Bhaja Govindam

Verses 5 to 10

Verse 5 

yaavadvittopaarjana shaktaH

staavannija parivaaro raktaH .

pashchaajjiivati jarjara dehe

vaartaaM ko.api na pR^ichchhati gehe 

 

(yaavat.h = so long as; vitta = wealth; upaarjana = earning / acquiring; shaktaH = capable of; taavannija = tAvat.h + nija, till then + one's; parivaaraH = family; raktaH = attached; pashchaat.h = later; jiivati = while living (without earning); jarjara = old / digested (by disease etc); dehe = in the body; vaartaaM = enquiry / inquiry; ko.api = kaH + api, whosoever; even one; na = not; pR^ichchhati = inquires / asks / minds; gehe = in the house.)

 

(yaavadvittopaarjana shaktaH= as long as one is capable of earning money; taavannija parivaaro raktaH . = up to that time one’s family members will be affectionate; pashchaat.h, jarjara dehe jiivati = Afterwards, when (he) lives with an infirm body; gehe ko.api vaartttaM na pR^ichchhati = nobody in the home enquires (his) welfare.)

 

As long as one is fit and capable of making money, he gets the affection of his family members.  Afterwards, when he is old and sick, nobody even bothers to enquire his welfare.  

 

Those who are madly after money should pause for a moment and consider what is likely to happen to them in the later stage of their life!   They struggle all their lives to earn as much as possible, to get more power and position, not always through fair means, perhaps cheating others, perhaps committing crimes.  However, all this should come to and end.  A stage will come when a doctor will not be able to continue his profession, neither a singer to sing.  All our physical, intellectual and mental abilities will deplete as we advance in age.  There is no escape from this fact.  As soon as we are incapable of earning anymore, people distance from us.  A very bitter fact, indeed; but true: As long as we earn, family, relatives, friends, etc. are there with us giving us all affection.  When we are old or incapable of earning wealth, all those who surrounded desert us.   Son or daughter, brother or sister, mother or father: all care more for the person who earns money. The respect commanded is directly proportional to the money he has. 

 

Man, or any animal for that matter, is basically selfish.  All this behaviour alleged is a direct result of selfishness.  An elderly man (or woman) who has passed his prime and lost potential to earn is not paid attention; Nobody consults him. This is the way of the world.  The Acharya urges us to understand this truth and hence keep the mind clear of expectations and attachments.  For, these are bound to bring misery, sooner or later.  At the end of life, when the body is weak and sick, nobody may even come to say a few kind words. 

 

Verse 6 

yaavatpavano nivasati dehe

taavat pR^ichchhati kushalaM gehe .

gatavati vaayau dehaapaaye

bhaaryaa bibhyati tasminkaaye 

 

(yaavat.h = so long as; pavanaH = air / breath; nivasati = lives / dwells; dehe = in the body; taavat.h = till then; pR^ichchhati = asks / inquires; kushalaM = welfare; gehe = in the house; gatavati = while gone; vaayau = air (life-breath); dehaapaaye = when life departs the body; bhaaryaa = wife; bibhyati = is afraid; fears; tasminkaaye = tasmin.h + kaye, that body.)

 

(yaavat.h dehe pavanaH nivasati = As long as breath (prana) resides in the body;  taavat.h gehe kushalaM pR^ichchhati = Till that time (people) enquire the welfare;  dehaapaaye, vaayau gatavati = when the body falls with the departure of breath; tasmin kaaye bharyaa bibhyati = (even one’s) wife is afraid of that body)

 

When one is alive, his family members enquire kindly about his welfare . When the soul departs and the body falls, even one’s wife is afraid of the corpse.

 

Even wife is afraid of her husband's dead body, the body which gave her pleasure and pain in life; which shared her joys and sorrows: Lo! Now that is past; It is now a lifeless lump: a dead body!  This is also a sour fact.  As long as the breath of life is there, people come and surround.  The departure of prana (jeeva) changes the whole scene.  People want to get rid of the dead body as soon as possible.  We should understand that the body is useful only to this extent.  It is the best instrument we have to make the best out of life: to realize God. But if we think that it is everlasting and give too much attention to mend it, that is a fruitless exercise.

