Days and nights, dawns and dusks, winters and summers - these maintain their cycles for ever and ever. Time and thoughts keep playing in our lives and keep consuming our age. But the air of desire never leaves us at any stage of our lives and keeps lingering with us, irrespective of our age. The only salvation is through surrender to Murari.
Hi viewer.
Welcome to my blog on Bhajagovindam, authored by Saint Sri Adi Sankaracharya, during his trip to Kashi, along with fourteen of his disciples. There he met an old man trying to learn Sanskrit text and grammar in all perfections. Shankara was overwhelmed with pity upon seeing the plight of the old man trying to acquire intellecctual accomplishment whereas he would be better off spending his time in spiritual pursuits. Acharya then went on to advise the mankind through this rendering of Bhajagovidam verses, seeking awakening of the human mind to realise the truth and come out of the clutches of Maya.
The interesting part here is that Shankaracharya’a disciples pitched in to add their own verse after the Acharya finished giving his initial discourse. The rest of the verses in the Stotra are attributed to the great disciples of the Acharya, who all were eminent scholars in their own right. In the end Sri Adi Shankaracharya added 5 more verses making it a total of 31.
As a whole, the entire composition of Bhaja Govindam is a very simple one, which can be easily understood by common men, and does not require complex knowledge of Veda, though Bhaja Govindam is a sloka whose real meaning is profoundly vedantic. It has some hidden advise to all sections of society to follow their own path, be it Bhakthi marg or Jnana Marg. It talks about the issues a human generally faces, the mistakes we all make and directs us to worship Govinda. One thing that is emphasised most is the power of surrender to Guru and to Govinda,
Sri Adi Shankaracharya is widely known for his teachings on Vedanta. Shankaracharya was born in the village of Kaladi, in South India, about 2500 years ago to his Brahmin parents, Sivaguru and Aryamba. He traveled throughout India during his life, preaching and establishing four important maths, or centers, and had numerous disciples. He had also composed a number of verses.
Sankara recommends that we should shed our bondage to wordly life, otherwise called 'Moha' by hammering it out. For this reason, this song is also known as Moha Mudguard. Acharya leads us step by step towards total liberation and freedom from rebirth.
Initially Sankara declares it foolish to pursue materialistic life. He says that getting into the company of correct and noble persons is the surest way to liberation. He advices not to fall pray to certain religious convictions and declares that rituals and charities should be accompaied by self-realisation. He recommends ways and means of living a peaceful life by surrendering to Brahman.
Following are the words of C. Rajagopalachari (Rajaji) on bhajagovindam:
“Adhi Shankaracharya wrote a number of vedantic works for imparting knowledge of the self and the universal spirit. He also composed a number of hymns to foster Bhakthi in the hearts of men. One of these hymns is the famous Bhaja govindam.
The way of devotion, is not different from the way of knowledge or gyana. When intelligence matures and lodges securely in the mind, it becomes wisdom. When wisdom is integrated with life and issues out in action, it becomes bhakthi. Knowledge, when it becomes fully mature is bhakthi. If it doesnot get transformed into bhakthi, such knowledge is useless tinsel. To believe that jnana and bhakthi, knowledge and devotion are different from each other, is ignorance.
If Sri Adi Shankara himself who drank the ocean of jnana as easily as one sips water from the palm of one's hand, sang in his later years, hymns to develop devotion, it is enough to show that jnana and bhakthi are one and the same. Sri Shankara has packed into the Bhaja govindam song, the substance of all vedanta, and set the oneness of jnana and bhakthi to melodious music.”
अवतारवरिष्ठाय रामकृष्णाय ते नमः ॥
- bhaja govindam bhaja govindam govindam bhaja mudamate
- sampraapte sannihite kaale nahi nahi rakshati dukrinkarane
Verse 2
मूढ जहीहि धनागमतृष्णां कुरु सद्बुद्धिं मनसि वितृष्णाम् ।यल्लभसे निजकर्मोपात्तं वित्तं तेन विनोदय चित्तम् ॥muda jahiihi dhanaagama trishhnaam kuru sadbuddhim manasi vitrishhnaam. yallabhase nija karmopaattam vittam tena vinodaya chittam.
