Bhaja Govindam - Sloka 8

Hari Aum

Prostrations to my Guru. Prostrations to All.

SLOKA 8:

“Kaathae kaantha kasthae putraha
Samsaaroyamatheeva vichithraha
Kasyathvam kaha kutha aayathaha
Tatvam chinthaya thadheeha Bhraathaha”

Word Meaning:
Kaha: who
Thae: is
Kaantha: wife
Kaha: who
Thae: is
Putraha: son
Samsaaraha ayam: this samsaara
Atheeva: supremely
Vichithraha: wonderful
Kasyathvam: of whom are you?
Kaha (tvam): who are you?
Kutha aayathaha: from where did you come?
Tat: that
Tvam: you
Chinthaya: think
Thadha iha: that here and now
Bhraathaha: O brother

“Who is wife? Who is son? This samsaara is supremely wonderful. Of whom are you? Who are you? From where are you? O brother, that you think here now”

We know it is pretty normal that a person works for the welfare of his family, for his parents, his wife and children. But people consider these attachments with the close relatives to be end or the goal of life. They forget the real goal of life which is realization of ones own nature of Self. They get so much attached to their family members that they think that it will be tough to live without any of the family members. With such attachment on the family members, he goes on performing action. So here Shankara says, enquire who your wife is and who is your son?

Husband and wife are the life partners of each other. They may not have born together and also they may not die together. Death hardly announces who it is going to take first. It is only for temporary period that they are enjoying the company of one another and hence one cannot do anything on the death of the other. Also the wife was, previously before marriage, a daughter to her father and if her husband dies before her then she becomes a widow. Thus we can see that the relation of wife is only temporary. Similar is the case with son also, the child becomes the son only after his birth, but before that he is in the womb of mother as foetus. Whether it is father or the son, the first cause of their birth as child is only earth. Thus we find, we all are born from the earth but the delusion is so powerful that one product of earth gets attached to the other. The relations of husband, wife, son etc are not permanent and exist only temporarily.

Thus Shankara here says to enquire “who we are? From where did we come? Of whom we are?”, so that we understand clearly that relations and bondages are only seemingly existent now and are not permanent. Shankara here tells to enquire it ‘here and now’ which clearly shows how important it is to know it clearly. The delusion is so powerful that once a person is into delusion it will be tough to come out of it. To overcome the delusion, we need the grace of the Guru and hence Shankara says worship Govinda, worship Govinda.

Prostrations to all

Hari Aum

Thanks,
Rajesh

Bhaja Govindam - Sloka 7

Hari Aum

Prostrations to my Guru. Prostrations to All.

SLOKA 7

“baalasthaavath kreeda sakthaha
Tharunasthaavath tharunee sakthaha
Vriddhasthaavath chinthaa sakthaha
Paramae brahmani kopi na sakthaha”

Word Meaning:
baalasthaavath: so long as one is in his childhood
kreeda: to play
sakthaha: attached
tharunas thaavath: so long as one is in his youth
tharunee sakthaha : attached towards young women (towards passion)
Vriddhasthaavath: so long as one is old
Chinthaa sakthaha: attached to anxiety
Paramae: to the supreme
Brahmani: brahman
Kopi na: no one
Sakthaha: attached

“So long as one is in childhood, he is attached to play
So long as one is in youth, he is attached to sense pleasures
So long as one is in old age, he is attached to anxiety
No one is attached to the supreme Brahman”

The world that we perceive is not real but only an illusion in the Reality. But because of ignorance of ones own nature of Self, the world seems to be real and the pleasure and pain that come from the objects of the world also seems to be real. The illusion of the world is so alluring that mind just get carried away by the objects of the world. So during the childhood days we were attached to playing, during days the youth there is passion towards enjoyment of sensual pleasures by getting attached to the young women, and once the person becomes old there is fear and anxiety about his death. Since the person is so much passion towards the objects of the world, he forgets to remember the god which is the Ultimate Reality, which is ones own nature, and experiences the pleasure and pain.

