04 Bhaja Govindam

|| pÉeÉ aÉÉåÌuÉlSÇ ||
BHAJA GOVINDAM
“Hammer Blows TEXT
00
to Delusion”
“THE SANDEEPANY EXPERIENCE”
Reflections by
TEXT SWAMI GURUBHAKTANANDA
04
Sandeepany’s Vedanta Course
List of All the Course Texts in Chronological Sequence:
Text Text
TITLE OF TEXT TITLE OF TEXT
No. No.
1 Sadhana Panchakam 24 Hanuman Chalisa
2 Tattwa Bodha 25 Vakya Vritti
3 Atma Bodha 26 Advaita Makaranda
4 Bhaja Govindam 27 Kaivalya Upanishad
5 Manisha Panchakam 28 Bhagavad Geeta (Discourse -- )
6 Forgive Me 29 Mundaka Upanishad
7 Upadesha Sara 30 Amritabindu Upanishad
8 Prashna Upanishad 31 Mukunda Mala (Bhakti Text)
9 Dhanyashtakam 32 Tapovan Shatkam
10 Bodha Sara 33 The Mahavakyas, Panchadasi 5
11 Viveka Choodamani 34 Aitareya Upanishad
12 Jnana Sara 35 Narada Bhakti Sutras
13 Drig-Drishya Viveka 36 Taittiriya Upanishad
14 “Tat Twam Asi” – Chand Up 6 37 Jivan Sutrani (Tips for Happy Living)
15 Dhyana Swaroopam 38 Kena Upanishad
16 “Bhoomaiva Sukham” Chand Up 7 39 Aparoksha Anubhuti (Meditation)
17 Manah Shodhanam 40 108 Names of Pujya Gurudev
18 “Nataka Deepa” – Panchadasi 10 41 Mandukya Upanishad
19 Isavasya Upanishad 42 Dakshinamurty Ashtakam
20 Katha Upanishad 43 Shad Darshanaah
21 “Sara Sangrah” – Yoga Vasishtha 44 Brahma Sootras
22 Vedanta Sara 45 Jivanmuktananda Lahari
23 Mahabharata + Geeta Dhyanam 46 Chinmaya Pledge
A NOTE ABOUT SANDEEPANY

Sandeepany Sadhanalaya is an institution run by the Chinmaya Mission in Powai, Mumbai, teaching a
2-year Vedanta Course. It has a very balanced daily programme of basic Samskrit, Vedic chanting, Vedanta
study, Bhagavatam, Ramacharitmanas, Bhajans, meditation, sports and fitness exercises, team-building outings,
games and drama, celebration of all Hindu festivals, weekly Gayatri Havan and Guru Paduka Pooja, and Karma
Yoga activities.
This series is an effort to promote the learning of Vedanta; it does not replace Course, but hopes to
inspire young people to spend two years of their life for an experience that is sure to make a far-reaching
spiritual impact on their personal lives. Sandeepany is an all-round spiritual course that gives proper direction
to the youth and to those approaching retirement. Hinduism is in dire need of a band of systematically trained
teachers or Acharyas who can serve this Eternal Religion.
– The Editor, 1st June 2017, Sannyasa Day of Sri Swami Sivananda
Om Namah Shivaaya!
Text
04
BHAJA GOVINDAM
“Hammer Blows to Delusion”
Composed by
Sri Adi Shankaracharyaji
Reflections
by Swami Gurubhaktananda
on the 12 Lectures delivered by Swami Advayananda,
Acharyaji, 15th Batch Vedanta Course
AT SANDEEPANY SADHANALAYA, POWAI, MUMBAI
28th November, 2011 – 16th December, 2011
Adi Shankaracharya Swami Sivananda Swami Tapovanji Swami Chinmayananda
SERVE  LOVE  GIVE  PURIFY  MEDITATE  REALISE

Copyright & Author’s Details
Author: Swami Gurubhaktananda, ex Krishna Chaitanya, born Bipin R. Kapitan
of Durban, South Africa.
Residence: Rishikesh, Uttarakhand, India.
Email: gurubhakta.dls@gmail.com
© 2017 All Rights Reserved. Copyright held by Chinmaya International Foundation, Kerala.
About This Edition:

Web Edition: 1st June 2017 Sannyasa Day of Sri Swami Sivananda
Website: Chinmaya International Foundation: www.chinfo.org
Series Title : The Sandeepany Experience
Series Subject: Vedanta & supportive subsidiary texts.
Declaration by the Author: The material in this series is under inspiration of the Sandeepany
Vedanta Course, but largely consists of the Author’s reflections on the Course. He is
deeply indebted to the Chinmaya Mission for its excellent presentation of the Course
by their renowned and dedicated Acharyas.
Personal Dedication
1. To my Parents, Smt Sharadaben & Sri Ratilalbhai Kapitan
who inspired me to study in life, to stick to the path of Dharma and pursue the
highest ideals; and swamped me with their abundant Love;
2. To Pujya Sri Swami Vimalanandaji Maharaj

the President of the Divine Life Society of Rishikesh, Uttarakhand, India, who
constantly encouraged and supported this effort;
3. To Pujya Sri Swami Tejomayanandaji (Guruji)

for his boundless vision and inspiration to create a vibrant organisation;
4. To Sri Swami Advayanandaji and Sri Swami Sharadanandaji

my Acharyaji and Upa-Acharyaji at Sandeepany, who imparted their bountiful
knowledge and wisdom with rare selfless Divine Love, just as the Rishis of yore
would wish to see them do.
*****
BHAJA GOVINDAM
FOR SAMSKRIT TEXT WITH SANDHEES
Guide to Splitting Sandhees
Conventional Samskrit Format is used in the body of the book.
Split-Sandhee Samskrit Format is given at the end of the book, for the benefit of
beginners. Word-combinations (Sandhees) are highlighted in bold underline (as shown in
the table below) to help indicate the splitting of words. This is an original feature.
Purpose: To assist new students who are just finding their way in Samskrit to break
up the words (Pada Chheda). It is not intended for those already proficient in Samskrit.
How it Works: 1. Enables normal chanting. The bold underlined letters are Sandhees,
not words, and are needed only to join words for correct chanting.
2. Indicates splitting of words. To determine the words on either side of the
Sandhee, the following table may be used. [The table has been applied in the transliteration
within the body of the book, where individual words are used.]
Add to End Add to Front

SANDHEE
of Prior Word of Posterior Word
A (a) -AÉ- (aa) A (a)
C (i) -D- (ee) C (i)
E (u) -F- (oo) E (u)
elongated vowel -"x- short vowel
short vowel -x"- elongated vowel
elongated vowel -"x" - elongated vowel
A (a) -L- (e) C (i)

A (a) -Lå- (ai) L (e)
A (a) -AÉå- (o) E (u)
A (a) -AÉæ- (au) Lå (ai)
AÈ (ah) -AÉå (o) unaffected
C (i) -rÉç (y) unaffected
E (u) -uÉç (v) unaffected
È (h) -xÉç, -Uç, -zÉç unaffected
*****
BHAJA GOVINDAM
CONTENTS
Introduction 3
PART I
The Opening Refrain – “The Hammer Blows” 4
Verse 1 Seek God, O Fool! 4
PART II
Dvadasha Manjarika Stotram – “Pitfalls to Beware Of” 6
(12 Verses by Shankaracharya)
Verse 2: Kanchana: The Thirst for Wealth 6
Verse 3: Kamini: The Attraction for Woman 7
Verse 4: The Instability of Life 8
Verse 5: The Selfishness of Dependents 9
Verse 6: Only While There is Life 10
Verse 7: Attachment in Boyhood, Youth and Old Age 11
Verse 8: Start Questioning 12
Verse 9: Satsang Liberates us 13
Verse 10: Without Cause, No Effect 14
Verse 11: The Props of the Ego 15
Verse 12: The Stubborn Gusts of Desire 16
Verse 13: Surrendering Our Worries 17
PART III
Chaturdasha Manjarika Stotram - “Where is Happiness?” 19
(14 Verses by the Disciples)
Verse 14: The Abuse of Outward Symbols 19
Verse 15: Fooled by Desire 20
Verse 16: Fooled by Austerity 21
Verse 17: Fooled by Moderation 22
1
Verse 18: The Man of True Dispassion 23
Verse 19: The Source of Happiness 24
Verse 20: Taking the First Few Steps 25
Verse 21: What is Liberation? 26
Verse 22: The Path to Liberation 28
Verse 23: Enquiry into the Self 30
Verse 24: The All-Pervading Reality 31
Verse 25: Beyond All Sense of Difference 32
Verse 26: A World Without Anger Lust and Greed 33
Verse 27: The Path of Blessedness 35
PART IV
Final Concluding Verses – “How to Plan One’s Liberation?” 37
(4 Verses by Sri Shankaracharyaji)
Verse 28: Beware of Carnal Pleasures 37
Verse 29: Wealth is Calamitous 38
Verse 30: Take Great Care in Sadhana 40
Verse 31: Surrender to the Lotus Feet of One’s Guru 41
Who is the Guru? by Acharyaji (An Addendum) 42

Split-Sandhee Samskrit Version (for Beginners) 43
Split-Sandhee English Transliteration (for Beginners) 45
*****
2
INTRODUCTION
i) The Life of Sri Adi Shankaracharya.
THE HISTORICAL PERIOD when Sri Shankaracharya appeared in this world was the
8th Century A.D. He was not a revolutionary, but a philosopher. One may say he came as a
gentle breeze and refreshed the people of his times. He wrote in all styles to please all
people. He could go to lofty heights of Vedanta, and yet come down to the level of the
ordinary man. Some considered him to be an incarnation. Incarnation or not, he was indeed
a great person.
Humanity has a tendency to lift people and make them inaccessible. As much as
admirers of him would want to do that, he himself always considered himself to be only the
servant of the people of India. He was a sage and Rishi who loved his people, and a patriot
who loved India.
His career stretched from his 12th year till he left this world at the age of 32.
Shankaracharya was a very refined person. He did not argue to defeat people, but
just to enlighten them. He was not a dry intellectual; he used the intellect to its utmost
capacity. He believed that the intellect could raise an individual to the brink of God-
realisation. He taught the path of Jnana Yoga or Vedantic Enquiry, but was also deeply
devotional at heart. This poem conveys some of his great love for the path of devotion.
He left four main disciples – Padmapada, Thotakacharya, Hastamalaka and
Sureshwaracharya – to continue the work he had set up to rejuvenate the spirit of Vedanta
and install it in its rightful place as the prime philosophy by which man can attain liberation
from the bondage of worldliness.
*****
ii) The Poem, “Bhaja Govindam”.
SRI SHANKARACHARYA ONCE encountered an old teacher who was busy with
memorizing the rules of Samskrit grammar in order to teach them to a few small boys.
The old Acharya was shivering and shaking due to the infirmity of age, yet he still
carried on teaching. He was teaching the Dhatu Pada of Samskrit grammar.
The sight drew out the poet in Shankaracharya. He spontaneously broke out into
song. Not that he began to sing – rather one can say he became Song itself!
On completion of 12 verses of the song (excluding the refrain), the old man got up,
and old as he was, took it seriously enough to decide to follow Shankaracharya then and
there. These verses form Part II of the poem.
Then, the 14 disciples who were accompanying Shankaracharya that day each of
them spontaneously composed a verse. These 14 verses form Part III.
The Great Master then summed up the whole message in 4 verses in Part IV.
*****
3
BHAJA GOVINDAM
PART I – Verse 1 only
Hammer Blows to DELUSION
Verse 1: Seek God, O Fool!

pÉeÉ aÉÉåÌuÉlSÇ pÉeÉ aÉÉåÌuÉlSÇ , aÉÉåÌuÉlSÇ pÉeÉ qÉÔRûqÉiÉå |
xÉqmÉëÉmiÉå xÉÍ³ÉÌWûiÉå MüÉsÉå , lÉÌWû lÉÌWû U¤ÉÌiÉ QÒûM×üƒ¡ûUhÉå || 1||
1 bhaja govindam, bhaja govindam Seek Govind, seek Govind,

2 govindam bhaja mudhamate; seek Govind, O Fool!
3 sampraapte sannihite kaale When the appointed time comes (death),
4 na hi na hi rakshati dukrin karane grammar rules surely will not save you.
1 This line conveys the remedy for all our ills, whether physical, mental or spiritual.
The line is a refrain sung at the end of each verse. It therefore underlines the central
message of the entire poem. Bhaja “Worship!” says the poet. Worship whom? – Govinda,
the Lord, of course.
2 But the message may not have gone through to some still. So he repeats the
instruction, this time switching the words around so that the emphasis is on God. We could
easily worship mammon even while thinking we are worshipping God. Propaganda, show of
wealth, emphasis on external modes of worship – all these lead us astray even in the name
of God. So we are asked to make certain that He whom we worship is, indeed, God.
Moodhamate: If we are not turning towards God, then we are fools, says the poet. It
is not time to be too polite. This is a wake up call to sleeping mankind. We are so immersed
in forgetfulness of God that only a harsh means can turn our minds Godward.
In the language of Shankaracharya, Moodha has a Vedantic connotation. It does not
mean “foolish” as we usually understand the word. It is referring to one who is spiritually
ignorant. Even the most intelligent scientist, if he is a rank materialist, he would fall under
the category of Moodhamata. The majority of mankind will be highly qualified for this
category! Neglect of the spiritual aspect in life is being highlighted.
3 Kaale, meaning “at the appointed time”, also has an implied meaning. It stands for
“death” or Lord Yama, the God of Death. At the time of our birth we have already made an
appointment with Death. Death was our twin, born with us, but only always lagging behind
a little. When it overtakes us, it is time to go!
4
A reminder of death is appropriate to the awakening call of the poet. Only death has
the power to knock some sense into our deluded minds. It has a sobering effect on us to
curb our unbridled romp with indulgence.
4 Dukrin: “grammar rules”. The word comes from the ‘Kru’ Dhatu and is the root for
Karma or action. It is obviously symbolic – known as an Upa-Lakshana in Samskrit. It has to
be taken to represent all secular forms of knowledge – i.e. Apara Vidya.
The difference between secular and spiritual knowledge will be taken up in greater
detail when we study the Upanishads, but here it is enough to know that ‘Apara’ Vidya is
knowledge that will assist us only in getting on in the world. The higher ‘Para’ Vidya deals
with knowledge of Brahman or the Self, and is of a totally different nature and purpose from
the former.
Not only that, but there is a suggestion that taking recourse solely to actions (from
the root ‘Krn’, “to do”) will not help us spiritually; knowledge is what is needed. There is no
escape from knowledge on the path to liberation. We may start with “doing”, but we have
to end in our quest by “being”.
*****
Little Krishna
and Mother Yashoda
5
Dvadasha Manjarika Stotram
PART II – Verses 2-13 (12 No.)
“Pitfalls to Beware of”
Verse 2: Kanchana: The Thirst for Wealth

qÉÔRû eÉWûÏÌWû kÉlÉÉaÉqÉiÉ×whÉÉÇ , MÑüÂ xÉ¯ÒÎ®Ç qÉlÉÍxÉ ÌuÉiÉ×whÉÉqÉç |
rÉssÉpÉxÉå ÌlÉeÉMüqÉÉåïmÉÉ¨ÉÇ , ÌuÉ¨ÉÇ iÉålÉ ÌuÉlÉÉåSrÉ ÍcÉ¨ÉqÉç || 2||
moodha jaheehi dhana-agama

1 O Fool! Give up the thirst to possess wealth.
trishnaam
kuru sadbuddhim manasi Create in your mind, devoid of passions,
2
vitrishnaam; thoughts of the Reality.
3 yal-labhase nija karma-upaattam From your actions, whatever you get as
4 vittam tena vinodaya chittam. wealth, entertain your mind (be content).
1 Moodha: “O Fool!” There is an urgency to wake up. When the house is on fire,
there is no time to wait for formalities to wake people up and save their lives. It could have
even been “O Idiot!” without being rude in a case like this. This is how much Sri
Shankaracharya is concerned for the spiritual wellbeing of mankind.
If livelihood is meant for living, then what is living meant for? What are we going to
do with so much wealth? Let us not make the means into an end. Everything has its proper
time and limits. Is the wealth going to come with us when we go?
Acharyaji quoted the story of Alexander the Great who had instructed that at the
time of his funeral, his hands should be positioned to hang out of the coffin with the palms
open, to indicate that after all his conquests he is not taking anything with him!
There is a wise old belief that if we die with excess wealth, we will be reborn as
snakes to come and look after that wealth. Hence the advice is to give away surplus wealth.
Replacing Evil Thoughts With Good Ones:

