Srimad Bhagavatam — Panchama Skandha, Shloka 11

Bharata Mahārāja’s Attachment to a Deer and His Fall from Yoga

Devanagari script

इति कृतानुषङ्ग आसनशयनाटनस्‍नानाशनादिषु सह मृगजहुना स्‍नेहानुबद्धहृदय आसीत् ॥ ११ ॥

Transliteration

iti kṛtānuṣaṅga āsana-śayanāṭana-snānāśanādiṣu saha mṛga-jahunā snehānubaddha-hṛdaya āsīt.

Translation

Par attachement au faon, Mahārāja Bharata s’allongeait avec lui, marchait avec lui, se baignait avec lui et même mangeait avec lui. Ainsi, son cœur se trouva lié par l’affection envers le petit animal.

Synonyms

• iti: thus
• iti: —
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: iti (अव्यय)
• Form: उद्धरण/समाप्ति-अव्यय (quotative particle)

• kṛta-anuṣaṅgaḥ: having formed attachment
• kṛta-anuṣaṅgaḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: kṛta (कृदन्त; √kṛ) + anuṣaṅga (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; विशेषण (of he/saḥ understood)

• āsana-śayana-aṭana-snānāśana-ādiṣu: in sitting, lying down, walking, bathing, eating, etc.
• āsana-śayana-aṭana-snānāśana-ādiṣu: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: āsana (प्रातिपदिक) + śayana (प्रातिपदिक) + aṭana (प्रातिपदिक) + snāna (प्रातिपदिक) + āśana (प्रातिपदिक) + ādi (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, बहुवचन; ‘ādi’ = etc.; locative of activities

• saha: together with
• saha: —
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: saha (अव्यय)
• Form: सह-योगे अव्यय (preposition ‘with’)

• mṛga-jahunā: with the deer (fawn)
• mṛga-jahunā: Sahakāraka (सहकारक)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mṛga (प्रातिपदिक) + jahnu (प्रातिपदिक; proper name/epithet)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (Instrumental/3rd), एकवचन; सह-योगे

• sneha-anubaddha-hṛdayaḥ: whose heart was bound by affection
• sneha-anubaddha-hṛdayaḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sneha (प्रातिपदिक) + anubaddha (कृदन्त; anu-√bandh) + hṛdaya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; बहुव्रीहि = ‘whose heart is bound by affection’

• āsīt: was
• āsīt: Kriya (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √as (अस् धातु)
• Form: लङ् (Imperfect/past), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन

Characters & Entities

• Bharata Mahārāja
• mṛga-jahu (young deer/fawn)

FAQs

What does the Srimad Bhagavatam say about attachment to animals or dependents?

This verse shows that even a saintly person can become spiritually distracted when the heart becomes bound by affection—so one must keep devotion central and avoid entangling attachment.

Why did Śukadeva Gosvāmī describe Bharata Mahārāja’s daily activities with the deer?

To illustrate how subtle attachment gradually occupies one’s entire routine, replacing spiritual focus with constant concern for the object of affection.

Practical application of this teaching in modern life?

Care for family, pets, and responsibilities with duty, but maintain steady sādhana—daily hearing, chanting, and remembrance—so affection does not become bondage.