The desires that are in the mind are never ending and hence it is not possible to satisfy all the desires that he has. When we try to satisfy the desire, it only multiplies into more desires and hence it goes on into infinite regression. Hence it is not possible to satisfy all the desires that one have in the mind. These desires arise out of ignorance of ones own Self. It is because of ignorance one thinks that he is incomplete and desires for the objects of the world so that on attaining it he can become complete. When one realizes ones own Self, all desires vanish as there will be completeness and Eternal Bliss of the Self. When one realizes the Self, he will not see anything other than ones own Self.

The life that we have is very short in the sense that the life may end at any moment. As long as there is much importance given the objects of the world, the more we are going away from the Reality. When there is thought of other objects of the world, he gets deluded by the objects and such a person goes from birth to birth to enjoy the objects of the world. Therefore we have to understand that there is really no time to waste. We have to give more importance to the Reality than the objects of the world as Self alone is Real, the world and the objects are not real. Therefore, Shankara says worship Govinda, Worship Govinda.

Prostrations to all

Hari Aum

Thanks,
Rajesh

Bhaja Govindam - Sloka 6

Hari Aum

Prostrations to my Guru. Prostrations to All.

SLOKA 6:

“Yaavad pavano nivasathi dehae
Thaavath pruchchathi kushalam gehe
Gathavathi vaayou dehaapaayae
Bhaarya bhiBhyathi thasmin kaayae”

Word Meaning:
Yaavad: as long as
Pavanaha: the breath
Nivasathi: dwells
Dehe: in body
Taavath: so long
Pruchchathi: enquires
Kushalam: of your welfare
Gathavathi vayou: when the breath leaves
Deha: body
Apaayae: the body decays
Bhaarya: (even) your wife
biBhyathi: fears
tasmin kaayae: that very body

“As long as there dwells breath in the body so long they enquire of your welfare at home. Once the breath leaves, the body decays and event he wife fears that very same body”

In this sloka, Shankara talks about the temporary nature of body. It is because of the extroverted nature of the mind makes one to think that the body is Self. When one has the thought of body as the Self, there will be desire for the pleasure to the body and thus one goes behind the sense objects of the world in search of the sensual pleasures. But the body which is thought as the Self is not the Self. According to scriptures, Self is Eternal, but body is not eternal. Even during the time of deep sleep there is no body and hence body is never eternal. The gross body seems to exist only during the waking state. Anything that exists for a short period of time can only be an illusion in the reality. Therefore Self is not the body.

The gross body as such cannot perform action unless it is activated by the thoughts of the mind. The thoughts that are there in the mind are converted into action through the gross body. Without the mind, the gross body cannot function. Going further, without Consciousness even the mind cannot have thoughts. Therefore mind is also as inert as the body, it is only the Consciousness that illumines the mind and makes the body sentient. Self is the supreme cause behind the functioning of body and the mind. Also we can see that Self exists even in the absence of body and the mind. During deep sleep both gross body and subtle body doesn’t exist but the ignorance still exists, the Self shines illumining even the ignorance during that state. Thus it clearly shows that Self is different from all the body. Self alone is real and rest all is unreal and therefore the body and mind are also unreal. The body and mind are only an illusion in the Self, seemingly existing but never really exists.

Here Shankara says that as long as ones life in the body exists relatives and friends enquire about the whereabouts. But once the life breath leaves the body, even once own wife fears in seeing the body. Thus we have to contemplate constantly that we are not the body but we are the Self. When one constantly contemplates that “I am not the body” knowing that Self is different from the body and the mind, one cross over all limitations and thus realizes ones own nature of Bliss. Therefore Shankara says worship Govinda, worship Govinda.

Prostrations to all

Hari Aum

Thanks,
Rajesh

Bhaja Govindam - Sloka 5

Hari Aum

Prostrations to my Guru. Prostrations to All.

