Bhaja Govindam - 25

शत्रौ मित्रे पुत्रे बन्धौ मा कुरु यत्नं विग्रहसन्धौ ।
सर्वस्मिन्नपि पश्यात्मानं सर्वत्रोत्सृज भेदाज्ञानम् ॥२५॥
(भज-गोविन्दं भज-गोविन्दं…)

śatrau mitre putre bandhau mā kuru yatnam vigrahasandhau |

sarvasminnapi paśyātmānam sarvatrotsruja bhedājnānam ||25||
(bhaja-govindam bhaja-govindam…)

शत्रौ = enemies, मित्रे = friends, पुत्रे = sons, बन्धौ = friends, मा = never, कुरु = do, यत्नं = strive, विग्रह = strife, सन्धौ = friendship, सर्वस्मिन अपि = everywhere, पश्य = see, आत्मानं = Self, सर्वत्र = everywhere, उत्सृज = lift, भेद = differentiation, अज्ञानम् = ignorance

Literal Translation:

Do not strive, towards strife or keeping relations with enemies, friends, children or companions. In everything, everywhere, see the Self by lifting the sense of differentiation borne of ignorance.


Interpretation:

A person may take a long time to think about amputating a limb but finds it easy to break relationships with other people. The identification as “oneself” or “another” makes a difference in the reaction. If one’s own teeth bite one’s tongue, the person spends time in consoling the tongue but does not break the teeth. When the realization comes that the whole universe is a manifestation of the Self, then there is no sense of other.

In this stanza, the seeker is asked to see universal harmony. Gurudev says that if one can hear the melody of the Flute Player who enchants all, one would see the mutual affinity with which the universe is held together with love. There is no other. The author of this verse asks people to rise above the sense of differences borne of stupidity, and see oneness with all around. It is not necessary to understand the words to enjoy the music. Similarly the externalities may differ but the one vital force is the same in all.

If one’s child changes clothes, or is caked with mud, one still sees the child as one’s own. Similarly, one needs to rise above the differences among the many manifestations of the Self in the universe, and see the common substratum – the Self. Then there is no dislike or hatred, there is a common love for all and an acceptance of all. There can be no revulsion or disgust for something or someone that one recognizes as being a part of oneself.

Happenings around  us can influence us only if we allow to do so. Refer Geeta (Ch 6, verse 5).

आत्मैव ह्यात्मनो बंधुः आत्मैव रिपुरात्मनः । (६:५)

ātmaiva hyātmano bandhuh ātmaiva ripurātmanah | (6-5)

“You yourself are your own friend, and you yourself your own enemy.”


Refer Kathopanishada (2, 2:9)
अग्निर्यथैको भुवनं प्रविष्टो रूपं रूपं प्रतिरूपो बभूव ।
एकस्तथा सर्वभूतान्तरात्मा रूपं रूपं प्रतिरुपो बहिश्च । (कथ २,२:९)

agniryathaiko bhuvanam praviṣṭo rūpam rūpam pratirūpo babhūva |

ekastathā sarvabhūtāntarātmā rūpam rūpam pratirūpo bahiśca | (katha, 2, 2:9)

Just as fire, having reached various wicks, expresses itself as different flames, so the One Truth, burning in different bosoms, expresses as the good, the bad, the wretched, the noble.

Refer Isavasyopanishada (6)
ततो न विजुगुप्सते । (इश ६)
tato na vijugupsate | (iSa 6)

The man of Realization has no occasion to feel repelled from anything or from any situation.

Bhaja Govindam - 24

त्वयि मयि चान्यत्रैको विष्णुर्व्यर्थं कुप्यसि मय्यसहिष्णु: ।
भव समचित्तः सर्वत्र त्वं वाञ्छस्यचिराद्यदि विष्णुत्वम् ॥२४॥
(भज-गोविन्दं भज-गोविन्दं…)

tvayi mayi cānyatraiko viṣṇuvyartham kupyasi mayyasahiiṣṇuh |
bhava samacittah sarvatra tvam vānchhasyacirādyadi viṣṇutvam ||24||
(bhaja-govindam bhaja-govindam…)

त्वयि = in you, मयि = in me, च = and, अन्यत्र = everywhere else, एक: = but one, विष्णु: = all-pervading Reality, व्यर्थं = needlessly, कुप्यसि = you are getting angry, मयि = with me, असहिष्णु: = getting impatient, भव = be, समचित्तः = equanamous of mind, सर्वत्र = everywhere, त्वं = you, वाञ्छस्य = (you) want, यदि = if,  अचिरात = soon, विष्णुत्वम् = the status of all-pervading Reality

Literal Translation:

In you, in me, there is but the one all-pervading Reality. Getting impatient, you are angry with me needlessly. Be equal-minded everywhere (under all circumstances) if you want to attain the status of the all-pervading Reality soon.

Interpretation:

Even in the intellectual pursuit of understanding the nature of Reality, the student gets frustrated and hankers for variety in concept and explanation, ideas and ideals, and even a variety in the declarations of Truth. The teacher patiently explains the need is to be equal-minded in all circumstances. There is nothing to despair in seeking, regardless of absorbing volumes of scriptural literature.

