The Epics and the Deer
In both epics, the Raamayana and the Mahabhaaratha, the lure of the deer forms an important part of the narrative… the story of the golden deer luring Raama away from Sita, in order to enable Raavana to kidnap her, is well-known; while the story of Yama, in the form of a deer stealing a brahmin’s kindling sticks in order to lure the Pandavas to a magical lake, is slightly lesser known. In the Bhaagvatha, Vyaasa has described the story of a deer which played a passive role in luring one of the greatest devotees of the Lord away from the path of devotion.
The Allure of the Deer
Bharatha was an emperor of ancient India. He was the eldest son of Rishabha Deva’s hundred sons. Rishabha Deva is considered as one of the avataaras of Vishnu as well as the first Tirthankara of the Jains. Bharatha, ascending the throne after his father relinquished it in order to step into the third phase* of life, began an exemplary reign as an emperor. The country is believed to owe its name, Bhaaratha, to this ideal ruler.
*Vanaprasthaashrama
Like his father before him, Bharatha handed over the reins* of his kingdom to his eldest son after dividing his wealth amongst all his sons, and retired to the forest in order to devote himself completely to the Lord.
*like the tenure of many good rulers, the term of Bharatha’s rule is described as ‘thousands of years’, whereas one typically steps into the Vanaprasthaashrama around sixty years of age.
Bharatha went to the picturesque hermitage of rishi Pulaha, to spend the rest of his life. Bharatha the ideal ruler became Bharatha the ideal devotee. His day was filled with customary ablutions, kindling the sacred fire and worshipping it, chanting the name of the lord, and in meditation. An epitome of detachment and devotion, he led a Spartan life and was wholly absorbed in spiritual pursuits. As fate would have it, one day, a heavily pregnant deer was poised at the edge of the river Chakra to drink water. A sudden roar of a lion rang through the forest. The primordial fear of predators caused the deer to act unthinkingly and it made a desperate leap across the river. As it leapt, it delivered a fawn, which fell into the stream.
The exhaustion of the unexpected delivery, the strain of the jump and the intense fear produced by the roar, caused the deer to fall dead, on the other bank of the river.
As Bharatha witnessed this strange happening, his attention was drawn to the new-born, helpless, tiny fawn being carried away by the waters, in all likelihood to its death. The quality of protecting the weak and helpless, so deeply ingrained in the erstwhile emperor, rose to the forefront once again. He unhesitatingly dove into the waters and rescued the foundling.
Filled with pity, he took the fawn under his wings and began to care for it like a mother would. Pity quickly turned to love, and soon turned into obsession. His mind became filled with thoughts of the fawn and its welfare. It was also gripped with a new fear… of potential harm that might befall the fawn. A distracted Bharatha began to spend less time in spiritual activities. As the fawn gained a little strength and began to move around, Bharatha found it increasingly difficult to sit still, with eyes closed in meditation… ‘What if the fawn wandered far away? Or was eaten by a jackal?’ These and other such concerns drove him to see himself as the fawn’s sole protector, and the fawn’s nurture and protection became his only activity.
To be continued…