SLOKA 5:

“Yavadvithopaarjanasakthaha
Thaavannijaparivaaro rakthaha
Pashchaajjeevathi jarjaradehae
Vaarthaam kopi na prichchathi gehe”

Word Meaning:
Yaavath: as long as
Vith: wealth
Upaarjana: to earn
Sakthaha: has the ability
Thaavath: so long
Nija parivaaraha: your dependents
Rakthaha: attached
Pashchaath: afterwards
Jeevathi: lives
Jarjara: infirm
Dehe: body
Vaarthaam: word
Ko api na: there is no one
Prichchathi: cares to speak
Gehe: at home

“As long as one has the ability to earn wealth so long your dependents are attached to you, afterwards when you live with an infirm body, no one at home care to speak a word with you”

When a person is earning lot of money, he will have many friends and relatives around him. It is the most popular thought that people who is earning will be respected more. When a person is acquiring more and more wealth, when the person enjoys the pleasure from the wealth he possesses, he will have many people around him to care, to share his happiness so that they can also enjoy the pleasure of the wealth. On the other hand, a person who is not earning any money may not the respect which the wealthy person is getting. This clearly shows that the care and concern are shown only based on the wealth possessed by one and only based on the earning capacity of the person.

The care and concern of people around a person will stay as long as he is earning. The person will then work more and more and desire to acquire more money, so that he can enjoy the relations of more people praising him and caring him. He gets deluded by the relatives around him and thinks that the more wealth he possesses, the more respect he will get and happier he will be. Thus he desires for more and more wealth. But when the person loses his capacity to earn money, people who were caring him when he was earning will move away from him and even might go on to search for the next wealthy person. This is the state of this world.

We have to discriminate and understand that the care and concert of the relatives and friends will be there as long as we have the capacity to earn money. Therefore, we should not get carried away by the respect and care that we from the relatives and friends. It doesn’t mean that we should not do work at all, but the important to be understood is that we should not get deluded by these experiences. The only purpose or duty of this life is to realize ones own nature of Self. Therefore, importance should be given to the lord than the possession of wealth and enjoyment of the wealth possessed. The more importance we give by constant contemplation on the Reality, all the bondages vanishes and will enable one to realize ones own nature of Self. Therefore, Shankara says, worship govinda and realize that Eternal non-dual Bliss.

Prostrations to all

Hari Aum

Thanks,
Rajesh

Bhaja Govindam - Sloka 4

Hari Aum

Prostrations to my Guru. Prostrations to All.

SLOKA 4:

“Nalini dalagata jalamatitharalam
Tattvam jeevitam adhisaya chapalam
Vidhi vyadhyabhimaanagratham
Lokam shoka hatham cha samastham”

Word Meaning:
Nalini dalagata jalam: water drop on the lotus leaf
Atitharalam: extremely uncertain
Tat: so
Jeevitam: life
Adhisaya: extremely
Chapalam: unstable
Vidhi: understand
Vyadhi abhimaanagratham: consumed by disease and conceit
Cha: and
Samastham: the whole
Lokam: world
Shoka hatham: is riddled with pain

“Water drop in the lotus leaf has got an extremely unstable existence similarly is life in the world which is greatly uncertain. Understand the world is consumed by disease and conceit and is riddled with pain”

In the previous two slokas, Shankara told not to have passion towards possession of wealth and enjoyment of sensual pleasure. He told to give up the passion towards these and told to have the thoughts of the Reality all the time. In this sloka, he gives reason for the advice he gave in the previous 2 slokas. The world that we see is temporary and not permanent and hence all the objects of the world are also temporary and not permanent. The example he gives is the water droplet on the lotus leaf. The water doesn’t stick on the lotus leaf, instead it just skids on the leaf and it is most uncertain that when that droplet will fall off from the leaf. Our life in the world is also very uncertain like the water droplet on the lotus leaf. We do not know when death will come to us. Death can be overcome only by realizing ones own nature of Self. But to realize ones own nature of Self, one should constantly contemplate on the Reality. The extroverted mind has to be turned inwards towards the spiritual heart which is the seat of the Self. When one constantly contemplates on the Self, he realizes the world and the objects of the world are only an illusion and such person goes beyond the birth and the death.