The nature of the subtle science is such that the explanation and the description has to be repeated till it is understood. If the student had gained an understanding, he would not return to the teacher. Having once realized Perfection, there is no more the need to seek it.

The Panchadasi says that only in the realm of multiplicity, there are doubts and explanations. In the experience of the Oneness, there is no doubt and therefore no questions to be answered.

Till there are questions, the teacher has to talk of the same Truth again and again for purposes of emphasis until the eureka moment when the student grasps the concept. The self-realization comes through contemplation. This contemplation needs the mind to be prepared to receive the subtle influences from the higher planes of Consciousness.

Our likes and dislikes are born of vasanas, and influence our response to the external world. The advice to stay the same under all circumstances needs us to be free of vasanas.

Bhaja Govindam - 23

कस्त्वं कोऽहं कुत आयातः का मे जननी को मे तातः ।
इति परिभावय सर्वमसारं विश्वं त्यक्त्वा स्वप्नविचारम् ॥२३॥
(भज-गोविन्दं भज-गोविन्दं…)

kastvam koham kuta āyātah kā me jananī ko me tātah |
iti paribhāvaya sarvamasāram viśvam tyaktvā svapnavicāram ||23||
(bhaja-govindam bhaja-govindam…)

क: = who, त्वं = you, अहं = I, कुत = from where, आयातः = did I come, का = who is, मे = my, जननी = mother, तातः = father, इति = thus,  परिभावय = enquire, सर्वं = all, असारं = essenceless, विश्वं = the entire world of experience, त्यक्त्वा = leaving aside, स्वप्नविचारम् = dreamland (born of imagination)  

Literal Translation:
Who are you? Who am I? from where did I come? Who is my mother? Who is my father? Enquire thus, leaving aside the entire world of experience, lacking in essence and born of imagination.


Interpretation:
This stanza is attributed to Yogananda, a disciple of Shankara.

Our minds stay pre-occupied with the relationships and the enchantments in the world-of-objects outside. Only when the mid is relieved from these dissipating preoccupations, it will have the necessary freedom to apply itself totally within.

The Sankrit work vishvam means the world with all its experiences – physical, emotional and intellectual. Yogananda asks us to realize that this entire world of experiences is essenceless and born of imagination. Only when we dismiss the sense-passions from the mind and turn it towards a close observation of our own subjective personality, we will realize the hollowness of the world of name and form and the empty vanity of the life we live.

Enquire – who are you, who am I , where have I come from, who are my parents? This line of enquiry will help us end our misconceptions and reach the true apprehension of the Real.

Refer Tripura Mahiman stotram (1-43).
नाना योनि सहस्त्र वशाज्जाता जनन्यः कति
प्रख्याता जनकाः कियन्त इति मे सेत्स्यन्ति चाग्रे कति ।
एतेषां गणनैव नास्...
Durvasa said in multiple births, he has had multiple mothers in whose womb he has taken birth, and there are multiple births ahead, and he does not know the count of parents he is yet to have. As he contemplated on the finite nature of these relationships, he sought refuge with the Mother for she alone can take him across the ocean of samsara. (The Mother here referes to the formless genderless Brahman. In the gross form, a name and form can be given for worship. )

Reference text: Bhaja Govindam by Adi Shankara, commentary by Swami Chinmayananda 

Bhaja Govindam - 22

रथ्याचर्पटविरचितकन्थः पुण्यापुण्यविवर्जितपन्थः ।
योगी योगनियोजितचित्तो रमते बालोन्मत्तवदेव ॥२२॥
(भज-गोविन्दं भज-गोविन्दं…)

rathyācarpataviracitakanthah punyāpunyavivarjitapanthah |
yogī yoganiyojitacitto ramate bālonmattavadeva ||22||
(bhaja-govindam bhaja-govindam…)

रथ्या = road, चर्पट = rags, विरचित = made of, कन्थः = shawl, पुण्या = merit, पुण्य = lacking merit, विवर्जित = beyond/without, पन्थः = path, योगी = Yogin/sage, योग = the way to be,  नियोजित = joined, चित्त = mind, रमते = sports/revels, बाल एव = as a child, उन्मत्त एव = as a mad man   


Literal Translation:
The Yogin who wears just a shawl made from rags, who walks the path that is beyond merit and demerit, whose mind is joined in perfect yoga (with consciousness), he revels (in consciousness) like a child or a madman.  

Interpretation:
This stanza is attributed to Nityananda, a disciple of Shankara.

A person with his mind installed in the Self has risen above name and form. He no longer has a sense of individuality. Such a person is described in the scriptures as living as a child or a madman or a ghost, meaning that to us, he appears to be a child, madman or a ghost - not that he has become one.
A child does not remember the misery of the previous moment, nor does a child worry about the future. Children live innocently in the present, spontaneously expressing the emotion of the moment. A Person of Perfection lives similarly – always living the present moment to its fullest, with no anxiety from the past and no worry about the future.

A madman living among people, is engrossed in his own world. Similarly, a Person of Realization lives in his own world. Though he lives amidst people, his mind is installed in the Self. He lives above likes and dislikes, and his inner experiences would be strange for the rest of the world to understand.  