2 What happens when we give away our excess wealth? The passions in our mind
are cooled down. In a mind free from passions, we are able to entertain thoughts of the
Reality. This method by which we substitute a harmful thought with one that is more
beneficial, is called Pratipaksha Bhavana. This Bhavana includes developing a disgust for
that which is harmful.
Note that the pursuits themselves are not being criticized, only their effect of making
us forget God is criticized. Knowledge and wealth are both needed, but not at the expense
6
of losing our spiritual identity. When they are in excess of our need, they tend to make us
forget God. By giving this excess away in charity, we can be safe from this danger.
When sensual pleasure is criticized, it is not man or woman or marriage that is the
target, but its invariable effect of making us completely forget our spiritual purpose.
Remaining Contented:
3-4 What is occupying our mind? What should be occupying it? Is a Sattwic pursuit
such as the quest for knowledge going to be of more use than the Rajasic one of earning
more wealth? Knowledge also has its dangers. It may make one swollen-headed. One can
become great in a particular field. Then there will be welcome receptions everywhere, one
will be a speaker at every function, etc. Will this be help to realize one’s spiritual goal?
Vinodaya Chittam – “give joy to the mind”. When we use our excess wealth for the
welfare of others, it helps to build a noble mind; such a mind is always pleasant and joyful.
The total message in this verse is therefore to be understood clearly:
Anything that takes us away from the spiritual goal is to be

considered as a wasted effort.
Verse 3: Kamini: The Attraction for Woman

lÉÉUÏxiÉlÉpÉUlÉÉpÉÏSåzÉÇ , SØwOèuÉÉ qÉÉ aÉÉ qÉÉåWûÉuÉåzÉqÉç |
LiÉlqÉÉÇxÉuÉxÉÉÌSÌuÉMüÉUÇ , qÉlÉÍxÉ ÌuÉÍcÉliÉrÉ uÉÉUÇ uÉÉUqÉç || 3||
Seeing the weighty bosoms of young

1 naari-stana bhara naabhee-desham
maidens, and their navel –
2 drishtvaa maa’gaa moha- avesham; do not fall a prey to maddening delusion.
3 etan maamsa vasaadi vikaaram These are but modifications of flesh and fat.
4 manasi vichintaya vaaram vaaram. Reflect well in your mind again and again.
Going beyond the natural passions is not a weakness suffered by animals. Only man
falls a prey to that – and pays the price for his indulgence.
For a spiritual aspirant these words will not sound offensive but rather helpful in
regulating his life’s energies. The spirit of the verse is least offensive, indeed, most helpful,
considering the urgency of spiritual awakening.
1 One is compelled to ask: What, after all, is attracting in the physical body? The
physical centres of attraction are mentioned in the verse. But are they attractive in
themselves? Pada 3 answers that question, and Pada 4 tells where the problem lies.
2 Maa (A)gaa: “Do not fall a prey”. This sums up the advice being given on this
subject. It is not directed to man or to woman; nor is it against man or against woman. Lust
is present in man and woman. The truth is that it arises from the power of delusion which is
rooted in ignorance.
7
The advice given is to eschew an ignoble view of the human body, seeing it only as
an object of enjoyment. This view is demeaning to one’s character, and inexcusably
unworthy of the dignity of man. It is the very antithesis of all striving for nobility and a
greater meaning to life. The words “fall a prey” allude to the negative effect of lust.
4 Manasi Vichintaya: “Reflect well”. The hint is very strong that the unseen mind is
the culprit that promotes lust in a person. Lust has never found a safer refuge and supporter
than the human mind; that makes lust a purely mental phenomenon, inflamed by thoughts
and musings of desire. Any remedy to cure one of it has to deal with the mind, not the body.
Thus, “think well thus in your mind”.
There have been sincere aspirants who have abandoned themselves to life in a
desert, with barely enough food to eat, and were yet victims of pangs of passion. This
proves that lust is a desire, and the home of desire is the mind.
The ‘virus’ of lust proliferates in the mind. The ‘anti-virus’ has two aspects: i) firmly
establishing the intellect in a higher ideal; and ii) cultivating the correct attitude towards the
human body. The first takes care of the inner virus of desire; the second takes care of the
external actions that seek to fulfil that desire. Sadhana that incorporates both these aspects
will certainly succeed in cleaning out the virus of lust.
In conclusion, this verse teaches us that to consider someone else just as an object of
pleasure and degrade ourselves in carnal pursuit is just like being an animal. We are asked
to raise ourselves to higher things. “Move forward!” is the poet’s call to us.
An Anecdote from Acharyaji’s Life:

Acharyaji gave us an amusing anecdote from his own life. A long time ago he had to
send a sample of urine urgently to his secretary from out of town. There was no time to look
for the right packaging. He found a perfume bottle that would do for the sample. Using the
perfume bottle packaging itself, he sent it off with a friend. The friend took it.
On the way his curiosity grew as he looked at the address on the package – “To Miss
So-and-so.” The packaging made him suspicious. He could not contain his inquisitive mind.
“What! Has he got some secret ideas in his mind?” He had to open and see for himself. He
opened up the box. Finding the neatly wrapped perfume bottle for the young secretary, he
became very curious. Curiosity made him open the lid to smell the perfume!
Verse 4: The Instability of Life

lÉÍsÉlÉÏSsÉaÉiÉeÉsÉqÉÌiÉiÉUsÉÇ , iÉ²‹ÏÌuÉiÉqÉÌiÉzÉrÉcÉmÉsÉqÉç |
ÌuÉÎ® urÉÉkrÉÍpÉqÉÉlÉaÉëxiÉÇ , sÉÉåMÇü zÉÉåMüWûiÉÇ cÉ xÉqÉxiÉqÉç || 4||
The water-drop playing on a lotus petal has

1 nalinee- dalagata jalam- ati- taralam
an extremely uncertain existence;
2 tadvat- jeevitam- atishaya- chapalam; so also is life ever unstable.
Understand it to be consumed by disease and
3 viddhi vyaadhy- abhimaana grastam
conceit; and
4 lokam shoka- hatam cha samastam. this entire world is riddled only with pangs.
8
We have been born with an expiry date – when it will come we do not know. Even if
we escape the temptations of wealth or the pleasures of the senses (as described in the
previous two stanzas), this birth itself is so uncertain in duration. No one can escape from
the clutches of Time or Death. Death stalks at every moment.
2 This verse focuses our attention on the uncertainty of life, so that we learn to make
the best possible use of our time. Life is fickle. We really have very little time in one birth.
Before we know it the “water-drop” of our life-span will have evaporated. This brings us to
the excellent simile used to symbolize one’s life-span…
The droplet arises from water and return to water. In the same way we arise from
Brahman and return to Brahman. This is the Vedantic meaning of the same simile.
1 If one sees a droplet of water on a lotus leaf, the first thought is the sheer beauty
of the sight. It is one of nature’s thrilling sights. A closer look reveals another side attached
to this beauty – its shaky, uncertain existence. It faces many dangers to its existence:
i) A slight wind can simply blow it off the leaf.
ii) A slight wave in the water can shake off the droplet back into the water.
iii) Even if it survives that, as soon as the sun rises a bit higher, even without any
wind the droplet cannot avoid drying up out of existence.
The poet in Shankaracharyaji always finds the perfect simile – how much closer can
he get to a comparison with our life span!
Pratipaksha Bhavana is brought into play here also. If we realize the extreme
uncertainty of life, it will impel us to take up our spiritual life more seriously, and with a
sense of urgency. If this verse does that, the poet’s selection of the beautiful simile would
not be in vain.
The Pangs of Pain and Disease:

3-4 Even such a brittle life, short as it is, is riddled with the dangers of disease and
conceit (arising from greed) waiting to consume us.
One may argue that there is no problem of a short life as long as one enjoys it well,
in good health and in happiness. But that is a Utopian dream. Life brings with it all the tests
and trials. It does not spare anyone the pangs of pain and disease.
The pangs are not only physical pains. There are even more unbearable pains lying in
wait for the non-discriminating in the world…
Verse 5: The Selfishness of Dependents

rÉÉuÉÌ²¨ÉÉåmÉÉeÉïlÉxÉ£ü- , xiÉÉuÉÍ³ÉeÉmÉËUuÉÉUÉå U£üÈ |
mÉ¶ÉÉ‹ÏuÉÌiÉ eÉeÉïUSåWåû , uÉÉiÉÉïÇ MüÉåÅÌmÉ lÉ mÉ×cNûÌiÉ aÉåWåû || 5||
1 yaavad- vitta- upaarjana saktah As long as one has the ability to earn wealth
2 staavad- nijaparivaaro raktah; so long dependents are attached to you;
3 pashchaad- jeevati jarjara dehe Later on, when infirmity comes upon you,
4 vaartaam ko’pi na pricchati gehe. none at home cares to speak even a word!
9
The Bare Truth of Human Relationships - 1
1-4 Sri Shankaracharyaji does not mince his words in bringing into the open the
harsh realities of life. It is one of the truths of existence that dependents are attached only
while the earning power is there in a person. When that is gone through old age or an
infirmity, who is left to attend upon one’s needs?
If this was how Shankaracharya saw life more than 1200 years ago, modern
civilization has not improved upon it today. On the contrary, the situation could only have
worsened with the increase in materialistic values. We are looking at a universal situation.
This happens in every country, among the rich as well as the poor. It is the way nature has
made us – yes, so similar to our animal brothers.
This verse is a powerful statement on human civilization in all ages. Self-centredness
seems to be at the core of human society as we have grown to see it. As much as we may
wish to turn our eyes away from the truth, we cannot help recognizing some part of this
verse being dramatized in our own lives, among our own kith and kin.
The poet is stating a human tendency at work throughout the world. There is no
doubt that there are noble exceptions to this statement, but it does not blind us to the
general truth of the poet’s words.
Comforts of Family Life vs Spiritual Life

Shankaracharyaji is concerned with the false sense of security we get in the
“comforts of family life.” He is using the above weakness in our society to create dispassion
in our hearts for “the comfortable life”. This is the ultimate motivation behind such a verse.
Deep personal experience of disappointment or disillusionment plays a key role in
turning one towards the higher life. The poet uses this factor to the limit in this verse to stir
ignorant mankind towards the spiritual life.
Unless we turn away from the alluring comforts of home life, we will never make
substantial progress in attaining spiritual perfection. Sri Shankaracharya, therefore, does not
spare his words in creating disgust in our minds for home comforts, which hold back most
people from pursuing the spiritual path more seriously.
If this verse leads one to realize that he need not spend his life for the sake of selfish
dependents when he could be spending it more profitably to lead a pure life, in keeping
with the spiritual aim of life, then the harsh truth contained in it would be justified.
Verse 6: Only While There is Life

rÉÉuÉimÉuÉlÉÉå ÌlÉuÉxÉÌiÉ SåWåû , iÉÉuÉimÉ×cNûÌiÉ MÑüzÉsÉÇ aÉåWåû |
aÉiÉuÉÌiÉ uÉÉrÉÉæ SåWûÉmÉÉrÉå , pÉÉrÉÉï ÌoÉprÉÌiÉ iÉÎxqÉlMüÉrÉå || 6||
1 yaavat pavano nivasati dehe As long as there dwells breath in your body,
2 taavat pricchati kushalam gehe; so long they enquire of your welfare at home;
3 gatavati vaayau deha- apaaye when the breath leaves and body decays,
4 bhaaryaa bibhyati tasmin kaaye. even the wife is afraid of such a body!
10
The theme begun in the previous verse is continued here with a graphic touch added
to it, to drive home the same point with added emphasis.
Acharyaji was very clear in his comment on this verse – it is neither pessimistic, nor
optimistic; it is purely realistic! That is Vedanta. It looks at things straight in the eye.
The Bare Truth of Human Relationships - 2

1-4 Suppose it is possible somehow to succeed in being a breadwinner throughout
one’s life; i.e. no disease and no infirmity. Does that nullify the truth that selfishness is at
the core of all human relationships? No. For there is yet one event – that of Death – which
proves beyond doubt that all human dependencies have to come to an end. When death
comes, it ends all dependency that others have for us. At that moment, even one’s wife
shudders to remain close to her husband’s dead body!
Far from creating a pessimistic picture, this verse is really telling it as it is, something
which our modern civilization tries to hide away from us.
In modern civilization, we tend to shun the topic of death. We close our eyes to the
reality that is certain to overtake us one day. As one modern writer puts it, “we are only
allowed to see a sanitized version of death” (Echardt Tolle in A New Earth). To the Vedantin,
to sift out reality from unreality is a daily business. He is quite comfortable seeing things
face to face. Death does not scare him.
Shankaracharya, as a Vedantin, would not have any convulsive feelings when writing
about death. Death is frightening to very worldly-minded persons who have strong
attachments to people. This verse is designed to make us see the futility of human
relationships at the time of death.
How would a spiritual seeker react to the lesson being taught here? The reality of
the selfishness of human nature would help to make him turn his mind away from making
livelihood his sole concern. It will surely make him reconsider his relationships. He will not
engross himself in them, but make time for the spiritual dimension of life.
To summarise, this verse would help the potential spiritual seeker to weigh his
priorities. He will not allow unnecessary concerns over people to dominate his decisions. He
will see the need for allocating time towards his spiritual well-being as well.
Verse 7: Attachment in Boyhood, Youth and Old Age

oÉÉsÉxiÉÉuÉi¢üÏQûÉxÉ£üÈ , iÉÂhÉxiÉÉuÉ¨ÉÂhÉÏxÉ£üÈ |
uÉ×®xiÉÉuÉÎŠliÉÉxÉ£üÈ , mÉUqÉå oÉë¼ÍhÉ MüÉåÅÌmÉ lÉ xÉ£üÈ || 7||
1 baalas- taavat kreedaa- saktah In childhood one is attached to one’s play;

2 tarunas- taavat tarunee saktah; in youth he is attached to his woman;
3 vriddhas- taavat chintaa- saktah in old age, he is attached to his anxieties;
4 parame brahmani ko’pi na saktah. alas, to the Supreme Lord no one is attached!
In the previous two verses, the poet used Death to remind us of how empty, false
human relationships can pull us away from our spiritual goal. In this verse, he warns us of
11
the dangers that face us throughout Life. Throughout life, there is something or other that
always distracts us from the essential purpose of life. We take a look at these distractions.
The overall point of this verse is, “When do we find time for God in our life?” A broad
look at life shows us that three stereotypes predominate in our lives:
1 The boy is usually engrossed in his playful activities. 2 The youth’s mind is diverted,
one may even dare to say captured, by thoughts of his beloved. 3 And the old man is
preoccupied with concerns over his health and the possibility of being lonely.
Acharyaji humorously described the youth’s interest “The young man is concerned
about how many girls are around him. The young woman is concerned how many boys are
behind her!”
How can God become part of the lives of young people? Acharyaji raised this
question. It is an area of concern more pressing than the one for old age. Raising children up
with a spiritual background is of great concern for a healthy society.
Ageing can be made very graceful. Old people can avoid “vomiting out their
memories” on every occasion. That way most of their problems would not arise.
Old age can also be utilized well. Telling stories to the grandchildren is one way.
Without interfering in the running of the home, elders can, by their attitude of patience,
stand as a backbone of strength to the next generation.
4 Where does God come into the picture?
Shankaracharya is clearly addressing this verse to each individual. The onus is on
each one of us to make definite arrangements to bring God into our life at the earliest
possible age. If this can be done before we begin to get knocked about by desires in life,
then it would save us a lot of bitter experiences in life.
If we get all the steps right up to this point, we are ready for proper spirituality…
Verse 8: Start Questioning

MüÉ iÉå MüÉliÉÉ MüxiÉå mÉÑ§ÉÈ , xÉÇxÉÉUÉåÅrÉqÉiÉÏuÉ ÌuÉÍcÉ§ÉÈ |
MüxrÉ iuÉÇ MüÈ MÑüiÉ AÉrÉÉiÉ- , xiÉüÉÇ ÍcÉliÉrÉ iÉÌSWû pÉëÉiÉÈ || 8||
1 kaa te kaantaa kaste putrah Who is your wife? Who is your son?
2 samsaaro- ayam- ateeva vichitrah; Supremely wonderful indeed is this Samsara.
3 kasya twam kah kuta aayaatah Whose are you? From where have you come?
4 tattvam chintaya tadiha bhraatah. O brother, think of that Truth here.
The Boundary of the Family Institution

It may appear to some that this verse violates the institution of the family. The
Master is questioning the key structure of the family unit. Indeed, to upkeep family values is
very noble. However, the family institution itself has to be seen in the broader context of
the purpose of human life. It is valid for a certain period, during the householder’s stage of
life. When it has served its purpose, one has to go beyond its parameters, i.e. wife and son,
etc. It is valid only for a certain task in life, not throughout life.
12
Shankaracharya is looking at what the scene is beyond one’s family concerns. He is
therefore justified in questioning family life in the realm where it becomes out of place;
where one’s spiritual pursuit occupies prime place. This is applicable for those who wish to
progress further, beyond the limits set by family obligations. There is a call to a higher duty
than family responsibility. That higher realm is being brought into focus in this verse.
Obstacles to Transcend the Family Unit