When one forgets ones own nature of Self and goes on to possess more and more wealth, enjoys all the sensual pleasures, goes from birth to birth. All pleasures of the world will be seem to give happiness in the beginning but later gives only sorrow. Therefore we have to understand the limitations of happiness that the objects of the world can give. Any object of the world cannot give permanent happiness because the objects itself is temporary. If we forget this, we will get deluded by the pleasure object seems to give and get carried away by that object. Death may come to us any time and hence if we have to get that permanent happiness and if have to cross over the cycle of Samsaara, we have to put effort right here and right now. There is no time to waste. More time we spend in the thought of the Reality, the more we go closer to the Reality.

Because of the ignorance of ones own nature, a person might see the world and its experience to be real. But Shankara here tells that the world and its object doesn’t deserve the importance that is given now because everywhere in the world there will be disease or self-pride. There is no real happiness at all in the world. Shankara says in the last line that the world is full of pain and sorrow. All the happiness that we see or experience from the objects of the world is only temporary which has to be understood clearly. Therefore the only solution is to surrender completely to Govinda, the Ultimate Reality of Brahman, and should have constant thought of it all the time.

Prostrations to all

Hari Aum

Thanks,
Rajesh

Bhaja Govindam - Sloka 3

Hari Aum

Prostrations to my Guru. Prostrations to All.

NAAREE STHANABHARA NABHEEDESAM DHRISHTWA MAA GAA MOHAVESAM
YETAN MAAMSAVASAADI VIKAARAM MANASI VICHINTHAYA VAARAM VAARAM
(BHAJA GOVINDAM, BHAJA GOVINDAM..........)

naari= woman;
sthanabara= breasts that are;
naaBhidesham=navel region;
drishtvaa= having seen;
maagaa= Don't+go;
mohaavesham= infatuated state
ethan= this;
maamsavasaadhi=, flesh etc;
vikaaram= appearance
manasi= in the mind;
vichinthaya= think well;
vaaram= again;
vaaram= and again;

Do not get drowned in delusion by going wild with passions and
lust by seeing a woman's navel and chest . These are nothing but
a modification of flesh . Fail not to remember this again and
again in your mind.

In the previous sloka, Shankara told to give up the thirst for the possessing more and more wealth. In this verse, he tells to give up the desire to enjoy the sensual pleasures. All pleasures of the world are only for the time being, it will vanish after sometime. Therefore it is not worth to desire for those short lived pleasures. Only that which is permanent alone can give permanent happiness. The Ultimate Reality of Brahman alone is the Real, and rest all are unreal. When we realize our own nature of Self, then there will always be Bliss. When we realize our own nature of Self, then there will not be any desire to seek happiness outside as the happiness is our very own nature. Therefore it is important that we turn our mind inward and constantly contemplate on the Self.

The objects of the world don’t have any happiness. It is only the mind which thinks that object of the world will give happiness. With the modification of like and dislike, he seeks the objects of the world in order to get the happiness. But when the mind is turned inwards, and when one has the constant contemplation on the Self, such a person will see only the Self in every being and every being as ones own Self. when a person sees everything as ones own Self, then there will be no desire to possess it and there will only be eternal bliss of the Self. Therefore worship Govinda.

Prostrations to all

Hari Aum

Thanks,
Rajesh

Bhaja Govindam - Sloka 2

Hari Aum

Prostrations to my Guru. Prostrations to All.