Such a sage lives in equipoise. He is above the pair-of-opposites – heat/cold, joy/sorrow, pleasure/pain, that are felt only those that identify with the jeeva. He walks alone and silently through dense forests and secluded places without fear like a ghost - others may fear his presence, he fears none.

A Realized Master lives a life that is beyond merit and demerit. Merit and demerit do not affect the Perfect. The actions of such a mahapurusha – great person, are not to be judged – such is the injunction of the Vedas. Such a Person of Perfection, with his mind removed from passion, lust and greed, is no longer a slave to his body. He takes care of the body so it can serve him, and so he does cover it. A thin quilt of rags patched together (“godadi” ) is sufficient protection for the body.  

Everyone in society has privileges and responsibilities. A Person of Perfection who takes no privileges from society is also free of its responsibilities. But as he sees the world as an extension of the Self, is constantly conscious of the common substratum of all creation, his love encompasses all. And though he demands nothing, he spends each moment selflessly, working hard and sincerely for the greater good.

Gurudev says that whereas most people in the world are focused on minimum work and maximum gain, the Man of Perfection works tirelessly without demanding much more from the world than the basic necessities. Since he has nothing to gain from this world, he does not add to the fierce competition for the world’s resources.  

Reference text: Bhaja Govindam by Adi Shankara, commentary by Swami Chinmayananda

Bhaja Govindam - 21

पुनरपि जननं पुनरपि मरणं पुनरपि जननीजठरे शयनम् ।
इह संसारे बहुदुस्तारे कृपयाऽपारे पाहि मुरारे ॥२१॥
(भज-गोविन्दं भज-गोविन्दं…)

punarapi jananam punarapi maranam punarapi jananī śayanam  |
iha samsāre bahudustāre krapayā pāre pāhi murāre ||21||
(bhaja-govindam bhaja-govindam…)

पुनः अपि = again, जननं = birth, मरणं = death, जननी = mother, जठरे = in the womb, शयनम् = sleep, इह = this, संसार = world (cycle of life and death), बहुदुस्तारे = difficult to cross, कृपया = through kindness, पार = cross, पाहि = save, मुरारे = O Murari, O Lord

Literal Translation:

Again birth and again death, again in the mother’s womb, this world is very difficult to cross over. O lord, save me through kindness.

Interpretation:
The cycle of life and death is never-ending as a jeeva (the individualized ego) goes through new fields of experience. And with each lifetime, one is given an opportunity to drop vasanas. Instead, the jeeva goes through new experiences and forms new attachments. It is through our ignorance that we attach ourselves to external objects that stimulate the senses, rather than turn the mind inwards towards the Self.

Gurudev has said that when the existing vasanas are exhausted, the mental turbulence caused by thoughts and desires is reduced, and when the mind dies, there is no need for a subtle body, ergo no need for more births. Unconditional surrender to the Lord destroys the ego and the egocentric vasanas. In this verse, we seek the Lord’s grace to deliver us from this world.

Reference text: Bhaja Govindam by Adi Shankara, commentary by Swami Chinmayananda

Bhaja Govindam - 20

भगवद्गीता किञ्चितधीता गङ्गा जललव कणिका पीता ।
सकृदपि येन मुरारी समर्चा क्रियते तस्य यमेन न चर्चा ॥२०॥
(भज-गोविन्दं भज-गोविन्दं)

bhagavadgītā kincitadhītā gangā jalalava kanikā pītā |
sakrudapi yena murārī samarcā kriyate tasya yamena na carcā ||20||
(bhaja-govindam bhaja-govindam…)

भगवद्गीता = Bhagwad Geeta, वा = or, गङ्गा = the river Ganga, जललव = enjoying company, कणिका = living a solitary life, पीता = whose, सकृदपि = Brahman, येन = to revel in, मुरारी = mind, समर्चा = to enjoy, क्रियते = only, तस्य = whose, यमेन = Brahman, न = to revel in, चर्चा = to revel in

Literal Translation:
Whether living a life of self-control or a worldly life, a social or a solitary life, if one’s mind revels in the Brahman, he enjoys and only he enjoys.

Interpretation:
Nityananda adds to the four prior verses by saying – a person whose mind dwells on the Brahman, enjoys life regardless of whether he lives with self-control or apparently in worldly comfort, whether he lives as a recluse or in the midst of the world, and he adds that only a person whose mind dwells on the Brahman is in bliss.

There are texts that give full freedom to a Man of Perfection. Such a person is not limited by social mores, and is untouched by the actions he performs. Does this mean that such a person can sin at will? No. Just as it is only a trained surgeon who is permitted to perform surgery, and a person trained in arms who is permitted to carry a weapon, so it is only a Man of Perfection who is permitted to determine the right course of action, regardless of the rules of society because such a person is incapable of acting unethically.

Gurudev says that to a person of Realization, after an experience of the Infinite, there is nothing more real than the Brahman. Such a person does not depend on the world for sense-gratification. With true joy from within, it is immaterial if this person lives among people or alone in a cave.

Refer to Mundaka Upanishad (3:2.9) where the sages tell us that a person who sees the Self, sees the Self in all. and Mundaka Upanishad (3:1.4) describes a realized saint as reveling in the Self and serving the world.

