Thread by @jvmenon

Bhaja Govindam — is about waking up to our own infinite potential. 

Because more often we are lost on the surface of life that we miss out on its very essence.

Follow this 🧵..

Let’s do some भज गोविन्दम् ॥ 😀

The central theme of भजगोविन्दं is just this — Seek that higher self. Do not get distracted by trivial attractions of the world — those wont stand by you while you face the greater challenges of life, death.

And therefore — O Ignoramus! Seek Govinda at all times — for at the time when the end is near, with COVID staring us in the face, the rules of language & grammar which you’re trying to cram and master, will not be able to come to your rescue at all!

भजगोविन्दं is a glorious hard hitting 8th century devotional composition by Ādi Śhaṅkarāchārya.

Bhaja Govindam is considered as an epic summary of Advaita presenting the essence of Vedantic thought — through the integrated practice of jnana, karma and bhakti, the three recognised paths to liberation in life.

There is an underlying nuance to why भजगोविन्दं is also called ‘Moha Mudgara’, simple translation —

— like the Thor’s hammer striking hard on delusion / ignorance — this, in fact, is what the following stanzas from भजगोविन्दं have on ignorance — an MC hammer style song followed by a head-butt on the delusional ignoramus.

Because, there is no polite, no delicate way in the approach to correct the erring human ignoramus staring back at you from the mirror..

That spurs like an abusive, contentious and provocative term to use. isn’t it ? I didn’t use it, blame it on Ādi Śhaṅkara — I am merely an interpreter...

So what exactly is the error in the erring human ignoramus according to Ādi Śhaṅkara ?

Even though death is considered as the end, nevertheless, we humans do not give up our erroneous conduct at being attached to desires and the sin thereof — “Yadyapi loke maranam sharanam, tadapi, na munchati, papacharanam.”

Through the text Ādi Śhaṅkara is trying to present a concept of life from the perspective of a pratipaksha bhavana and in the process making “we the ignoramuses” realise the futility of mundane enchantments.

The preamble here is a tiny effort to break down something profound —

भजगोविन्दं भजगोविन्दं गोविन्दं भज मूढमते ।
bhaja-govindaṁ bhaja-govindaṁ
govindaṁ bhaja mūḍhamate |

Seek Govinda, Worship Govinda, Discover Govinda, O ignoramus! Because the rules of language & grammar are not like those Avengers from a S.H.I.E.L.D program who can save you when your time is up — when death comes knocking.

Because., other than chanting the names of Govinda, there is no other way to cross the vast ocean of life

Bhaja Govindam has an interesting legend to it. The origin story of भजगोविन्दं goes like this — On the banks of the Ganges, in Kashi (present day Varanasi),

Śhaṅkara came across an old learned scholar, who, was memorising the rules of Sanskrit language & grammar (ḍukṛñ karaṇe), so that he could show off his talent in the king’s court and earn some reward for his knowledge..

No doubt, language & grammar are helpful in understanding the spiritual scripture correctly. But that was not the intention of this old scholar !

Hence, Śhaṅkara advises him through this song “O ignoramus! Serve Govinda and get access to the divine spiritual knowledge from him since that spiritual knowledge alone can protect you at the time of your death.”

It was out of sympathy & concern for the old scholar that Śhaṅkara admonishes him to concentrate on Govinda, so that, at least in his fading age, when the scholar would have almost reached the end of his life he finds his liberation. Sadly, it’s the same with most of us.

We are similar souls who are trapped in our worldly bonds, even in our last moments!

Actually, neither God nor Govinda needs our worship — for divinity is not fond of fame. The best worship of Govinda is probably from reading the Gita, understanding it in the sense that strikes your inner core and in your assimilating it, so that it leads to practice.

With this, the selfish self in thou gets uplifted and that is truly what will make Govinda pleased.

But since the Gita is in a highly condensed form and hence, every ordinary human being is unable to understand it in the right perspective.

Hence, Śhaṅkara used the word Govinda in the sense of a contemporary human incarnation of God in the form of Krishna/Govinda or in whatever form that rocks your boat — to approach that inner divinity for guidance — following the bhaktimārga.

Most striking in this hymn is the manner in which a scholarly brāhmaṇa, despite his knowledge, is labelled an ignoramus for not realising the presence of Govinda everywhere, about his not being aware of the existence of the spark of divinity within himself !

Besides the refrain of the song beginning with the words Bhaja Govindam — Śhaṅkara is said to have sung 12 verses impromptu, hence the hymn also bears the title dvādaśa mañjarikā stotram — a hymn composed of twelve-verse-blossoms.

Inspired by the exemplary impromptu recital by Śhaṅkara, each of his 14 disciples composed a verse and this 14 verse compendium is called “caturdaśa mañjarikā stotram” — hymns composed of 14 verse-blossoms.

Śhaṅkara then added some finishing touches by further adding 5 more of his own stanzas at the last bring the total to 31.

In 31 verses, Śhaṅkarāchārya, like no other, explains our fallacies, our wrong outlook towards life, our misplaced priorities and dispels our ignorance and delusions.

Bhaja Govindam was originally known as Moha Mudgāra – like Thor’s hammer knocking off all delusions.

In this 🧵 here however, you will find 33 verses..