Before we start learning the next sloka, let us analyze the meaning of Govinda which Shankara used in the first sloka. The word Govinda has many meanings, the first or the literal meaning is cow-herd. Govinda is one who bestows joy to the earth. Sathya Sai Baba says in his discourse on Bhaja Govindam that Govinda means one who has control over the animal nature of man, and who can change this animal nature to divine nature.
When we split the word ‘Go’ means Shabdha which means Veda and Govinda means one who can be known through Vedas thus pointing only to the Ultimate Reality of Brahman. ‘Go’ can mean Sense Organs and ‘Vind’ means master and hence Govinda means Master of Sense organs. Master of sense organs means the controller of the sense organs. The Ultimate Reality of Brahman is beyond the reach of the sense organs and the mind. Guru or Isvara who is established in the Ultimate Reality of Brahman can control the mind and the sense organs. According to scriptures, “a knower of Brahman verily becomes Brahman”, which means the Guru or Isvara is nothing but Brahman alone. Thus we can see that the word Govinda refers only to the Ultimate Reality of Brahman and not the Vishnu alone.

Let us now proceed to the next sloka
MOODHA JAHEEHI DHANAAGAMATRISHNAAMKURU SADBUDHIM MANASI VITRISHNAAMYALLABHASE NIJAKARMOPAATHAMVITHAM TENA VINODAYA CHITHAM(BHAJA GOVINDAM, BHAJA GOVINDAM..........)

mooDa= Oh fool!
jaheehi= jahi+iha, leave/give up+here(in this world)
Dhana= wealth
Agam:= coming/arrival
thrishnaam= thirst/desire
kuru= act;
satbhuDhim= sat.h+buddhiM, good+awareness
manasi= in the mind;
vithrishnaam= desirelessness;
yellaBhasae= yat.h+labhase, whatever+(you)obtain;
nijakarma= nija+karma, one's+duty(normal work);
upatham= obtained;
vitham= wealth;
thae na= by that; with that;
vinodhaya:= divert/recreate(be happy);
chiththam= mind;

Oh fool ! Give up your thrist to amass wealth, devote your
mind to thoughts to the Real . Be content with what comes
through actions already performed in the past.

In this sloka, Shankara talks about giving the passion towards the acquisition of wealth. Everyone wants only happiness which is nothing but our own very nature. Because of ignorance this nature is forgotten and hence the person desires for the happiness from the objects of the world. The person thinks that on possessing the wealth he will be happy. The happiness of that person never becomes complete and though he possesses lot of wealth, he thinks to possess little more to get that happiness. But the wealth one possesses or desiring to possess doest have happiness at all. If it has happiness then it should provide happiness on all periods of time. But it is not so. When a person loses wealth he becomes sad. Thus we can see that wealth doesn’t have happiness. It is only the mind which desires for the wealth feels happy on possessing it and feels sad on losing it. Also it is not sure that the wealth that one possesses will last forever, there is a chance of losing possessions at any point in time. Such a wealth which neither has happiness in it nor guaranteed to stay forever is not really worth to desire for. Therefore Shankara here says to give up the thirst for possessing more and more wealth.

Because of ignorance of ones own nature, the mind goes outside and desires for the objects of the world. Everyone is seeking only happiness, but that happiness is not there in any objects of the world. That happiness that we seek is nothing but our very nature of Self. Therefore we have to turn the mind inward towards the Self and have to contemplate on the Self which is the Ultimate Reality to get that permanent happiness. Here Shankara tells to stop the extroverted mind and turn the mind inward and concentrate on the Ultimate Reality and always have the thought of the Reality.

In the end of this verse, Shankara says to be contended to what we have. As happiness is the only goal for everyone, one has to constantly contemplate on the Reality to get that permanent happiness. When this is forgotten and desires for the objects of the world, there will be no end to the desires and in the end there will no happiness also. So whether one is rich or poor, when he has the thought of the Reality all the time, he is the happiest person on the earth. To get that permanent happiness, Shankara says worship Govinda who is the Ultimate Reality.