Refer to Bhagavad Geeta (2-66). Krishna asks where is the joy in a mind that is not at peace. So long as the mind is gurgling with desires, passions and attachments, the joy gets ruffled out from the surface. But a person who has realized the Self and does not see the world of plurality defined by name and form, his indeed is true joy.

Reference text: Bhaja Govindam by Adi Shankara, commentary by Swami Chinmayananda

Bhaja Govindam - 19

योगरतो वा भोगरतो वा सङ्गरतो वा सङ्गविहीनः ।
यस्य ब्रह्मणि रमते चित्तं नन्दति नन्दति नन्दत्येव ॥१९॥
(भज-गोविन्दं भज-गोविन्दं)

yogarato vā bhogarato vā sangarato vā sangavihīnah |
yasya brahmaṇi ramate cittam nandati nandati nandatyeva ||19||
(bhaja-govindam bhaja-govindam…)

योगरतः = enjoying self-control, वा = or, भोगरतः = enjoying worldly life, सङ्गरतः = enjoying company, सङ्गविहीनः = living a solitary life, यस्य = whose, ब्रह्मण = Brahman, रम = to revel in, चित्तं = mind, नन्द = to enjoy, एव = only

Literal Translation:
Whether living a life of self-control or a worldly life, a social or a solitary life, if one’s mind revels in the Brahman, he enjoys and only he enjoys.

Interpretation:
Nityananda adds to the four prior verses by saying – a person whose mind dwells on the Brahman, enjoys life regardless of whether he lives with self-control or apparently in worldly comfort, whether he lives as a recluse or in the midst of the world, and he adds that only a person whose mind dwells on the Brahman is in bliss.

There are texts that give full freedom to a Man of Perfection. Such a person is not limited by social mores, and is untouched by the actions he performs. Does this mean that such a person can sin at will? No. Just as it is only a trained surgeon who is permitted to perform surgery, and a person trained in arms who is permitted to carry a weapon, so it is only a Man of Perfection who is permitted to determine the right course of action, regardless of the rules of society because such a person is incapable of acting unethically.

Gurudev says that to a person of Realization, after an experience of the Infinite, there is nothing more real than the Brahman. Such a person does not depend on the world for sense-gratification. With true joy from within, it is immaterial if this person lives among people or alone in a cave.

Refer to Mundaka Upanishad (3:2.9) where the sages tell us that a person who sees the Self, sees the Self in all. and Mundaka Upanishad (3:1.4) describes a realized saint as reveling in the Self and serving the world.

Refer to Bhagavad Geeta (2-66). Krishna asks where is the joy in a mind that is not at peace. So long as the mind is gurgling with desires, passions and attachments, the joy gets ruffled out from the surface. But a person who has realized the Self and does not see the world of plurality defined by name and form, his indeed is true joy.


Reference text: Bhaja Govindam by Adi Shankara, commentary by Swami Chinmayananda
Reference text: Bhaja Govindam by Adi Shankara, commentary by Swami Chinmayananda 

Bhaja Govindam - 18

सुरमन्दिरतरुमूलनिवासः शय्या भूतलमजिनं वासः।

सर्वपरिग्रहभोगत्यागः कस्यसुखं न करोति विरागः॥१८॥

(भज-गोविन्दं भज-गोविन्दं)

suramandiratarumūlanivāsah śayyā bhūtalamajinam vāsah|

sarvaparigrahabhogatyāgah kasyasukham na karoti virāgah||18||

(bhaja-govindam bhaja-govindam…)

सुरमन्दिर = temple to a deity, तरुमूल = under trees, निवासः = lives, शय्या = bed, भूतल = on the bare ground, अजिनं = deer skin, वासः = apparel, सर्व = all, परिग्रह = possession, भोग = enjoyment (of), त्यागः = giving up, कस्य = which, सुखं = happiness, न = not, करोति = does, विरागः = dispassion

Literal Translation:

Living in temples, under trees, with the bare ground as bed, clad only in a deerskin, having renounced the enjoyment of all possessions, which happiness does dispassion not bring?

Interpretation:
Hastamaalaka had earlier described a person who had outwardly forsaken the pleasures of the world, but inwardly was still driven by desire. In these lines, Sureshwaracharya describes the happiness of the true renunciate.

In the world, everyone points to another who is happier than him, but the only one who has the courage to declare that he is truly happy is someone who has relinquished all passions and hungers from within. He is truly rich who no longer wants riches. Such a person is independent of the world – he may live under trees in temples and sleep on the ground clad in a deerskin, and yet he is happy. Others may have a wealth of worldly possessions but their mind has the cancer of desire and their intellect is afflicted with conceit.

Gurudev says that a true viraktah (relinquisher) would have reached the stage of desirelessness, not because of running away from life, but because of a sense of true self-sufficiency felt within. When internal riches are the basis of external poverty, there is no pain in renunciation, instead there is infinite joy. Thus a true Master lives a simple and unostentatious life.

Refer to Kaivalya Upanishad, 3.

