Sunday

Workship Govinda

Worship Govinda, Worship Govinda, Worship Govinda.......

 The Acharya is said to have composed the Bhaja Govindam during his famous pilgrimage to Kashi(Benares).The fourteen disciples are said to have accompanied him. The story goes that when he was walking along the streets of Kashi, he was pained to observe an elderly man trying hard to learn Sanskrit grammar. At his advanced age, the remaining valuable little time of his life should have been used for worshipping the God, instead of wasting on learning a language. This prompted Sri Sankara to burst out this composition, a sort of rebuke to foolish way of living.

The Acharya urges the man to turn towards God and sing His glory instead of trying to learn a language. A censure is implied when the Acharya calls the man a fool(Mudhamathe). It may be added here that the tone of Bhaja Govindam is not at all soft, but somewhat striking, in spite of its exotic poetic beauty and perfection of composition. This is no wonder, because such a treatment is required to wake up man from his slumber. A milder approach would delay the matter. The matter is urgent, as the Acharya explains in the next verse, for, when the hour of death approaches without any forewarning; the hard-learned verses of grammar are not going to save the poor soul. Hence the song rightly starts without any preamble:


bhajagovindaM bhajagovindaM
govindaM bhaja muDhamate.
saMpraapte sannihite kaale
nahi nahi rakshati DukRiJNkaraNe .. (1)

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


mUDha jahiihi dhanaagamatRishhNaaM
kuru sadbuddhiM manasi vitRishhNaam.
yallabhase nijakarmopaattaM
vittaM tena vinodaya chittam.
.. (2)


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

naariistanabhara naabhiideshaM
dRishhTvaa maagaamohaavesham.
etanmaaMsaavasaadi vikaaraM
manasi vichintaya vaaraM vaaram. .. (3)

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. Do not fail to remember this again and again in your mind.

naliniidalagata jalamatitaralaM
tadvajjiivitamatishayachapalam.
viddhi vyaadhyabhimaanagrastaM
lokaM shokahataM cha samastam .. ( 4 )

The life of a man is as uncertain as rain drops trembling on a lotus leaf. Know that the whole world remains a prey to disease, ego and grief.

yaavadvittopaarjana sakta H
staavannija parivaaro rakta H.
pashchaajjiivati jarjara dehe
vaartaaM ko.api na pRichchhati gehe .. ( 5 )

So long as a man is fit and able to support his family, see the affection all those around him show. But no one at home cares to even have a word with him when his body totters due to old age.

yaavatpavano nivasati dehe
taavatpRichchhati kushalaM gehe.
gatavati vaayau dehaapaaye
bhaaryaa bibhyati tasminkaaye .. ( 6 )

When one is alive, his family members enquire kindly about his welfare. But when the soul departs from the body, even his wife runs away in fear of the corpse.

baalastaavatkriiDaasakta H
taruNastaavattaruNiisakta H.
vRiddhastaavachchintaasakta H
pare brahmaNi ko.api na sakta H .. ( 7 )

The childhood is lost by attachment to playfulness. Youth is lost by attachment to woman. Old age passes away by thinking over many past things. But there is hardly anyone who wants to be lost in parabrahman(Supreme being).

kaate kaantaa kaste putra H
saMsaaro.ayamatiiva vichitra H.
kasya tvaM ka H kuta aayaata H
tattvaM chintaya tadiha bhraata H ..( 8 )

Who is your wife? Who is your son? Strange is this samsara. Of whom are you? From where have you come? Brother, ponder over these truths here.

satsaNgatve nissN ^ gatvaM
nissaNgatve nirmohatvam.h.
nirmohatve nishchalatattvaM
nishcalatattve jiivanmukti H ....( 9 )

From Satsangha(the companionship of realised souls) comes non-attachment, from
non-attachment comes freedom from delusion, which leads to self-settledness. From self-settledness comes Jeevan Mukti.


vayasigate ka H kaamavikaaraH
shushhke niire ka H kaasaaraH.
kshiiNevitte ka H parivaara H
G Y aate tattve ka H saMsaara H ...(1 0 )

What good is lust when youth has fled? What use is a lake which has no water? Where are the relatives when wealth is gone? Where is samsara when the Truth is known?

maa kuru dhana jana yauvana garvaM
harati nimeshhaatkaala H sarvam.h.
maayaamayamidamakhilaM hitvaa
brahmapadaM tvaM pravisha viditvaa .. (1 1)

Do not boast of wealth, followers, and youth. Each one of these is destroyed within a minute.
Free yourself from the illusion of the world of Maya and attain the timeless Truth.


dinayaaminyau saayaM praata H
shishiravasantau punaraayaata H.
kaala H kriiDati gachchhatyaayu H
tadapi na muJNcatyaashaavaayu H .. (1 2)

Daylight and darkness, dusk and dawn, winter and springtime come and go. Time plays and life ebbs away. But the storm of desire never leaves.

dvaadashamaJNjarikaabhirasheshha H
kathito vaiyaakaraNasyaishha H.
upadesho bhuudvidyaanipuNai H
shrimachchhankarabhagavachchharaNari H .. ( 12a )

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