Shloka 26
प्रीतये मम यातो ऽसौ क्व ममैणकबालकः विषाणाग्रेण मद्बाहुकण्डूयनपरो हि सः क्षेमेणाभ्यागतो ऽरण्याद् अपि मां सुखयिष्यति
prītaye mama yāto 'sau kva mamaiṇakabālakaḥ viṣāṇāgreṇa madbāhukaṇḍūyanaparo hi saḥ kṣemeṇābhyāgato 'raṇyād api māṃ sukhayiṣyati
He went out only to please me—where is my little antelope-fawn now? He was always intent on scratching my arm with the tip of his horn.
A king (householder-ruler) emotionally attached to his pet deer-fawn within the dynastic narrative recounted by Sage Parāśara
Speaker: Parasara
Topic: How attachment (saṅga) arises even in a renunciate-king and diverts the mind from yoga
Teaching: Ethical
Quality: revealing
Concept: Even affectionate, seemingly innocent attachment can bind the mind and disturb spiritual steadiness.
Vedantic Theme: Dharma
Application: Notice subtle dependencies (pets, relationships, comforts) and practice mindful detachment without cruelty—care with non-clinging.
Vishishtadvaita: The mind’s natural love should be redirected from finite objects to the Lord, who alone is the worthy āśraya (support) of affection.
FAQs
The verse portrays how affectionate attachment fixes the mind on a fragile object (the fawn), foreshadowing sorrow and illustrating a recurring Purāṇic moral: uncontrolled attachment clouds discernment and becomes a karmic tether.
By embedding a tender, everyday scene inside royal genealogy, the narrative shows that even kings are governed by inner states; Parāśara’s dynastic accounts frequently double as ethical instruction about desire, fear, and delusion.
Even when Vishnu is not named in the line, the Purāṇa’s framework treats worldly bonds and anxieties as part of saṁsāra under divine order—implying that lasting refuge and stability lie in turning the mind toward Vishnu, the supreme sustaining reality.