॥ भज गोविन्दम् ॥
|| bhaja govindam ||

भजगोविन्दं भजगोविन्दं गोविन्दं भज मूढमते ।
संप्राप्ते सन्निहिते काले नहि नहि रक्षति डुकृञ्करणे ॥ १ ॥

bhaja govindaṁ bhaja govindaṁ
govindaṁ bhaja mūḍha-mate |
saṁprāpte sannihite kāle
nahi nahi rakṣati ḍukṛñ-karaṇe || 1||

bhaja — seek/worship; govindaṁ — Govinda; mūḍha-mate — dull-minded, fool; saṁprāpte — when you have reached, arrived; sannihite — nearness of, close; kāle — end of time, death; nahi — surely not, never, by no means; rakṣati — protects, saves; ḍukṛñkaraṇe — grammar

Seek/Worship Govinda, seek Govinda, worship Govinda, O ignoramus! The rules of language & grammar will not save you at the time of your death. || 1||

मूढ जहीहि धनागमतृष्णां कुरु सद्बुद्धिं मनसि वितृष्णाम् ।
यल्लभसे निजकर्मोपात्तं वित्तं तेन विनोदय चित्तम् ॥ २ ॥

mūḍha jahīhi dhanāgama-tṛṣṇāṁ
kuru sad-buddhiṁ manasi vitṛṣṇām |
yallabhase nija karmopāttaṁ
vittaṁ tena vinodaya cittam
|| 2||

mūḍha — fool, dull-minded person, one who comes to suffer from one’s own ignorance; jahīhi — give up, abandon; dhana — wealth; agama — coming; tṛṣṇāṁ — thirst, desire; kuru — do, act; sad-buddhiṁ — good awareness; manasi — in the mind;

vitṛṣṇām — desirelessness, dispassion; yallabhase — whatever you obtain; nijakarmopāttaṁ — obtained through one’s own work; vittaṁ — wealth; tena — by that; vinodaya — be content with; cittam — mind.

O fool! Give up your thirst to amass money/material wealth, harness the real wealth from the inside, devote your mind to be dispassionate and hold on to thoughts of the Real. Be content with what comes your way through actions performed by your ‘own’ work.
|| 2||

नारीस्तनभर नाभीदेशं दृष्ट्वा मागामोहावेशम् ।
एतन्मांसावसादि विकारं मनसि विचिन्तय वारं वारम् ॥ ३ ॥

nārī-stanabhara-nābhī-deśaṁ
dṛṣṭvā māgāmohāveśam |
etan māṁsa-vasādi vikāraṁ
manasi vicintaya vāraṁ vāram || 3||

nārī — woman; dṛṣṭvā — having seen; māgā — dont go; mohāveśam — infatuated seizure; etan — this; māṁsāvasādi — modifications of flesh, fat, etc; vikāraṁ — modified appearance; manasi — in the mind; vicintaya — think well, consider; vāraṁ — again; vāram — and again.

Do not get drowned in delusion, being infatuated with passion and lusty desires, These are all nothing more than a modification of ephemeral flesh and bones, and the likes that gives material comfort / pleasures.
Do not fail to remember this again and again in your mind.
|| 3||

नलिनीदलगत जलमतितरलं तद्वज्जीवितमतिशयचपलं ।
विद्धि व्याध्यभिमानग्रस्तं लोकं शोकहतं च समस्तम् ॥ ४ ॥

nalinī-dala-gata-jalam ati-taralaṁ
tadvaj-jīvitam atiśaya-capalaṁ |
viddhi vyādhyabhimāna-grastaṁ
lokaṁ śoka-hataṁ ca samastam
|| 4||

nalinī-dala — on a lotus leaf; gata — gone to, fallen on; jala — water drop; ati-taralaṁ — unstable, unsteady, tremling; tadvat — like that, in the same way; jīvitam — life; atiśaya — extremely;

capalaṁ — unsteady, fickle, restless; viddhi — know for sure; vyādhi — disease, ailment; abhimāna — pride, conceit; grastaṁ — having been caught, afflicted by, seized; lokaṁ — world; śokahataṁ — attacked by grief, unhappiness; ca — and; samastam — all, entire.

As water drops falling on a lotus leaf are unsteady and as they tremble, in the same way life in this world is exceedingly unsteady and restless. Know that the whole world is full of miseries, afflicted by unhappiness and grief.
|| 4||

यावद्वित्तोपार्जन सक्तः तावन्निज परिवारो रक्तः ।
पश्चाज्जीवति जर्जर देहे वार्तां कोऽपि न पृच्छति गेहे ॥ ५ ॥

yāvad-vittopārjana saktaḥ
tāvan-nija parivāro raktaḥ |
paścājjīvati jarjara dehe
vārtāṁ ko’pi na pṛcchati gehe
|| 5||

yāvad — so long as; vitta-upārjana — earning wealth, acquisition of property; saktaḥ — able, capable of; stāvannija — till then, that much; parivāro — own family members; raktaḥ — attached; paścāt — later, after; jīvati — while living, lives without earning;

jarjara — old, decrepit, decayed, infirm; dehe — in the body; vārtāṁ — news, information; ko’pi — whosoever, even one; na — not; pṛcchati — inquires, asks; gehe — in the house, at home.

So long as you are fit and able to support your family by earning wealth, all those family members around thou shall show affection. But no one at home can care for thou, even have a word with thou, when the body loses its usefulness to thou with the passing of age.
|| 5||

यावत्पवनो निवसति देहे तावत्पृच्छति कुशलं गेहे ।
गतवति वायौ देहापाये भार्या बिभ्यति तस्मिन्काये ॥ ६ ॥

yāvat-pavano nivasati dehe
tāvat-pṛcchati kuśalaṁ gehe |
gatavati vāyau dehāpāye
bhāryā bibhyati tasmin kāye
|| 6||

yāvat — so long as; pavano — air, breath; nivasati — lives dwells; dehe — in the body; tāvat — till then; pṛcchati — asks, inquires; kuśalaṁ — welfare, wellness; gehe — in the house, at home;

gatavati — while gone, departing; vāyau — air, life-breath; dehāpāye — when life departs the body, loss; bhāryā — wife; bibhyati — is afraid, fears; tasmin kāye — that body.

When one is alive, thy family may enquire kindly about thy welfare. But when the life-breath stops and the soul departs from the body, even thy spouse won’t be able to hold on to the corpse that remains.
|| 6||

बालस्तावत्क्रीडासक्तः तरुणस्तावत्तरुणीसक्तः ।
वृद्धस्तावत्चिन्तासक्तः परे ब्रह्मणि कोऽपि न सक्तः ॥ ७ ॥

bāla stāvat krīḍāsaktaḥ
taruṇa stāvat taruṇīsaktaḥ |
vṛddha stāvat cintāsaktaḥ
pare brahmaṇi ko’pi na saktaḥ
|| 7||

bāla — young boy; tāva — till then, till he is young; krīḍā — play; saktaḥ — attached, absorbed; taruṇaḥ — young man; tāva — till then; taruṇī — young woman; saktaḥ — attached, engrossed; vṛddhaḥ — old man; tāva — till then; cintā — worry;

saktaḥ — attached, absorbed; pare — high, supreme; brahmaṇi — brahman, spirit, God; ko’pi — whosoever; na — not; saktaḥ — attached, engrossed.

