Srimad Bhagavatam — Panchama Skandha, Shloka 23
Bharata Mahārāja’s Attachment to a Deer and His Fall from Yoga
किं वा अरे आचरितं तपस्तपस्विन्यानया यदियमवनि: सविनयकृष्णसारतनयतनुतरसुभगशिवतमाखरखुरपदपङ्क्तिभिर्द्रविणविधुरातुरस्य कृपणस्य मम द्रविणपदवीं सूचयन्त्यात्मानं च सर्वत: कृतकौतुकं द्विजानां स्वर्गापवर्गकामानां देवयजनं करोति ॥ २३ ॥
kiṁ vā are ācaritaṁ tapas tapasvinyānayā yad iyam avaniḥ savinaya-kṛṣṇa-sāra-tanaya-tanutara-subhaga-śivatamākhara-khura-pada-paṅktibhir draviṇa-vidhurāturasya kṛpaṇasya mama draviṇa-padavīṁ sūcayanty ātmānaṁ ca sarvataḥ kṛta-kautukaṁ dvijānāṁ svargāpavarga-kāmānāṁ deva-yajanaṁ karoti.
婆罗多王如狂人般说罢，起身走到外面。见地上有鹿的蹄印，便以爱恋赞叹道：“唉，薄福的婆罗多！我的苦行何其微薄；正因大地行了严峻的苦行，才使这吉祥、柔软、细小而美丽的黑羚（kṛṣṇasāra）幼鹿蹄印印在其上。这一串足迹指示我这因失鹿而贫乏哀苦之人：它在林中所经之路，以及我如何寻回失去的‘财富’。凭此足迹，此地亦成为欲求天界或解脱的婆罗门举行祭祀诸天的适宜之所。”
It is said that when a person becomes overly involved in loving affairs, he forgets himself as well as others, and he forgets how to act and how to speak. It is said that once when a man’s son was blind since birth, the father, out of staunch affection for the child, named him Padmalocana, or “lotus-eyed.” This is the situation arising from blind love. Bharata Mahārāja gradually fell into this condition due to his material love for the deer. It is said in the smṛti-śāstra:
FAQs
This verse shows Bharata’s mind turning toward the deer, admiring it and projecting meaning onto its footprints—illustrating how fascination and attachment can distract even an advanced practitioner from steady devotion.
Overcome by affection and wonder, Bharata imagines the doe must have performed tapas to gain such auspiciousness, revealing how attachment can make one romanticize worldly objects and relationships.
It cautions seekers to notice when admiration turns into dependency; maintaining disciplined remembrance of the Lord and balanced compassion prevents emotional fixation from derailing one’s sādhana.