King Janaka was a karma yogi. The Lord decided to test Janaka’s understanding of dharma, Velukkudi Krishnan said in a discourse. He appeared before Janaka in the guise of a Brahmin, and asked him how he was able to treat his subjects without any discrimination. Janaka replied that just as a parent treats children impartially, just as brothers do not quarrel amongst themselves, just as acharyas never differentiate between their sishyas, just as people do not discriminate among their friends, so is Janaka towards his subjects.
But some parents are partial towards some of their children. Brothers have property disputes. A friend may also have an hierarchy between his acquaintances. So how could Janaka’s words be seen as reasons for his impartiality? Janaka then pointed out that everyone, Janaka included, had the Lord as his parent. The Lord can be seen as every one of our relations. He is a brother, a mother, a friend, an acharya to us. Just as He is all of these things to us, so is He to others. Once this is understood, where is the need for differentiation? Janaka had the jnana to know this. So he was a just king. Once we realise that the Lord is everything to us and to everyone else, impartiality automatically comes to us.
Arjuna prayed that just as a father forgave a son for his mistakes, just as a loving husband forgave his wife for her mistakes, just as a person forgives his friend, so should the Lord forgive him. When Bharata requested Rama to take charge as the king of Ayodhya, he said that he was a dasa and sishya of Rama. So there were many connections between the two brothers, apart from their being siblings.