The childhood is lost in attachment to games. The youth is lost in worldly and material attachments. Old age passes with worry and anxiety, thinking over many things. But there is hardly anyone who wants to be lost (attached) in that para-brahman, the Supreme Spirit.
|| 7||

काते कान्ता कस्ते पुत्रः संसारोऽयमतीव विचित्रः ।
कस्य त्वं कः कुत आयातः तत्त्वं चिन्तय तदिह भ्रातः ॥ ८ ॥

kāte kāntā kaste putraḥ
saṁsāro’yamatīva vicitraḥ |
kasya tvaṁ kaḥ kuta āyātaḥ
tattvaṁ cintaya tad iha bhrātaḥ
|| 8||

kāte — who, your; kāntā — beloved, wife; kaste — who, your; putraḥ — son; saṁsāraḥ — circle of birth and death; ayam — this; atīva — great, excessively; vicitraḥ — strange, mysterious, wonderful; kasya — whose; tvaṁ — you; kaḥ — who; kuta — from where;

āyātaḥ — arrived, have come from; tattvaṁ — truth, essence; cintaya — think well, consider; tad iha — that; here; bhrātaḥ — brother.

Who is your spouse ? Who is your son? Supremely wonderful is the saṁsāra, the circle of birth and death. Of whom are you? From where have you come? It’s time to ponder over these concepts of brother, spouse, son et al.
|| 8||

सत्सङ्गत्वे निस्सङ्गत्वं निस्सङ्गत्वे निर्मोहत्वम् ।
निर्मोहत्वे निश्चलतत्त्वं निश्चलतत्त्वे जीवन्मुक्तिः ॥ ९ ॥

satsaṅgatve nissaṅgatvaṁ
nissaṅgatve nirmohatvam |
nirmohatve niścalatattvaṁ
niścalatattve jīvanmuktiḥ
|| 9||

satsaṅgatve — in good company, good association; nissaṅgatvaṁ — renounced, detachment; nirmohatvam — non-infatuated, non-delusion, clear-minded; niścalatattvaṁ — tranquillity, immutable reality, truth; jīvanmuktiḥ — liberated soul, emancipation while still alive.

Being in the company of good people gives rise to non-attachment; from non-attachment emerges freedom from delusion, which leads to awareness of reality; understanding of reality gives rise to emancipation leading to liberation (jīvan-mukti), while still alive.
|| 9||

वयसिगते कः कामविकारः शुष्के नीरे कः कासारः ।
क्षीणेवित्ते कः परिवारः ज्ञाते तत्त्वे कः संसारः ॥ १० ॥

vayasi gate kaḥ kāma-vikāraḥ
śuṣke nīre kaḥ kāsāraḥ |
kṣīṇe vitte kaḥ parivāraḥ
jñāte tattve kaḥ saṁsāraḥ
|| 10||

vayasi — youth, young age; gate — when gone; kaḥ — who, where, what use; kāma-vikāraḥ — passion, sexual attraction; śuṣke — dried up of; nīre — water; kaḥ — what use is the; kāsāraḥ — lake; kṣīṇe — reduced, spent-up, gone;

vitte — wealth, money; kaḥ — what use for; parivāraḥ — family, dependants; jñāte — knowledge, in the realised state; tattve — truth, essence; kaḥ — what is the use; saṁsāraḥ — circle of birth and death, of worldly existence.

What good is lust when youth has fled? What use is a lake which has no water? Where are the relatives when wealth is gone? What use is saṁsāra (transmigratory process), when Truth is known?
|| 10||

मा कुरु धन जन यौवन गर्वं हरति निमेषात्कालः सर्वम् ।
मायामयमिदमखिलं हित्वा ब्रह्मपदं त्वं प्रविश विदित्वा ॥ ११ ॥

mā kuru dhana jana yauvana garvaṁ
harati nimeṣāt-kālaḥ sarvam |
māyāmayamidam-akhilaṁ hitvā
brahma-padaṁ tvaṁ praviśa viditvā
|| 11||

mā — don’t, do not; kuru — do act; dhana — wealth, money; jana — people; yauvana — youth; garvaṁ — arrogance, pride; harati — steals, takes away; nimeṣāt — in the twinkling of the eye, instant; kālaḥ — Master Time;

sarvam — all; māyā — illusion, delusion; māyām — full of, completely filled; idam — this; akhilaṁ — whole, entire; hitvā — abandoned, having given up; brahma-padaṁ — realm of brahman, spiritual truth; tvaṁ — you; praviśa — enter; viditvā — having known, realised.

Do not take pride in wealth, friends and youth. Each one of these get destroyed within an instant by Time. Free yourself from the illusion of the world of māyā and attain the realm of brahman, timeless truth.
|| 11||

दिनयामिन्यौ सायं प्रातः शिशिरवसन्तौ पुनरायातः ।
कालः क्रीडति गच्छत्यायुः तदपि न मुञ्चत्याशावायुः ॥ १२ ॥

dina yāminyau sāyaṁ prātaḥ
śiśira-vasantau punarāyātaḥ |
kālaḥ krīḍati gacchatyāyuḥ
tadapi na muñcatyāśā-vāyuḥ
|| 12||

dinayāminyau — day and night; sāyaṁ — evening; prātaḥ — morning; śiśira — frosty season, winter; vasantau — spring season; punaḥ — again; āyātaḥ — have arrived, come; kālaḥ — eternal time; krīḍati — plays; gacchati — goes away;

āyuḥ — life, age; tadapi — even so; na — not; muñcati — releases, frees; āśā — desire; vāyuḥ — air (the wind of desire does not let off its hold).