 

It is to be remembered that the body is undergoing change always.  The pretty baby soon grows into a handsome youth.  Youth has soon to give way to old age and its accompaniments of disease and weakness and the inevitable end.  The body has no value without its master, the soul.  It is like the empty cage from which the bird has flown away.  Without soul, it is just a corpse, which repels everybody. The Acharya reminds us these harsh realities of life and urges us to give up the yearning for mundane things.  Knowing the limitations of the body will help us keep a healthy attitude in life and turn the mind to everlasting principles, rather than concentrating on daily affairs.

 

Verse 7 

Baalastaavat kriiDaasaktaH

TaruNastaavat taruNiisaktaH .

vR^iddhastaavachchintaasaktaH

parame brahmaNi ko.api na saktaH 

 

(baalaH = childhood; taavat.h = till then; kriiDaa = play; saktaH = attached / engrossed / absorbed; taruNaH = adolescent; young man; taavat.h = till then; taruNii = young woman; saktaH = attached / engrossed; vR^iddhaH = old man; taavat.h = till then; chintaa = worry; saktaH = attached / engrossed / absorbed; parame = in the lofty; high; supreme; brahmaNi = (in) Brahman ; God; ko.api = whosoever (nobody); na = not; saktaH = attached / absorbed; engrossed.)

 

(Baalastaavat kriiDaasaktaH= as a child, (one is) absorbed in play; TaruNastaavat taruNiisaktaH . = as young man, engrossed in girls; vR^iddhastaavachchintaasaktaH = as old man, immersed in anxious thoughts; parame brahmaNi ko.api na saktaH = (Alas!) nobody is attracted to the Para Brahman!)

 

As a child, one is absorbed in play.  As a young man, attached to women; As an old man, one is lost in worrying thoughts; Alas! no one is attracted to the Supreme Brahman, God.

 

The philosopher in Sri Sankara portrays the truth about man’s journey of life and laments that everybody is immersed in worldly pursuits, but none is interested in realising God.  As a child, he is immersed in play and games without a worry of the world.  The play in childhood gives way to lust in his youth.  His sole aim now is to attract the opposite sex and enjoy their company. As he gets older, he understands his folly a little, but not much.  He is a worried man now; but the worry is not about God realization: his worries are mostly on his past life, his relatives, his sons and perhaps their children. Life is spent like this in vain, without any purpose.  Alas! He finds no time to contemplate on God and thus fulfill his life’s mission. He refuses to believe there is anything beyond this mundane existence and keeps himself busy with meaningless worldly activities. He thinks that all he sees here is the everlasting thing and whole-heartedly devotes his time to it.  When the messengers of death suddenly force him, it is perhaps with a heavy heart that he leaves this world reluctantly.  

 

Man spends most of his time in ‘kamini kanchana’, wealth and woman and forgets his aim.  Most people do not even know that there is an aim. People are so busy in their day- to- day affairs, too engrossed in keeping their position in society, that there is no question of even remembering God.  Some realize this only at a time when it is too late.  We forget that life is of five minutes and the sooner we search for God, the better it is.

 

“Very few understand that the aim of human life is to see God”       - Sri Ramakrishna.

 

Verse 8

kaate kaantaa kaste putraH

saMsaaro.ayamatiiva vichitraH .

kasya tvaM kaH kuta aayaataH

tattvaM chintaya tadiha bhraataH 

 

(kaate = kA + te, who + your; kaantaa = wife; kaste = kaH + te, who + your; putraH = son; sa.nsaaraH = world / family; ayaM = this; atiiva = great / big / very much; vichitraH = wonderful / mysterious; kasya = whose; tvaM = you; kaH = who; kutaH = from where; aayaataH = have come; tattvaM = truth / nature; chintaya = think well / consider; tadiha = tat.h + iha, that + here; bhraataH = brother.)

 

(kaate kaantaa = who is your wife? kaH te putraH = who is your son; ayaM sa.nsaaraH atiiva vichitraH = this world is very strange; tvaM kasya = whose are you? (tvam) kaH = who are (you)?; (tvam)  kutaH aayaataH = from where (you) came? bhraataH tat tattvaM iha chintaya = Hey brother, think of this truth here.)

 

Who is your wife ? Who is your son ? Strange is the (way of the) world; Of whom are you ? From where have you come ? Brother, now ponder over these truths.