त्यागनैके अमृतत्वमानशुः ।

tyāganaike amrutatvamānaśuh |
tyAganaike amRutatvamAnaSuH |
The literal meaning of this is: By renunciation alone, immortality is attained.

Refer to Bhagavad Geeta (2-55). Krishna says to Arjuna that when a man completely casts away all the desires of the mind, and is satisfied in the Self and by the Self, then he is considered a man of steady wisdom.

Reference text: Bhaja Govindam by Adi Shankara, commentary by Swami Chinmayananda

Bhaja Govindam - 17

कुरुते गङ्गासागरगमनं व्रतपरिपालनमथवा दानम् ।
ज्ञानविहीनः सर्वमतेन भजति न मुक्तिं जन्मशतेन ॥१७॥
(भज-गोविन्दं भज-गोविन्दं)

karute gangāsāgaragamanam vrataparipālanamathavā dānam |
jnānavihīnah sarvamatena bhajati na muktim janmaśatena ||17||
(bhaja-govindam bhaja-govindam…)

कुरुते = does, गङ्गासागरगमनं = visit (pilgrimage) to the Ganga delta, व्रतपरिपालनम = observance of vows, अथवा = or, दानम् = charity, ज्ञानविहीनः = devoid of knowledge, सर्वमतेन = according to all schools of thought, भजति = he gains, न = not, मुक्तिं = release, जन्मशतेन = in a hundred births

Literal translation
One may go to the Ganga delta on pilgrimage or observe vows or perform charity. Without the first-hand experience of the Truth, all schools of thought (in Vedanta) hold that such a person will not find release in a hundred births.

Interpretation
After the verse from Totakacharya criticizing the householder for being prey to desire even at the end of his life, and the criticism in the previous verse by Hastamaalaka of unintelligent tapas not ridding the recluse of desire, this verse by Shri Subodha ridicules the tapas of the householder.

Devoted householders go on pilgrimages, keep fasts and perform worship rituals. Gurudev has said here that Gangasaagar may refer to the Ganga delta of the same name where the river flows into the Bay of Bengal, or could mean visiting the Ganga (Haridwar, Pryayag, Kashi, etc) and the saagar, or sea (at Rameshwaram). Such devotional practices are means to an end, but people confuse them to be goals in themselves. One needs to remember that these steps only prepare the individual to surrender to the highest ideal, and progress on the path of study and contemplation.

Shri Subodha says that all schools of thought in Vedanta are unanimous on this – the mere practice of these noble exercises cannot help one reach the goal of salvation even in a hundred lives.

Gurudev has explained here that when a person sees the rope as a snake, the snake does not go away by reciting a mantra. It is only the removal of the ignorance and the realization that it is a rope and not a snake that removes the fear. When a person is disturbed in a dream, it is only waking up and realizing it was a dream that will make the person happy. Only the experience of true knowledge that comes through contemplation, redeems a person. When a person rises above the limited individual ego and understands the infinite nature of the Self, the world ceases to be a burden.

Refer to verse 2 of Atma Bodha:
बोधोऽन्यसाधनेभ्यो हि साक्षान्मोक्षैकसाधनम ।
पाकस्य वह्निवज्ज्ञानम् विना मोक्षो न सिध्यति ॥२॥
bodhonyasādhanebhyo hi sākṣānmokṣaikasādhanama |
pākasya vahnivajjnānam vinā mokṣo na sidhyati ||2||
 
Which literally translates as: Just as the fire is the direct cause for cooking, so without Knowledge, there is no emancipation. Compared with all other forms of discipline, the Knowledge of the Self is the one direct means for liberation.

According to this verse of Atma Bodha, in the process of cooking, ingredients can be substituted, but fire is essential and has no alternative. Similarly, there are alternative paths that people may take for seeking the Self, but the Knowledge of the Self is essential for mokṣa – liberation.

Also, refer to the Bhagwad Geeta (4-37) in which Krishna says that as the blazing fire turns firewood to ashes, so the fire of knowledge burns to ashes all reaction to material activities. Jnāna burns all āgāmi karma and liberates a person. And further, Krishna says (4-41,42) that one who has renounced the fruits of his action, whose doubts are destroyed by transcendental knowledge and whose mind is firmly seated in the Self, is not bound by action. So the doubts that have arisen in the mind out of ignorance can only be slashed by the weapon of knowledge.


Reference text: Bhaja Govindam by Adi Shankara, commentary by Swami Chinmayananda

Bhaja Govindam - 16

अग्रे वह्निः पृष्ठे भानुः रात्रौ चुबुकसमर्पितजानुः ।
करतलभिक्षस्तलतरुवासस्तदपि न मुञ्चत्याशापाशः ॥१६॥
(भज-गोविन्दं भज-गोविन्दं)

agre vahnih pruśThe bhānuh rātrau chubuka-samarpita-januh |
karatala-bhikśastala-taruvāsastadapi na muncatyāśāpāśāh ||16||
(bhaja govindam bhaja govindam…)

अग्रे= in front, वह्निः= fire, पृष्ठे = behind, भानुः = sun, रात्रौ = at night, चुबुकसमर्पितजानुः = with his knees to his chin, करतल = in his palm, भिक्ष = alms, तलतरुवास = in the shade of the tree, तदपि = and yet, न = not, मुञ्चति = leaves, आशापाशः = noose of desires

Literal Translation:
In front the fire, at the back the sun, late at night he sits with his knees held to his chin, he receives alms in his own scooped alms, and lives under the shelter of a tree, and yet the noose of desire does not spare him.