Day and night, evening and morning, winter and summer come and go again and again. Eternal time plays and life ebbs away, yet one does not let go of the storm of desire.
|| 12||

द्वादशमञ्जरिकाभिरशेषः कथितो वैयाकरणस्यैषः ।
उपदेशोऽभूद्विद्यानिपुणैः श्रीमच्छङ्करभगवच्छरणैः ॥ १२अ ॥

dvādaśa-mañjarikābhira śeṣaḥ
kathito vaiyākaraṇasyaiṣaḥ |
upadeśo’bhūd-vidyānipuṇaiḥ
śrīmacchaṅkara-bhagavaccharaṇaiḥ
|| 12a||

dvādaśamañjarikābhiḥ — by the bouquet consisting of 12 flowers (the 12 ślokas above); aśeṣaḥ — without remainder, totally; kathita — was told; vaiyākaraṇasyaiṣaḥ — to the grammarian;

upadeśa — advice; bhūd — was; vidyānipuṇaiḥ — by the great scholar; śrīmacchaṅkara — by Śhaṅkarāchārya; bhagavaccharaṇaiḥ — known as Śhaṅkara-bhagavat.

The bouquet of twelve verses was imparted to an old scholar by the all-knowing Śaṅkara, aka bhagavat-pāda.
|| 12a||

काते कान्ता धन गतचिन्ता वातुल किं तव नास्ति नियन्ता ।
त्रिजगति सज्जन सङ्गतिरेका भवति भवार्णवतरणे नौका ॥ १३ ॥

kāte kāntā dhana gata-cintā
vātula kiṁ tava nāsti niyantā |
trijagati sajjana saṅgatirekā
bhavati bhavārṇava taraṇe naukā
|| 13||

kāte — who, your; kāntā — beloved, wife; dhana — wealth, money; gatacintā — thinking of, concern; vātula — crazy, mad, insane; kiṁ — what; tava — your; nāsti — not there; niyantā — controller, ordainer; trijagati — in the three worlds;

sajjana — good people; saṅgatirekā — good company, saintly association; bhavati — becomes; bhavārṇava — ocean of birth and death; taraṇe — in crossing; naukā — boat, ship.

O, nutcase ! Why this engrossment in thoughts of wealth and in your beloved? Is there no one to guide you?

In these worlds, only the association with good people (satsaṅga) can serve as the boat that can steer cross the ocean of repeated cycles of birth and death. (Stanza attributed to Padmapāda.)
|| 13||

जटिलो मुण्डी लुञ्छितकेशः काषायाम्बरबहुकृतवेषः ।
पश्यन्नपि चन पश्यति मूढः उदरनिमित्तं बहुकृतवेषः ॥ १४ ॥

jaṭilo muṇḍī luñchita keśaḥ
kāṣāyāmbara bahukṛta veṣaḥ |
paśyannapi ca na paśyati mūḍhaḥ
udara nimittaṁ bahukṛtaveṣaḥ
|| 14||

jaṭilaḥ — one with knotted hair; muṇḍī — shaven head; luñchita-keśaḥ — hair plucked out here and there; kāṣāya — saffron cloth; ambara — cloth, robe; bahukṛta — much done, often donned; veṣaḥ — artificial exterior, roles; paśyannapi — even after seeing;

cana — and, not; paśyati — sees; mūḍhaḥ — the fool; udaranimittaṁ — for the sake of the belly, living; bahukṛtaveṣaḥ — various make-ups, roles, donned exterior appearances.

There are many ascetics who roam around with matted hair, many with clean shaven heads, many whose hair have been plucked out; some are clothed in orange, yet others parading in various colors –

Indeed, these different disguises or apparels are only for the sake of their own sustainence, for their belly’s sake. Seeing the truth revealed before them, still the foolish ones do not see through these many disguises. (Stanza attributed to Totakāchārya.)
|| 14||

अङ्गं गलितं पलितं मुण्डं दशनविहीनं जतं तुण्डम् ।
वृद्धो याति गृहीत्वा दण्डं तदपि न मुञ्चत्याशापिण्डम् ॥ १५ ॥

aṅgaṁ galitaṁ palitaṁ muṇḍaṁ
daśana-vihīnaṁ jataṁ tuṇḍam |
vṛddho yāti gṛhītvā daṇḍaṁ
tadapi na muñcatyāśāpiṇḍam
|| 15||

aṅgaṁ — bodily limbs; galitaṁ — weakened, decayed; palitaṁ — ripened, grey; muṇḍaṁ — head; daśana-vihīnaṁ — bereft of teeth; jataṁ — having become; tuṇḍam — jaws, mouth; vṛddhaḥ — the old man; yāti — goes;

gṛhītvā —holding taking hold; daṇḍaṁ — walking-stick; tadapi — even so; na — not; muñcati — lets go, gives up; āśāpiṇḍam — hopes and desires, oblation.

Strength has left the old body; the head gone bald, the gums go toothless and leaning on crutches. Even then thou does not let go of thy attachments, clinging firmly to fruitless hopes and desires. (Stanza attributed to Hastamalaka.)
|| 15||

अग्रे वह्निः पृष्ठेभानुः रात्रौ चुबुकसमर्पितजानुः ।
करतलभिक्षस्तरुतलवासः तदपि न मुञ्चत्याशापाशः ॥ १६ ॥

agre vahniḥ pṛṣṭhe bhānuḥ
rātrau cubuka samarpita jānuḥ |
karatala bhikṣas-tarutala vāsaḥ
tadapi na muñcatyāśāpāśaḥ
|| 16||

agre — in front of, beforehand; vahniḥ — fire ( for worship); pṛṣṭhe-bhānuḥ — the sun at the back; rātrau — in the night, at night; cubuka-samarpita-jānuḥ — face dedicated to (huddled up between) the knees; karatala-bhikṣas — alms in the palms;

tarutala-vāsaḥ — whose dwelling, living, is under the trees; tadapi — then even so; na — not; muñcati — releases, lets go; āśā — desire; pāśaḥ — rope, ties, noose; āśā-pāśaḥ — the noose that is hope, desire.

The ascetic warms his body with fire in front and the sun at the back. At night he dwells under a tree with face huddled between the knees to keep out of the cold...

