Narada Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 23
Bharata’s Attachment and the Palanquin Teaching on ‘I’ and ‘Mine’
पुनश्च भरतस्याभूदाश्रमस्योटजांतरे । तस्यतस्मिन्मृगे दूरसमीपपरिवर्तिनि ॥ २३ ॥
punaśca bharatasyābhūdāśramasyoṭajāṃtare | tasyatasminmṛge dūrasamīpaparivartini || 23 ||
Et de nouveau, dans l’enceinte de l’āśrama de Bharata—entre les huttes—son attention se tournait sans cesse vers ce cerf, qui tantôt s’éloignait, tantôt s’approchait.
Narada (narrating to the Sanatkumara brothers in the Moksha-Dharma context)
Vrata: none
Primary Rasa: karuna
Secondary Rasa: shanta
FAQs
It shows how even an ascetic life can be undermined when the mind repeatedly returns to an object of affection; the verse highlights the subtle rise of attachment (āsakti) that obstructs moksha.
By contrast: sustained devotion requires steady remembrance of the Lord, but Bharata’s attention oscillates toward the deer; the teaching is to guard one’s focus so bhakti does not get displaced by secondary attachments.
No specific Vedanga (like Vyākaraṇa or Jyotiṣa) is taught directly; the practical takeaway is sādhana-discipline—training attention and restraint, which supports scriptural study and worship without distraction.