Interpretation:
The previous stanza ridiculed the householder for not being free of desire even at the end of life. In this stanza, the state of the monk is described. The tyranny of desire is universal. Consider the life of the ascetic - someone who has renounced everything, lives with the bare necessities of life given to him by others, lives with the vagaries of weather, and yet even a man who has chosen to live such a simple life as this is subject to desire.

If self-denial is not accompanied by mental purity, it becomes nothing but self-suppression. Renouncing the world is not real renunciation. The goal is to be rid of the thirst to enjoy the world. Asceticism should result in the conservation of vitality that would be otherwise spent in indulgence. This re-directed energy can be used for positive development and spriritual unfoldment - this is the sublimation of instincts.

Sublimation, not suppression - is the message of this verse, credited to Hastaamalaka, one of the disciples of Shankaracharya.

Reference Text: Bhaja Govindam by Adi Shankara, commentary by Swami Chinmayananda 

Bhaja Govindam - 15

अङ्गं गलितं पलितं मुण्डं दशनविहीनं जातं तुण्डम् ।
वृद्धो याति गृहित्वा दण्डं तदपि न मुञ्चत्याशापिण्डम् ॥१५॥
(भज-गोविन्दं भज-गोविन्दं)

angam galitam palitam muṇḍam daśanavihinam jātam tuṇḍam |
vruddho yāti gruhitvā daṇḍam tadapi na muncatyāśāpiṇḍam  ||15||
(bhaja-govindam bhaja-govindam…)

अङ्गं = body, गलितं = worn out, पलितं = has turned grey, मुण्डं = head, दशनविहीनं = toothless, जातं = has become, तुण्डम् = mouth, वृद्धो = old man, याति = moves about, गृहित्वा = having taken (leaning on), दण्डं = staff, तदपि = yet, न = not, मुञ्चति = leaves, आशापिण्डम् = bundle of desires

Literal Translation:
The body has become worn out, the head has turned grey, the mouth has become toothless, the old man moves about, leaning on his staff. Yet, he does not leave his bundle of desires.

Interpretation:
These lines by Totakacharya indicate the plight of a person living in a world of sense-objects. The desire for enjoyment is irresistible and unending. The picture of an old man leaning on his staff, physically incapable of fulfilling his desires and follow his passions, yet tempted by them, is a pathetic sight.

Gurudev says that though it could be assumed that at a ripe age, a person would have exhausted his passions but it is rare that a person would not feel the hunger for pleasure. The bundle of desire does not leave him, the mind thirsts for sense-objects, the intellect plans, but the body is unable to execute, thus creating immense suffering. With the tyranny of inexpressible desires, the old man lives an agonizing life of unimaginable sorrow.

It is indicated here that only a mind disciplined in youth will be at peace in old age.

Refer to "Wandering in the Himalayas" by Tapovan Maharaj. He begins his chapter on Uttarkashi with a reference to this shloka. He says that people forget how fleeting pleasures are. Even in extreme old age, man clings to the attachment to the body, as if it is still young, healthy and full of vigor. He describes man as being a caged lion, who cannot get out of the limitations of the senses. All around us are people who are bound to the body and pursue the illusive sensory pleasures because of a complete identification with the body. The main purpose of human life is the conquest of maya. The human attribute of reasoning (intellect) if propertly utilized, can be used to break the bondages of maya and to realize God.

Bhaja Govindam - 14

अङ्गं गलितं पलितं मुण्डं दशनविहीनं जातं तुण्डम् ।
वृद्धो याति गृहित्वा दण्डं तदपि न मुञ्चत्याशापिण्डम् ॥१५॥
(भज-गोविन्दं भज-गोविन्दं)

angam galitam palitam muṇḍam daśanavihinam jātam tuṇḍam |
vruddho yāti gruhitvā daṇḍam tadapi na muncatyāśāpiṇḍam ||15||
(bhaja-govindam bhaja-govindam…)

अङ्गं = body, गलितं = worn out, पलितं = has turned grey, मुण्डं = head, दशनविहीनं = toothless, जातं = has become, तुण्डम् = mouth, वृद्धो = old man, याति = moves about, गृहित्वा = having taken (leaning on), दण्डं = staff, तदपि = yet, न = not, मुञ्चति = leaves, आशापिण्डम् = bundle of desires

Literal Translation:
The body has become worn out, the head has turned grey, the mouth has become toothless, the old man moves about, leaning on his staff. Yet, he does not leave his bundle of desires.

Interpretation:
These lines by Totakacharya indicate the plight of a person living in a world of sense-objects. The desire for enjoyment is irresistible and unending. The picture of an old man leaning on his staff, physically incapable of fulfilling his desires and follow his passions, yet tempted by them, is a pathetic sight.
Gurudev says that though it could be assumed that at a ripe age, a person would have exhausted his passions but it is rare that a person would not feel the hunger for pleasure. The bundle of desire does not leave him, the mind thirsts for sense-objects, the intellect plans, but the body is unable to execute, thus creating immense suffering. With the tyranny of inexpressible desires, the old man lives an agonizing life of unimaginable sorrow.

