Shloka 36
मायामृगदर्शनम्
The Vision of the Illusory Deer
एष चैव मृगश्श्रीमान् यश्च दिव्यो नभश्चरः।उभावेतौ मृगौ दिव्यौ तारामृगमहीमृगौ।।।।
eṣa caiva mṛgaś śrīmān yaś ca divyo nabhaścaraḥ | ubhāv etau mṛgau divyau tārāmṛga-mahīmṛgau ||
ഈ മൃഗം ശ്രീമാനാണ്; ആ മറ്റേ മൃഗം ദിവ്യവും ആകാശത്തിൽ സഞ്ചരിക്കുന്നതുമാണ്—ഇരുവരും അത്ഭുതകരമായ ദിവ്യ മൃഗങ്ങൾ: താരാമൃഗവും മഹീമൃഗവും.
This majestic deer and the deer flying in heaven (the deer's figure seen in the Moon called Mrgasira) - both the deer of the star in the sky and the deer of the earth are divine.
FAQs
The verse shows how the mind sacralizes what it desires by calling it ‘divine.’ Dharma requires that ‘truth’ (satya) be tested, not assumed—especially when wonder and craving arise together.
Rama elevates the deer’s marvel by comparing it with a celestial ‘deer’ figure in the sky, treating both as extraordinary.
Wonder and poetic imagination are emphasized, while the broader episode teaches the complementary virtue of careful verification (satya-anusandhāna).