Shloka 28
भरतचरितम्—मृगासक्ति-हेतुकः समाधिभङ्गः, जातिस्मरत्वं, रहूगण-जाḍभरत-संवादः
इत्थं चिरगते तस्मिन् स चक्रे मानसं मुनिः प्रीतिप्रसन्नवदनः पार्श्वस्थे चाभवन् मृगे
itthaṃ ciragate tasmin sa cakre mānasaṃ muniḥ prītiprasannavadanaḥ pārśvasthe cābhavan mṛge
Thus, as a long time passed, the sage’s mind became set upon the deer; his face, bright with affection, remained turned toward it.
Sage Parāśara (narrating) to Maitreya
Speaker: Parasara
Topic: Psychology of meditation: how repeated attention produces fixation (tad-bhāva) and redirects the mind
Teaching: Ethical
Quality: revealing
Concept: Sustained proximity and affection can ‘set’ the mind upon an object, subtly replacing the intended meditative focus.
Vedantic Theme: Moksha
Application: Regularly audit one’s attention: if a secondary object occupies the heart, gently re-center on chosen iṣṭa/devotion or contemplative aim.
Vishishtadvaita: True steadiness comes when the mind’s affection is anchored in the Lord as the inner ruler, not in a finite upādhi.
FAQs
It shows that even a sage’s mind can become fixed through prolonged association, turning attention away from higher contemplation toward a dependent worldly bond.
By depicting the mind as something that can be ‘made’ or ‘formed’ into a particular inclination—here, shaped by time and closeness into affectionate fixation.
The episode implicitly contrasts transient attachments with the stable refuge of Vishnu as the Supreme Reality—encouraging devotion and remembrance of the eternal over the perishable.