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
O santo que vive na floresta, na ordem renunciada, jamais deve ouvir canções que promovem o gozo material. Antes, deve aprender com o exemplo do cervo, enfeitiçado pela doce música do chifre do caçador, e assim capturado e morto.
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.