Bhaja Govindam - Sloka 20

Hari Aum

Prostrations to my Guru. Prostrations to All.

SLOKA 20:

“Bhagavadgita kinchidhaDheetha
Gangajalalava kanikaa peetha
Sakruthapi ena murari samarcha
Kriyathae thasya yamena na charchaa”

Word Meaning:
Bhagavad Gita: the Bhagavad Gita
Kinchith: (even) a little
aDheetha: has studied
ganga jala lava kanikaa: a drop of Ganges water
peetha: has sipped
sakrutha api: at least once
yena: by whom
muraari samarchaa: worship of the Lord Murari
kriyathae: is done
thasya: to him
yamena: with Yama
na: never
charcha: quarrel

“To one who has studied the Bhagavad Gita even a little, who has sipped atleast a drop of Ganges-water, who has worshipped atleast once Lord Murari, to him there is no discussion (quarrel) with Yama, the Lord of Death.”

In this sloka, the acharya gives the sadhana for the seeker to overcome this ocean of Samsaara and thus realizing ones own nature of Self. Bhagavat Gita is one of the prasthanathraya of Vedanta and this contains the essence of all the Upanishads wherein Lord Krishna teaches this to Arjuna. By learning Bhagavad Gita one gets the intellectual knowledge about the Ultimate Reality of Brahman which all the Upanishads speak about. It is not only Bhagavad Gita that is to be learned, but Vedanta in general which speak about the Ultimate Reality of non-dual Brahman. This Ultimate Knowledge about the non-dual Brahman should be learned from a competent Guru. This knowledge is a perennial flow which is flowing from Guru to his students from time immemorial. Thus, from that Guru the student gets the knowledge about Ultimate Reality of Brahman. Thus here Ganga that is mentioned is this perennial flow of knowledge from Guru to shishya from time immemorial. When a seeker learns about Brahman as ones own nature of Self, he gets the knowledge about Ultimate reality and thus knows that realizing Brahman as the Ultimate goal of oneself.

Once the teaching is understood by the seeker, the seeker has to dwell upon the teaching and reflect the teaching until his mind becomes free from all the doubts about the Reality. This is Mananam. By reflecting the teaching of the Guru about the Brahman, the goal of realizing ones own nature of Self becomes very clear. Once the goal becomes very clear, then the seeker has to contemplate constantly on the Ultimate Reality of Brahman. By contemplating constantly on the Ultimate Reality of Brahman, he realizes ones own nature of Self and thus crosses over the Samsaara. Self is of the nature of Existence-Consciousness. Self never ceases to exist. As long as there is identification of oneself with the ego, he cycle of birth and death continues. Once the ego vanishes, there is only Self and hence there is neither birth nor death.

As Krishna tells in Gita,
“Najaayathae Mriyathae vaa kadhaa chit
Naayam bhoothva bhavithaa vaaba booyaha
Ajonithyaha shaashavathoyam puraano
Nahanyathae hanya maanae shareerae”

The Self has no birth, no death, nor is that it came into existence and it never ceases to exist. That Self is unborn, eternal, ever-existing, undying and primeval. So neither the Self can kill some one nor the Self can be killed by someone.

So in the sloka, by sipping a drop of Ganges-water is dwelling upon the teaching from Guru about Brahman and worshipping the Lord is constant contemplation on the Ultimate Reality of Brahman. When a seeker follows these sadhanas told, the seeker will realize ones own nature of non-dual Blissful Self.

Prostrations to all

Hari Aum

Thanks,
Rajesh