Srimad Bhagavatam — Panchama Skandha, Shloka 31
Bharata Mahārāja’s Attachment to a Deer and His Fall from Yoga
तस्मिन्नपि कालं प्रतीक्षमाणः सङ्गाच्च भृशमुद्विग्नः । आत्मसहचरः शुष्कपर्णतृणवीरुधा वर्तमानो मृगत्वनिमित्तावसानमेव ॥ गणयन्मृगशरीरं तीर्थोदकक्लिन्नमुत्ससर्ज ॥ ३१ ॥
tasminn api kālaṁ pratīkṣamāṇaḥ saṅgāc ca bhṛśam udvigna ātma-sahacaraḥ śuṣka-parṇa-tṛṇa-vīrudhā vartamāno mṛgatva-nimittāvasānam eva gaṇayan mṛga-śarīraṁ tīrthodaka-klinnam ut-sasarja.
住在那座修院中，他等待时机，极其警惕恶友之染；不向任何人透露往昔，只以枯叶草茎为食。他并非真正孤独，因为至上灵与他同在。如此只计鹿身之终，沐浴于圣地之水，最终舍弃了鹿的身体。
Holy places like Vṛndāvana, Hardwar, Prayāga and Jagannātha Purī are especially meant for the execution of devotional service. Vṛndāvana specifically is the most exalted and preferred holy place for Vaiṣṇava devotees of Lord Kṛṣṇa who are aspiring to return back to Godhead, the Vaikuṇṭha planets. There are many devotees in Vṛndāvana who regularly bathe in the Yamunā, and this cleanses all the contamination of the material world. By constantly chanting and hearing the holy names and pastimes of the Supreme Lord, one certainly becomes purified and becomes a fit candidate for liberation. However, if one purposefully falls victim to sense gratification, he has to be punished, at least for one lifetime, like Bharata Mahārāja.
FAQs
This verse shows that intense attachment (saṅga) can dominate one’s consciousness, and the mind fixed on that attachment at life’s end becomes the cause for the next embodiment—here, Bharata’s absorption in the deer leads to a deer body.
Though Bharata was spiritually advanced, his association with the deer created deep emotional attachment, which produced anxiety and preoccupation—illustrating how even subtle saṅga can divert the mind from exclusive remembrance of the Lord.
Guard your attention: reduce unhealthy attachments, keep devotional remembrance central (nāma, śravaṇa, smaraṇa), and intentionally cultivate the thoughts you want to carry at life’s end.