Live the Bhāgavatam · SB 5.8.23
Ūti· What drives us to actBlind Attachment Clouds Judgment
“After speaking like a madman in this way, Mahārāja Bharata got up and went outside. Seeing the footprints of the deer on the ground, he praised the footprints out of love, saying: O unfortunate Bharata, your austerities and penances are very insignificant compared to the penance and austerity undergone by this earth planet. Due to the earth’s severe penances, the footprints of this deer, which are small, beautiful, most auspicious and soft, are imprinted on the surface of this fortunate planet. This series of footprints show a person like me, who am bereaved due to loss of the deer, how the animal has passed through the forest and how I can regain my lost wealth. By these footprints, this land has become a proper place for brāhmaṇas who desire heavenly planets or liberation to execute sacrifices to the demigods.”
What the purport teaches
- When someone becomes overly involved in loving affairs, that person can forget both self and others, and how to act and speak.
- Bharata Mahārāja gradually entered this condition through material love for the deer. He praised its footprints as signs of the earth's great austerity.
- The purport also cites the teaching that land bearing the footprints of a black deer is suitable for religious rituals.
Try this today
Before praising something you are strongly attached to, pause and consider whether your words are accurate.
Ask yourself
Is strong attachment making it difficult for me to judge something clearly?
Carry the question through the day, then answer it in your own words before sleep.
The study points, practice and question are short summaries drawn from Śrīla Prabhupāda's translation and purport. Read the full purport to go deeper.