 

The realistic view on life’s situation may not be to our liking; but it will give clarity of thought necessary for a true sadhaka.  The Acharyas seldom despise earthly relation of husband and wife, father and son, etc.  The scriptures assert the sanctity of such relationships that form the moral foundation of society.  But a sadhaka should be keener and contemplate more. We must wonder who we really are.  Before my birth, who I was, where I was ?  Who was my wife before our marriage ? A daughter of somebody.  One fine morning she entered my life.  Like this, I have no clue who were my sons or daughters.  After death, all these relationships come to an end, whether we like it or not; whether we accept it or not.  Yet people foolishly think all this is permanent.  Strange indeed are the ways of the world. The more we brood on the transient nature of all these things, the more we will come closer to truth, which will be a good beginning for spiritual life.

 

Spiritual aspirants should not misunderstand that family life is the end and aim of life.  All earthly relations will come to an end, sooner or later.  Hence we should understand that God alone is our true relative: he alone is our mother, our father, our relative, our friend. Sri Sarada Devi says, “Do your duty to wife and children; but give your love only to God”.  

 

The wife of this life may not be that of the next one; The same is the case with other relatives.  The Upanishads tell the story of a husband and wife whose only son died.  They were so grieved that they approached a holy man and pleaded with him to resurrect the dead son.  The holy man tried to convince that it is a futile task. The son, anyway has to die at a later date; It doesn’t make any difference even if he gets another span of life.  However, the attachment on the son was too much, and the sorrowful parents did not accept any excuses.  At last, the holy man had to apply his supernatural powers and wake up the boy from the dark realms of death.  Responding to the holy ministrations, the boy opened his eyes and looked around.  The holy man asked him: “Aren’t you happy to come back to life? Don’t you recognize your parents? Here is your mother crying for your coming back; Here is your father waiting for you to open your eyes….’’  The boy looked puzzled and asked the holy man: “I cannot understand anything.  Which father are you talking about ? Which mother ? Sometimes I was a son, sometimes father, I was mother, I was husband.  Now I don’t know about which parents you are talking about.  Leave me alone; let me go back from where I came”.  This story precisely tells us the facts of life, though harsh.

  

"These earthly ties are transitory. Today they seem to be the be-all and end-all of life, and tomorrow they vanish. Your real tie is with God."                                                                                                                                                                  - Sri Sarada Devi.

 

Verse 9 

satsaN^gatve nissN^gatvaM

nissaN^gatve nirmohatvam.h .

nirmohatve nishchalatattvaM

nishchalatattve jiivanmuktiH 

 

(satsaN^gatve = in good company; nissaN^gatvaM = non-attachment / detachment; nirmohatvaM = non-infatuated state / clearheadedness; nishchalatattvaM = tranquility / imperturbability; jiivanmuktiH = salvation + freedom from bondage of birth.)

 

(satsaN^gatve nissaN^gatvaM = Through satsanga (company of good and holy people), non - attachment (is achieved); nissaN^gatve nirmohatvam.h = by non-attachment, non- infatuated state; nirmohatve nishchalatattvaM =  through non- infatuated state, tranquility; nishchalatattve jiivanmuktiH = from tranquility, freedom from bondage of birth.) 

 

From the company of good and holy people, one develops a state of non-attachment; from this comes freedom from delusion; This leads to a state of tranquility of mind, which enables one to attain freedom.

 

Sri Sankara here gives us a ladder to climb up to the level of salvation. The first step is satsanga: the company of holy people, saints, good men and women.  This is the basis of all further steps.  Very few people are self-made. Even most spiritual giants had teachers, gurus.  In modern times, Sri Ramakrishna had several teachers, who initiated Him to various spiritual disciplines followed by them. Prominent among them was Sri Tota Puri, who initiated Him to sanyasa. The flow of knowledge is from the guru to disciples.  This has been the method of transmission of this knowledge through generations, through centuries.  

