Jada Bharatha

King Bharatha surveyed his kingdom which stretched far and wide, 
His subjects prostrated before him, their mentor, their guide.  
Master he was of the kingdom that flourished, 
His duties he performed, with wisdom, he nourished.  

The gleam in his eyes had lost its sheen, 

The emptiness, the void inside unseen.  
The call of Lord Narayana rose and surged, 
To search from within , he was urged.  

The kingdom, its riches, he gave up in a trice, 
To river Gandiva, he headed , to sage Pulaha, the wise.  
On the banks, he sat with his eyes closed, 
His thoughts fixed on the Lord in a meditative pose. 

 
The soft tread of a deer, the silence intruded, 

Pregnant she was, her stomach protruded.  
She bent her head for a refreshing sip, 
The roar of a lion made her slip. 

 
She reared up, her eyes glazed with fright, 
With agony she wailed, t’was a piteous sight.  
Into the waters , she was drawn, 
Her life faded, withered , worn. 

 
From her womb , the fawn emerged, 
Bufetted she was as the waters surged.  
Bharatha was filled with tender feelings 

The fawn , the scene tugged at his heart strings.

  

The fawn seemed so exposed, helpless, 
Alone, bereft, utterly defenceless.  
Bharatha watched, his face turned ashen, 
He gathered the fawn with tenderness and compassion. 

 
His attention, his mind to the fawn turned, 
All else was abandoned, spurned.  
In the fawn he was immersed, 
Love flowed, his heart could burst.

  
To the ashram he headed with the fawn by his side, 
Thoughts of the Lord were pushed aside.  
For the fawn , he would always be, 
Bound to her, no more free.