Shloka 17
भरतचरितम्—मृगासक्ति-हेतुकः समाधिभङ्गः, जातिस्मरत्वं, रहूगण-जाḍभरत-संवादः
गर्भप्रच्युतिदुःखेन प्रोत्तुङ्गाक्रमणेन च मैत्रेय सापि हरिणी पपात च ममार च
garbhapracyutiduḥkhena prottuṅgākramaṇena ca maitreya sāpi hariṇī papāta ca mamāra ca
O Maitreya, tormented by the agony of her miscarried womb and struck down by the force of that sudden leap from a great height, the doe collapsed—and thereupon she died.
Sage Parāśara (narrating to Maitreya)
Speaker: Parasara
Topic: Direct address to Maitreya while narrating the consequence of the doe’s leap
Teaching: Historical
Quality: compassionate and vivid
Concept: Embodied life is precarious; suffering and death arise suddenly, urging dispassion and spiritual focus.
Vedantic Theme: Moksha
Application: Contemplate impermanence to deepen steadiness in practice; let compassion mature into non-possessive care.
Vishishtadvaita: Impermanence of prakṛti-bound bodies contrasts with the enduring dependence of the jīva on the Lord, encouraging surrender rather than clinging.
FAQs
It functions as a karmic and moral turning-point motif—showing how sudden suffering and death can redirect the course of a character’s story within the dynasty narratives.
By presenting them as outcomes within the lawful order of karma and embodied existence, woven into the larger genealogical and dharmic history he narrates to Maitreya.
Even when Vishnu is not named in the verse, the Purana’s worldview assumes Vishnu as the sustaining sovereign of cosmic order—within which karma, birth, and death unfold.