It is indicated here that only a mind disciplined in youth will be at peace in old age.

Refer to "Wandering in the Himalayas" by Tapovan Maharaj. He begins his chapter on Uttarkashi with a reference to this shloka. He says that people forget how fleeting pleasures are. Even in extreme old age, man clings to the attachment to the body, as if it is still young, healthy and full of vigor. He describes man as being a caged lion, who cannot get out of the limitations of the senses. All around us are people who are bound to the body and pursue the illusive sensory pleasures because of a complete identification with the body. The main purpose of human life is the conquest of maya. The human attribute of reasoning (intellect) if propertly utilized, can be used to break the bondages of maya and to realize God.

krupā, or grace

krupā, or grace, is omnipresent. Like the supreme consciousness is the substratum of all creation, grace is the essence of all experience.

Every life experience is manifested grace but people usually associate grace only with a desired result. It is erroneous to think that only if I have a loving family, I am blessed with grace. Dhruva was born to an unloving father, and his childhood experience led him to seek the Lord, and ultimately he won the love of his father. In retrospect, his earlier experience of being rejected by his father was divine grace that eventually led to his spiritual evolution and material success.

In a culture of instant gratification, people are grateful for fleeting pleasures and lament over transient sorrows. Material success certainly comes through effort and grace, but the converse – the lack of wealth does not imply lack of effort or lack of grace. We have to deal with prārabdha – destiny with equanimity. We bear the results of our own past karma - actions. Then the question arises, can one change one’s prārabdha ? Definitely. As the current moment has been effected by the past, what we do in the current moment shapes the future. That individual effort or tapas, has to be blessed with krupā, or grace to bring us to the desired state. 

Many people associate grace with meeting the objective. What gets forgotten is that success may bring complacence and arrogance whereas failure can bring humility and spur one to selfless, more concerted and better-directed effort, and thus personal growth. Sometimes what appears to be an individual loss brings success to the higher cause, which is divine grace. The battle fought by Maharani Lakshmibai and the martyrdom of Sardar Bhagat Singh resulted in loss of life at the hands of the enemy but their sacrifice motivated others to dedicate their life for the cause of Indian independence from the British. Even the personal loss of life was effort blessed with grace.

Good health alone is not evidence of grace. The inspiring life of Stephen Hawking, the physicist from UK who suffers from a condition that has left him completely paralyzed for many years now, shows us that a beautiful life can be lived that benefits the world, even when suffering from physical ailments. Hawking himself was quoted on the universe, “The laws may have been decreed by God, but God does not intervene to break the laws.” I would beg to differ, taking the example of his life. I see Hawkins as a man who has risen above his destiny through self-effort blessed with grace.

So how is one to obtain this omnipotent omnipresent grace? In life, the presence of God is in the form of a guru. When one needs direction in life, a guru appears. The physical presence of a guru is not necessary to receive a guru’s grace. As with divine grace, the disciple may not always acknowledge the presence, or is aware of it, but the grace of a guru is bestowed forever.

Success has to be striven for. Results have a causal relationship with the effort put in, and the omnipresent grace is the catalyst. The current state has resulted by grace, and the effort to change the current state to a desired state needs grace. If we do not reach desired state, then that is grace as well because there is a lesson in failure that one needs to learn. 

A guru is personified grace. And the grace of a guru is needed to make knowledge effective. Drona, the military guru to the royals, did not accept the tribal prince Ekalavya as his disciple. Ekalavya struggled alone, using a statue of Drona for motivation, and became an excellent archer. But all this effort went to nothing when Drona asked for Ekalavya’s right thumb as his guru dakśiṇā - tuition. Karna sat still while a wasp bit through his leg, so that his guru Parashurama should be able to sleep peacefully. On waking, the guru recognized this as a Kshatriya trait while Karna had presented himself to be a Brahmin, and he cursed Karna to forget his knowledge when he needed it most. This curse led to Karna’s death in the battle-field.

śaraṇāgati, or complete surrender, is the acceptance of grace that allows a person to accept every situation life brings. Krishna is quoted as saying to Arjuna - sarva dharmān parityajya mamekamśaraṇam vraja|aham tva sarva pāpebhyo mokśa iśyami ma śuchaha|| When a person surrenders to the Supreme, he becomes the recipient of divine grace.

Even with divine grace and the grace of a guru, the importance of self-effort cannot be underestimated. Artists have mastery over their art, yet they have to make an effort to keep that mastery. Singers practice religiously every day to hit the right note, painters and sculptors spend hours in shaping their vision, chefs practice their culinary arts, musicians play the same piece repeatedly till they perfect it, and dancers put their body to the ultimate test. I can put in the same amount of time as the artist or possibly more, put in my best effort and yet not be able to perform as the artist. There is no success without grace, but grace does not lie in success - so what if nobody is there to evaluate and applaud? There is no opportunity without grace, but grace does not lie in opportunity - so what if you never got a chance to excel? Grace is the divine gift that is uniquely bestowed on an individual, and one has to make an effort to continue to deserve that grace. And, the fact that the effort is blessed with continued grace, is also grace.

