Bharata’s Attachment and the Palanquin Teaching on ‘I’ and ‘Mine’
पुनश्च भरतस्याभूदाश्रमस्योटजांतरे । तस्यतस्मिन्मृगे दूरसमीपपरिवर्तिनि ॥ २३ ॥
punaśca bharatasyābhūdāśramasyoṭajāṃtare | tasyatasminmṛge dūrasamīpaparivartini || 23 ||
E novamente, dentro do recinto do āśrama de Bharata—entre as cabanas—sua atenção se voltava repetidas vezes para aquele cervo, que ora se afastava, ora se aproximava.
Narada (narrating to the Sanatkumara brothers in the Moksha-Dharma context)
Vrata: none
Primary Rasa: karuna
Secondary Rasa: shanta
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.