शरणस्यात्मवत आत्मनि सर्वेषामात्मनां भगवति वासुदेवे तदनुश्रवणमनन
सङ्कीर्तनाराधनानुस्मरणाभियोगेनाशून्यसकलयामेन कालेन समावेशितं
समाहितं कार्त्स्न्येन मनस्तत्तु पुनर्ममाबुधस्यारान्मृगसुतमनु परिसुस्राव ॥२९॥
aho kaá¹£á¹aá¹ bhraá¹£á¹o 'ham ÄtmavatÄm anupathÄd yad-vimukta-samasta-saá¹…gasya vivikta-puṇyÄraṇya-Å›araṇasyÄtmavata Ätmani sarveá¹£Äm ÄtmanÄá¹ bhagavati vÄsudeve tad-anuÅ›ravaṇa-manana-saá¹…kÄ«rtanÄrÄdhanÄnusmaraṇÄbhiyogenÄśūnya-sakala-yÄmena kÄlena samÄveÅ›itaá¹ samÄhitaá¹ kÄrtsnyena manas tat tu punar mamÄbudhasyÄrÄn má¹›ga-sutam anu parisusrÄva
aho kaá¹£á¹am - alas, what a miserable condition of life; bhraá¹£á¹aḥ - fallen; aham - I (am); Ätma-vatÄm - of great devotees who have achieved perfection; anupathÄt - from the way of life; yat - from which; vimukta-samasta-saá¹…gasya - although having given up the association of my real sons and home; vivikta - solitary; puṇya-araṇya - of a sacred forest; Å›araṇasya - who had taken shelter; Ätma-vataḥ - of one who had become perfectly situated on the transcendental platform; Ätmani - in the Supersoul; sarveá¹£Äm - of all; ÄtmanÄm - living entities; bhagavati - unto the Supreme Personality of Godhead; vÄsudeve - Lord VÄsudeva; tat - of Him; anuÅ›ravaṇa - constantly hearing; manana - thinking; saá¹…kÄ«rtana - chanting; ÄrÄdhana - worshiping; anusmaraṇa - constantly remembering; abhiyogena - by absorption in; aśūnya - filled; sakala-yÄmena - in which all the hours; kÄlena - by time; samÄveÅ›itam - fully established; samÄhitam - fixed; kÄrtsnyena - totally; manaḥ - the mind in such a situation; tat - that mind; tu - but; punaḥ - again; mama - of me; abudhasya - a great fool; ÄrÄt - from a great distance; má¹›ga-sutam - the son of a deer; anu - being affected by; parisusrÄva - fell down.
In the body of a deer, Bharata MahÄrÄja began to lament: What misfortune! I have fallen from the path of the self-realized. I gave up my real sons, wife and home to advance in spiritual life, and I took shelter in a solitary holy place in the forest. I became self-controlled and self-realized, and I engaged constantly in devotional service — hearing, thinking, chanting, worshiping and remembering the Supreme Personality of Godhead, VÄsudeva. I was successful in my attempt, so much so that my mind was always absorbed in devotional service. However, due to my personal foolishness, my mind again became attached — this time to a deer. Now I have obtained the body of a deer and have fallen far from my devotional practices.
Due to his stringent execution of devotional service, MahÄrÄja Bharata could remember the activities of his past life and how he was raised to the spiritual platform. Due to his foolishness, he became attached to an insignificant deer and thus fell down and had to accept the body of a deer. This is significant for every devotee. If we misuse our position and think that we are fully engaged in devotional service and can do whatever we like, we have to suffer like Bharata MahÄrÄja and be condemned to accept the type of body that impairs our devotional service. Only the human form is able to execute devotional service, but if we voluntarily give this up for sense gratification, we certainly have to be punished. This punishment is not exactly like that endured by an ordinary materialistic person. By the grace of the Supreme Lord, a devotee is punished in such a way that his eagerness to attain the lotus feet of Lord VÄsudeva is increased. By his intense desire, he returns home in the next lifetime. Devotional service is very completely described here: tad-anuÅ›ravaṇa-manana-saá¹…kÄ«rtanÄrÄdhanÄnusmaraṇÄbhiyogena. The constant hearing and chanting of the glories of the Lord is recommended in Bhagavad-gÄ«tÄ: satataá¹ kÄ«rtayanto mÄá¹ yatantaÅ› ca dá¹›á¸ha-vratÄḥ. Those who have taken to Kṛṣṇa consciousness should be very careful that not a single moment is wasted and that not a single moment is spent without chanting and remembering the Supreme Personality of Godhead and His activities. By His own actions and by the actions of His devotees, Kṛṣṇa teaches us how to become cautious in devotional service. Through the medium of Bharata MahÄrÄja, Kṛṣṇa teaches us that we must be careful in the discharge of devotional service. If we want to keep our minds completely fixed without deviation, we must engage them in devotional service full time. As far as the members of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness are concerned, they have sacrificed everything to push on this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement. Yet they must take a lesson from the life of Bharata MahÄrÄja to be very cautious and to see that not a single moment is wasted in frivolous talk, sleep or voracious eating. Eating is not prohibited, but if we eat voraciously we shall certainly sleep more than required. Sense gratification ensues, and we may be degraded to a lower life form. In that way our spiritual progress may be checked at least for the time being. The best course is to take the advice of ÅšrÄ«la RÅ«pa GosvÄmÄ«: avyartha-kÄlatvam. We should see that every moment of our lives is utilized for the rendering of devotional service and nothing else. This is the secure position for one wanting to return home, back to Godhead.