Prostrations to all

Hari Aum

Thanks,
Rajesh

Bhaja Govindam - Sloka 1

Hari Aum

Prostrations to my Guru. Prostrations to All.

According to scriptures, the Ultimate Reality of Brahman is one without the Second. Brahman is of the nature of Existence-Consciousness-Bliss Absolute. The nature of Brahman is same as the nature of the Self. The Self is of the nature of Bliss but because of ignorance the nature of the Self is not known. Ignorance only seems to veil this blissful nature of Self doesn’t really veil the Self, and hence the ignorance is only an illusion. Because of ignorance of ones own nature of Self, he sees the world and the object of the world as different from oneself. On seeing the objects of the world different from oneself, he desires for that object and performs action to possess that object. But soon after he attains it, he desires for another object and thus the desire goes on. Thus because of the ignorance he desires for the object of the world, performs action to possess that object, experiences either pleasure or pain and gets deluded in the world. He thinks that he will get happiness if he possesses that object of the world forgetting his very own nature which is Bliss alone. Ignorance, Desire and Action form three knots in the heart of the person which is responsible for the cycle of birth and death. When the ignorance vanishes, then there will be no desires and hence no actions, such a person will always revel in the Bliss. This illusory ignorance vanishes when the seeker realizes that “I am the non-dual Brahman”. When the seeker thus realizes, all the dualities vanishes and such a person will always revel in the Bliss of the Self.

Shankara was going on pilgrimage to Kasi along with his disciples. While he was going, he saw an old man by-hearting the Sanskrit grammar. Shankara felt very bad on seeing this old man, who is spending his time on mere intellectual knowledge not spending time in contemplating on the Reality. Majority of the people spend their life in enjoying the worldly things and forget to contemplate on the Reality which alone can give the permanent bliss. So on seeing this, Shankara sang Bhaja Govindam.

Bhaja Govidam is also called Moha Mudgara, Hammer of Delusion. Bhaja Govindam has 31 slokas. The first sloka is sang in chorus, the next 12 slokas is sung by Shankara, the each of the remaining slokas is sung by the each of his 14 disciples of Shankara, and Shankara then added another 5 slokas thus 31 verses. The first 12 slokas are called Dvadasa Manjarika and the next 14 slokas are called chathurdasha manjarika.

Sloka 1:

BHAJA GOVINDAM, BHAJA GOVINDAM GOVINDAM BHAJA MUDHAMATE
SAMPRAAPTE SANNIHITE KALENA HI NA HI RAKSHATI DUKRINKARANE

Worship Govinda, worship Govinda, worship Govinda, Oh fool !Rules of grammar will not save you at the time of your death.

Shankara on seeing the old man by-hearting the Sanskrit grammar sang Bhaja Govindam. He says to the old man in stop wasting time on by-hearting the grammar as this grammar will not help him at the time of death. Instead of wasting time in by-hearting, he is telling the man to worship Govinda. He calls the person a fool as he is missing to do what is to be done and doing something else which doesn’t have any worth.

The happiness which we seek is our very nature. But because of ignorance we forget our nature and we seek the happiness in the objects of the world. The objects of the world are not permanent and hence cannot give permanent happiness. Only that which is permanent alone can give permanent happiness.
Shankara says in Tattvabodha,
“Nithya vasthu ekam Brahma thadhanyath sarvam mithyaethi”
Brahman alone is real, rest all are not real.

Brahman alone is Real, all others are not real. Only that which is Real can give the permanent happiness and hence Brahman alone can give permanent happiness. Therefore instead of wasting time in desiring happiness from the objects of the world which will vanish at one point of time which is only an illusion, we should concentrate on Brahman to get that permanent happiness. Any amount of possession of the worldly objects will not help at the time of death and hence the only way is to surrender to Govinda who is nothing but the Ultimate Reality of Brahman.

Prostrations to all

Hari Aum

Thanks,
Rajesh