Bhaja Govinda Stotram
Day 2, July 18
Bhaja Govindam is not only for ascetics and serious spiritual seekers. It is for householders and youngsters also. All are mutually dependent. There is a picture in Kanchipuram showing Sri Bhagavatpada with his four disciples and two married couples standing close by. One wonders why the householders are included in the picture. Sanyasis need the assistance of householders to provide them food. During Chaturmasya, Sanyasis have no permission to cook food to eat. They may eat what others prepare for them or eat fruits and other substances which do not require cooking. Students who are not well off financially are also dependent on generous householders to support them and their studies. Old people are also dependent upon householders for support and assistance.
There used to be a system called Vaaraalu, where a poor student would be a free guest at meal time at one home on each weekday. Swamiji also practiced this for a short time. It is a tough practice. Each home has its habits and tastes and sometimes, people get irritable at the freeloaders and insult them. The students have to bear the insults if they wish to eat. They must swallow their pride and carry on. Swamiji in his childhood also did Madhukara Vritti, which is to live like a honey bee. He collects small amounts of food from different homes by going begging. He has to mix up all the food items and eat, not relishing any one taste of any item.
Chaturmasya Vrata is for four months, but Atharvana Veda allows a concession of doing it for two months, considering each fortnight to equal a month. The families which qualify to feed a sanyasi are those who lead a life of Dharma. Many foreigners are impressed by India, not only for its spiritual richness, but also for the enduring marriages. It shows that Indian couples are more tolerant and don’t divorce for flimsy reasons. The husband and wife are like the two wheels of a cart. Only if both function in unison, the vehicle will move. The householders depend on Upadesha from the saints and sadhus whom they feed. They receive spiritual knowledge from them to practice Jnana Yoga and Karma Yoga, which are like the two wings of a bird. Once a couple practices both of these with ease, life is comfortable like a smooth flight.
The grammarian was practicing only Karma Yoga, when he was diligently teaching his student. He did not practice Jnana Yoga along with it. He did not use discretion and went into excesses. Even his pot picked up his vibrations and made the sound, Dukrinkarane as it rolled down the steps. Sri Bhagavatpada was not angry. He was filled with compassion for the scholar, when he sang these verses. Sadguru cares for the wellbeing of the world, not only of this lifetime, but the future lifetimes of devotees as well. That is why he began to teach.
Some people may be shocked by the advice not to be thirsty for earnings. Guru does not say don’t earn. He says be aware of what you do and maintain a balance. Don’t go overboard with greed. Use wisdom in your actions. For instance, people were simply throwing sand into a river to slow down its force. The sand was just getting washed away. A saint came along, watched their futile efforts, and advised them to put the sand in bags and use sandbags instead. The idea worked. Don’t get stuck in simply earning only, which is just Karma, with no Jnana. You must develop spiritual knowledge also alongside. With Jnana, you lead life such that you avoid rebirth, which is the purpose of this human birth. Be aware of your aim in life. Be satisfied with your earning acquired by ethical and moral means. Be content and comfortable.
Those who keep earning, for earning’s sake, have no time to enjoy. There is no limit to earnings, positions, and possessions. The more you have, the more you wish to have. Maintaining and preserving what is earned also poses problems and worries. There is no peace of mind. One who is in the tenth-place wishes for 1st place. Thereafter, after getting 1st place, he wishes to maintain it. The struggle never ends. There is never any peace of mind, because there is always greed and fear. Be useful to others. Use discretion in doing Karma.
Youth must be given advice that they should not get carried away by the attraction of the opposite sex. Mutual attraction is natural. But it should be restrained and kept under control. To control Kama, lust, the youth needs counseling. That life is like a bubble ready to burst, is a fact of life. Children and adults alike must be counseled so that there is no fear of death. One must have a proper understanding about the transience of life.
Another fact of life that is even more true today than before, is that Greek literature is studied in Delhi, and Shastras from Kasi are studied at Oxford, showing that God’s breath and God’s message transcend time and space.
Swamiji recently gave the title Vishwa Hindu to a scholar who only speaks in Sanskrit with his disciples.
One should give up thrishna, excessive greed or excessive desire. It is destructive and obstructive. One cannot live without any desire whatsoever. Even if you are eating out of your own earnings, eat slow. Go slow.
Verse 5:
yaavadvittopaarjana saktah
taavannijaparivaaro raktah
paschaajeevati jarjjaradehe
vaartaam kopi na prichchati gehe
Your family, friends, and relatives will have respect for you only as long as you keep earning. If you lose all your money, no one will care about you.
Recently there was an account in the newspaper of a boy earning two and a a half lakh of rupees, whose marriage got fixed and the date was set. Then he lost his job. He got another job for less money, a lakh less. He truthfully informed the bride’s family. They at once cancelled the engagement. Money was the only reason. It is very common today. Money has become all important. Our country has lost its values. One can lead a simple life within one’s means, buying affordable clothes. But children demand brand name clothes only which are unaffordable. Parents then follow deceitful means to earn more money to satisfy the children’s whims and demands. Such desires lead to Adharma.