1 What are the main obstacles that bind us to family life beyond its legitimate
purpose? – the wife and the children. Thus, without intending to disrupt the family as a
social institution, the poet asks the earnest seeker to do some soul-searching here. When
one has played his or her role within the family, family life has to be transcended. That is all
that is being said here.
There comes a time in an aspirant’s quest for Truth when he has to forego the
comforts of home and take to a secluded lifestyle. This is built into the Indian way of life.
There is nothing abnormal about it.
2 When he does this, he sees the true perspective of family life from the outside. The
true nature of worldly existence or Samsara is understood. When we are in a whirlpool, we
do not know in which direction we are going. Only when we step out of it, can we see see
that we were being spun around in never-ending circles. So it is with Samsara.
3 The answers to “Where have you come from?” come from a deeper level of his
personality, and that level is reached only under the condition when he has come out of the
‘family’ life.
4 This whole verse can be answered in two totally different ways, depending on
whether one is still family-bound or has transcended the family. From the latter perspective,
when one is unattached to the family, the answer comes that the real relationship to
nurture is the one that links us to the whole of creation, not just to the family of one’s birth.
Family relationships are in the realm of unreality; the Self goes beyond such narrow confines
and links one to the Pure Consciousness pervading this universe.
Our true relationship with the world is only understood when we have renounced
family ties. The broader picture then comes into focus.
While we are looking at what is close to us, it is not possible to

see what is distant from us.
Verse 9: Satsang Liberates Us

xÉixÉ…¡ûiuÉå ÌlÉxxÉ…¡ûiuÉÇ , ÌlÉxxÉ…¡ûiuÉå ÌlÉqÉÉåïWûiuÉqÉç |
ÌlÉqÉÉåïWûiuÉå ÌlÉ¶ÉsÉiÉüÉÇ , ÌlÉ¶ÉsÉiÉüÉå eÉÏuÉlqÉÑÌ£üÈ || 9||
1 satsangatve nis- sangatvam From good company, arises non-attachment;

2 nis- sangatve nirmohatvam; from non-attachment, freedom from delusion;
3 nirmohatve nischala tattwam from absence of delusion, the Immutable Reality;
4 nischala tattve jeevanmuktih. on experiencing Reality, comes ‘Liberation’ in life.
13
The first eight verses come as a bombshell to blast one out of his comfortable
anchors in life. That is the first phase of spiritual transformation. Now we come to the first
of the verses that extend a positive helping hand to the seeker of Truth.
1 Satsangatve: means “companionship with Truth”. The start to spiritual life is
Satsang. Satsang brings light into one’s life, faint at first, but with time becoming brighter
and brighter, until all the dark corners of one’s life are touched by its radiance. The story of
Ratnakar’s stunning transformation through Satsang with Rishi Narada was given as an
example. The company we keep determines the thoughts we cherish.
Nis-Sangatvam: Satsang sets the ball rolling. The first fruit of Satsang is seen when
we become a little detached to things we once clung onto with intense attachment. The
light of Satsang lifts the veil of delusion that clouds our intellect. From that point onwards
spiritual life begins in earnest.
Acharyaji used another beautiful simile. Through Satsang, knowledge molecules
enter and scare away the ignorance molecules. When we stare hard at ignorance, it gets a
fright and starts to shiver, and then flee. That is why it is said that the most powerful man is
the one who is convinced of something.
Satsang is being in contact with the Sat that a Mahatma or saint

represents, not being physically close to him.
Pujya Gurudev used to often say, “The Rudraksha Mala around Shankaracharyaji’s
neck did not get realization!” Mere physical closeness does not ensure the awakening of
knowledge and understanding.
We have to be ‘in touch’ with what the saint stands for. Do we get close to saints
merely to make contacts with rich disciples? Our personal commitment to a saint’s pure
thoughts gives us the non-attachment spoken of here.
2-4 With Satsang, the very foundations of Samsara (worldly existence) start
tottering. Satsang is at the beginning of the “chain” that ends with Liberation. The
consecutive steps are given in the verse:
SATSANG  NON-ATTACHMENT  NON-DELUSION  SELF-REALISATION  LIBERATION
Verse 10: Without Cause, No Effect

uÉrÉÍxÉ aÉiÉå MüÈ MüÉqÉÌuÉMüÉUÈ , zÉÑwMåü lÉÏUå MüÈ MüÉxÉÉUÈ |
¤ÉÏhÉå ÌuÉ¨Éå MüÈ mÉËUuÉÉUÈ , ¥ÉÉiÉå iÉüÉå MüÈ xÉÇxÉÉUÈ || 10||
When the age for it has passed, where is lust

1 vayasi gate kah kaama- vikaarah
and its play?
2 shushke neere kah kaasaarah; When water has evaporated, where is the lake?
3 ksheene vitte kah parivaaro When wealth is reduced, where is the retinue?
4 jnaate tattve kah samsaarah. When the Truth is realized, where is Samsara?
14
Shankaracharyaji addressed his words to everybody who would take heed. Hence he
uses examples that the common man understands – and that means wealth and woman to
the majority. By drawing attention to the two weakest points in one’s life, which have
become blown out of proportions to occupy man’s sole attention, the Sage hopes to drive
home his point about the worthlessness of pursuing them.
Note that the logic of the last Pada is given a clever twist from that of the first three:
1 There can be no Lust, when there is no Virility;
2 There can be no Lake, when there is no Water;
3 There can be no Dependents, when there is no Wealth;
4 There can be no Worldly life, when there is Self-realisation;
We would be expecting: There can be no Peace, when there is no Self-realisation.
By juxtaposing inserting the last ‘non-dependency’ amidst the other three
‘dependencies’, the Sage draws the maximum attention of the reader to the contrast
between worldliness and spirituality – they can never go together! That is the message.
Verse 11: The Props of the Ego

qÉÉ MÑüÂ kÉlÉeÉlÉrÉÉæuÉlÉaÉuÉïÇ , WûUÌiÉ ÌlÉqÉåwÉÉiMüÉsÉÈ xÉuÉïqÉç |
qÉÉrÉÉqÉrÉÍqÉSqÉÎZÉsÉÇ ÌWûiuÉÉ , oÉë¼mÉSÇ iuÉÇ mÉëÌuÉzÉ ÌuÉÌSiuÉÉ || 11||
1 maa kuru dhana jana yauvana garvam Take no pride in wealth, status or youth;
2 harati nimeshaat kaalah sarvam; time loots away all these in a moment.
3 maayaam ayam idam akhilam buddhvaa Know that all this is full of illusion only;
4 brahma-padam tvam pravisha viditvaa. so realize and stay in the state of Brahman.
1 Dhana, Jana and Yauvana: These three stand for wealth, fame, and desire; or
Kanchana, Keerti and Kama; also called Vitteshna, Lokeshna and Putreshna (desire for
wealth, fame and progeny).
These three are the classical obstacles to all spiritual endeavour. They represent the
very opposite of spiritual life. They cannot co-exist with spiritual Sadhana.
Why are the two opposed to each other? It is because they prop up the Ego,
whereas spiritual Sadhana aims to destroy the Ego. They have opposite aims – the former
thrives in edarkness; the latter in Light.
2 The three obstacles give us a sense of false security. But what is the worth of that
security? When examined closely, we find that they are flimsy things to depend upon. They
are with us at one moment and leave us the next. How can we be secure by possessing
them?
3 Spirituality begins only when understand that this whole Samsara or worldly
existence is Maya’s trick on us. It is one big illusion, appearing so glorious. In reality their
support is like stilts placed in fluctuating sands.
4 Knowledge of Brahman sounds the death knell to Samsara. Therefore, the Sage
urges us to make realisation of God our sole aim in life. Therein alone can we find true,
lasting security. Self-realisation makes us Immortal.
15
Verse 12: The Stubborn Gusts of Desire
ÌSlÉrÉÉÍqÉlrÉÉæ xÉÉrÉÇ mÉëÉiÉÈ , ÍzÉÍzÉUuÉxÉliÉÉæ mÉÑlÉUÉrÉÉiÉÈ |
MüÉsÉÈ ¢üÏQûÌiÉ aÉcNûirÉÉrÉÑ- , xiÉSÌmÉ lÉ qÉÑgcÉirÉÉzÉÉuÉÉrÉÑÈ || 12||
1 dinayaaminyau saayam praatah Day and night, dawn and dusk,

2 shishira vasantau punara- ayaatah; winter and spring, again they come (and go).
3 kaalah kreedati gacchaty- aayuh With the play of time, life ebbs away.
4 tadapi na munchaty-aashaa vaayuh. And yet, one leaves not the gusts of desires.
The Cycle of Joy and Sorrow

1-2 The opposites mentioned can be interpreted in two ways:
i) Literally: They indicate the relentless march of Time – day in and day out, year in
and year out. The cycle of repetition is not noticed because we are so engrossed in our small
world of pleasures.
ii) Figuratively: They can also be taken to mean the recurring opposites of joy and
sorrow, the ups and downs of life, the extremes we encounter in day-to-day life. Every time
we experience joy, we must realize that sorrow is just around the corner in pursuit. This
cycle is also never-ending – it lasts as long as we are trapped in the birth and death cycle.
This figurative meaning is more applicable in the context which the poet is trying to
portray. The Time cycle is unavoidable; it is a law of Nature. But the cycle of joy and sorrow
can be overcome by living in the light of knowledge and discovery of our true nature of
spirit. There IS an end to it after all! This is what the poet is desperately trying to teach us.
Desire, Like Time, Has No End

3-4 Time marches on, and with it the Dance of Death goes on with its performance.
Life is passing away rapidly before our very eyes, yet we are not prepared to let go our
desires. There is a beautiful simile which Acharyaji gave in detail:
A man is chased by a tiger in the forest. He falls into a well. He is stuck in the well on
a branch midway down. If he slips by a fraction of an inch he will plunge into the water
below where water snakes are swimming about. The tiger peers threateningly at him from
the top. Just then the man is stung by bees. Soon rats are busy gnawing at the creeper on
which the man is being supported. A bear comes and claws into the honeycomb on the tree
overhanging the well. In this perilous position, with danger at every turn, a drop of honey
drips on his face from the honeycomb above. The man, forgetting all his perils, sticks out his
tongue to lick it!
This typifies the kind of satisfaction we are seeking in worldly life. The serpents are
one’s relatives, the well itself represents family life. The rats represent TIME. And the honey
in the midst of all these dangers represents the momentary pleasures of sensual life.
Acharyaji was evidently not contented with one example. He offered us another:
Have you ever seen a cat playing with a rat? How it tortures the spirit of the rat! It
does not kill it straightaway, but goes on torturing it. It just stares at it and the poor rat
trembles. Then it grabs the rat’s tail and gives it a few shakes, staring at the poor fellow all
the while. This goes on until the rat literally dies of fright!
16
This is how worldly pleasures torture us. They give us a pinch of
pleasure accompanied by a pound of pain.
Verse 13: Surrendering Our Worries

MüÉ iÉå MüÉliÉÉ kÉlÉaÉiÉÍcÉliÉÉ , uÉÉiÉÑsÉ ÌMÇü iÉuÉ lÉÉÎxiÉ ÌlÉrÉliÉÉ |
Ì§ÉeÉaÉÌiÉ xÉ‹lÉxÉ…¡ûÌiÉUåMüÉ , pÉuÉÌiÉ pÉuÉÉhÉïuÉiÉUhÉå lÉÉæMüÉ || 13||
1 kaa te kaantaa dhanagata chintaa Why worry about wife, wealth, etc.?
O distracted one! Is there not for you the One
2 vaatula kim tava naasti niyantaa;
who ordains (rules or commands)?
In the three worlds it is the association with
3 trijagati sajjana sangatir- ekaa
good people alone
bhavati bhava-arnava tarane that can serve as a boat to cross the sea of
4
naukaa. change (birth and death).
Man’s Universal Need For Support

1 Sri Shankaracharya now addresses the deap-seated need felt in the human psyche
for some form of support. Usually man looks for this support in the outer world, in wife or is
wealth. These are targeted in Pada 1. But are our worries over them really going to help us?
2 There is a higher Power that is taking care of everything in creation. We should just
surrender all our concerns to Him. The Divine Source of all creation would make the best
support that will meet all our need. So, we can afford to let go of wife and wealth, and look
to the Lord Himself for all support. Since He is so vastly more empowered than one’s family
or one’s property, His support would not fail us. Besides He knows our need more than we
do. He will provide for us even without our asking.
Here is an example that proves this:
Look at the birth of a child. How is it prepared for birth? Who took care of it before
birth? Thank God, it wasn’t mummy! Imagine the extra worry on mummy’s head if she had
to direct all the instructions to supply the necessary food items to the foetus in her womb.
She must be the most relieved person to know that all that is being taken care of by a higher
Power.
We just have to do our duty and relax. The One above will see to the rest. In that
spirit we will relieve ourselves of bearing unnecessary burdens on our head. We do not have
to start panicking for any reason. Who is there to stop us from taking His Name even while
we do our actions? We should never feel that we are alone in handling our burdens.
One lady who successfully brought up 12 children, summed it up in these words: “I
just do my duty, and He does the worrying.”
The common concept held by people is that time is created when we give up a work.
In fact, time is created for us only when we give up worry, not the work.
We should bury our worries before the worry buries us.
17
Good Company Ensures a Safe Journey
3-4 The second line of this verse provides a practical alternative to “wife and wealth”
as a support for one’s life. It is the company of good people, saintly people, fellowship with
spiritually-minded persons. Why is this such a powerful alternative?
The former tends to be a selfish association and one’s boat is always in a state of
permanent anchorage to the rock of worldly life. However, good, saintly company can be
very uplifting. The unconditional love that one experiences from a spiritually evolved person
is a balm that heals us of our worldliness. Such company is completely free of all attachment
and so the “boat” of our life can move across to the other shore of Liberation without being
held back by any anchor or worldly mooring.
The boat analogy, on being explored a bit further, reveals how insightful the choice
of such a simile is to good company.
i) Evil company will make us sink further into dangers, whereas good company lifts us
safely over the waters of life.
ii) When crossing whirlpools, evil company will allow us to spin in any direction
according to the current. Good company, on the other hand, sticks to the Godward direction
in spite of any whirlpool. The single-pointedness we develop due to good company steers us
safely to freedom.
iii) Evil company is rudderless; good company has the strong rudder of sound values
to guide our course.
iv) Heavy winds or storms can easily tip our boat if it is not controlled well by good
company.
In this way, we can see how thoughfully chosen is Shankaracharya’s symbol of a boat
to represent good company.
*****
18
Chaturdasha Manjarika Stotram
PART III – Verses 14-27
“Where Is Happiness?”
HERE WE BEGIN the 14 verses that are attributed to the 14 disciples who were
accompanying Shankaracharya on that day when he met the old Samskrit Acharya. The
literary qualities of the Master have found their way to the disciples with natural ease.
Verse 14: The Abuse of Outward Symbols

eÉÌOûsÉÉå qÉÑhQûÏ sÉÑÎgNûiÉMåüzÉÈ , MüÉwÉÉrÉÉqoÉUoÉWÒûM×üiÉuÉåwÉÈ |
mÉzrÉ³ÉÌmÉ cÉ lÉ mÉzrÉÌiÉ qÉÔRûÉå , ½ÑSUÌlÉÍqÉ¨ÉÇ oÉWÒûM×üiÉuÉåwÉÈ || 14||
An ascetic with matted locks; with shaven

1 jatilo, mundee, lunchita keshah
head; with hairs pulled out one by one;
2 kaashaaya-ambara bahukrita veshah; another parading in his ochre robes –
3 pashyan-api cha na pashyati moodho these fools, though seeing, do not see.
Indeed, as different disguises or apparels,
4 hy-udara nimittam bahukrita veshah.
they are only for their belly’s sake.
These words may appear to some to be brimming with cynicism. If a scholar had
written them, that may be a plausible indictment. But we must remember we are dealing
with the work of a great Master, a realized sage. His words have to be taken to heart.
1-2 In the period of Shankaracharyaji, the externals counted for everything that one
stood for. Here three typical symbols are expressly mentioned, but there are many more.
Not much needs to be said about the actual details of these symbols; for they are cultural,
and vary from one period to another as well as one place to another, and more broadly
even from one country to another. The principle that is more important to grasp.
3-4 Religion had become an outward show. It was a low point in the history of
religious practice in India. Shankaracharya’s great contribution was to reform this situation
which threatened to engulf our tradition. In any culture, when the spirit is lost and only the
outward form remains, that culture dies a natural death. Shankaracharyaji had devoted his
life to ensure that this situation was corrected. Passages like these, attributed to his
disciples, show what a reforming spirit drove the Master. Let religion never degenerate to an
outward show for the sake of filling one’s stomach. That is the message to take.
The True Significance of Religious Symbols

