Bhaja Govindam - Sloka 21

Hari Aum

Prostrations to my Guru. Prostrations to All.

SLOKA 20:

“Punarapi jananam punarapi maranam
Punarapi jananijaTarae shayanam
Iha samsaarae bahudhusthaarae
Krupayaaparae paahi murarae”

Word meaning:
Punaha api: once again
Jananam: birth
Punaha api: once again
Maranam: death
Punrapi: and again
Janani jaTarae: in the mother’s womb
Shayanam: lying
Iha: here
Samsaarae: in this samsaara
Bahu dhusthaarae: has no end
Krupaya: through thy Infinite Kindness
Paahi: save
Muraarae: oh the destroyer of Mura

“Again Birth, Again death and again lying in the mother’s womb, this samsaara process has no end. Save me, Murarae (Oh! Destroyer of Mura) through Thy Infinite Kindness”

According to scriptures, the Ultimate Reality of Brahman alone exists. Jiva’s essential nature is same as the nature of Ultimate Reality of Brahman. Self, whose very nature itself is Bliss, doesn’t require anything at all to get Bliss. Because of ignorance of this blissful Self, one thinks that he would get happiness in possessing the objects of the world. Because of this desire to possess the objects of the world, he performs action and after performing the action he enjoys the result of the action he had performed. The results of action might be immediate, or might get delayed by days or months or years or even births. Thus the person goes from birth to birth in enjoying the results of the action. In the process of enjoying these results, actions are again performed, this goes on without any end and thus the person goes from birth to birth in enjoying the results of the action.

To perform any action there should be doer and it is the doer who again enjoys the results of the action. The doer is nothing but the ego. Therefore the Samsaara is only for the ego. Self is only a witness to whatever is happening in the world and is never affected by any action. There is neither birth nor death for the Self, all births and deaths are only for the body. To come out of this vicious circle of Samsaara, one has to get rid of the ego. To get rid of the ego completely, one have to surrender unconditionally to the Lord or the Guru. Guru through his teaching, as told in the scriptures, removes the ignorance in the mind of the seeker. Once the ignorance is removed then the ego vanishes and though the person might be seemed to be doing actions yet he is not doing any action and hence no results of action affect such a person. But on the other hand if the person doesn’t surrender the ego to the Lord and doesn’t strive towards the Ultimate Reality of Brahman, he will go from birth to birth and will be pulled in deeper into the ocean of Samsaara.

Isavasyam Upanishad says for those who don’t strive to realize the Ultimate Reality of Brahman,

Asuryaa naama te lokaah, andhena tamasaavritaah
Taanste pretya abhigacchanthi, ye cha aatma hano janaah

Those who kill the Self (by not knowing or realizing it), after giving up this body, again and again attain those worlds of Asuras or devils which are filled with darkness of ignorance (ignorance of the Self).

The only way to realize ones own nature of Self is through renunciation by surrendering the ego unto the Lord. Realizing once own nature of Self is the only to overcome this Samsaara.

Kaivalya Upanishad says,

Na Karmanaa Na Prajaya Dhanena, Tyagenaike amritatvam aanashuhu

Not by action nor by projeny nor by wealth, but some attain the state of immortality with help of Renunciation alone.

Prostrations to all

Hari Aum

Thanks,
Rajesh