Bhaja Govindam

Verses 24 to 27

Verse 24

tvayi mayi chaanyatraiko vishhNuH

vyarthaM kupyasi mayyasahishhNuH .

bhava samachittaH sarvatra tvaM

vaaJNchhasyachiraadyadi vishhNutvam.h 

 

(tvayi = in you; mayi = in me; chaanyatraika = cha + anyatra + ekaH = and + in any other place + only one; vishhNuH = the Lord Maha Vishnu; vyarthaM = in vain ; for nothing; purposeless; kupyasi = you get angry; mayyasahishhNu = mayi + asahishhNuH, in me + intolerant; bhava = become; samachittaH = equal-minded / equanimity; sarvatra = everywhere; tvaM = you; vaaJNchhasi = you desire; achiraad.h = without delay / in no time; yadi = if; vishhNutvaM = the quality of Vishnu / state of Brahman / god-realization)

 

(tvayi mayi cha = in you and in me; anyatra = elsewhere; ekaH vishhNuH = is the same Vishnu (the same God is present); asahishhNuH = impatient; mayi vyarthaM kupyasi = you are angry with me for nothing; achiraad.h = without delay; vishhNutvaM vaaJNchhasi yadi = if you want to attain Vishnu (God) or Godliness; tvaM sarvatra samachittaH bhava = you be equal minded always.)

 

You are impatient and angry with me for nothing; Know that the same Vishnu is present in you, me and everyone else.  If you are desirous of attaining God soon,  cultivate equanimity always.

 

Do you want to reach the presence of God quickly ? If yes, here is a short-cut: give up intolerance, give up anger and practice equanimity.  See the same Divinity in all as it is in you.  Sri Sankara proclaims to the world the truth which was experienced by our seers since centuries: “The same God dwells in you, me and everyone else.” 

 

“It is Narayana who has become the all.  Man is Narayana; all creatures are Narayana; the Rishi is Narayana, the wicked man is Narayana; whatever is, is Narayana.  Narayana sports in multiforms, displaying His glory in all these forms”.

          

“Beholding diversity is born of delusion; beholding unity is born of enlightenment”                           - Sri Ramakrishna

                                                                                        

 

There is no room for “bheda bahava”, differentiation.  When the same God resides in you and me, why this impatience ? Why this anger ?  If you want to attain to Godliness (Vishnutvam), better cultivate equanimity.  Anger and impatience will not lead you to Vishnu. 

 

Seeking variety and novelty is human nature. Even in religion, people are delighted if new theories are presented.  This satisfies the craze for novelty.  Repeating the same thing is not tolerated well.  But in religion, some repetition is unavoidable. Truth is only one and there cannot be many new ideas.  Here, it seems that the disciple got a little weary and was bored with what he had been hearing. Occasionally, there arises some intolerance towards the Guru!  The keen Guru sensed it and hence remarked thus.  Guru often has to repeat his teaching to his eager disciples.  If they understood it at the first instance, they would have already left the scene! Doubts will arise in the aspirant’s heart as long as the feeling of duality is present.  The smart Guru corrects the disciple by repeating the teachings.  There is no use in getting impatient about this.  If the aspirant wants to get the experience of Realization, equanimity is to be kept.  The Guru moreover encourages the disciple that Vishnutvam is his birth right, he needn’t be disappointed; it will come to him one day, only he should be patient.

 

Religion is not for intellectual entertainment; Whatever is learnt is to be practiced to gain first hand knowledge. Even if you read about sugar ten times, you cannot experience its sweetness.  Sugar tastes sweet only when you eat it.  Spiritual experience will not come with mere scholarship.  Each one of us has to practice it.  Through the discipline of mind alone we can hope to reach the goal.  For this, equanimity and self-control is essential. Be ready to face everything in life; Loss or gain; pain or pleasure; happiness or sorrow: face all this with the same spirit with calm composure.  Because of attachment, we react to various situations in life – likes or dislikes; All this takes away peace of mind. So, to attain equanimity, attachment will have to be removed.  Satsanga is a way to achieve this; 

 

The Gita says

 

yogasthah kuru karmani sangam tyaktvaa dhananjaya

siddhy asiddhyoh samo bhootvaa samatvam yoga uchyate                                                          -(Gita, Chaper 2, sloka 48)

                                                         

“Perform action, Oh Dhanajaya, being fixed in yoga, renouncing attachments, and even-minded in success and failure; equilibrium is verily yoga”.  