Ayurveda and Homeopathy attack the source of a health problem, instead of just clearing the symptoms temporarily. In allopathy, they give you pain killers to relieve the pain. Ayurveda changes lifestyle and food habits to eliminate the source of the problem. We must remove the root of greed.
People are afraid of philosophy, or detachment. But one must face facts, that once a person becomes old, helpless and decrepit, no one even bothers to give a friendly greeting. We should tread the right path and heed the Upadesha given by the wise.
Someone wanted to assess the value of a human body. This is our chariot. While we live, we joke, earn, have fun, and consider the body to be priceless. We obsess over it, pampering it to the extreme. But when life departs, once the life force, Shiva leaves the body, it becomes a corpse, Shava. People will then refer to it only as a dead body, not even by the name of the person. They are in a hurry to get rid of the body. You cannot keep the body at home for long. People with a dead body at home should not cook in the house. It is maila, unclean. There is a compassionate social reason for this tradition. When steeped in grief, the lady of the house will be in no mood to cook. Her mind will be distracted and preoccupied. Accidents might occur, like clothing catching fire, or some insects falling into the food. That is why neighbors are supposed to bring food for ten days. Society must rally and support the family, treating it as one family. This is an ancient tradition to help the ones whose minds are distraught and distracted.
It is a great service to render funeral rites to abandoned dead bodies. Some Ashrama volunteers in Hyderabad do this service. It is highly commendable.
People in old age hold a stick for support while walking. The body itself is like a stick. The body needs to be kept in line or else it gets spoiled. There must be discipline in food, recreation, and thoughts. People must do Yoga, exercises and so on to keep fit mentally and physically. Also, to be happy. It is consciousness that moves the body. One must be aware that I am not the body. The body moves, like a stick, because consciousness moves it.
When in old age, one becomes bedridden and helpless, people get irritable with them, and don’t pay attention. Such old people are neglected. Everyone therefore, must pray for a life without dependency, and a painless, easy death. Don’t become dependent on others. Such a life is miserable.
A person wanted to assess the price of a human body. He took a dead chicken, goat, and human to the market. The chicken and the goat were quickly sold. No one was willing to buy the human corpse. Finally, the man was chased away from the marketplace. Corpses cause diseases. They have absolutely no value. The same body that was pampered while alive, is considered disgusting when dead. It is the same body. Remember this. It is most important to contemplate on God who resides within the body.
We cannot see our own eyes without the help of a mirror. Use Jnana, spiritual knowledge to journey inward into oneself. Vedanta is Truth. Knowledge is endless. Vedanta is knowledge about oneself. It must be experienced. With constant contemplation, Self-realization occurs, granting supreme bliss. Doctors cannot show this Self or give the experience of bliss. Only Sadguru can.
A rich man raised a dog and loved it a lot. Because he was rich, many people came to visit, and brought biscuits for the dog. Dog became fat eating so many biscuits. One day, the man lost his wealth. Nobody came to visit him then. The dog also got no biscuits. All the people went after another rich man and took biscuits for his dog.
Never feel proud of your wealth. Money comes and goes. It does not remain with anyone for long. There are only two things to do with money, either enjoy, or give it away. Hoarding it is not good. It brings no respect. It gets stolen or destroyed. Best to give to charity. Clouds which give water rise to the sky. Ocean, which receives water from the clouds, remains on the ground. The one who gives, always has the upper hand. He is at a higher level.
Verse 6:
yavatpavano nivasati dehe
taavatprichchati kusalam gehe
gatavati vaayau dehaapaaye
bhaaryaa bibhyati tasminkaaye
While life remains in the body, people at home will enquire of your welfare. Once the breath becomes weak, and moaning begins, no one will come near to comfort. Once life departs, even spouse and children are afraid of the body and shirk away from it. It is the same body that people showered love upon before. If your own people fear and dislike the dead body, then what is its worth? Think about it. Sri Bhagavatpada is teaching us not to develop attachment to the body or to people around. Be like an actor on stage. Just play your role and exit. Understand this truth, or else, you will face misery and disaster.
Life is like a drama. Play your role and exit. Don’t cry when the curtain closes. What does an actor do when the play ends? He collects his payment. What is our payment? It is the spiritual merit, Punya, that we have earned. This is used for our next life. We must offer it at God’s feet and pray for a better future life, a better role in the drama. Every lifetime is a different role in a different play. Our investment is our good deeds. They yield good dividends. God may take pity and allow you to retire after having acted in many plays. He may invite you to join Him in the audience, to just watch and enjoy the plays thereafter, like a witness, to merge in Him. Actors struggle hard. But the audience relax and enjoy. God is the audience for the play called Creation. Please understand the message of this verse.
Verse 7:
baalastaavat kreedaa saktah
tarunastaavat taruneesaktah
vriddhastaavat chintaasakatah
pare brahmani kopi na saktah
Adi Sankara has summarized all his observations of life. He says during childhood, the preoccupation and obsession is with play and games. A child refuses to come back home. Not satisfied with the games with friends. Not even hungry for food. All that the child wants, is to play. During youth, the mind is preoccupied with interest in people of the opposite sex. Old age is filled with worries, diseases, and helplessness. Alas, no one has time to remember God during any of these stages. This is natural, which is pitiful.