In his hands he holds the beggar’s alms and yet he does not let go of the noose of attachment to desire and passion. (Stanza attributed to Subhodha.)
|| 16||

कुरुते गङ्गासागरगमनं व्रतपरिपालनमथवा दानम् ।
ज्ञानविहिनः सर्वमतेन मुक्तिं न भजति जन्मशतेन ॥ १७ ॥

kurute gaṅgā-sāgara gamanaṁ
vrata paripālanam-athavā dānam |
jñāna vihinaḥ sarvamatena
muktiṁ na bhajati janma śatena
|| 17||

kurute — takes resort to, does perform; gaṅgā-sāgara — confluence of the Gaṅgā and Ocean; gamanaṁ — going, traveling, pilgrimage; vrata — austerities; paripālanam — observance of vows; athavā — or, else; dānam — charity, give away for religious merit;

jñāna-vihinaḥ — bereft of true knowledge of the Self; sarvamatena — unanimously, according to all schools of thought; muktiṁ — salvation, freedom; na — not; bhajati — attains, achive; janma — birth(s); śatena — hundred.

One may travel (on a pilgrimage) to the confluence where the Gaṅgā river meets the ocean (gaṅgā-sāgara), undertake vows, give away in charity,...

however without true knowledge (jñāna) one will not achieve liberation (mukti) even in a hundred lifetimes, (Stanza attributed to Vārtikachāra.)
|| 17||

सुर मन्दिर तरु मूल निवासः शय्या भूतलमजिनं वासः ।
सर्व परिग्रह भोग त्यागः कस्य सुखं न करोति विरागः ॥ १८ ॥

sura mandira taru mūla nivāsaḥ
śayyā bhūtalam-ajinaṁ vāsaḥ |
sarva parigraha bhoga tyāgaḥ
kasya sukhaṁ na karoti virāgaḥ
|| 18||

sura — godly person, devotee; mandira — temple; taru — tree; mūla — at the root; nivāsaḥ — living, dwelling; śayyā — bed; bhūtalam — on the surface of the earth; ajinaṁ — deer skin, garb of ascetic in ancient times; vāsaḥ — living, dwelling; sarva — all;

parigraha — possessions; bhoga — enjoyment, worldly pleasures; tyāgaḥ — renunciation; kasya — whose, of whom; sukhaṁ — happiness, delight; na — not; karoti — does, bestows; virāgaḥ — non-attachment, indifference to worldly things.

One who lives in temples or dwells at the foot of trees, whose bed is the surface of the earth, whose garment is a deer-skin,...

who has thus renounced all enjoyment of worldly possessions – to whom will such dispassion (vairāgya) not bring happiness? (Stanza attributed to Nithyānanda.)
|| 18||

योगरतो वा भोगरतोवा सङ्गरतो वा सङ्गविहीनः ।
यस्य ब्रह्मणि रमते चित्तं नन्दति नन्दति नन्दत्येव ॥ १९ ॥

yogarato vā bhogarato vā
saṅgarato vā saṅgavihīnaḥ |
yasya brahmaṇi ramate cittaṁ
nandati nandati nandatyeva
|| 19||

yogarato — taking delight in yoga; vā — or; bhogarato — taking delight in bhoga, worldly pleasures, enjoyments; vā — or; saṅgarato — taking delight in good company; vā — or; saṅgavihīnaḥ — bereft of company, solitude;

yasya — whose, of whom; brahmaṇi — in Brahman (spiritual truth); ramate — delights, enjoys; cittaṁ — mind, consciousness; nandati — rejoices, delights; nandaty-eva — only he indeed, he alone.

One may take delight in yoga (union with god) or bhoga (worldly stuff); may be delighted by company or solitude; but they whose mind delights in brahman (the spiritual truth), only they enjoy real bliss and is satisfied, no one else. (Stanza attributed to Anandagiriḥ)
||19||

भगवद् गीता किञ्चिदधीता गङ्गा जललव कणिकापीता ।
सकृदपि येन मुरारि समर्चा क्रियते तस्य यमेन न चर्चा ॥ २० ॥

bhagavad-gītā kiñcidadhītā
gaṅgā jalalava kaṇikā pītā |
sakṛdapi yena murāri samarcā
kriyate tasya yamena na carcā
|| 20||

bhagavad-gītā — the song of god; kiñcid — a little; adhītā — studied, read; gaṅgā — holy river Gaṅgā; jalala — water drop; lava — little bit; kaṇikā-pītā — a little droplet, drunk; sakṛd-api — once even, also indeed; yena — by whom;

murāri — the enemy of ‘Murā’ (Lord Kṛiṣhṇa); samarcā — well worshipped; kriyate — is done, performed; tasya — his, of him; yamena — by Yama, the lord of Death; na — not; carcā — discussion, inquiry.

Read but a little from Bhagavad-Gītā, drink just a drop of the water from the Gaṅgā, worship but once Murāri, the enemy of ‘Murā’ (Lord Kṛiṣhṇa); he then will have no confrontation with Yama, the Lord of death. (Stanza attributed to Dṛiḍhabhakta.)
|| 20||

पुनरपि जननं पुनरपि मरणं पुनरपि जननी जठरे शयनम् ।
इह संसारे बहुदुस्तारे कृपयाऽपारे पाहि मुरारे ॥ २१ ॥

punarapi jananaṁ punarapi maraṇaṁ
punarapi jananī jaṭhare śayanam |
iha saṁsāre bahu dustāre
kṛpayā’pāre pāhi murāre
|| 21||

punarapi — again and again; jananaṁ — birth; punarapi — again and again; maraṇaṁ — death; punarapi — again and again; jananī — mother; jaṭhare — in the belly, womb of mother; śayanam — sleeping, resting; iha — in this world here;

saṁsāre — transmigration, repeated cycle of birth and death; bahu-dustāre — with great difficulty to cross; kṛpayā’pāre — grace, out of boundless compassion; pāhi — protect; murāre — Murāri, – Murā’s enemy Kṛṣṇa.