 

Swami Chidbhavananda comments:

 

“The nature of the mind is to be elated in success and dejected in failure.  But by remaining unperturbed by either, the mind gains in clarity and firmness.  It is like the surface of water that has become placid and fit to reflect objects clearly.  This even – mindedness is equilibrium.  He is a Yogi who keeps the mind in this poised state under all circumstances.  Spiritual growth is possible to him only who keeps the mind ever poised.”

 

If the mind reaches this stage, realization is not far away.  The aspirant gets liberated even while in this body.  This is what is meant by “Vishnutvam”.

 

Verse 25

shatrau mitre putre bandhau

maa kuru yatnaM vigrahasandhau .

sarvasminnapi pashyaatmaanaM

sarvatrotsR^ija bhedaaGYaanam.h 

 

(Shatrau = in (towards) the enemy; mitre = in (towards) the friend; putre = in (towards) the son; bandhau = in (towards) relatives; maa = don't; kuru = do; yatnaM = effort; vigraha sandhau = for war (dissension) or peace-making; sarvasminnapi = in all beings; pashya atmaanaM = see your own Self; sarvatra = everywhere; utsR^ija = give up; bhedaa GYaanaM = difference / otherness / duality)

 

(shatrau mitre putre bandhau = towards enemy, friend, son or relative; vigrahasandhau .yatnaM maa kuru = don’t go for quarrel or peace; sarvasminnapi aatmaanaM pashya = see Atman in everyone, everything; sarvatra bhedaaGYaanam.h utsR^ija = always eliminate the attitude of differentiation.)

 

Do not waste your effort to win the love or to fight against friend or foe, children or relatives. See your own Self, Atman in all beings and give up the impression of difference.

 

A mother doesn’t hate her child because she considers it as a part of her own body, her own being. Even if a doctor advises, we are reluctant to remove a part of the body which is wounded or diseased. I do not punish my teeth when it bites the tounge in error; both are parts of my own body. So how can I hate the teeth for causing pain ? But I get offended the moment somebody else causes the slightest discomfort: because it is somebody else, not me. I can only pardon myself, not others.

 

Our vision of diversity in the world causes all friction and unpleasant situations.  But as soon as we begin to see the Unity in this apparent diversity, feeling of difference disappears.  There is no quarrel then with others.  The Acharya says: Don’t go for war or peace with your friend or enemy, children or relatives; it is a wasted effort.  The wise course is to see Brahman in you and everyone else and give up the outlook of differences.  

 

The entire universe is derived from the same principle: God or Brahman. Like the same flame in different lamps, the same Atman is shining in us all. When we know that the same principle Brahman is pervading everywhere, present in all living beings, all men and women who live in the world, there is no more differentiation. There is nothing here but God. See the Oneness and love all. Irrespective of our different outward appearance, we are children of the same Divinity. Then whom I will love ? Whom I will hate ? Whom I will quarrel with ? Whom I will make peace with ?  The Acharya advises us to know this secret and hence keep our peace of mind as well as peace of the Universe. Unnecessary quarrels and shows of affection will be wasted effort; Our effort should be used for God–realisation, not for trivials. 

 

With the negative feelings like hatred, anger, selfishness, one can neither attain peace of mind nor attempt to make progress in sadhana.  The Acharya urges the aspirant to do away with them and turn his mind to the Unity of Godhood.  I am my own enemy and my own friend.  As long as mind is attached to the external happenings, I will be conditioned by the world and its activities.  But when I detach myself from these, I am unaffected: Love or hatred, profit or loss, victory or defeat is the same to me.  There is no need of quarrel or peace with others then.