An important point to make regarding a verse such as this is that the attack is on the
egoism and hypocrisy of insincere men; this is not an attack on the symbols themselves.
19
This is now being explained:
One’s identity to a role is largely determined by the uniform which that role is
dressed in. A policeman on duty (in his uniform) is a braver person than when he is off-duty
(without his uniform). Sadhus are “on duty” for 24 hours a day! They have to carry their
uniform at all times. But they are also human, and can come down to lower consciousness
at times. This is where the problems begin.
The Sadhu world is also “infiltrated” by those who only enter it for the sake of
making an easy livelihood from it, without meeting the standards demanded by it. No one
can stop this happening. Strong poems like Bhaja Govindam may help to make people
aware of these dangers by bringing them out into the open for public debate.
Such dangers would always be there in any system. Every system is open to abuse.
There are many in police uniforms, too, who fall prey to bribes, etc, and lower the name of
the Police Force. This does not become a valid reason to discontinue the Police Force. In the
same way, the abuse of religious symbols does not constitute a valid reason for
discontinuing them. What is really intended by this verse is a periodical self-introspective
purging by each member of a particular system.
It becomes the duty of a spiritual teacher of worth to train his disciples in such a way
that they do not use their outer symbols to buy privileges from society. This is best done by
instilling a deep spirit of service in them. This was the approach used by the great modern
saint, Sri Swami Sivananda of Rishikesh. He drummed into the minds of his disciples the
dangers of overdoing any practice of austerity. He made service the cornerstone of Sadhana
for his disciples. And many of them excelled throughout the world as proof of the greatness
of the system of Sannyas.
In short, symbols are intended to uphold a basically very good system. Service and
sincerity are strong antidotes against their abuse.
Acharyaji gave some very good examples. Among them was that of Ravana. When he
wanted to kidnap Sita, what better garb could he resort to than that of a Brahmin Sadhu! He
did not stop to think of the consequences of misusing the garb to satisfy his lust. He did not
think of how his act would reflect badly on the entire spiritual community.
Thus we should never be a cause for a stain on the spiritual life of society. Society
does its best to uphold its spiritual seekers. And spiritual seekers have to reciprocate.
The next three verses show that conquest of Desire is no easy matter…
Verse 15: Fooled by Desire

A…¡Çû aÉÍsÉiÉÇ mÉÍsÉiÉÇ qÉÑhQÇû , SzÉlÉÌuÉWûÏlÉÇ eÉÉiÉÇ iÉÑhQûqÉç |
uÉ×®Éå rÉÉÌiÉ aÉ×WûÏiuÉÉ ShQÇû , iÉSÌmÉ lÉ qÉÑgcÉirÉÉzÉÉÌmÉhQûqÉç || 15||
1 angam galitam palitam mundam With body worn out; head turned grey;
2 dashana viheenam jaatam tundam; and mouth that has become toothless;
3 vriddho yaati grihitvaa dandam the old man goes about leaning on his staff.
4 tadapi na munchaty-aashaa pindam Even then he leaves not his desire-bundle.
20
Sri Shankaracharya highlights Nature’s brilliant ‘hide-and-seek” strategy in the next
three verses. The aim of those described is to overcome Desire.
i) v15: The first one thinks he can overcome it by satisfying it.
ii) v16: The second thinks he can overcome it by denying himself completely.
iii) v17: The third thinks that he can follow the moderate path to overcome it.
None of them succeed. Acharyaji explains why:
Many people have been tricked into the belief that by fulfilling their desires they will
be able to bring them to an end. No one has been able to get rid of desires by fulfilling them.
That philosophy has deluded many people. We think if we have the last cigarette, the
craving will go away. It never does; in fact, it gets more intense.
And look at the price one pays for trying this fruitless experiment: -
1-3 These 3 Padas show the physical signs of over-indulgence in one’s body.
And the desire to enjoy even with a derelict body can be seen in the effort made by
people to look young, feel young, rejuvenate themselves, bolster their energy levels with
artificial drugs, etc. People will lift heaven and earth to find some way of enjoying pleasures.
No one accepts that decay, old age and death are part of the package we were born into.
Our slavishness is unimaginable!
Instead of finding satisfaction, people merely find addiction. Not only that, they lose
the power of their senses. Their bodies take the strain by appearing ragged and aged years
before the proper time.
4 Even then the desires have not dwindled one bit! We find an 80-year old man
wants to get married to a teenage girl. The price of indulgence is enormous. This verse
makes us pause and question, “Is it really worth it?”
The lesson here is:
i) Desires can never end by fulfilling them: And the reason?
ii) Desires Belong to the Mind: the mind can still be ‘young’ in an old body. Desires
live with us till death, and are taken with us into our next birth! For they are not a function
of the body but of the Mind.
Verse 16: Fooled by Austerity

AaÉëå uÉÌ»ûÈ mÉ×¸å pÉÉlÉÑÈ , UÉ§ÉÉæ cÉÑoÉÑMüxÉqÉÌmÉïiÉeÉÉlÉÑÈ |
MüUiÉsÉÍpÉ¤ÉxiÉÂiÉsÉuÉÉxÉ- , xiÉSÌmÉ lÉ qÉÑgcÉirÉÉzÉÉmÉÉzÉÈ || 16||
1 agre vanhih prishthe bhaanuh In front is the fire, at the back the sun;
2 raatrau chubuka samarpita jaanuh; at night he sits with knees held to his chin;
3 karatala bhikshas-taru-tala-vaasah with a tree as shelter, his alms in his palms –
4 tadapi na munchaty-aashaa paashah. yet the noose of Desire spares him not!
This verse depicts the other extreme – utter self-denial – in the hope that it will
exhaust all desire. Aversion, as opposed to indulgence, is attempted. If some have
21
discovered that they have been fooled by indulging in desires, there are others who have
been equally fooled by making senseless efforts to deny themselves all bodily comforts.
These efforts are also doomed to failure because they do not address the Mind, where the
problem lies.
1-3 In this verse certain torturous methods, quite common in Shankaracharya’s time
but also seen to this day, of inviting bodily discomfort are used to check one’s desires. Again
the glaring truth is ignored that the mind needs to be checked, not the body. All the cases
quoted take the body to extreme levels of endurance in the belief that desire will be rooted
out by such methods. They bypass the problem area completely.
These methods are prompted mainly by the ego. A pure mind will not think of these
techniques. Only a Rajasic or Tamasic mind, which does not have the power to grasp the
essence of what scriptures are trying to say, will reveal its lack of understanding by adopting
such methods of austerity. The Bhagavad Gita calls such austerity Rajasic or Tamasic. As in
the previous verse, the details of the methods are not so important. Its the central principle
at work that is important.
4 The result is that the ego drives the will to practice such tormenting methods. The
ego seeks to take the credit for “achieving” liberation for itself. It hijacks the entire practice
of Sadhana among the unwary seekers. The ego sets out on the premise that “it will conquer
the senses”. Such efforts have deluded many individuals on the spiritual path.
In this whole process, Desire remains untouched!
In trying to struggle out of the “noose” of Desire in this manner, it gets tighter and
tighter!
We see behind these verses, the maturity of God-experience of Sri Shankaracharya
being brought to bear in his advice for the benefit of genuine spiritual seekers.
Verse 17: Fooled by Moderation

MÑüÂiÉå aÉ…¡ûÉxÉÉaÉUaÉqÉlÉÇ , uÉëiÉmÉËUmÉÉsÉlÉqÉjÉuÉÉ SÉlÉqÉç |
¥ÉÉlÉÌuÉWûÏlÉÈ xÉuÉïqÉiÉålÉ , qÉÑÌ£Çü lÉ pÉeÉÌiÉ eÉlqÉzÉiÉålÉ || 17||
1 kurute gangaa saagara gamanam One may do pilgrimage to the end of Ganga;
vrata- pari- paalanam- athavaa
2 or observe vows; or distribute gifts in charity.
daanam;
All authorities are equivocal that without the
3 jnaana vihheenah sarvam- atena
experience of Truth,
4 bhajati na muktim janma- shatena. he gains no release even in a hundred lives.
The same situation that in verse 15 was worsened by indulgence, and in verse 16 not
resolved by physical austerity, is here attempted to be resolved through following the path
of moderation. If the extremes have failed, will the moderate path succeed? – that is the
logic being pursued.
1-2 In the belief that moderation will succeed, people adopt the simple philosophy of
“a little of everything”. There is no doubt that what they are doing is good in itself. There is
nothing wrong or harmful in what is being described here. Indeed, the scriptures themselves
22
have suggested these methods for people at certain stages of their spiritual life. However, in
themselves they do not free us from desire, not even by an inch.
In a country like India, millions of people are on pilgrimage at any one time.
Pilgrimaging has become a huge industry. The point being made here is that even this
apparently moderate path fails to bring one to liberation. Why?
The truth that desires have to be rooted out in the mind is escaped even in this
method. It is conveniently bypassed by focusing on all the external purificatory means given
in the Shastras. All the pilgrimages, all the vows, all the charity will not avail if one does not
educate the mind to give up its habit of seeking pleasure in outer objects.
4 This is the Vedantic view of Sadhana, and it has time and again proven itself to be
correct by numerous saints and sages who took this advice seriously. Other schools of
philosophy also agree on this point that desire is a mental phenomenon, except that some
of them use that very fact to deify the mind!
None can get liberated by bypassing the essential step of disciplining the mind and
purging it of all desires.
If the dirt is inside the house, how does it help to go on washing the outside?
Verses 15, 16 and 17 are a clear message to all earnest seekers that freedom from
desires is obtained by bringing one’s mind under control. There is no escape from this
Sadhana. Any other technique is destined for failure.
Verse 18: The Man of True Dispassion

xÉÑUqÉÇÌSUiÉÂqÉÔsÉÌlÉuÉÉxÉÈ , zÉrrÉÉ pÉÔiÉsÉqÉÎeÉlÉÇ uÉÉxÉÈ |
xÉuÉïmÉËUaÉëWûpÉÉåaÉirÉÉaÉÈ , MüxrÉ xÉÑZÉÇ lÉ MüUÉåÌiÉ ÌuÉUÉaÉÈ || 18||
1 sura mandira taru moola nivaasah Sheltering in temples or under some trees,
sleeping on the naked ground, wearing only
2 shayyaa bhootalam ajinam vaasah;
a deerskin,
thus renouncing all idea of possession and
3 sarva parigraha bhoga tyaagah
thirst to enjoy,
4 kasya sukham na karoti viraagah. to whom will not dispassion bring happiness?
At last, after having seen failed attempts since verse 14, we have a description of
the true Vairagi or man of dispassion. The simplicity of this person is quite clear.
1 Indian culture supports religious practices like no other country in the world. We
can benefit from that if we are sincere seekers. If we are not sincere, we become a burden
to that hospitality.
2 The life of utter simplicity is described here, not extremism or moderation. This is
how great saints like Swami Tapovanji and Swami Sivanandaji lived after renouncing
lucrative careers and choosing to voluntarily live the simple life described here. They also
underwent many hardships in such a life, but accepted them cheerfully. The hardships of
such a life should not dissuade one from it. It is the way God has created the system to test
the sincerity of seekers.
23
3 Parigraha: “sense of possession”. If we go a little deeper, the word includes “the
sense of wanting to be recognized as a Vairagi”.
A true Vairagi will use whatever cloth is given to him to use, even if it is silk. It is not
worn out of pride, but as any other piece of cloth.
4 This is how the true Vairagi lives. He brings his mind under control, with practical
and sensible dispassion. And by doing so, he succeeds in attaining lasting happiness which is
the result of true dispassion.
Acharyaji gave the following example of how difficult it is to remain unattached. A
doctor does hundreds of operations on a number of people, but he will never do an
operation on his own family members because of attachment.
Verse 19: The Source of Happiness

rÉÉåaÉUiÉÉå uÉÉ pÉÉåaÉUiÉÉå uÉÉ , xÉ…¡ûUiÉÉå uÉÉ xÉ…¡ûÌuÉWûÏlÉÈ |
rÉxrÉ oÉë¼ÍhÉ UqÉiÉå ÍcÉ¨ÉÇ , lÉlSÌiÉ lÉlSÌiÉ lÉlSirÉåuÉ || 19||
1 yogarato vaa bhogarato vaa Whether reveling in restraint or enjoyment,

2 sangarato vaa sanga- viheenah; whether in company or in solitude,
3 yasya brahmani ramate chittam so long as he revels in the Self within,
4 nandati nandati nandaty-eva. he alone truly enjoys, without any doubt.
Thus far we have traced both Dispassion and Desire to its first principles. We have
seen the importance of going back to the very roots of these. Without having clarity of
thought on such matters, we can easily make incorrect assessments of ourselves, and
mislead others, too. We are liable to pass futile judgements on others due to basing them
on external evidence only.
Now in this verse we do the same for Happiness, and trace where it comes from.
Happiness is in Self Alone

In the few verses before this one we saw how important it was to understand that
dispassion could only come by cleansing the mind, for desire is born in the mind. In the
same vein we are now made to understand that Happiness, the goal of all desire, is
something which comes only from the Self or Brahman. That is the only source of happiness.
1-2 When this source is not understood, then we are very prone to attribute
happiness to the objects that we like. That is the most common error made by practically all
people. For one who has found happiness in Brahman, all his external conditions become
irrelevant to that happiness. They are simply not related to it.
The first two Padas need to be understood carefully. They do not give license to the
seeker to behave as he pleases. That would spell disaster to his spiritual life. They are simply
telling us that whatever he may be engaged in or not engaged in is not at all relevant to
one’s happiness.
3-4 The sage’s happiness comes only from the Self, and not from the external
engagements. Since the Self is his own true nature, that means he is happy at all times.
24
Needless to say, those who have no idea that the Self is the only source of true
happiness, chase it in many other ways. As Acharyaji put it, “They do not even know the
‘spelling’ of happiness!”
Happiness is thus shown to be an inner state, independent of external conditions.
Verse 20: Taking the First Few Steps

pÉaÉuÉªÏiÉÉ ÌMüÎgcÉSkÉÏiÉÉ , aÉ…¡ûÉeÉsÉsÉuÉMüÍhÉMüÉ mÉÏiÉÉ |
xÉM×üSÌmÉ rÉålÉ qÉÑUÉËUxÉqÉcÉÉï , Ì¢ürÉiÉå iÉxrÉ rÉqÉålÉ lÉ cÉcÉÉï || 20||
1 bhagavad geetaa kinchid adheetaa To one who has studied the Gita even a little,
2 gangaa jala lava kanikaa peetaa; who has sipped even a drop of Ganges water,
3 sakrid-api yena muraari-sam-archaa who has worshipped Lord Murari even once,
4 kriyate tasya yamena na charchaa. he has no quarrel with Yama at the time of death.
It is interesting to note that from here to the end of this poem, the verses begin to
alternate – some blow hot and some blow cool on the ordinary man of the world. The “hot”
verse chides his existing ways; the”cool” one offers a helping hand out of the mess. This is
what a Master of Shankaracharyaji’s calibre can achieve. Verse 9 was the last “cool” verse
we came across. There are a few more before the poem closes.
Small Beginnings…
1-3 Shankaracharya lovingly invites the one who has not done anything yet for his
spiritual salvation, to come forward and do ‘at least something small’ as a start. He is aware
that once a person makes a start and begins to derive some benefit, he will continue
without needing further external help.
Three items of commonly practised spiritual Sadhana are mentioned in the first
three Padas as a welcoming invitation to start the spiritual path. We note that the three
items of Sadhana mentioned are each from a different path of Yoga, as noted below:
i) Jnana Yoga: A little study of the Gita or any other well-known scripture.
ii) Karma Yoga: Going on pilgrimage and bathing just once in the holy rivers of India.
iii) Bhakti Yoga: Visiting the great temples and doing Pooja even once.
In this way, the Master Teacher sets out an integrated approach to spiritual
development at the very outset. We are asked to make a start with these even in the
smallest way. Of course, any Teacher knows that it is from small beginnings that big things
can develop in due course. Through them one is placed firmly on a journey that could well
end with attainment of the supreme Bliss.
…Lead to a Great Ending!

