Shloka 23

भरतचरितम्—मृगासक्ति-हेतुकः समाधिभङ्गः, जातिस्मरत्वं, रहूगण-जाḍभरत-संवादः

Devanagari script

विमुक्तराज्यतनयः प्रोज्झिताशेषबान्धवः ममत्वं स चकारोच्चैस् तस्मिन् हरिणबालके

Transliteration

vimuktarājyatanayaḥ projjhitāśeṣabāndhavaḥ mamatvaṃ sa cakāroccais tasmin hariṇabālake

Translation

بعد أن تخلّى عن المملكة والابن، وطرح سائر الروابط الدنيوية، نشأ في قلبه مع ذلك تعلّقٌ شديدٌ بالامتلاك—«إنه لي»—تجاه ذلك الخشف الصغير.

Word by Word

• विमुक्त-राज्य-तनयः: the son who had renounced the kingdom
• विमुक्त-राज्य-तनयः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वि-मुक्त (कृदन्त/प्रातिपदिक) + राज्य (प्रातिपदिक) + तनय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (Nominative/1st), एकवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुष (राज्यं विमुक्तः सन् तनयः/पुत्रः)

• प्रोज्झित-अशेष-बान्धवः: (he) who had abandoned all relatives
• प्रोज्झित-अशेष-बान्धवः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्र-उज्झित (कृदन्त/प्रातिपदिक) + अशेष (प्रातिपदिक) + बान्धव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (Nominative/1st), एकवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुष (अशेषान् बान्धवान् प्रोज्झितवान्)

• ममत्वम्: a sense of possessiveness
• ममत्वम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ममत्व (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन

• सः: he
• सः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (Nominative/1st), एकवचन

• चकार: made/did
• चकार: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: कृ (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect), परस्मैपदम्, प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन

• उच्चैः: greatly/exceedingly
• उच्चैः: Kriya-visheshaṇa (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: उच्चैः (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (adverb: intensity)

• तस्मिन्: in that
• तस्मिन्: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (Locative/7th), एकवचन

• हरिण-बालके: in the fawn (young deer)
• हरिण-बालके: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: हरिण (प्रातिपदिक) + बालक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (Locative/7th), एकवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुष (हरिणस्य बालकः)

Speaker

Sage Parāśara (narrating to Maitreya)

Parashara-Maitreya Dialogue

Speaker: Parasara

Topic: How even extreme renunciation can be undermined by subtle ‘mine-ness’ (mamatva)

Teaching: Ethical

Quality: revealing

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: Mamatva (possessive identification) can re-arise even after abandoning major worldly ties, revealing that bondage is primarily internal.

Vedantic Theme: Maya

Application: Audit subtle ownership language (‘my’ people, ‘my’ projects); cultivate īśvara-sambandha—seeing all as belonging to the Lord.

Vishishtadvaita: True tyāga is not denial of the world but reorientation of ownership to Nārāyaṇa, the real śeṣin (master) of all.

Vaishnava Theology

Vishnu Form: Para-Brahman

Bhakti Type: Shanta

Characters & Entities

• Sage Parāśara
• Maitreya
• Hariṇa-bālaka (fawn)

FAQs

What is the significance of mamatva (possessiveness) in this Vishnu Purana verse?

It shows that even after giving up overt worldly bonds—kingdom, heirs, relatives—subtle attachment can reappear through affection, creating renewed bondage in the mind.

How does Sage Parāśara explain the danger of attachment in narrative form?

Through a royal-renunciant’s story: external renunciation is portrayed as incomplete if the inner sense of ‘mine’ persists, here redirected toward a fawn.

What is the theological importance of Lord Vishnu in this context?

By implication, the verse supports Vaishnava teaching that lasting freedom comes when attachment is transferred from transient objects to the Supreme Reality—Vishnu—who alone is stable and sovereign.