Shloka 5
Bharata Mahārāja’s Attachment to a Deer and His Fall from Yoga
तस्या उत्पतन्त्या अन्तर्वत्न्या उरुभयावगलितो योनिनिर्गतो गर्भ: स्रोतसि निपपात ॥ ५ ॥
tasyā utpatantyā antarvatnyā uru-bhayāvagalito yoni-nirgato garbhaḥ srotasi nipapāta.
As the pregnant doe sprang in fear, the fawn, dislodged by her overwhelming terror, slipped from her womb and fell into the river’s current.
There is every chance of a woman’s having a miscarriage if she experiences some ecstatic emotion or is frightened. Pregnant women should therefore be spared all these external influences.
FAQs
This verse is part of the episode showing how a sudden crisis involving the doe led to Bharata Mahārāja’s growing attachment, illustrating that even a saintly person must guard the mind from material absorption.
The fawn’s dangerous situation becomes the turning point that draws Bharata into intense concern and caretaking, setting the stage for his later distraction from exclusive remembrance of the Lord.
Compassion should be guided by steady sādhana—serve living beings responsibly, but keep primary focus on remembrance of Bhagavān so that care does not turn into binding attachment.