4 Once the journey is begun, the momentum starts building up. The most important
thing is to start moving in the right direction. The reward of making such a journey is that
one attains Liberation from this cycle of birth and death. Thereafter there is no more any
fear of Death – no more “quarrel or discussion” with Lord Yama, the Lord of Death!
25
The Teacher describes the glorious end in a very indirect, almost humorous, manner.
When the moment of death comes to such a person, Lord Yama does not have to come to
fetch him or drag him away unwillingly. One does not have to make a desperate appeal to
Yama to allow him a few more years of life. There is no pleading, arguing or quarrelling with
Yama! The man himself willingly packs up and waits for Yama to take him away happily!
Acharyaji gave us the example of a young man who daily chanted his prayers at
home from a prayer book. One day he had to make a long journey and was stranded in a
thick forest. At the normal time of his prayer, he did not have his book to chant from. So he
decided that he should chant the alphabets to God. He did so, and asked God to put them
together as He pleased to form the correct words of the prayer he usually chanted.
The spirit of this verse is that if we take one small step towards God, He will hasten
towards us with ten large steps of His! Look how a mother teaches a child to open its mouth
by applying honey to his lips – that is how the Sage “tempts” the new seeker.
Acharyaji was truly amazing in his dramatization of these two anecdotes, and the
class was roaring with laughter when Acharyaji imitated the child sucking honey! In this way,
we were always reminded that learning Vedanta could be a lot of fun.
The subject of Liberation, which popped up its head unexpectedly here, is taken up
for its full definition and explanation in the next verse…
Verse 21: What is Liberation?

mÉÑlÉUÌmÉ eÉlÉlÉÇ mÉÑlÉUÌmÉ qÉUhÉÇ , mÉÑlÉUÌmÉ eÉlÉlÉÏeÉPûUå zÉrÉlÉqÉç |
CWû xÉÇxÉÉUå oÉWÒûSÒxiÉÉUå , M×ümÉrÉÉÅmÉÉUå mÉÉÌWû qÉÑUÉUå || 21||
1 punarapi jananam punarapi maranam Once again birth, and again death,
2 punarapi jananee jathare shayanam; and again lying in mother’s womb –
3 iha samsaare bahu dustaare this Samsara process is very hard to cross over…
4 kripaayaa’paare paahi muraare. Save me, Murari, through Thy infinite kindness!
The topic of Liberation, which popped up its head in the last verse, is here taken up
for its full definition and explanation. From “a little of everything” we have leaped “into the
Infinite”!
Definition of Liberation
In Vedanta, Liberation is a technical term with a specific meaning.
1 Punarapi: “again and again; unending”. In the context of a seemingly unending
cycle of births and deaths, the escape from such a repetitive, meaningless cycle of existence
is called Liberation. How the cycle began is not as important as how to escape from it as
urgently as possible.
Not all religions hold this concept of Liberation. The Semitic religions have hidden
references to it, but these are not interpreted as Liberation in the Vedantic sense. Indeed,
some religions would even frown upon the Vedantic concept, considering it to be
blasphemous or ridiculous; at the most generous, they consider it to be impossible. We have
26
to carefully understand that their terms such as “Salvation” mean something very different
from Liberation. Some Hindus, in their generosity interpret these terms to be equivalent to
the Hindu Moksha or Liberation, but they are really not.
2 Jananee Jathare: “in the mother’s womb”. The significant event in life called birth
is referred to here as a symbol of the suffering and pain we encounter in being born as
human beings in the world. It is a very apt symbol in that it carries with it the sense of all the
pain the mother experiences, and the suffocation the child undergoes during the process of
birth. By describing our imprisonment in this painful manner, the poet implants in our minds
the value and desirability of striving for Liberation from it.
Liberation is not an escapism; it is a planned ESCAPE!
Shayanam: “lying”. The word strongly suggests the stagnation of the soul’s growth
when it is immersed in the repetitive round of births and death, with no end to the cycle in
sight. It is as good as “sleeping” all the while.
3 Samsaare: This is a vital line of the verse. All the painfulness, hardships, sufferings,
pangs of an existence in ignorance of our real identity is contained in the word, Samsara.
The difficulty of escaping from the cycle is a key factor in the process which ends in
our Liberation. Many attempt to be freed, but few are they that succeed. Spiritual life is the
most arduous yet most fulfilling adventure that man can ever undertake. This is the sense in
which we ought to read this line. It should not be taken negatively to mean that Liberation is
nearly impossible.
The most important thing to teach one in a situation like this is make him feel that
remaining in prison is not acceptable; that one can and has to escape from it somehow.
Before one can teach the method of escape to a student, he has to first of all ensure that
the student feels the need for it in his very blood.
Two Essentials for Liberation

4 The last Pada states the two most essential qualities that free us from the cycle of
births and death – an intense yearning or calling for God, and the Grace of God.
i) Paahi Muraare: “Save me, O Lord!” The seeker’s immediate concern is to send out
an S.O.S. prayer in all earnestness to the Lord – “Save me, O Lord, through Thy infinite
kindness, from this fire of Samsara!” There is a burning desire to be freed or liberated from
this perpetual cycle of births and deaths or Samsara, as it is called. This burning desire is
named Mumukshutwa. Every spiritual aspirant is driven by Mumukshutwa to continue his
Sadhana which culminates in Liberation.
ii) Kripayaa: “by Thy infinite Grace”. Yearning for God is the fuel; the spark that sets
it off is the Lord’s Grace which fires the soul’s search for freedom. Grace comes in the form
of a spiritual Master or Guru whose teaching is the spark that sets us alight.
Grace provides the motive power which sustains the quest to the very end. The
Teacher has to carefully prepare the student by sowing and then nurturing the seed of
spirituality in him.
Thus, we see in this line that a strong faith in the Grace of the Lord, and a strong
devotional yearning spirit are both essential for success.
27
Acharyaji placed the most emphasis on the seeker’s cry to the Lord: “Lord, are you
going to abandon me? I know nothing about qualifications. You make me fit to be received
by you. Come on, I am a challenge to you…In my heart of hearts I want you. My mind may
say that it wants the world, but I want you only. Will you come to me? I don’t see myself
escaping with my powers. I need your help. Come, Lord, please take me across in this dark
world. I am hopeless and helpless without you.”
In this manner the true devotee melts the Lord’s heart. God has to now do His bit.
He works His miracle of Grace on the Bhakta who comes to Him with such humility!
Verse 22: The Path to Liberation

UjrÉÉcÉmÉïOûÌuÉUÍcÉiÉMüljÉÈ , mÉÑhrÉÉmÉÑhrÉÌuÉuÉÎeÉïiÉmÉljÉÈ |
rÉÉåaÉÏ rÉÉåaÉÌlÉrÉÉåÎeÉiÉÍcÉ¨ÉÉå , UqÉiÉå oÉÉsÉÉålqÉ¨ÉuÉSåuÉ || 22||
1 rathyaa charpata virachita kanthah The Yogin who wears but a godadi,
2 punya- apunya vivarjita panthah; who walks the path beyond merit and demerit,
3 yogee yoga niyojita vitto whose mind is joined in perfect union with its goal,
4 ramate baala-unmattavad eva. revels (in God), and lives as a child or a madman.
The previous verse ended with the two essential qualities an aspirant has to possess
to tread this path. The essence of this verse is to spell out the means or the Sadhana that
identifies the spiritual path to the goal of Liberation, as opposed to the means to any other
goal. The spiritual goal is made reachable through Sadhana or spiritual practices.
The verse outlines the threefold means towards Liberation in a mystical language
that needs to be carefully interpreted. This verse, though appearing quite simple, goes very
deep, indeed, and sets apart the goal of Liberation from other goals offered by various
religious practices.
Each of the three means is described in each of the first three Padas respectively:
i) The Path of Renunciation

1 The Vedas are a body which provides the knowledge by which one may achieve his
desired goal. That goal is threefold: One may desire worldly prosperity; a second may desire
to attain a heavenly existence; and a third may desire Liberation from Samsara itself, i.e. he
desires to go beyond all duality and attain the non-dua, permanentl Reality. This is the
highest goal beyond which there is nothing further to attain.
The first and second goals have desire as their basis. The third is unique in that its
basis is RENUNCIATION. All worldly as well as heavenly desires are renounced. This is
depicted in the first Pada by the simile of a Godadi. The Godadi represents simplicity itself.
It actually means a garment which is made of old pieces of rags discarded by others; these
are stitched together to make a garment. Can one wear anything simpler than that?
The spirit of Renunciation is the first essential feature of the Sadhana that leads one
to Liberation. This path is to be trod by one who has the sole desire for God alone, not for
anything created by Him such as available on earth or in heaven.
28
ii) The Path Beyond Dharma
2 Here another important distinction is made which makes Liberation a unique goal.
The other two goals are attained by acquiring sufficient merits, and avoiding all demerits
which may oppose it. Merits and demerits are earned through actions. The third goal (of
Liberation) has no desire for any outer object and so there is no need for earning merits in
its case. Hence, it does not re quire any actions to be performed to attain it. It needs only
knowledge of the Lord’s nature to “attain” it.
This explains the second Pada of the verse, which says that the means to attain -
Liberation is beyond merits and demerits.
In terms of the Vedas, the first goal has the Karma Kanda as its authority. The second
has the Upasana Kanda as its authority. And the third has the Jnana Kanda (or Upanishads)
as its authority. These are three distinct paths leading one to three distinct goals.
The first two goals fall under the Pravritti Marga or the path of Action. The third
goal falls under Nivritti Marga or the path of Renunciation of Action.
iii) Abidance in the Self:
3 The spiritual practice resorted to by the aspirant of the third goal, i.e. Liberation, is
also very different from that of aspirants of the other two goals. The seeker of Liberation
devotes himself to meditation on the Supreme Lord. This is called Nididhyasana in Vedanta.
Its essential characteristic is to abide in the Self as much as possible, until the stage is
reached when he becomes fully God-conscious. This is a state of “being”, not of “doing”.
Perfect abidance in one’s Self is called Self-realisation.
More will be said about this glorious state as we study further texts such as the
Upanishads and the Bhagavad Geeta.
The Attainment of the Goal

4 The last Pada refers, again in a very indirect manner, to the state of Self-realisation.
The reference to a child or a madman is to reflect the mental state of the realized sage.
The sage becomes egoless. The closest example of such a state we can understand is
seen in a little child or baby, in whom the ego-consciousness has not yet manifested. Such is
the state of the saint of God – he becomes innocent and guileless. A child acts
spontaneously, without any interference from any ego.
Another example is that of a madman. This may sound insulting when applied to a
sage. However, every simile is a comparison of a similar quality, not all the qualities. What is
common between a sage and a madman? A madman acts contrary to all social norms or
expectations; hence he is called “mad”. The sage also acts from standards that are not
accepted by “non-realised” people! His actions appear to ordinary men to be similar to a
“mad-man”. An example will help to clarify what is meant here:
Story of Sadasiva Brahmendra

Acharyaji here recounted the story of Sadasiva Brahmendra. This saint lived as an
Avadhoot, that is, one who moved about naked. Once he inadvertently walked past the
harem of a King, which made the ladies scream at him. In anger, the King chopped off his
hand, but the saint kept walking as though nothing happened. Then the King realized that
this was not an ordinary ‘fool’. He ran up to him to apologize. Sadasiva turned around to see
the King waving a ‘hand’ in his hand. The King told him it was his hand. Only then did the
29
saint realize what had happened. He promptly took the ‘hand’ and placed it in its position,
and it became one with his body again!
Our concept of enjoyment is wealth, woman and fame. But the saint’s joys are of a
different kind. Hence he appears to us as a child or a madman.
A madman is merely one who sees what you don’t and you see
what he does not – that is the only difference. We do not have a visa
into his world; nor does he have one into our world!
Verse 23: Enquiry into the Self

MüxiuÉÇ MüÉåÅWÇû MÑüiÉ AÉrÉÉiÉÈ , MüÉ qÉå eÉlÉlÉÏ MüÉå qÉå iÉÉiÉÈ |
CÌiÉ mÉËUpÉÉuÉrÉ xÉuÉïqÉxÉÉUqÉç , ÌuÉµÉÇ irÉYiuÉÉ xuÉmlÉÌuÉcÉÉUqÉç || 23||
1 kastvam ko’ham kuta aayaatah Who are you? Who am I? From where did I come?
2 kaa me jananee ko me taatah; Who is my mother? Who is my father?
3 iti paribhaavaya sarvam- asaaram Thus enquire and find that all is essenceless:
vishvam tyaktvaa swapna abandon the entire world as a mere dream, born
4
vichaaram. of imagination!
In this verse we are taken into the most important step in Vedantic Sadhana. The
very heart of Vedantic Sadhana lies in making a deep enquiry as outlined here. What
digestion in the stomach is to the whole process of alimentary system, this Self-enquiry is to
the whole of Vedantic Sadhana.
1-2 Seeing this entire world as a mere dream, the Vedantin goes beyond it to the
very essence of this whole creation. He removes the veil of unreality and beholds in its place
the pristine purity of the Self or Brahman.
The questions posed here are mystical in nature. The answers are obviously not to
be found in their literal meaning, but figurative meaning. They transcend world
consciousness. “Mother” and “Father” are to be found in the Self.
3 With what conviction can one say that the world is essenceless? To justify this
assertion; to make it even possible, the stage of Self-enquiry has to be preceded as we have
just seen – by dispassion, burning desire for liberation, and the practical renunciation of all
the comforts and security of life, surrendering oneself entirely to the Lord. To such a person,
the secrets of Self-enquiry are taught. In such a person alone will Self-enquiry bear fruit. He
alone can honestly declare, “The world is unreal!”
It is not, of course, intended here to make a dissertation on the practice of Self-
enquiry. It is sufficient for the purpose of this text to know that such a process is essential at
this point in order to bring one to the direct realization of the Self, and thus be liberated.
4 Vishwam Vichaaram: “a mere dream, born of imagination” Acharyaji gave another
good example to help us understand this:
A man had a dream of a tiger. The man asked the tiger, “Are you going to eat me or
let me off? The tiger replied, “That depends on what you want me to do?” – as if he knew it
30
was only a dream! That is dream reality. All is a figment of one’s own thought, the play of
shadows.
Verse 24: The All-Pervading Reality

iuÉÌrÉ qÉÌrÉ cÉÉlrÉ§ÉæMüÉå ÌuÉwhÉÑ- , urÉïjÉïÇ MÑümrÉÍxÉ qÉrrÉxÉÌWûwhÉÑÈ |
pÉuÉ xÉqÉÍcÉ¨ÉÈ xÉuÉï§É iuÉÇ , uÉÉgNûxrÉÍcÉUÉ±ÌS ÌuÉwhÉÑiuÉqÉç || 24||
In you, in me, and in all other places too, there

1 tvayi mayi cha-anyatra-iko vishnuh
is but one all-pervading Reality.
Being impatient, you are unnecessarily
2 vyartham kupyasi mayyi- asahishnuh;
getting angry with me.
3 bhava samachittah sarvatra tvam Become even-minded – see Him everywhere
4 vaanchasy-achiraad-yadi vishnutvam. if you want soon the vision of the Lord.
Self-enquiry reveals some astounding facts about Reality. This is a vast subject in
itself but sufficient for the purpose of this verse is that the seeker grows day by day through
Self-enquiry to see his beloved Lord in all that is around him. He sees no difference between
himself and others. With the melting away of his individual consciousness it becomes totally
illogical to see anything as different from himself.
It is a new vision that he grows into. It makes radical changes to the way he sees
things. He cannot now have any cause to get angry with anyone, for the ‘other’ person is
himself. This vision of equality is what makes the saint stand out from ordinary people. It is
what makes saints so compassionate towards others without considering any qualifications.
Class Talk on this Verse:

When students at random were called upon to speak on the verses of this text, this
was the verse that fell to my lot. My speech is reproduced below as spoken:
Introduction: The first line contains the most famous of all Vedantic statements ever
made. If this was Viveka Choodamani, it would draw pages of commentary on just this one
line. But the context of the same words in Bhaja Govindam is different.
Now I want you to just use your imagination and follow this imaginary incidentwhich
sparked off this verse. Let us go back in time over a thousand years ago – to the Gurukula of
Adi Shankaracharyaji…
Line 1: All of us were students of Shankaracharyaji’s 15th Batch Vedanta Course. In a
setting almost identical to what we have here, Bhagavatam and Ramayana talks used to go
on every evening, attended by thousands of villagers. This was the typical “Bhaja Govindam”
target group. These people had there hands and legs tied to the world, but their hearts
brought them to the Ashram every night.
Once when Acharyaji needed some treatment and was away, he had asked one of
the students to take the evening class. It was Krishna. Krishna used this opportunity to
overdose the people with Vedanta. That is what the first line represents.
31
Line 2: Among the people was one Seth Narayanji. He was most upset at what he
heard from Krishna. He got up angrily and had his say: “What is all this? I am not the body -
umph!.....I have no mother, no father...This world is unreal...we should have no pleasures! –
ugh!...Who wants your Vedanta? You can keep it.” Saying this he stormed out of the room.
When Acharyaji returned, he heard what took place. Krishna got what he deserved.
He had to fast for three days, and was banned from taking ghee for a month – there was too
much fire on his tongue!
Acharyaji turned his attention on Narayanji. He called for him to his room and spoke
very kindly, not taking any offence at what was said. “Narayanji, I know you were not angry
with us, you were just very very impatient; impatient that you did not see God yet, is that
not so?”
Narayanji was relieved to see that Acharyaji did not take any offence at his words.
He said, “Yes, Swamiji, I am trying. I have been practicing strict Brahmacharya now for three
days, but I don’t see any God anywhere, let alone everywhere!”
Line 3: Acharyaji smiled at him, and lovingly said: “O, I see the problem you have.
Look, you do one thing, just forget all what Krishna has told you, and practice this one
instruction – Be balanced in mind under any circumstances, whether you are succeeding or
failing, is that okay?”
Acharyaji then took Narayanji for some tea and samoosas to the Annakshetra
Narayanji was completely won over with the hospitality and kindness of Acharyaji. Where
cold Vedanta had failed. a little warm love worked miracles.
Line 4: Narayanji followed this advice strictly. He remained calm in all the ups and
downs of his business, family life, social engagements, and so on. Because he was now a
kinder person, people were attracted to him. His business grew. He gave more in charity to
support the Ashram’s Jnana Yajna and the Gurukula. He also started coming during the day
to do Seva. The result was that he did come closer and closer to his beloved Lord Vishnu!
Verse 25: Beyond All Sense of Difference

