Srimad Bhagavatam — Ekadasha Skandha, Shloka 17
Avadhūta’s Teachers: Python, Ocean, Moth, Bee, Elephant, Deer, Fish—and Piṅgalā’s Song of Detachment
ग्राम्यगीतं न शृणुयाद् यतिर्वनचर: क्वचित् । शिक्षेत हरिणाद् बद्धान्मृगयोर्गीतमोहितात् ॥ १७ ॥
grāmya-gītaṁ na śṛṇuyād yatir vana-caraḥ kvacit śikṣeta hariṇād baddhān mṛgayor gīta-mohitāt
El santo que vive en el bosque, en vida de renuncia, no debe escuchar jamás canciones que fomenten el disfrute material. Más bien, debe aprender del ciervo que, hechizado por la dulce música del cuerno del cazador, es capturado y finalmente muerto.
If one becomes attached to the sense gratification of materialistic music and songs, one will develop all the features of material entanglement. One should hear Bhagavad-gītā, or the song sung by the Supreme Lord.
FAQs
This verse warns that a renunciant should not listen to mundane songs, because such sound can enchant the mind and lead to bondage—like a deer captured after being charmed by a hunter’s music.
The deer represents how the sense of hearing can overpower discrimination; by becoming absorbed in pleasurable sound, one loses vigilance and becomes trapped—an illustration the Avadhūta uses to teach detachment and alertness.
Be intentional about what you listen to: reduce media that inflames desire or distraction, and replace it with nāma-kīrtana, sacred music, and teachings that strengthen remembrance of Bhagavān.