E - Emperor to Deer (7-15)

The illustrious Maharaja Bharata was the emperor of the world. Though an advanced devotee, the emperor unexpectedly became attached to an orphan deer and thus received a similar body in his next life. When we fall prey to distraction and lose our focus, we inadvertently descend into a lower species of life. Because of his spiritual advancement, Bharata could remember the cause of his animal birth. He thus re-dedicated himself to spiritual life and subsequently became Jada Bharata, a great devotee who remained as an aloof mendicant (avadhuta).