भगवद्गीता किञ्चिदधीता गङ्गाजललवकणिका पीता ।सकृदपि येन मुरारिसमर्चा क्रियते तस्य यमेन न चर्चा ॥ २०॥- bhagavadh gita kijnchidadhiitaa gangaa jalalava kanikaapiitaa
- sakridapi yena Muraari samarchaa kriyate tasya yamena na charchaa
Sankara advises everyone to read atleast few lines from Bhagavad Gita text, drink a drop of water from the holy river Ganga, Worship Lord Murari (Govinda) atleast once. If follwed these advises, he assures that ther eowuld be no fear of death or any thing to be argued with Lord Yama.
Verse 7
Verse 9
Verse 10
गुरुचरणाम्बुजनिर्भरभक्तः संसारादचिराद्भव मुक्तः ।
सेन्द्रियमानसनियमादेवं द्रक्ष्यसि निजहृदयस्थं देवम् ॥
guru charanaambuja nirbhara bhakatah samsaara dachiraadbhava muktah
sendriyamaanasa niyamaadevam drakshyasi nija hridayastham devam
குரு சரணாம்புஜ நிர்பர பக்த: ஸம்ஸாராத சிராத்பவ முக்த:
ஸேந்த்ரியமானஸ நியமாதேவம் த்ருக்ஷ்யஸி நிஜ ஹ்ருதயஸ்தம் தேவம்
Hey Devotee! Get hold of the lotus feet of your guru. He will grant you total liberation from Samsara. Discipline your sense organs and control your mind. In this manner, you will experience the great Lord in your heart.
Rest of the Verses
Whenever you see a woman just remember that she is also, like you, made of a bundle of refined flesh and marrow. Remind yourselves thus and refrain from getting deluded into lust by external appearances. Whenever such thoughts arise, think again and again and control your senses.
Our lives are as temporary as rain drops falling on lotus leaves, which rolls down without getting attached. Realise that all lives on earth suffer from disease, ego and is thus grief stricken.
Hey brother! Just think about yourself for a minute as to who you are, who are your wife and your children. In what way they are owned by you or you are owned by someone else? From where did you come from? If you deeply contemplate on the samsara you will find it very strange.
Lust has no use when a person has lost youth. A lake has no use when it has dried up. There is no use of relatives when a person has lost all wealth. In the same way, there is no use of samsara when Truth is realised.
Conclusion
Adi Shankara promoted Advaitha philosophy during his short life span of 32 years, through various spiritual works such as commentaries on the Prasthana Traya of Bhagavad Gita, the 10 Upanishads and the Bhagavad Gita, Sri Vishnu Sahasranama and Sri Lalita Trishati Stotra, composed several short treatises on Advaita Vedanta known as the Prakarna Grantha,composed many hymns on various Deities of the Sanatana Dharma, and also inspiring hymns that awaken the spirit of renunciation like Bhaja Govinda Stotra, Moha Mudgara Stotra, Kaupina Panchakam. He preached that Brahman is Real, the world is an appearance and Jeeva (freed from all limiting adjuncts) is none other than Brahman - "Brahma Satyam Jaganmruthyam".
As part of his aim to promote the advaidha philosophy, Sankara devised shanmatha, i.e., recognision of 6 forms of Brahman, namely, Shaivam (Shiva), Vaishnavam (Vishnu), Ganapathyam (Ganapathy), Saktham (Sakthi), Kaumaram (Kumara or Muruga) and Sauram (Surya). It is a bit controvertial to comprehend that Sankara Who promoted Advaidha by preaching there is only one God, goes on to recognise six forms of God. He who said world is Maya and is not real, went on to say through Sakthi worship that She is Mother Earth and by worshipping Her one can obtain all material and eternal enjoyments. In the same way He recommended worship of Govinda (Vishnu) to get away from rebirth. His teachings span across the social strata from the poor and illiterate to the highly enlightened souls, and is aimed to teach them the complex concepts of Vedanta step by step by first inducing bhakthi in them and then take them slowly away from materialistic pursuits into search for Truth. Bhaja Govindam is one such effort to make us aware of our foolishness in going after pleasures instead of usefully spending our time in mediating upon Govinda. Let us strive to keep up the faith Sankara had on refining mankind.