zÉ§ÉÉæ ÍqÉ§Éå mÉÑ§Éå oÉlkÉÉæ , qÉÉ MÑüÂ rÉ¦ÉÇ ÌuÉaÉëWûxÉlkÉÉæ |
xÉuÉïÎxqÉ³ÉÌmÉ mÉzrÉÉiqÉÉlÉÇ , xÉuÉï§ÉÉåixÉ×eÉ pÉåSÉ¥ÉÉlÉqÉç || 25||
1 shatrau mitre putre bandhau With your opponent, well-wisher, son or relative,
2 maa kuru yatnam vigraha- sandhau strive not to be at strife or make friendship;
3 sarvasmin api pashy-aatmaanam but see the one Self in everything and
4 sarvatra- utsrija bheda- ajnaanam. everywhere; tear down all sense of difference.
Here we have a model to base all our human relationships in life. The whole verse
suggests to us that they should be based on the underlying Truth (Brahman) that unites all
creation. It may appear to be a tall order, but it is guaranteed to give us peace of mind.
The ideas of even-mindedness and all-pervasiveness which were introduced in the
previous verse are extended in this verse.
32
1-2 i) Even-mindedness: Who determines who is friend and who is enemy? It is our
own Ego. These attitudes towards others are rooted in our own prejudices. When we
separate ourselves from others, we tend to either hate them or befriend them. Both are
conditional; they depend on how they support our ego.
If people are favourable to us we should see this as coming from the all-pervasive
Self; we need not especially make efforts to befriend them. Similarly, in the case of those
who are unfavourably disposed towards, we need not start a hate campaign against them.
By having this principle in mind, all our relationships will become purified.
3-4 ii) All-Pervasiveness: What Vedanta is suggesting is that we should rise above
these narrow personal biases. We should expand our consciousness to encompass everyone
and everything. So much so that it cannot see any differences. There is no special
consideration given to family and relatives. All such divisions are transcended totally.
Such is the impact of the vision of God. This is what it implies to see the Self
everywhere. It is the logical conclusion of the beautiful philosophy of Vedanta, which
unconditionally embraces with love everything it beholds. The state of Oneness has this
great practical, life-transforming vision that can truly uplift society to great heights.
Inspired by such a vision of life, people over thousands of years have been
emboldened to renounce all the pleasures of worldly existence. Sages like Shankaracharya
who have reached the pinnacle of perfection in attaining this height in spirituality cannot
rest until they spend every bit of their energies to share their wisdom with all mankind. They
become the true benefactors of humanity, and give meaning to human existence.
Verse 26: A World Without Anger Lust & Greed

MüÉqÉÇ ¢üÉåkÉÇ sÉÉåpÉÇ qÉÉåWÇû , irÉYiuÉÉÅÅiqÉÉlÉÇ pÉÉuÉrÉ MüÉåÅWûqÉç |
AÉiqÉ¥ÉÉlÉÌuÉWûÏlÉÉ qÉÔRûÉ- , xiÉå mÉcrÉliÉå lÉUMüÌlÉaÉÔRûÉÈ || 26||
1 kaamam krodham lobham moham Desire, anger, greed and delusion –

tyaktvaa- (aa)tmaanam pashyati leaving these, the seeker sees in the Self, “He
2
so’ham; am I”.
3 aatma jnaana viheenaa moodhaah They are fools who have no Self-knowledge,
4 te pachyante naraka nigoodhaah. and as captives in hell, they are tortured.
Bhaja Govindam is unparalleled in the vision it presents before mankind. The

culmination of the beautiful philosophy of Vedanta is the experience of a Reality that is All-
pervading, all-encompassing, Omnipresent. We have already seen an implication of this in
the previous verse – the even-mindedness towards others. Now we see how the same
principle transforms our inner personality.
Transformation of Our Personality

1 Our personality is constituted by our virtues and vices. The stereotype we see in
the world is of people who are shaped by their desire, anger, greed and delusion. These are
33
all constructions of our ego or individual consciousness, which sees itself as different from
others, and therefore always feels a sense of threat when moving about with others.
Vedanta proclaims that a genuine change in such a personality is possible. How?
2 The solution is to expand our consciousness through deep meditational practice,

and experience for ourselves the effect that has on our thinking.
“He am I” is not just a feeling one has temporarily; it is experienced as the Truth of
our being. One living in this elevated consciousness cannot possibly bear ill-will towards
others, because he sees them as himself. Thus he sees no threat from anybody. A mosquito
is not afraid when a tiger walks past it. A baby monkey and a puppy are not afraid when
their paths cross, as is the case with adult monkeys and dogs.
The ultimate effect of this spiritual growth is that our personality is rid permanently
of lust, anger and greed, the basic building blocks of all common personalities. In addition,
there is the absence of jealousy, delusion and envy, too. All these six qualities make up what
is known as the Shad Ripavah or the “Sixfold Vices” that oppose spiritual perfection. All the
problems of humanity arise from one or more of these six Vices.
The Fate of the Un-Transformed Personality

The prior condition for Self-knowledge is renunciation of these six vices. This is what
the sincere Vedantin commits himself to. Those who cling on to these vices cannot expect
anything other than the pain and suffering we see prevalent in people.
3 Moodhaah: “fools”. Firstly, they are considered foolish or, rather, deluded not to
take the spiritual teaching seriously. Ignoring what the scriptures proclaim to be the
solution, they are doomed to remain as people who are in essence not different from
animals. That is their “foolishness” in the eyes of Sri Shankaracharyaji.
4 Naraka Nigoodhaah: “captives in hell”. Not only foolish, but such people have to
live a life that is as good as living in Hell. They open themselves up to the whole gamut of
human experience in ignorance – which is hellish to say the least, according to the wise
sage.
Pachyante: They are “tortured”. By what and by whom? By their own personalities,
by their own vicious qualities; and this is a self-imposed torture. No one else is to blame!
Hell is not seen in Vedanta as a punishment for sins; rather, it is sin itself that tortures the
sinner. If only he abandons them, a sinner becomes a saint!
There is no eternal damnation in Hinduism. Everyone has a chance to progress, to
take the next step forward. Through making the right choices in life, we earn merit that pulls
us upwards out of the morass of sensuality.
Acharyaji on “The Choice Before Man”

Acharyaji’s deeply touching remarks on how he expressed the choice given to
mankind, are worth taking note of here:
“We do not have the luxury to ask whether it is practical. It is a matter of ‘Take it or
leave it.’ At some point we have to DO what Vedanta tells us to do. If we do not follow the
advice given, we are in the same situation as ‘captives in Hell’.
“Do we go on studying a Cookery book? We have to get down to making some of
those recipes in the book some day, or else it is a waste of time to have a Cookery book.
Similarly with Vedanta – it would be wasted effort to go on studying it and not put it into
34
practice. When Vedanta Masters tell us that we need to give up all desires, they mean all
without exception.”
Acharyaji also spoke frankly about what it really meant to be tortured in hell. The
graphic account he gave would make one’s hair stand on end. In fact, we do not have to
wait to go to hell for such experiences. Spiritually, “we get tortured here on earth itself. We
are roasted in the fire of worldliness, tossed about ruthlessly birth after birth; persecuted by
our own vices, and beaten up by our own misdeeds. This is ‘torture in hell’.”
It left us wondering: “So, what are we waiting for? Let’s get on with Sadhana!”
That is what the great Master must have hoped for, as we see in the next verse…
Verse 27: The Path of Blessedness

aÉårÉÇ aÉÏiÉÉlÉÉqÉxÉWûxÉëÇ , krÉårÉÇ ´ÉÏmÉÌiÉÃmÉqÉeÉxÉëqÉç |
lÉårÉÇ xÉ‹lÉxÉ…¡åû ÍcÉ¨ÉÇ , SårÉÇ SÏlÉeÉlÉÉrÉ cÉ ÌuÉ¨ÉqÉç || 27||
1 geyam geetaa naama sahasram The Geeta and Sahasranama are to be chanted;
dhyeyam shreepati roopam the form of the Lord of Lakshmi is to be meditated
2
ajasram; upon;
3 neyam sajjana sange chittam the mind is to be led to the company of the good;
4 deyam deenajanaaya cha vittam. wealth is to be distributed among the needy.
[This is the last of the 14 verses contributed by the disciples.]

The previous verse must have given the reader a good jolt, as it gave us students a
jolt when we heard Acharyaji. This verse gets down to the brass tacks immediately. It is time
for action – enough of discussion.
The verse lays out a 4-point programme of Sadhana, one Pada devoted to each
point. Beginners on the spiritual path would receive this as some solace and assurance to
them. Just by doing these four simple spiritual exercises, our negative qualities like anger,
lust and greed, can get dissolved. Dedication can win God, not greatness. We are called
upon to say to God, “I seek You alone, nothing else!”
There are some people who believe that Shankaracharya was a Saivite because of his
parents’ devotion to Lord Shiva, his name, and his origin in southern India. But that is not
the truth. From this verse we see he is broadminded. As a true Vedantin, he did not build
these barriers around himself. He could appreciate the spiritual essence of any path. We see
him quoting the Vaishnavite texts and proclaiming the worship of Lord Vishnu.
The Four Starting Sadhanas:

In these simple instructions we see that he is asking the beginner to practice the
basic Sadhanas. There is no bigotry in these instructions. They are for all aspirants, from any
cultural background. The Bhava of the heart is more important than the outer actions or the
words uttered in prayer. The Sadhanas given each Pada are:
1 Scriptural Study or Recitation:
2 Worship of one’s Deity or meditation on the Lord;
35
3 Satsang or good company;
4 Charity to the poor and needy.
The Divine Doctor, Shankaracharyaji, is filled with love and compassion for his
“patients”, the devotees of God. He lovingly cajoles them to do the basic practices, common
to all religions.
He executes every stroke delicately like a professional doctor. He knows that
operations on the mind need to be done quietly but firmly, through the back door. The mind
resists such operations, and if it gets a chance it will try to escape from the operation table!
He approaches the patient with Bhagavad Gita in hand, the Name of Hari on his lips,
surrounds him with good company, and fills his heart with compassion and generosity
towards the needy.
Endowments of good qualities in life have to be treasured. The human birth, a good
family, a Guru – these are blessed conditions; we must not waste them. If we use all these
well, liberation cannot be too far.
In this world we are not allowed to be too comfortable in one situation. There are
always the ups and downs just around the corner.
In most people achievement is linked with some action. So they do not take easily to
Vedanta, which asks of us nothing in the field of action but everything in the field of BEING.
This is not easily understood by many people. The simple, inner life of silence and
contemplation appears very difficult to practice because the average person’s mind is highly
strung with activity. Therefore Shankaracharya suggests in this verse some simple things
which the man of the world can DO, and thereby get started on the path.
This is not a compromise on standards; it is simply the common sense way of getting
started on the spiritual path.
*****
Lord Ganesha
36
Final Concluding Verses
PART IV – Verses 28-31
“How to Plan One’s Liberation”
IN KEEPING WITH Sri Shankaracharyaji’s style, he concludes in a most balanced

manner – with two verses of grave warning and two verses of the most compassionate
encouragement to the spiritual seeker. Together they form a quartet that fittingly concludes
this superb poem, in which devotion to God joins forces with exquisite poetry to do battle
against the most treacherous forces of lust and greed that threaten to devour all spirituality
from the surface of the earth.
Verse 28: Beware of Carnal Pleasures

xÉÑZÉiÉÈ Ì¢ürÉiÉå UÉqÉÉpÉÉåaÉÈ , mÉ¶ÉÉ®liÉ zÉUÏUå UÉåaÉÈ |
rÉ±ÌmÉ sÉÉåMåü qÉUhÉÇ zÉUhÉÇ , iÉSÌmÉ lÉ qÉÑgcÉÌiÉ mÉÉmÉÉcÉUhÉqÉç || 28||
1 sukhatah kriyate raamaa bhogah For happiness, one indulges in sense pleasures;
2 paschaad hanta shareere rogah; later on, alas, come diseases of the body.
3 yadyapi loke maranaam sharanam Even though in the world all ends in death,
tadapi na munchati paapaa
4 even then man leaves not his sinful behaviour.
charanam.
These last 4 verses, being a conclusion, will legitimately contain the essence of what
has already been stated in the previous verses. The Master Teacher beautifully gives the gist
of his message once again.
1 There is no doubt that lust for pleasure formed a key factor in this poem. From the
very outset in verse 3, the topic has been repeatedly touched upon. Hence, the foremost
item in the conclusion has to be sensual pleasure.
2 The fires of lust make one go through hell here itself. The sage gives a final word of
caution about the dangers of carnal pleasures. They sap one’s energy and render him
incapable of leading a spiritual life. Indulgence in carnal pleasure brings about diseases of
the body that can be incurable. In modern times, we are faced with the worst form of this
disease in the AIDS epidemic, which brings on early death to countless sufferers.
3 The temporary nature of all sense objects, and therefore all sensual pleasures, is
brought out in this Pada. It has been another major point within the poem.
Acharyaji placed the fact before the predominantly young group of students in front
of him: “Sensuality makes us do shameful things. One loses all sense of modesty. In front of
37
parents, we see that a son will pull out a bottle of alcohol – something that in Indian society
was too shameful to bear a couple of decades ago. Now the social situation has changed so
much, that the father will also join in!”
Story of Cigarette Campaign in Turkey
There was a moving story told to us of how cigarettes were introduced to Turkey, a
Muslim country, in which smoking is taboo to the culture. Yet, a businessman from the West
saw a market for the product in this country. He applied for the permits to open his trade –
and was successful, since no one took him seriously, and there were no objections. His initial
advertising campaign was a big hit. It openly announced the following benefits of smoking:
i) No dog will ever come near you again.
ii) With smoking, you will never grow old.
iii) Robbers will never come to attack you in your home.
The campaign was irresistible to the gullible public. The public are ever willing to
accept what it wants to hear. The business grew and grew. The state became concerned as
they wondered how such a business had taken off in their country. They questioned his
advertising campaign. He swore on the Koran that he did not lie. He was taken to court. He
explained himself as follows and had to be acquitted:
“Your Lordship! The one who smokes will soon be carrying a walking stick, so which
dog is going to come near him?
“The smoker will not age because he will die long before that!
“And robbers will not dare to come to his home because his all-night coughing will
frighten them away!”
Thus the clever, enterprising businessman successfully won his case!
4 If we do take the warning about approaching death serious enough, we will use
every moment of our life carefully. We will prioritize our daily routine, do that which has to
be done and leave out the unnecessary things. There will no time to spend in sensual
indulgence.
This Pada highlights another major point made in the poem: the stubbornness of
man to give up his addiction to sensual pleasure. This has dominated the poem in many of
its verses. It is fittingly included in the conclusion.
Next to Lust, the second most deadly curse for a spiritual aspirant lies in Wealth.
Verse 29: Wealth is Calamitous

AjÉïqÉlÉjÉïÇ pÉÉuÉrÉ ÌlÉirÉÇ , lÉÉÎxiÉiÉiÉÈ xÉÑZÉsÉåzÉÈ xÉirÉqÉç |
mÉÑ§ÉÉSÌmÉ kÉlÉpÉÉeÉÉÇ pÉÏÌiÉÈ , xÉuÉï§ÉæwÉÉ ÌuÉÌWûiÉÉ UÏÌiÉÈ || 29||
1 artham anartham bhaavaya nityam “Wealth is calamitous”, thus reflect always;

2 naasti tatah sukhaleshah satyam; the truth is there is no happiness at all in it.
putraad api dhana-bhaajaam To the rich, there is fear even from one’s
3
bheetih own son.
4 sarvatraisha vihitaa reetih. This is the way with wealth everywhere.
38
1-2 Artham Anartham: This is a beautiful poetical device used at the very start.
Artham is ‘wealth’, and Anartham means ‘the opposite of wealth’ as well as ‘calamitous’.
Together they serve as a lovely poetic couple to emphasize the calamitous nature of wealth.
It buys trouble, disease, worries, sensuality, etc. So it turns out wealth is in fact a burden
rather than what it generally promises to be.
When is wealth calamitous? It is so when it is acquired wrongly; when it is not shared
or spent wisely; when it becomes the sole goal in life; when it leads to more selfishness, ‘I’-
ness and ‘mine’-ness.
3 Wherever there is lots of wealth, there is also intense fear. The fears that beset a
wealthy man include that of being cheated by his own son! This is a fact of life in today’s
world. A son could even commit the worst crime on his father to get his money. For the
wealthy man, death stares at him in the form of his own wealth!
The Way of Wealth

