Shloka 23
भरतचरितम्—मृगासक्ति-हेतुकः समाधिभङ्गः, जातिस्मरत्वं, रहूगण-जाḍभरत-संवादः
विमुक्तराज्यतनयः प्रोज्झिताशेषबान्धवः ममत्वं स चकारोच्चैस् तस्मिन् हरिणबालके
vimuktarājyatanayaḥ projjhitāśeṣabāndhavaḥ mamatvaṃ sa cakāroccais tasmin hariṇabālake
Though he had relinquished both kingdom and son and cast off every remaining worldly tie, he still developed a powerful sense of possessive attachment—an intense “mine-ness”—toward that young fawn.
Sage Parāśara (narrating to Maitreya)
Speaker: Parasara
Topic: How even extreme renunciation can be undermined by subtle ‘mine-ness’ (mamatva)
Teaching: Ethical
Quality: revealing
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.
Vishnu Form: Para-Brahman
Bhakti Type: Shanta
FAQs
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.
Through a royal-renunciant’s story: external renunciation is portrayed as incomplete if the inner sense of ‘mine’ persists, here redirected toward a fawn.
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.