, the son of Rishabha. He was a Kshatriya born in Solar dynasty.

   Vishnu Purāna (2,1,31) mentions:

ऋषभो मरुदेव्याश्च ऋषभात् भरतो भवेत्।

भरताद् भारतं वर्षं, भरतात् सुमतिस्त्वभूत्॥

 

Rishabha was born to Marudevi, Bharata was born to Rishabh,

Bhāratavarṣa arose from Bharata and Sumati arose from Bharata.

 

· Jambudvīpa (Sanskrit: जम्बुद्वीप, romanized: Jambu-dvīpa, lit. 'berry island') was used in ancient scriptures as a name of India before the term Bhārata became widespread. The derivative Jambu Dwipa was the historical term for India in many Southeast Asian countries before the introduction of the English word "India". 

· Both Gyagar and Phagyul are Tibetan names for India. Ancient Tibetan Buddhist authors and pilgrims used the ethnogeographic referents Gyagar or Gyagar to the south and Madhyadesa (central land or holy centre) for India. Since at least 13th century, several influential indigenous Tibetan lamas & authors also started to refer to India as the Phagyul, short for Phags yul, meaning the land of aryas i.e. land of noble, holy, enlightened & superior people who are the source of spiritual enlightenment.

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The word भारत (bhārata) was first mentioned in the Rigveda, with spiritual connotation, but not historical.

The the word bhāratā has an altogether different spiritual meaning.

 bhA (भाः) means light and rata (रतः) means someone who has devoted his/her entire life for that light.

 It indicates a person, who dwells in the TRUTH or who attained wisdom or SELF REALISATION.

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Here is an interesting reference from Rig Veda, wherein Sage Viswamitra prays for the blessings of Indra on the race of bhārata. 

Rig Veda 3.53.12

 य इमे रोदसी उभे अहमिन्द्रमतुष्टवम् । 

विश्वामित्रस्य रक्षति ब्रह्मेदं भारतं जनम् ॥

ya ime rodasī ubhe aham indram atuṣṭavam | viśvāmitrasya rakṣati brahmedam bhārataṃ janam ||

English translation:

“I have made Indra glorified by these two, heaven and earth, and this prayer of Viśvāmitra protects the race of bhārata.”

 

bhārataṃ janam may indicate a group of persons, who dwell in the TRUTH or who attained wisdom or SELF REALISATION.

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In subsequent literature, another equivalent word was coined - brahmachāri, one who dwells in brahman.

People speaking Hindi will write भारत - bhArata , but pronounce it as bhArat -भारत्, removing the vowel a, at the end of the word.