Birth again, death again, again resting in the mother’s womb! It is indeed hard to cross this boundless ocean of saṁsāra (cycle of repeated birth and death).

O Murāri! by your causeless mercy please protect me (from this endless thingy called transmigration, one life form to another). (Stanza attributed to Nithyanātha.)
|| 21||

रथ्या चर्पट विरचित कन्थः पुण्यापुण्य विवर्जित पन्थः ।
योगी योगनियोजित चित्तो रमते बालोन्मत्तवदेव ॥ २२ ॥

rathyā carpaṭa viracita kanthaḥ
puṇyāpuṇya vivarjita panthaḥ |
yogī yoga niyojita citto
ramate bālonmattavadeva
|| 22||

rathyā — on the road; carpaṭa — torn cloth, tattered rags; viracita — made with; kanthaḥ — patched garments; puṇyāpuṇya — virtues and sins; vivarjita — avoided, having abandoned; panthaḥ — pathway; yogī — one seeking union with god;

yoga-niyojita — controlled by yoga; citto — mind, consciousness, heart; ramate — delights, rejoices; bālonmattavad — like a crazed wild child; eva — indeed, thus.

The one whose patched garment is made from tattered rags cast on the road, whose path is free from sins having abandoned virtue and vices,...

whose mind is fixed on yoga (in union with god), that yogi indeed rejoices (in divine bliss) like a crazy wild child (like those Woodstock hippies from the 80’s) overwhelmed by happiness. (Stanza attributed to Nithyanātha.)
|| 22||

कस्त्वं कोऽहं कुत आयातः का मे जननी को मे तातः ।
इति परिभावय सर्वमसारं विश्वं त्यक्त्वा स्वप्न विचारम् ॥ २३ ॥

kastvaṁ ko’haṁ kuta āyātaḥ
kā me jananī ko me tātaḥ |
iti paribhāvaya sarvam asāraṁ
viśvaṁ tyaktvā svapna vicāram
|| 23||

kaḥ — who (are); tvaṁ — you; ko’haṁ — who am I; kuta — whence, from where; āyātaḥ — arrived, has come; kā — who; me — my; jananī — mother; ko — who; me — my; tātaḥ — father; iti — this;

paribhāvaya — think well, consider; sarvam — all, entire; asāraṁ — worthless, without essence; viśvaṁ — world; tyaktvā — having abandoned; svapna — (reflection of) dream; vicāram — consideration, thinking.

Having abandoned this world, knowing it to be without essence, comparable to the reflection of a dream, consider well and reflect — WTF! Who am I? Who are you? Where have I come from? Who is my mother, and who is my father? (Stanza attributed to Surendra.)
|| 23||

त्वयि मयि चान्यत्रैको विष्णुः व्यर्थं कुप्यसि मय्यसहिष्णुः ।
भव समचित्तः सर्वत्र त्वं वाञ्छस्यचिराद्यदि विष्णुत्वम् ॥ २४ ॥

tvayi mayi cānya traiko viṣṇuḥ
vyarthaṁ kupyasi mayyasahiṣṇuḥ |
bhava samacittaḥ sarvatra tvaṁ
vāñchasyacirād-yadi viṣṇutvam
|| 24||

tvayi — in yourself; mayi — in myself; ca — and; anyatra — elsewhere; ekaḥ — one only; viṣṇuḥ — lord Viṣhṇu vyarthaṁ — in vain ; uselessly; kupyasi — you get angry; mayyasahiṣṇuḥ — impatient with me; bhava — be, become; samacittaḥ — equal-minded, equanimous;

sarvatra — in every case, in all circumstances; tvaṁ — you; vāñchasi — you wish, desire; acirād — without delay, quickly; yadi — if; viṣṇutvam — (supreme) state of Viṣhṇu realisation

In me, in you and in everything else, none but the same (All-Pervading) Lord Viṣhṇu dwells. Your anger and impatience is meaningless...

If you wish to attain the Supreme Viṣhṇu soon, be equal-minded in all circumstances, have samabhāva, equanimity, always. (Stanza attributed to Medhātithira.)
|| 24||

शत्रौ मित्रे पुत्रे बन्धौ मा कुरु यत्नं विग्रहसन्धौ ।
सर्वस्मिन्नपि पश्यात्मानं सर्वत्रोत्सृज भेदाज्ञानम् ॥ २५ ॥

śatrau mitre putre bandhau
mā kuru yatnaṁ vigraha sandhau |
sarvasminnapi paśyātmānaṁ
sarvatrot-sṛja bhedājñānam
|| 25||

śatrau — to the enemy; mitre — to the friend; putre — to the son; bandhau — to the relatives; mā — don’t, do not; kuru — do, make; yatnaṁ — effort; vigraha-sandhau — seperation and joining; sarvasminnapi — in all beings, in every thing;

paśyātmānaṁ — see your own self; sarvatrot-sṛja — everywhere give up, cease in every case; bhedājñānam — duality, the sense-of-difference born out of ignorance.

Do not waste your efforts to win the love of or to fight against friend and foe, children and relatives. See the true self in everyone and give up all feelings of duality completely. (Stanza attributed to Medhātithira.)
|| 25||

कामं क्रोधं लोभं मोहं त्यक्त्वाऽत्मानं भावय कोऽहम् ।
आत्मज्ञान विहीना मूढाः ते पच्यन्ते नरकनिगूढाः ॥ २६ ॥

kāmaṁ krodhaṁ lobhaṁ mohaṁ
tyaktvā’tmānaṁ bhāvaya ko’ham |
ātma-jñāna vihīnā mūḍhāḥ
te pacyante naraka nigūḍhāḥ
|| 26||

kāmaṁ — desire; krodhaṁ — anger; lobhaṁ — greed; mohaṁ — delusion; tyaktvā’tmānaṁ — having abandoned one’s self; bhāvaya — consider, try to know; ko’ham — who am I;

ātma-jñāna — knowledge of the true self; vihīnā — bereft devoid; mūḍhāḥ — fools, deluded rascals; te — they; pacyante — are tormented; naraka — in the hell; nigūḍhāḥ — very much covered.