 

Verse 26 

kaamaM krodhaM lobhaM mohaM

tyaktvaa.atmaanaM pashyati so.aham.h .

aatmaGYaana vihiinaa muuDhaaH

te pachyante narakaniguuDhaaH 

 

(kaamaM = lust; krodhaM = anger; lobhaM = greed; mohaM = infatuation; tyaktvaa.atmaanaM = having abandoned, one's own self; pashyati = see; so.ahaM = “I am that”; aatma GYaana = knowledge of (Atman) Self; vihiinaa = bereft; muuDhaa = fools; te = they; pachyante = are cooked; naraka = in the hell; niguuDhaa = cast in)

 

(kaamaM krodhaM lobhaM mohaM tyaktvaa = having given up lust, anger, greed and infatuation; atmaanaM so.ahaM =  that Atman as ‘I am that’ ; pashyati  = sees; aatmaGYaana vihiinaa muuDhaaH = those without the knowledge of Atman are fools; narakaniguuDhaaH te pachyante = they suffer in hell.)

 

Having given up lust, anger, greed and obsession, one experiences that he is indeed the Atman; Those who have no knowledge of Atman are fools and they suffer in the hell.

 

‘The three thieves lust, anger and greed are ever present in us, waiting for a chance to steal the diamond of knowledge.  So, be alert, beware!’(Sri Sankara).  With these neagtive qualities in him, a sadhaka cannot make much headway in spiritual practices.  As long as the mind is stained with the dirt of these, Atman will not reflect on the mirror of mind.  As a first step, the sadhaka should renounce these dubious qualities and turn his attention inward. It is not possible to realize the inner Self and enjoy the resultant peace and Bliss without controlling the outward senses which agitate the mind and create incessant surges. The realization thus obtained after a lot of struggle is not comparable to the regular experiences brought by the senses.  

 

We have only conditioned knowledge of objects.  We observe them as separate from our own entity. Subject (me) and the object are different. The knowledge of Atman is something different altogether.  I see the Atman in me.  I cannot see Atman (Self) different from my being.  Here, the subject and object are one and the same.  So, this experience is a conviction that ‘I am that’ (soham = sa + aham = I am that).  It is like regaining something which was THOUGHT TO BE lost.  Or recollecting something forgotten.  I had forgotten my real nature.  Now I found it.  I found that ‘I am that, Soham; I am Shiva, Shivoham’.  

 

The people who have no such knowledge really suffer as if they live in hell.  They are at the mercy of their senses which torture them constantly. There is no clear understanding of life or its mission.  They foolishly think that life is only for the enjoyment of the senses. They let loose all neagtive feelings like greed, anger, lust and jealosy.  Soon they are overpowered by them and the outcome will be misery.  Deluded thus, their vision of life will be impaired and wisdom defunct.  The unfortunate souls live in a virtual hell created by their own mind.  

 

The Achrya urges the devotee to annihilate the evils of lust, anger and greed and convince himself ‘Shivoham’ ( I am Siva ). The sadhaka, who refuses to believe he is anything else than Shiva, realizes that he is the eternal Atman, the eternal witness, who neither came nor went.

 

“The man given to envy, anger and timidity never grows in spiritual stature.”

 

“People who live in localities infested with venomous creatures should always be alert and mindful of the danger.  Even so, people intent on spiritual growth should guard themselves against indulgent senses tainted with lust and greed”.

                                                                                                                                                                  - Sri Ramakrishna.

 

Sri Ramakrishna describes how to overcome desire and anger: 

 

“When can desire and hatred, the enemies of man be destroyed ? These propensities of the mind prove themselves enemies when directed to worldly affairs.  They become allies when directed Godward.  Desires for worldly things must be converted into the desire for God.  Let man be annoyed with God and angry with Him for not revealing Himself.  Desire and anger cannot be totally destroyed, but they can be transmuted; then they become harmless.”  

              

Verse 27 

geyaM giitaa naama sahasraM

dhyeyaM shriipati ruupamajasram.h .

neyaM sajjana saN^ge chittaM

deyaM diinajanaaya cha vittam.h 

 

(geyaM = is to be sung; giitaa = (The Bhagavad) Gita; naama = name (of the Lord); sahasraM = thousand; dhyeyaM = is to be meditated; shriipati = Shri – Maha Lakshmi; Pati – consort; Hence Maha Vishnu (God ); ruupaM = form / image; ajasraM  = always; neyaM = is to be lead / taken; sajjana = good (holy) people; saN^ge = in the company; chittaM = mind; deyaM = is to be given; diina janaaya = to the  poor (and humble) people; cha = and; vittaM = wealth.)