4 Acharyaji gave a few examples of what wealth can do, and what it cannot:
Wealth can draw attention, but not love.
Wealth can buy food, but not appetite.
Wealth can obtain a luxurious bed, but not sleep.
Wealth can afford the best medicines, but not health.
Guruji had said once, “The important things in life are not things.”
Anything in excess is always a problem. Nature does not permit such an imbalance.
She has her way of balancing her resources.
Every object that we see as ‘mine’, occupies a space in our mind. We have to attend
to that space. It becomes a source of worry. We have to beware of what we hold as ‘mine’.
Acharyaji told us of the Brahmachari who kept two langotis. A rat bit one. Then he
got another. That, too, was bitten. He was advised to get a cat. He did that and that led to
getting a cow; then a servant to attend to it; then a wife, children…the whole entourage! All
because of a small langoti!
At the end of verse 27, the sage advises aspirants to shed off all unnecessary wealth.
It has to be given away in charity. He knows only too well of the dangers of keeping excess
wealth.
A Tale of Two Misers:

Acharyaji told us a tale of two misers: “Miser A went to visit Miser B. While talking to
each other, the host Miser B said, ‘Since we are only talking, we do not need the lights. Let
me put them off.’ Miser A was very impressed by this miserliness, but felt he also had to
display his own miserliness in a more dramatic way. So he added, ‘If you are going to put the
lights off, then I wouldn’t mind taking my precious clothes off to the bare minimum, so that I
do not have to wash them for tomorrow.’ This is professional miserliness!”
For such people, indeed the son becomes the biggest worry. He waits for you to die.
Before that happens better to give away all excess money in charity.
Thus end the two verses that warn us of negative forces that destroy spirituality.
39
Verse 30: Take Great Care in Sadhana
mÉëÉhÉÉrÉÉqÉÇ mÉëirÉÉWûÉUÇ , ÌlÉirÉÉÌlÉirÉ ÌuÉuÉåMüÌuÉcÉÉUqÉç |
eÉÉmrÉxÉqÉåiÉxÉqÉÉÍkÉÌuÉkÉÉlÉÇ , MÑüuÉïuÉkÉÉlÉÇ qÉWûSuÉkÉÉlÉqÉç || 30||
1 praanaayaamam pratyaahaaram The control of all activities, sense withdrawal,

discrimination between the permanent and the
2 nitya- anitya viveka vichaaram;
impermanent;
jaapya sameta samaadhi along with Japa and the practice of reaching
3
vidhaanam the total inner silence
kurv-avadhaanam mahad-
4 – these perform with care….with great care!
avadhaanam.
Finally, we come to the two verses of encouragement that bring this great text to an
end. A good teacher is always the one who ends on an encouraging note.
Five Important Aspects of Sadhana:

This verse is a reminder to us to be consistent and ardent in our practice of the
following five Sadhanas:
1 i) Controlling All Our Activities: It is activities that bind us; and yet it is only
activities which are done as worship that can free us. Thus we are to control all such
activities before they start controlling us.
ii) Sense Withdrawal: Sense indulgence has been dealt with in great detail in this
text. Here withdrawing them consciously is advised as a Sadhana.
2 iii) Discrimination: This brings one to the more serious side of Sadhana. Every
thought and word and deed is passed through the intellect for an ‘anti-virus’ scan.
3 iv) Repetition of Lord’s Name: This is the most effective Sadhana for quick
purification of the mind, and cultivating devotion.
v) Silent Contemplation on the Self: And the ultimate Sadhana of all is to spend time
on deep inner reflection or meditation in order to experience the qualities emanating from
our Self – peace, purity, wisdom, love and bliss.
Regarding point iv) Acharyaji recounted for us the following story:
Story of The Genie and the Mind:

There was a man who prayed for and obtained the services of a genie who could do
anything for him in an instant, but warned him that if it is not kept busy, it would gobble him
up. Everything started off quite well. The man first ordered a huge meal. It was there in an
instant. Then he asked for something which would keep the genie busy for a longer time – it
was a huge, palatial home. That, too, was done in a very remarkably short time. Other things
were asked, and the genie did them in amazingly short time.
Soon the man ran out of ideas and the genie was going to kill and eat him. He went
to a wise man for advice. The wise man suggested that the genie be made to go up and
down a long slippery pole until he is told to stop. This settled the threat from the genie once
and for all. This last activity of the genie represents Japa, which keeps the “genie-mind” busy
so that it cannot do its usual mischief.
40
4 All these Sadhanas have to be performed attentively and with great care –
meaning regularly, and with mind fully focused. No laxity is to be allowed to allow the mind
to have its own old way again. This is the great secret to training the undisciplined mind.
Verse 31: Surrender to the Lotus Feet of One’s Guru

aÉÑÂcÉUhÉÉqoÉÑeÉÌlÉpÉïUpÉ£üÈ , xÉÇxÉÉUÉSÍcÉUÉ°uÉ qÉÑ£üÈ |
xÉåÎlSìrÉqÉÉlÉxÉÌlÉrÉqÉÉSåuÉÇ , Sì¤rÉÍxÉ ÌlÉeÉ™SrÉxjÉÇ SåuÉqÉç || 31||
1 guru charana-ambuja nirbhara bhaktah Devoted to the lotus feet of the Guru,
2 samsaaraad-achiraad bhava muktah; may you be liberated soon from Samsara.
3 sendriya maanasa niyamaad evam Through discipline of sense organs and mind,
you will come to experience the Lord that
4 drakshyasi nija hridayastham devam.
dwells in your own heart.
The most important part of Sadhana has been reserved for this last verse. To the
Guru who was instrumental in building our spiritual life, we owe the deepest gratitude. The
disciple always remains at his lotus feet, signifying humility in his presence. This is Indian
spirituality at its most sublime. It is the quintessence of the Indian attitude towards
spirituality. The Guru-disciple relationship stands at the centre of the entire life of a true
disciple. To do any service at the Guru’s bidding gives the disciple the greatest joy.
Acharyaji’s inspirational words on the Guru are given on the next page. It gives us a
glimpse of how much he feels for his own Guru, Pujya Gurudev Swami Chinmayanandaji.
On that note, with our heads firmly planted on the Guru’s feet, we come to the most
fitting end to a text which exemplifies how much the Guru loves true spiritual seekers.
Om Tat Sat!
*****
SRI RAMA
41
This verse is not found in all versions. It is dedicated to Sri Shankaracharyaji.
qÉÔRûÈ Mü¶ÉlÉ uÉærÉÉMüUhÉÉå , QÒûÈM×üƒ¡ûUhÉÉkrÉrÉlÉkÉÑUÏhÉÈ |
´ÉÏqÉcNûƒ¡ûUpÉaÉuÉÎcNûwrÉæ- , oÉÉåïÍkÉiÉ AÉxÉÏcNûÉåÍkÉiÉMüUhÉÈ || 32||
*****
Who is the Guru?
 One who understands you.

 One whom you understand.
 Seeing whom you feel inspired to walk the spiritual
path.
 One whose teaching is clear for you.
 Because of whom you feel that the possibility is
there to reach that State.
 God’s personal PRESENT for each and everyone of
us.
 The embodiment of God, personalized and
customized for my requirement.
 The Ocean of compassion.
 Who does not take lightly your falls.
 Who does not fail to encourage you.
– Acharyaji
*****
42
BHAJA GOVINDAM
by Sri Adi Shankaracharya
Split-Sandhee Samskrit Format

(to Assist Beginners in Identifying the Words)
PART I
Hammer Blows to Delusion
pÉeÉ aÉÉåÌuÉlSÇ pÉeÉ aÉÉåÌuÉlSÇ, aÉÉåÌuÉlSÇ pÉeÉ qÉÔRûqÉiÉå |
xÉÇmÉëÉmiÉå xÉÍ³ÉÌWûiÉå MüÉsÉå, lÉ ÌWû lÉ ÌWû U¤ÉÌiÉ QÒûM×ügÉç MüUhÉå || 1 ||
PART II
Pitfalls to Beware Of
qÉÔRû eÉWûÏÌWû kÉlÉÉaÉqÉiÉ×whÉÉÇ, MÑüÂ xÉ¯ÒÎ®Ç qÉlÉÍxÉ ÌuÉiÉ×whÉÉqÉç |
rÉssÉpÉxÉå ÌlÉeÉMüqÉÉåïmÉÉ¨ÉÇ, ÌuÉ¨ÉÇ iÉålÉ ÌuÉlÉÉåSrÉ ÍcÉ¨ÉqÉç || 2 ||
lÉÉËU xiÉlÉ pÉU lÉÉpÉÏ SåzÉÇ, ÌSìwOèuÉÉ qÉÉ (Å)aÉÉ qÉÉåWèû-AÉ-uÉåzÉqÉç |

LiÉlÉç-qÉÉÇxÉ uÉxÉç-AÉ-ÌS ÌuÉMüÉUÇ, qÉlÉÍxÉ ÌuÉÍcÉliÉrÉ uÉÉUÇ uÉÉUqÉç || 3 ||
lÉÍsÉlÉÏ-SsÉaÉiÉ eÉsÉqÉç AÌiÉ iÉUsÉÇ, iÉ²eÉç-eÉÏÌuÉiÉqÉç AÌiÉzÉrÉ cÉmÉsÉqÉç |

ÌuÉÎ® urÉÉkÉç-rÉç AÍpÉqÉÉlÉ aÉëxiÉÇ, sÉÉåMÇü zÉÉåMü WûiÉÇ cÉ xÉqÉxiÉqÉç || 4 ||
rÉÉuÉSè-ÌuÉ¨Éç-AÉå-mÉÉeÉïlÉ xÉ£üxÉç-, iÉÉuÉlÉç-ÌlÉeÉmÉËUuÉÉUç-AÉå U£üÈ |

mÉ¶ÉÉeÉç-eÉÏuÉÌiÉ eÉeÉïU SåWåû, uÉÉiÉÉïÇ MüÉåÅÌmÉ lÉ mÉ×cNûÌiÉ aÉåWåû || 5 ||
rÉÉuÉiÉç mÉuÉlÉç-AÉå ÌlÉuÉxÉÌiÉ SåWåû, iÉÉuÉiÉç mÉ×cNûÌiÉ MÑüzÉsÉÇ aÉåWåû |

aÉiÉuÉÌiÉ uÉÉrÉÉæ SåWèû-AÉ-mÉÉrÉå, pÉÉrÉÉï ÌoÉprÉÌiÉ iÉÎxqÉlÉç MüÉrÉå || 6 ||
oÉÉsÉxÉç-iÉÉuÉiÉç ¢üÏQûÉ xÉ£üÈ, iÉÂhÉxÉç-iÉÉuÉiÉç iÉÂhÉÏ xÉ£üÈ |

uÉ×®xÉç-iÉÉuÉcÉç-ÍcÉliÉÉ xÉ£üÈ, mÉUqÉå oÉë¼ÍhÉ MüÉåÅÌmÉ lÉ xÉ£üÈ || 7 ||
MüÉ iÉå MüÉliÉÉ MüxiÉå mÉÑ§ÉÈ, xÉÇxÉÉUç-AÉå ÅrÉqÉç AiÉÏuÉ ÌuÉÍcÉ§ÉÈ |

MüxrÉ iuÉÇ MüÈ MÑüiÉ AÉrÉÉiÉÈ, iÉüÉÇ ÍcÉliÉrÉ iÉÌSWû pÉëÉiÉÈ || 8 ||
xÉiÉç-xÉ…¡ûiuÉå ÌlÉxÉç-xÉ…¡ûiuÉÇ, ÌlÉÈxÉ…¡ûiuÉå ÌlÉqÉÉåïWûiuÉqÉç |

ÌlÉqÉÉåïWûiuÉå ÌlÉ¶ÉsÉ iÉüÉÇ, ÌlÉ¶ÉsÉ iÉüÉå eÉÏuÉlqÉÑÌ£üÈ || 9 ||
uÉrÉÍxÉ aÉiÉå MüÈ MüÉqÉ-ÌuÉMüÉUÈ, zÉÑwMåü lÉÏUå MüÈ MüÉxÉÉUÈ |

¤ÉÏhÉå ÌuÉ¨Éå MüÈ mÉËUuÉÉUç-AÉå, ¥ÉÉiÉå iÉüÉå MüÈ xÉÇxÉÉUÈ || 10 ||
qÉÉ MÑüÂ kÉlÉ-eÉlÉ-rÉÉæuÉlÉ-aÉuÉïÇ, WûUÌiÉ ÌlÉqÉåwÉÉiÉç MüÉsÉÈ xÉuÉïqÉç |
43
qÉÉrÉÉqÉrÉqÉç CSqÉç AÎZÉsÉÇ oÉÑSèkuÉÉ, oÉë¼-mÉSÇ iuÉÇ mÉëÌuÉzÉ ÌuÉÌSiuÉÉ || 11 ||
ÌSlÉrÉÉÍqÉlrÉÉæ xÉÉrÉÇ mÉëÉiÉÈ, ÍzÉÍzÉU-uÉxÉliÉÉæ mÉÑlÉUç-AÉrÉÉiÉÈ;

MüÉsÉÈ ¢üÏQûÌiÉ aÉcNûiÉç-rÉç AÉrÉÑÈ, iÉSÌmÉ lÉ qÉÑgcÉiÉç-rÉç AÉzÉÉ uÉÉrÉÑÈ || 12 ||
MüÉ iÉå MüÉliÉÉ kÉlÉaÉiÉ-ÍcÉliÉÉ, uÉÉiÉÑsÉ ÌMÇü iÉuÉ lÉÉÎxiÉ ÌlÉrÉliÉÉ |

Ì§ÉeÉaÉÌiÉ xÉ‹lÉ xÉÇaÉÌiÉUç-LMüÉ, pÉuÉÌiÉ pÉuÉç-AÉ-hÉïuÉ iÉUhÉå lÉÉæMüÉ || 13 ||
PART III
eÉÌOûsÉç-AÉå qÉÑhQûÏ sÉÑÎgcÉiÉ MåüzÉÈ, MüÉwÉÉrÉç-AÉ-qoÉU oÉWÒûM×üiÉ uÉåwÉÈ |
mÉzrÉ³Éç-AÌmÉ cÉ lÉ mÉzrÉÌiÉ qÉÔRèû-AÉå, Wèû-rÉç ESU ÌlÉÍqÉ¨ÉÇ oÉWÒûM×üiÉ uÉåwÉÈ || 14 ||
A…¡Çû aÉÍsÉiÉÇ mÉÍsÉiÉÇ qÉÑhQÇû, SzÉlÉ ÌuÉWûÏlÉÇ eÉÉiÉÇ iÉÑhQûqÉç |

ÌuÉë®è-AÉå rÉÉÌiÉ aÉ×WûÏiuÉÉ ShQÇû, iÉSÌmÉ lÉ qÉÑgcÉiÉç-rÉç AÉzÉÉ ÌmÉhQûqÉç || 15 ||
AaÉëå uÉÌ»ûÈ mÉ×¸å pÉÉlÉÑÈ, UÉ§ÉÉæ cÉÑoÉÑMü xÉqÉÌmÉïiÉ eÉÉlÉÑÈ |

MüUiÉsÉ ÍpÉ¤ÉxÉç iÉÂiÉsÉ uÉÉxÉÈ, iÉSÌmÉ lÉ qÉÑgcÉiÉç-rÉç AÉzÉÉ mÉÉzÉÈ || 16 ||
MÑüÂiÉå aÉ…¡ûÉ-xÉÉaÉU aÉqÉlÉÇ, uÉëiÉ-mÉËUmÉÉsÉlÉqÉç-AjÉuÉÉ SÉlÉqÉç |

¥ÉÉlÉ ÌuÉWûÏlÉÈ xÉuÉï-qÉiÉålÉ, pÉeÉÌiÉ lÉ qÉÑÌ£Çü eÉlqÉ-zÉiÉålÉ || 17 ||
xÉÑU qÉÎlSU iÉÂ qÉÔsÉ ÌlÉuÉÉxÉÈ, zÉrrÉÉ pÉÔiÉsÉqÉç-AÎeÉlÉÇ uÉÉxÉÈ |
xÉuÉï mÉËUaÉëWû pÉÉåaÉ(È) irÉÉaÉÈ, MüxrÉ xÉÑZÉÇ lÉ MüUÉåÌiÉ ÌuÉUÉaÉÈ || 18 ||
rÉÉåaÉUiÉç-AÉå uÉÉ pÉÉåaÉUiÉç-AÉå uÉÉ, xÉ…¡ûUiÉç-AÉå uÉÉ xÉ…¡û-ÌuÉWûÏlÉÈ |

rÉxrÉ oÉë¼ÍhÉ UqÉiÉå ÍcÉ¨ÉÇ, lÉlSÌiÉ lÉlSÌiÉ lÉlSiÉç-rÉç LuÉ || 19 ||
pÉaÉuÉSè aÉÏiÉÉ ÌMüÎgcÉSè AkÉÏiÉÉ, aÉ…¡ûÉ eÉsÉ sÉuÉ MüÍhÉMüÉ mÉÏiÉÉ |

xÉM×üSè-AÌmÉ rÉålÉ qÉÑUÉËU-xÉqÉcÉÉï, Ì¢ürÉiÉå iÉxrÉ rÉqÉålÉ lÉ cÉcÉÉï || 20 ||
mÉÑlÉUÌmÉ eÉlÉlÉÇ mÉÑlÉUÌmÉ qÉUhÉÇ, mÉÑlÉUÌmÉ eÉlÉlÉÏ eÉPûUå zÉrÉlÉqÉç |

