Shloka 13
भरतचरितम्—मृगासक्ति-हेतुकः समाधिभङ्गः, जातिस्मरत्वं, रहूगण-जाḍभरत-संवादः
अथाजगाम तत् तीर्थं जलं पातुं पिपासिता आसन्नप्रसवा ब्रह्मन्न् एकैव हरिणी वनात्
athājagāma tat tīrthaṃ jalaṃ pātuṃ pipāsitā āsannaprasavā brahmann ekaiva hariṇī vanāt
తర్వాత, ఓ బ్రాహ్మణా, అడవిలోనుండి ఒంటరి జింక—దాహంతో బాధపడుతూ, ప్రసవం సమీపించినదై—ఆ తీర్థానికి నీరు త్రాగడానికి వచ్చింది.
Sage Parāśara (narrating to Maitreya; the address 'brahman' indicates the listener)
Speaker: Parasara
Topic: Entrance of the pregnant doe to the tīrtha, setting up the ensuing event
Teaching: Historical
Quality: revealing
FAQs
A tīrtha is portrayed as a sanctified “crossing” where ordinary life meets dharma—here, even a vulnerable creature is drawn to it for life-sustaining water, highlighting the moral and sacred potency of such places.
He sets a compassionate scene by emphasizing the doe’s thirst, solitude, and imminent childbirth, preparing the listener for a dharmic or karmic turning point connected to the sacred location.
Even when Vishnu is not named, the Purana’s worldview treats sacred places and life’s ordeals as operating under Vishnu’s sustaining order—where protection, moral consequence, and providence unfold within his sovereignty.