Give up lust, anger, greed and infatuation, try to know the true self and consider: who am I? Those fools covered by ignorance, who lack self-knowledge (ātma-jñāna) are tormented in hell fire. (Stanza attributed to Bhārativaṁśa.)
|| 26||

गेयं गीता नाम सहस्रं ध्येयं श्रीपति रूपमजस्रम् ।
नेयं सज्जन सङ्गे चित्तं देयं दीनजनाय च वित्तम् ॥ २७ ॥

geyaṁ gītā-nāma-sahasraṁ
dhyeyaṁ śrīpati rūpam-ajasram |
neyaṁ sajjana saṅge cittaṁ
deyaṁ dīna-janāya ca vittam
|| 27||

geyaṁ — is to be sung; gītā — song, bhagavat-gītā; nāma — name of the lord; sahasraṁ — 1000 times; dhyeyaṁ — is to be meditated; śrīpati — the consort of śrī (Viṣhṇu); rūpam — form, image; ajasram — the unborn one; neyaṁ — is to be lead, taken;

sajjana — good people; saṅge — in the company; cittaṁ — mind, hearth; deyaṁ — is to be given; dīna-janāya — to the poor people; ca — and; vittam — money, wealth;

Regularly recite from the Gītā, meditate on Viṣhṇu (śrīpathi) in your heart, and chant his thousand glories names (viṣhṇu-sahasranāma)...

Take delight to be with the noble and the holy. Distribute your wealth in charity to the poor and the needy. (Stanza attributed to Sumatir.)
|| 27||

सुखतः क्रियते रामाभोगः पश्चाद्धन्त शरीरे रोगः ।
यद्यपि लोके मरणं शरणं तदपि न मुञ्चति पापाचरणम् ॥ २८ ॥

sukhataḥ kriyate rāmābhogaḥ
paścāddhanta śarīre rogaḥ |
yadyapi loke maraṇaṁ śaraṇaṁ
tadapi na muñcati pāpā-caraṇam
|| 28||

sukhataḥ — for happiness; kriyate — is done; rāmābhogaḥ — carnal pleasures; paścāddhanta — thereafter, alas later on in the end; śarīre — in the body; rogaḥ — disease; yadyapi — even though; loke — in the world;

maraṇaṁ — death, the ultimate end; śaraṇaṁ — resort, surrender; tadapi — even then; na — not; muñcati — releases, gives up; pāpā-caraṇam — sin-practising.

Very readily one indulges in carnal pleasures but later on, alas, come diseases of the body. Even though in the world the ultimate end is death (maraṇaṁ), even after knowing this, one does not relinquish sinful behaviours.
|| 28||

अर्थमनर्थं भावय नित्यं नास्तिततः सुखलेशः सत्यम् ।
पुत्रादपि धन भाजां भीतिः सर्वत्रैषा विहिता रीतिः ॥ २९ ॥

artham-anarthaṁ bhāvaya nityaṁ
nāsti tataḥ sukha leśaḥ satyam |
putrādapi dhana bhājāṁ bhītiḥ
sarvatraiṣā vihitā rītiḥ
|| 29||

artham — wealth, money; anarthaṁ — unwanted, misfortune, calamity; bhāvaya — deem, consider, reflect; nityaṁ — always, perpetually; nāsti — is not; tataḥ — from that, thither; sukha-leśaḥ — (even a little) trace of happiness;

satyam — truth; putrādapi — even from the the son; dhanabhājāṁ — those who enjoy wealth, the rich; bhītiḥ — fear; sarvatraiṣā — everywhere, in all cases this; vihitā — established, understood; rītiḥ — procedure, practice, custom.

Remember always that material wealth is the source of misfortune. The truth is that one cannot extract even a bit of happiness from it. For the rich, there is fear even from one’s own progeny. This is pretty much the established way with way wealth cycles everywhere.
|| 29||

प्राणायामं प्रत्याहारं नित्यानित्य विवेकविचारम् ।
जाप्यसमेत समाधिविधानं कुर्ववधानं महदवधानम् ॥ ३० ॥

prāṇāyāmaṁ pratyāhāraṁ
nityānitya vivekavicāram |
jāpyasameta samādhi-vidhānaṁ
kurvavadhānaṁ mahad-avadhānam
|| 30||

prāṇāyāmaṁ — breath-control; pratyāhāraṁ — sense withdrawal (from their respective sense objects); nityaṁ — permanent, eternal; ānitya — impermanent, transient; viveka — awareness after reasoning, discrimination; vicāram — deliberation, consideration;

jāpyasameta — with chanting of the names of the lord, prayers; samādhi-vidhānaṁ — accomplished state of trance; kurvavadhānaṁ — pay attention; mahad-avadhānam — great care and attention.

Practice control of breath (prāṇā-yāma) and withdraw the senses from their respective sense objects (pratyāhāra);

deliberate on the distinction between the permanent and the transitory; perform meditation along with chanting the holy names of the divine; perform these with great attention and extreme care!
|| 30||

गुरुचरणाम्बुज निर्भर भक्तः संसारादचिराद्भव मुक्तः ।
सेन्द्रियमानस नियमादेवं द्रक्ष्यसि निज हृदयस्थं देवम् ॥ ३१ ॥

guru-charaṇāmbuja nirbhara bhaktaḥ
saṁsārādacirādbhava muktaḥ |
sendriya mānasa niyamādevaṁ
drakṣyasi nija hṛdayasthaṁ devam
|| 31||

guru-charaṇāmbuja — the lotus feet of the teacher, guru; nirbhara — deeply, ardent, sincere; bhaktaḥ — devotee, devoted; saṁsārād — repeated circle of birth and death; acirādbhava — in no time without delay; muktaḥ — free, released;

sa-indriya — sesnses, sense organs; mānasa — of the mind; niyamādevaṁ — control, in this way with discipline; drakṣyasi — you will see; nija — one’s own; hṛdaya-sthaṁ — heart-stationed; devam — god, the divinity in the heart.

Oh devotee sincerely dedicated to the lotus feet of the Guru! (FYI — The concept of Gu-Ru, is whoever that illuminates /eliminates the darkness within )...