CWû xÉÇxÉÉUå oÉWÒû-SÒxiÉÉUå, M×ümÉrÉÉ-ÅmÉÉUå mÉÉÌWû qÉÑUÉUå || 21 ||
UjrÉÉ cÉmÉïOû ÌuÉUÍcÉiÉ MüljÉÈ, mÉÑhrÉç-AÉ-mÉÑhrÉ ÌuÉuÉÎeÉïiÉ mÉljÉÈ |

rÉÉåaÉÏ rÉÉåaÉ ÌlÉrÉÉåÎeÉiÉ ÍcÉ¨Éç-AÉå, UqÉiÉå oÉÉsÉç-AÉå-lqÉ¨ÉuÉSè LuÉ || 22 ||
MüxiuÉÇ Mçü-AÉå ÅWÇû MÑüiÉ AÉrÉÉiÉÈ, MüÉ qÉå eÉlÉlÉÏ MüÉå qÉå iÉÉiÉÈ |
CÌiÉ mÉËUpÉÉuÉrÉ xÉuÉïqÉç-AxÉÉUÇ, ÌuÉµÉÇ irÉYiuÉÉ xuÉmlÉ ÌuÉcÉÉUqÉç || 23 ||
iuÉÌrÉ qÉÌrÉ cÉç-AÉ-lrÉ§Éç-Lå-Mçü-AÉå ÌuÉwhÉÑÈ, urÉjÉïÇ MÑümrÉÍxÉ qÉrÉç-rÉç AxÉÌWûwhÉÑÈ |

pÉuÉ xÉqÉÍcÉ¨ÉÈ xÉuÉï§É iuÉÇ, uÉÉgNûxÉç-rÉç AÍcÉUÉSè rÉÌS ÌuÉwhÉÑiuÉqÉç || 24 ||
zÉ§ÉÉæ ÍqÉ§Éå mÉÑ§Éå oÉlkÉÉæ, qÉÉ MÑüÂ rÉ¦ÉÇ ÌuÉaÉëWû xÉlkÉÉæ |

xÉuÉïÎxqÉlÉç-lÉç-AÌmÉ mÉzrÉçÅ-AÉiqÉÉlÉÇ, xÉuÉï§Éç-AÉå-ixÉ×eÉ pÉåSè-AÉ-¥ÉÉlÉqÉç || 25 ||
44
MüÉqÉÇ ¢üÉåkÉÇ sÉÉåpÉÇ qÉÉåWÇû, irÉYiuÉÉ-ÅÅiqÉÉlÉÇ mÉzrÉÌiÉ xÉç-AÉå ÅWûqÉç;
AÉiqÉ-¥ÉÉlÉ ÌuÉWûÏlÉÉ qÉÔRûÉxÉç-, iÉå mÉcrÉliÉå lÉUMü-ÌlÉaÉÔRûÉÈ || 26 ||
aÉårÉÇ aÉÏiÉÉ lÉÉqÉ xÉWûxÉëÇ, krÉårÉÇ ´ÉÏmÉÌiÉ ÃmÉqÉç AeÉxÉëqÉç |

lÉårÉÇ xÉ‹lÉ xÉ…¡åû ÍcÉ¨ÉÇ, SårÉÇ SÏlÉeÉlÉÉrÉ cÉ ÌuÉ¨ÉqÉç || 27 ||
PART IV
xÉÑZÉiÉÈ Ì¢ürÉiÉå UÉqÉÉ-pÉÉåaÉÈ, mÉ¶ÉÉSè-Sè-WûliÉ zÉUÏUå UÉåaÉÈ |

rÉSè-rÉç AÌmÉ sÉÉåMåü qÉUhÉÇ zÉUhÉÇ, iÉSÌmÉ lÉ qÉÑgcÉÌiÉ mÉÉmÉçÅ-AÉcÉUhÉqÉç || 28 ||
AjÉïÇ-AlÉjÉïÇ pÉÉuÉrÉ ÌlÉirÉÇ, lÉÉÎxiÉ iÉiÉÈ xÉÑZÉsÉåzÉÈ xÉirÉqÉç |

mÉÑ§ÉÉSè-AÌmÉ kÉlÉ-pÉÉeÉÉÇ pÉÏÌiÉÈ, xÉuÉï§Éç-Lå-wÉÉ ÌuÉÌWûiÉÉ UÏÌiÉÈ || 29 ||
mÉëÉhÉÉrÉÉqÉÇ mÉëirÉÉWûÉUÇ, ÌlÉirÉç-AÉ-ÌlÉirÉ ÌuÉuÉåMü-ÌuÉcÉÉUqÉç;

eÉÉmrÉ xÉqÉåiÉ xÉqÉÉÍkÉ ÌuÉkÉÉlÉÇ, MÑüUç-uÉç AuÉkÉÉlÉÇ qÉWûSè AuÉkÉÉlÉqÉç || 30 ||
aÉÑÂ cÉUhÉç-AÉ-qoÉÑeÉ ÌlÉpÉïU pÉ£üÈ, xÉÇxÉÉUÉSè-AÍcÉUÉSè pÉuÉ qÉÑ£üÈ |

xÉç-L-ÎlSìrÉ qÉÉlÉxÉ ÌlÉrÉqÉÉSè LuÉÇ, Sì¤rÉÍxÉ ÌlÉeÉ ™SrÉxjÉÇ SåuÉqÉç || 31 ||
*****
BHAJA GOVINDAM
by Sri Adi Shankaracharya
Split-Sandhee English Transliterations
PART I
Hammer Blows to Delusion
bhaja gµvinda¯ bhaja gµvinda¯, gµvinda¯ bhaja mÀ¢hamat£ |
sa¯pr¡pt£ sannihit£ k¡l£, na hi na hi rak½ati ¢uk»² kara³£ || 1 ||
PART II
Pitfalls to Beware Of
45
mÀ¢ha jah§hi dhan¡gamat»½³¡¯, kuru sadbuddhi¯ manasi vit»½³¡m |
yallabhas£ nijakarmµp¡tta¯, vitta¯ t£na vinµdaya cittam || 2 ||
n¡ri stana bhara n¡bh§ d£¾a¯, dri½¿v¡ m¡ (:')g¡ mµh-¡-v£¾am |
£tan-m¡¯sa vas-¡-di vik¡ra¯, manasi vicintaya v¡ra¯ v¡ram || 3 ||
nalin§-dalagata jalam ati tarala¯, tadvaj-j§vitam ati¾aya capalam |
viddhi vy¡dh-y abhim¡na grasta¯, lµka¯ ¾µka hata¯ ca samastam || 4 ||
y¡vad-vitt-µ-p¡rjana saktas-, t¡van-nijapariv¡r-µ rakta¦ |
pa¾c¡j-j§vati jarjara d£h£, v¡rt¡¯ kµ:'pi na p»cchati g£h£ || 5 ||
y¡vat pavan-µ nivasati d£h£, t¡vat p»cchati ku¾ala¯ g£h£ |
gatavati v¡yau d£h-¡-p¡y£, bh¡ry¡ bibhyati tasmin k¡y£ || 6 ||
b¡las-t¡vat kr§¢¡ sakta¦, taru³as-t¡vat taru³§ sakta¦ |
v»ddhas-t¡vac-cint¡ sakta¦, param£ brahma³i kµ:'pi na sakta¦ || 7 ||
k¡ t£ k¡nt¡ kast£ putra¦, sa¯s¡r-µ :'yam at§va vicitra¦ |
kasya tva¯ ka¦ kuta ¡y¡ta¦, tattva¯ cintaya tadiha bhr¡ta¦ || 8 ||
sat-sa±gatv£ nis-sa±gatva¯, ni¦sa±gatv£ nirmµhatvam |
nirmµhatv£ ni¾cala tattva¯, ni¾cala tattv£ j§vanmukti¦ || 9 ||
vayasi gat£ ka¦ k¡ma-vik¡ra¦, ¾u½k£ n§r£ ka¦ k¡s¡ra¦ |
k½§³£ vitt£ ka¦ pariv¡r-µ, j²¡t£ tattv£ ka¦ sa¯s¡ra¦ || 10 ||
m¡ kuru dhana-jana-yauvana-garva¯, harati nim£½¡t k¡la¦ sarvam |
m¡y¡mayam idam akhila¯ buddhv¡, brahma-pada¯ tva¯ pravi¾a viditv¡ || 11 ||
dinay¡minyau s¡ya¯ pr¡ta¦, ¾i¾ira-vasantau punar-¡y¡ta¦;
k¡la¦ kr§¢ati gacchat-ya ¡yu¦, tadapi na mu²cat-ya ¡¾¡ v¡yu¦ || 12 ||
k¡ t£ k¡nt¡ dhanagata-cint¡, v¡tula ki¯ tava n¡sti niyant¡ |
trijagati sajjana sa¯gatir-£k¡, bhavati bhav-¡-r³ava tara³£ nauk¡ || 13 ||
PART III
ja¿il-µ mu³¢§ lu²cita k£¾a¦, k¡½¡y-¡-mbara bahuk»ta v£½a¦ |
pa¾yann-api ca na pa¾yati mÀ¢h-µ, h-y udara nimitta¯ bahuk»ta v£½a¦ || 14 ||
a±ga¯ galita¯ palita¯ mu³¢a¯, da¾ana vih§na¯ j¡ta¯ tu³¢am |
vriddh-µ y¡ti g»h§tv¡ da³¢a¯, tadapi na mu²cat-y ¡¾¡ pi³¢am || 15 ||
agr£ vahni¦ p»½¿h£ bh¡nu¦, r¡trau cubuka samarpita j¡nu¦ |
karatala bhik½as tarutala v¡sa¦, tadapi na mu²cat-y ¡¾¡ p¡¾a¦ || 16 ||
kurut£ ga±g¡-s¡gara gamana¯, vrata-parip¡lanam-athav¡ d¡nam |
j²¡na vih§na¦ sarva-mat£na, bhajati na mukti¯ janma-¾at£na || 17 ||
46
sura mandira taru mÀla niv¡sa¦, ¾ayy¡ bhÀtalam-ajina¯ v¡sa¦ |
sarva parigraha bhµga(¦) ty¡ga¦, kasya sukha¯ na karµti vir¡ga¦ || 18 ||
yµgarat-µ v¡ bhµgarat-µ v¡, sa±garat-µ v¡ sa±ga-vih§na¦ |
yasya brahma³i ramat£ citta¯, nandati nandati nandat-y £va || 19 ||
bhagavad g§t¡ ki²cid adh§t¡, ga±g¡ jala lava ka³ik¡ p§t¡ |
sak»d-api y£na mur¡ri-samarc¡, kriyat£ tasya yam£na na carc¡ || 20 ||
punarapi janana¯ punarapi mara³a¯, punarapi janan§ ja¿har£ ¾ayanam |
iha sa¯s¡r£ bahu-dust¡r£, k»pay¡-:'p¡r£ p¡hi mur¡r£ || 21 ||
rathy¡ carpa¿a viracita kantha¦, pu³y-¡-pu³ya vivarjita pantha¦ |
yµg§ yµga niyµjita citt-µ, ramat£ b¡l-µ-nmattavad £va || 22 ||
kastva¯ k-µ :'ha¯ kuta ¡y¡ta¦, k¡ m£ janan§ kµ m£ t¡ta¦ |
iti paribh¡vaya sarvam-as¡ra¯, vi¾va¯ tyaktv¡ svapna vic¡ram || 23 ||
tvayi mayi c-¡-nyatr-ai-k-µ vi½³u¦, vyartha¯ kupyasi may-y asahi½³u¦ |
bhava samacitta¦ sarvatra tva¯, v¡²chas-y acir¡d yadi vi½³utvam || 24 ||
¾atrau mitr£ putr£ bandhau, m¡ kuru yatna¯ vigraha sandhau |
sarvasmin-n-api pa¾y:'-¡tm¡na¯, sarvatr-µ-ts»ja bh£d-¡-j²¡nam || 25 ||
k¡ma¯ krµdha¯ lµbha¯ mµha¯, tyaktv¡-:':'tm¡na¯ pa¾yati s-µ :'ham;
¡tma-j²¡na vih§n¡ mÀ¢h¡sa-, t£ pacyant£ naraka-nigÀ¢h¡¦ || 26 ||
g£ya¯ g§t¡ n¡ma sahasra¯, dhy£ya¯ ¾r§pati rÀpam ajasram |
n£ya¯ sajjana sa±g£ citta¯, d£ya¯ d§najan¡ya ca vittam || 27 ||
PART IV
sukhata¦ kriyat£ r¡m¡-bhµga¦, pa¾c¡d-da-hanta ¾ar§r£ rµga¦ |
yad-y api lµk£ mara³a¯ ¾ara³a¯, tadapi na mu²cati p¡p:'-¡cara³am || 28 ||
artha¯-anartha¯ bh¡vaya nitya¯, n¡sti tata¦ sukhal£¾a¦ satyam |
putr¡d-api dhana-bh¡j¡¯ bh§ti¦, sarvatr-ai-½¡ vihit¡ r§ti¦ || 29 ||
pr¡³¡y¡ma¯ praty¡h¡ra¯, nity-¡-nitya viv£ka-vic¡ram;
j¡pya sam£ta sam¡dhi vidh¡na¯, kur-v avadh¡na¯ mahad avadh¡nam || 30 ||
guru cara³-¡-mbuja nirbhara bhakta¦, sa¯s¡r¡d-acir¡d bhava mukta¦ |
s-£-ndriya m¡nasa niyam¡d £va¯, drak½yasi nija h»dayastha¯ d£vam || 31 ||
*****
47

04 Bhaja Govindam

Загружено:

Сведения о документе

Оригинальное название

Авторское право

Доступные форматы

Поделиться этим документом

Поделиться или встроить документ

Параметры публикации

Этот документ был вам полезен?

Это неприемлемый материал?

Авторское право:

Доступные форматы

04 Bhaja Govindam

Загружено:

Авторское право:

Доступные форматы

|| pÉeÉ aÉÉåÌuÉlSÇ ||

“Hammer Blows TEXT

“THE SANDEEPANY EXPERIENCE”

A NOTE ABOUT SANDEEPANY

Adi Shankaracharya Swami Sivananda Swami Tapovanji Swami Chinmayananda

SERVE  LOVE  GIVE  PURIFY  MEDITATE  REALISE

About This Edition:

2. To Pujya Sri Swami Vimalanandaji Maharaj

3. To Pujya Sri Swami Tejomayanandaji (Guruji)

4. To Sri Swami Advayanandaji and Sri Swami Sharadanandaji

Add to End Add to Front

A (a) -L- (e) C (i)

C (i) -rÉç (y) unaffected

E (u) -uÉç (v) unaffected

È (h) -xÉç, -Uç, -zÉç unaffected

Who is the Guru? by Acharyaji (An Addendum) 42

Verse 1: Seek God, O Fool!

1 bhaja govindam, bhaja govindam Seek Govind, seek Govind,

“Pitfalls to Beware of”

Verse 2: Kanchana: The Thirst for Wealth

moodha jaheehi dhana-agama

Replacing Evil Thoughts With Good Ones:

Anything that takes us away from the spiritual goal is to be

Verse 3: Kamini: The Attraction for Woman

Seeing the weighty bosoms of young

An Anecdote from Acharyaji’s Life:

Verse 4: The Instability of Life

The water-drop playing on a lotus petal has

The Pangs of Pain and Disease:

Verse 5: The Selfishness of Dependents

Comforts of Family Life vs Spiritual Life

Verse 6: Only While There is Life

The Bare Truth of Human Relationships - 2

Verse 7: Attachment in Boyhood, Youth and Old Age

1 baalas- taavat kreedaa- saktah In childhood one is attached to one’s play;

Verse 8: Start Questioning

The Boundary of the Family Institution

Obstacles to Transcend the Family Unit

While we are looking at what is close to us, it is not possible to

Verse 9: Satsang Liberates Us

1 sat- sangatve nis- sangatvam From good company, arises non-attachment;

Satsang is being in contact with the Sat that a Mahatma or saint

SATSANG  NON-ATTACHMENT  NON-DELUSION  SELF-REALISATION  LIBERATION

Verse 10: Without Cause, No Effect

When the age for it has passed, where is lust

Verse 11: The Props of the Ego

1 dinayaaminyau saayam praatah Day and night, dawn and dusk,

The Cycle of Joy and Sorrow

Desire, Like Time, Has No End

Verse 13: Surrendering Our Worries

Man’s Universal Need For Support

We should bury our worries before the worry buries us.

Verse 14: The Abuse of Outward Symbols

An ascetic with matted locks; with shaven

The True Significance of Religious Symbols

Verse 15: Fooled by Desire

Verse 16: Fooled by Austerity

Verse 17: Fooled by Moderation

Verse 18: The Man of True Dispassion

Verse 19: The Source of Happiness

1 yogarato vaa bhogarato vaa Whether reveling in restraint or enjoyment,

Happiness is in Self Alone

Verse 20: Taking the First Few Steps