Shloka 22
भरतचरितम्—मृगासक्ति-हेतुकः समाधिभङ्गः, जातिस्मरत्वं, रहूगण-जाḍभरत-संवादः
तस्य तस्मिन् मृगे दूरसमीपपरिवर्तिनि आसीच् चेतः समासक्तं न ययाव् अन्यतो द्विज
tasya tasmin mṛge dūrasamīpaparivartini āsīc cetaḥ samāsaktaṃ na yayāv anyato dvija
His mind became deeply entangled with that deer, which moved now far away and now close by; thus, O twice-born one, his attention went nowhere else.
Sage Parāśara (addressing Maitreya)
Speaker: Parasara
Topic: Why Bharata’s attention became one-pointed on the deer rather than on spiritual realization
Teaching: Ethical
Quality: compassionate
Concept: Citta-saṅga (mental attachment) narrows awareness so completely that discernment and higher contemplation are eclipsed.
Vedantic Theme: Moksha
Application: When attention loops around a single object of concern, deliberately re-anchor it in japa, dhyāna, and self-inquiry.
Vishishtadvaita: The mind should rest on the Supreme Person (Viṣṇu) as the true ālambana; misdirected ālambana binds the jīva.
Vishnu Form: Para-Brahman
Bhakti Type: Shanta
FAQs
The deer represents an alluring, unpredictable sense-object—coming close and going far—by which the mind becomes captivated and diverted from higher contemplation and liberation.
He shows that once consciousness clings to a moving object of fascination, attention stops flowing toward other aims—especially spiritual steadiness—creating a practical bondage of the mind.
The verse implies that liberation requires the mind to turn away from restless attractions and become steady in the Supreme—Vishnu—rather than being pulled outward by fluctuating objects.