Dwadashajyotirlinga yatra : Day 17 - Back in Delhi

We were in the bus by 5:30 a.m. Everyone would go their own way from Delhi, we had now started the last leg of our journey. Unlike the chatter that usually filled the bus, the group was mostly silent on this last bus trip. Either people were dozing off, or they were in a contemplative mood. I settled uncomfortably into my seat.

Leaving Haridwar

As we left Haridwar before daybreak, I had a fleeting glance of the lights over the Ganga. My buddies - the panchakanyā - the five maidens, had gone the previous evening to the Ganga, and dipped in the river 108 times, no less. It was only last year, after dipping in Manas Sarovar, that I had thought back on all the opportunities I had missed to take a dip in the Ganga. And when I had seen Haridwar on the itinerary for this trip, I had thought this was a signal from above. Apparently, I had misread the signal. No dip, no regret. Another trip, another time, Shiva's will...

Ashverya dozed off almost immediately. We had been among the last ones to board the bus, and the luggage space above was filled with the gigantic lunch boxes that the hotel had packed for us. I had to keep my bags at my feet, and my legs had no place to stretch. With hurting knees, aching legs and swollen feet, and the persistent cough from Varanasi, one could say my body was in a bad state. Initially, I took comfort in not having a fever, but three hours into the journey, I had reached my threshold of pain and physical discomfort. I found space at the back of the bus where there were a couple of seats with foot space. Glad nobody made expert comments on where I should sit in the bus, because I was barely holding my pain in, and I was very likely to verbalize my feedback to well-intentioned busybodies. The bouncing at each road bump was preferable to painful crouching next to a sleeping child, who could now stretch out and lie on the seat. 

Swami Sarveshanandaji started a massage session with some people who allowed him to massage their aching feet, and then stretched their legs, and gave a neck massage, and finally asked people to put their hands behind them, and lifted them in a way that stretched their shoulders. Apparently, this was doing people a lot of good. He asked me, perhaps for the last time on the trip, if I would take the benefit of his expertise and get my swollen feet massaged. I stuck to my guns - there is just no way that would happen in this lifetime.  

Except for a stop for restrooms, the bus kept going on. Finally, when we were two hours from Delhi, we stopped for much-needed chai. 

The Swamijis maintained their consistent great mood that had set the mood of the trip.

The children were sweet and sporting as always, a touch of divinity that lit up our mundane lives.

The Swamijis decided that it was better for those going to the NOIDA ashram to leave the bus at Ghaziabad, an hour before Delhi. Ashverya and I followed them, our final destination is ahead - NOIDA ashram, to visit Swami Chidrupanandaji with whose blessings we had started this trip.

Once we got off the bus at Ghaziabad, the car to take us to NOIDA was nowhere to be seen. It was stuck in the Dehi traffic at peak traffic hour. We sat by the side of the road, and took in the scene - people going on their way to work, cycle rickshaws plying groceries, people stuffed into chhakdas - mass rickshaws, people rushing to work in taxis and rickshaws, and an interesting scene - a truck driver doing his laundry on the road by the side of his parked truck.

Fifteen minutes in the Delhi heat was enough to knock me senseless. One of the things that Amma had told me earlier in the year was that she trusted her sons, and did not re-think what they would have thought out already. Now, I was with people whose recommendations I could trust implicitly. I settled into mental silence while the Swamijis figured out how to reach the NOIDA ashram.

Finally, the car arrived, and we reached the NOIDA ashram, and Amma started preparing upma for all the hungry people. There was no power, and therefore no air-conditioning at the ashram - I needed to not think as I cut vegetables to help Amma with her cooking. We had the hot and spicy upma, that made my body radiate even more than earlier, but now I had something in my stomach, and the energy to start planning for the journey ahead, back to the US of A. Despite bad health, Swami Sarveshananda-ji packed my suitcases, and took pictures of us with Swami Chidrupananda-ji.

After phone calls to friends and family in Delhi to plan the remaining hours in India, we left the ashram. The Swamijis had organized and managed a logistically challenging trip, all the time maintaining a smile on the face while being physically exhausted and even ill at times.

For this opportunity to visit the dwādaśajyotirlinga - the twelve temples of Shiva and some of the śaktipītha - sites of power with ancient temples to the mother goddess, for visiting the spots where the avatāra Rama walked the earth during exile - Panchavati, where the avatāra Krishna established the new capital of his grandfather's kingdom - Dwarka, for the opportunity to visit the spot where Buddha first preached on earth - Sarnath, for the chance to visit the modern Swaminarayana Akshardham complex in Delhi, for visiting the NOIDA āśram and Swami Chidrupananda-ji thrice during the trip, for the company of my little god whom I had emotionally blackmailed on Mothers' Day to make this trip with me, I am supremely grateful for Shiva's grace, grateful for the leadership and the personal warmth of the Swamijis, grateful for friends I made on this trip, and grateful for the learning from the experiences on this trip.   

Aum Namaha Shivaaya!!