May thou be soon free from Saṁsārā, the circle of birth and death. Through disciplined senses and controlled mind, thou shalt come to see (experience) the in-dwelling divinity of your heart!
|| 31||

मूढः कश्चन वैयाकरणो डुकृञ्करणाध्ययन धुरिणः ।
श्रीमच्छङ्कर भगवच्छिष्यै बोधित आसिच्छोधितकरणः ॥ ३२ ॥

mūḍhaḥ kaścana vaiyākaraṇo
ḍukṛñkaraṇādhyayana dhuriṇaḥ |
śrīmacchaṅkara bhagavacchiṣyai
bodhita āsicchodhitakaraṇaḥ
|| 32||

mūḍhaḥ — fool; kaścana — whatever, anyone; vaiyākaraṇo — grammar, grammarian; ḍukṛñkaraṇa — grammatical formula; ādhyayana — study; dhuriṇaḥ — harnessed, yoked, attached;

śrīmacchaṅkara — the honourable (splendit) śrī-śhaṅkara; bhagavat — god, divine, glorious, illustrious; śiṣyaiḥ — disciples, students; bodhita — having been taught, awakened; āsic — was; chodhitakaraṇaḥ — one who has been cleansed, purified.

Thus an erudite fool who was lost in grammatical rules of language (that old scholar ) was cleansed of his narrow vision and shown the light by the students of the illustrious Śrīmad Śhaṅkarāchārya.
|| 32||

भजगोविन्दं भजगोविन्दं गोविन्दं भजमूढमते ।
नामस्मरणादन्यमुपायं नहि पश्यामो भवतरणे ॥ ३३ ॥

bhaja-govindaṁ bhaja-govindaṁ
govindaṁ bhaja-mūḍhamate |
nāma-smaraṇādanyamupāyaṁ
nahi paśyāmo bhavataraṇe
|| 33||

bhaja-govindaṁ — worship Govinda; bhaja-govindaṁ — worship Govinda; govindaṁ — Lord Govinda, Kṛiṣhṇa; bhaja — worship, chant, revere; mūḍhamate — fool, dull-minded; nāma — the lord’s holy name;

smaraṇā — through rememberance; anyamupāyaṁ — other methods, means; nahi — indeed not; paśyāmo — we see; bhavataraṇe — for the purpose of crossing the ocean of existence.

Worship Govinda, worship Govinda, seek Govinda, O fool! Other than chanting Govinda’s names, there is no other way to cross the ocean of existence.
|| 33||

इति भजगोविन्दं संपूर्णम्
iti bhajagovindaṁ saṁpūrṇam

Thus ends the 31 + 2 bonus verses ...,

This particular verse is profound in many ways — it holds lthe essence..

नलिनीदलगत जलमतितरलं तद्वज्जीवितमतिशयचपलम् ।

nalinīdalagata jalamatitaralaṁ
tadvajjīvitamatiśayacapalam

As a drop of water on a petal of the lotus is extremely unstable and trembling, in the same way life is also extremely uncertain and transient, full of miseries (disease, old age, death) & joys too ...

While Govinda also means ‘cowherd’ — the word has many other meanings and that in this context it refers to the divinity associated with the human body through a bundle of senses — Gavāṃ indriyāṇāṃ saṅghātaṃ nara śarīraṃ vindate prapnoti iti Govindaḥ

It means the unimaginable divinity that is ever present in the medium of a human body expressing itself through a bundle of senses. So, this applies to any & every human being who has figured out the esoteric theme of भजगोविन्दं

We, the post Covid survivors, the carpe diem or ‘catch the day’ practitioners may wonder: Even though! — why, precisely because death is the end of life, aren’t the sinful selfish ways — meaning here the life of sense-indulgence,...

how is it justifiable? Where then does Bhaja Govindam stand in a current context ?

Even from an every day perspective, life at the level of senses is not complete. It merely represents a particular (gross) level of existence. At this level we are continually oscillating between joy and sorrow, pleasure and pain, and the entire host of the ‘pairs of opposites’.

There is no end to misery here. That strong force of illusion — the power of maya, holds us bound to an indulgent level of imprisoned existence.

Through practice, however, we can be the master of our senses. That the aim is not to suppress them, because senses are important; rather, the aim is to master them so as to be able to steer them at will, from or towards their objects.

With the senses thus controlled, that monkey mind honed & harnessed — we get to transcend the ‘pairs of opposites’ - to achieve equanimity of mind., and if lucky, beyond into that elusive singularity,

In this state, we cease to be unduly elated when joys come nor are we shattered when sorrows strike — a state of liberation-in-life, marking a substantial cessation of worldly miseries. However, this state again is not an end in life.

The end is always the concept of moksha, when the ego is completely annihilated, the small self wholly and finally merged into the Cosmic Self, Brahman, through the grace of the divinity in us.

Any scholarship in language or grammar — or, for that matter, any such academic ‘specialisation’ — by itself has no relevance to progress in life nor towards what awaits in the end of life.

Unless we strive to find this end, unless we gain equanimity of mind, this life is under-lived; futile, and there can be no end to misery.

Now, in that fleeting afterglow, coming from your hitherto enlightenment., let’s get back to that oft repeated opening verse of this Bhaja Govindam by Ādi Śhaṅkara— that would have to be kinda conveniently rephrased as : .....

“O Ignoramus, don’t stay satisfied with the deluding joys of the senses.These only mislead you to misery. Use well the opportunity that this moment offers. Why are you reading crappy interpretations written by an amateur., when within you exists that divine knowledge all along”

If you are game., refine and reform that mind of yours and those senses will follow in a way that you can steer them at will, from and towards their objects and towards your objective.

Armed with jnana and bhakti — don’t merely look, see through that opaque filter of maya and achieve the state of liberation-in-life — begin to discover, more and more clearly, the presence of divinity, that guru / guide residing within —

The infallible one that resides in you, who recognises its due course, to be the Self, the Govinda that you had earlier thought to be outside of yourself.

So, भज गोविन्दम् ॥ 😀