 

(Gita naama sahasraM geyaM = the Bhagavad Gita and the Vishnu Sahasranama are to be recited; ajasraM shriipati ruupaM dhyeyaM = Shri Pati’s form is to be meditated on always; chittaM sajjana saN^ge neyaM = Mind is to be led to the company of good people; vittaM diinajanaaya deyaM cha = and wealth is to be given to the poor and needy.)

 

Study regularly the Bhagavad Gita and chant the Lord’s thousand glories. Always meditate on the form of God; Take delight in the company of good and holy people. Donate your wealth to the poor and the needy.

 

Here are four do’s for the sadhaka:

 

1. Study the Bhagavad Gita and chant the Lord’s glories.

2. Practice meditation as much as possible.

3. Keep the company of holy people.

4. Donate your wealth among the poor and weak.

 

The Bhagavad Gita is the essence of Veda - Vedanta.  Hence it is called an Upanishad in its own right.  In fact, it is more than an Upanishad. It is the essence of all Upanishads. It is the condensed, simplified form of all Upanishads bestowed by the Lord for the benefit of not-so-learned men. Gita forms the basis of all spiritual principles.  If Upanishads are cows, Gita is their milk affectionately given to the world by the divine cowherd Sri Krishna.  Karma- Bhakti – Jnana – Raja yogas, the four-lane path leading to God realization is explained clearly in it.  It is a practical guide on life which gives insight to the aspirant as to what is right. This will help alter his view on life and turn his mind towards God. Hence a serious study of Gita is essential for any sadhaka who starts his spiritual practices.  

 

Equipped thus with the intellectual knowledge, the sadhaka must practice what he learnt.  Contemplation on the Lord and his myriad glories is a right step.  The Vishnu Sahasranama proclaims thousand glories of the Lord.  Sadhaka can entertain his mind with such pure things.

 

The mind thus purified will be fit for the meditation on the Lord Shri Pati (Shri is Maha Lakshmi, Pati is her consort, Maha Vishnu, God).  Mere book knowledge will not be sufficient.  Meditation on God’s form alone will lead him to realization.  Religion is for practicing, not just for intellectual entertainment.  The best form for meditation is that of the Ishta Deva, one’s own chosen Ideal such as Maha Vishnu.

 

There is a danger for the sadhaka. It may not be possible to meditate always.  Company of the wicked or improper people can jeopardize his efforts and can bring ruin to whatever he did so far. Hence it is very important that the sadhaka keeps the company of only good and holy people who are interested in religious matters and spiritual practices. Satsanga keeps the tempo of the spiritual pursuits and helps the sadhaka to keep himself alert always.

 

The above practices will surely lead a sadhaka to his goal, provided he is unselfish and willing to help others: the poor, the sick, the needy, the lowly.  The wealth he has acquired is for this purpose.  It is to be donated to the people who are incapable of supporting themselves.  If, on the contrary, the sadhaka clings to his money, shutting his eyes on the sufferings of others, his sadhana will remain largely incomplete.  It should be added that monetary help is to be given only to people who are in real need of it.  Doing service to men and animals, old people and orphan children, sick and the meek is really a path to God realization as much as anything else.  The sadhaka should see the same Divinity that is within him in all living beings and worship It through service.  Without this concept, if he only worships an idol of wood or metal, he cannot be called a real devotee. Swami Vivekananda has thus praised this ‘Narayana seva through Nara seva’:

 

“The householder by digging tanks, by planting trees on the roadsides, by establishing rest houses for men and animals, by making roads and building bridges, goes towards the same goal as the greatest Yogi”. 

                                                                                                                                          - Swami Vivekananda (Karma Yoga).

 

What should be our attitude while we engage in charity? Swami Vivekananda says:

 

“Why should we do good to the world? Apparently to help the world, but really to help ourselves.  ..This world was not made that you or I should come and help it… The desire to do good is the highest motive power we have, if we know all the time that it is a privilege to help others. Do not stand on a high pedestal and take five cents in your hand and say, “Here, my poor man,” but be grateful that the poor man is there, so that by making a gift to him you are able to help yourself.  It is not the receiver that is blessed, but it is the giver.  Be thankful that you are allowed to exercise your power of benevolence and mercy in the world, and thus become pure and perfect.”