How should we raise our children? Sri Bhagavatpada is teaching us how to conduct ourselves. One must concentrate on studies while young, during the student stage. Mind should be controlled and focused. During the middle years, one should earn. Work hard in an ethical way and support family and society. During old age, one should engage in penance to uplift oneself spiritually. The fourth and last stage is where one become helpless and weak.
Some people keep working till the end. After retirement, they take up other jobs and keep working. It is okay. But one should reduce mental involvement with worldly affairs, and think about God.
During childhood, children must be taught to pray, to chant Stotras, to balance study and play. Mothers should not have to drag a child home from the playground, scolding and sending away the other children. The mother forcibly brings the child home to give food. The child even forgets to eat. The world is the playground. Food is Amrita, the nectar called contemplation on God. One should not forget God.
Kalidasa, the poet, wrote Raghu Vamsha. To write the story of Rama, he studied Rama’s lineage. All his ancestors followed a strict regime in their lives. That is what made his genealogy so great and famous. The dynasty laid the seed so that Rama could be born in such a family. They studied while young, earned and rendered duties during youth and middle years, and when old age approached, they did penance, going into total silence.
Some old people chatter constantly, nagging the people at home till they get fed up and tell the elder to just shut up. Then their feelings are hurt, and they cry. The old people must learn tolerance and stop nagging and constantly giving instructions. They should restrain the tongue. Silence is very powerful. When fewer words are spoken, the words hold value.
In Raghu’s dynasty, in the end, by deliberate intention, they gave up their bodies through Yoga. It is a difficult practice but is possible through training. Some people know exactly when their life is going to end. Birth is not in control, where we will be born, in which family, country, time, and so forth. The beauty or looks of the body is not in our control. But with Yoga practice, it is possible to leave the body by choice, at will. In Raghu dynasty, all the kings dispensed their duties dharmically, and ended their lives by Yoga.
Some small birds were playing about. A hunter waited to cast a net. A sadhu wanted to save the birds. He advised the leader of the birds, to chant a mantra and have the birds also chant the mantra for their protection. The mantra is, Hunter is here. When the sadhu came later, he found the birds crying, caught in the net, chanting, Hunter is here, Hunter is here. He felt pity. The birds merely chanted the words, without understanding the meaning of the words, and applying it to fly away from the hunter. Mechanical repetition of mantra is similar to this.
Chitaa, chinta, and Chintana are words which sound similar, but the meaning is very different.
Chitaa is funeral fire, which burns a dead body. Chinta is worry which kills a living body. Chintana is contemplation on God which removes sorrow and worries. Sri Bhagavatpada agonizes that no one is concerned about Chintana, meditating upon God, or singing his praises and glories. He exhorts everyone to sing bhajans to glorify God and attain peace of mind.
Verse 8:
kaa te kaantaa kaste putrah
samsaaroyamateeva vichitrah
kasya tvam kah kuta aayaatah
tattvam chintaya tadiha bhraatah
Understand the different relationships in life. Some relations come by birth, like parents, siblings, and relatives. Spouse, children, and in-laws come through marriage. Birth is predetermined. Marriage is a deliberate choice. With spouse and children one forms tight bondages. Consider where these relationships came from, and how transient they are. Samsara means birth and death. In Tamil, Samsara refers to wife. In other languages, it may refer to spouse and children. Sri Bhagavatpada refers to birth and death when he mentions Samsara. Like a Ferris wheel or giant wheel at the fair, birth and death occur cyclically. The wheel keeps going around. It is fun for a few rounds. But, if the wheel keeps turning endlessly, it gets tedious and frustrating, if the operator goes away on a tea break. We scream for it to stop. We likewise, pray to God to release us from this wheel of birth and death.
Think about who you are. What is the connection between you and your name? where have you come from? What is the purpose? Where are you going? What is your connection with the people around you? Where were you and who were you before birth? What was your name then?
A child cries at birth, remembering its past and sad to be born. But others laugh. The child gets its revenge when at death, it goes away laughing and the others around weep.
A child in the womb listens and understands. A child should be told the truth about life. Sing bhajans to the child. It listens and continues its liking for devotional songs after birth also. Swamiji’s devotees have experienced this. It gives good Samskara, culture to the child, if the pregnant mother reads scriptures, sings and listens to bhajans, and keeps a pleasant family environment. All these things positively influence the fetus.
Namadev, while in the womb, heard his father chanting mantras off key and spoke out, it seems. Prahlada, a demon’s son, received Upadesha while in the womb, and became a great devotee of Vishnu.
Sri Bhagavatpada addresses the devotee as ‘brother’, affectionately, trying to cajole and persuade that he should think of all these things and contemplate on God. He says, o dear brother, dear sister, please do not waste your life on worthless things.
In a flowing river, two logs accidentally come together, travel together for a distance, and then they separate and go away in different ways. Relationships in life are also like that. Please think about these things and fix your attachment upon God, advises Sri Adi Shankara.
May by Guru’s grace this teaching register in the minds of all listeners and give them great spiritual benefit.
Sri Guru Datta