 

It is a well-known fact that good character is developed from the company of good people and degradation is likely to follow the company of the wicked.  Hence the sadhakas desirous of God realization should attempt to keep only the company of really good people; if available, men who have seen God. Satsanga helps them know which is real and which is transitory; which leads to God and which leads away.  Equipped thus with true knowledge, the aspirant slowly develops non-attachment to things of the world. The Gita lays great stress on non–attachment; It is termed Anasakti Yoga. This attitude of renunciation of worldly pleasures and charms is required for further progress.  The sadhaka who is non-attached slowly gets free from delusion.  The Maya of the world fails to mislead such a sadhaka.  When he meditates on the Lord with the mind thus purified, he is sure to reach a state of tranquility.  The tranquil mind soon realizes Truth. The Yogi now attains freedom. Freedom from the chain of birth and death; freedom from ignorance, misery, transitory nature of the world.  This was the aim of his sadhana.

 

The ladder thus shown by Sri Sankara is similar to the one given in the Gita: In Gita, Sri Krishna shows a ladder which goes down – to degradation:

 

“Dhyaayato vishayaan pumsah sangasteshuupajayate

Sangaat samjaayate kamah kamat krodhobhijayate

Krodhaat bhavati sammohah sammohaat smruti vibhramah

Smrutibhramshaat buddhi naasho buddhinaashaat pranashyati.”                            - (Bhagavat Gita Chapter 2, slaokas 62 and 63)

 

“Brooding on the objects of senses, man develops attachment to them; from attachment comes desire; from desire anger sprouts forth. 

From anger proceeds delusion; from delusion, confused memory; from confused memory the ruin of reason; due to the ruin of reason he perishes.”

 

“He who is dead as it were when alive, that is to say, as desire-less as a corpse, becomes competent for Brahma–jnanam”                                                                                                                                                                                              -Sri Ramakrishna.

Verse 10

vayasigate kaH kaamavikaaraH

shushhke niire kaH kaasaaraH .

kshiiNevitte kaH parivaaraH

GYaate tattve kaH saMsaaraH 

 

(vayasigate = vayasi + gate, when age has advanced / gone; kaH = who / what use (in the sense of kva?(where)); kaamavikaaraH = sensual / sexual feeling; shushhke = in the drying up of; niire = water; ka = what (use) is the; kaasaaraH = lake; kshiiNe = spent-up / weakened state of; vitte = wealth; kaH = what (use) for; parivaaraH = family (is there?); GYaate = in the realized state; tattve = truth; kaH = what (use) is;

sa.nsaaraH = world / family bond.)

 

(vayasigate = when advanced in age; kaH kaamavikaaraH = what is (the use of) sensual feelings ? ; shushhke niire = when dry; ka kaasaaraH = what (use) is a lake ?; kshiiNe vitte = when wealth is depleted; kaH parivaaraH = what (use) is the family ? GYaate tattve = known the Truth; kaH sa.nsaaraH = what (use) is worldly life ?)

 

What good is lust when youth has fled away? What is the use of a lake that has dried up ? Where are the relatives when wealth is gone ? Where is samsaara, the worldly life, when the Truth is known ?

 

Without the cause, the effect has no existence.  Sri Sankara presents this fact here with four examples. There is no place for carnal feelings as we advance in age; The lake is no lake if the water in it dries up; There are no relatives if we run out of wealth.  In the same manner, there is no samsaara (worldly life) for the person who has understood the Eternal Principle.  

 

The cause of sexual feelings is youth.  Health and vigour gradually shrink as we age. The body loses the earlier potential to perform.  There is no escape from this transformation. Lake, once dried up, is no longer called by that name.  Relatives, family members, all of them surround a person only when he has money.  As soon as his wealth is gone, the people desert him or may even try to harm if possible.  People surrounded him only due to his wealth and position, unconsciously hoping for a share of his fortune.  When the person is no longer giving them this hope, people find no use for his company and go after somebody else.  

 

As soon as we know the cause of our Existence, the delusion of the world goes away from our eyes.  The world holds no charm for the person who has experienced the principle of spirituality: God alone is Truth and the world is a delusion; He is the eternal principle behind the ever-changing world drama.

 

The driving force in life is the worldy desire.  When a sadhaka succeeds in curtailing this, when he is able to dry out the lake of desires, where is the Samsara for him ?  The material world and its attractions fail to charm the aspirant: he has found more durable thing. When the darkness of ignorance vanishes with the light of Knowledge of the Self, mundane things won’t interest his mind.

 

“What remains in the man from whose mind lust and greed are entirely eliminated? The Bliss of Brahman beams in him”                                                                                                                                                                                                  - Sri Ramakrishna.