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Bhaja Govindam 13: Wheel of time endlessly rotates depleting our life-span (Verse 12)
Dina yāminyau sāyaṃ prātaḥ śiśira vasantau punarāyātaḥ |
Kālaḥ kridati gacchatyāyuḥ tadapi na muñcatyāś́āvāyuḥ || 12 ||
Meaning – Day- night, dawn- dusk, spring- winter keep recurring throughout the lifetime. Time plays with us while the lifespan diminishes quickly. Yet desires do not let go of the person.
Our experience teaches us that the movement of time cannot be stopped. Kālo jagat bhakshah is an old adage. It means that time has the capability to swallow the entire creation in one go!
Yama is the synonym for kāla (time). Time is a form of the Supreme Lord. Up to now how many times has the Sun risen and set? How many mornings and evenings has this world seen until now? How many more are yet to come? No one knows. The Sun will keep on rising and setting in this manner every single day. Each year has 6 seasons beginning with spring and ending with winter Seasons are cyclical and go on endlessly.
The wheel of time keeps rotating eternally without any beginning and end. As this wheel rotates, the lifespan of the being depletes. We are however unable to grasp this important point. Just as the water from a broken pot drains out, the lifespan of a person gradually ebbs away. Our life is like a bubble in the ocean. What can the beings, controlled by time, do in such a situation? All this is the divine sport of time.
Time happily sports with all living beings. Even after this realization if we continue to move about carelessly then it is truly foolish on our part. We do not seek to understand the true aim of this human life and take the appropriate measures to reach the goal. Not knowing his past, unable to truly understand the present and learn from it, a foolish person swelled up in his arrogance moves about carelessly. He builds great hopes for his future and swings in those dreams. He goes on increasing his desires and gets trapped within this deep unfathomable hole.
Akin to horses, these senses keep chases objects of enjoyment. The agony that is undergone to enjoy these materialistic sensory pleasures is unimaginable. Just as the golden deer enticed Mother Seeta, these glittering materialistic sensory pleasures attract us. They drown us in this ocean called worldly bondages. The root for all this is our desire. One who chases materialistic desires can never entertain the desire to reach the Supreme. He can never set his aim upon reaching the supreme.
The Supreme Lord is the root behind all this creation. Just like water bubbles in the ocean, He creates, sustains and dissolves these millions of universes. Shankara Bhagawad-pādāchārya sought that even those people who are at the bottom rung of ladder in life i.e. the ignorant persons should be elevated and hence through this stanza he is reaching out to everyone.
Permanent link to this article: https://puttugam.com/episode-13-as-the-wheel-of-time-endlessly-rotates-our-lifespan-keeps-depleting-verse-12/
Bhaja Govindam 12: Arrogance and egoism distance us from wisdom (Verse 11)
Mā kuru dhanajana yauvana garvaṃ harati nimesāt-kālaḥ sarvam |
Māyāmayamidam-akhilaṃ hitvā brahmapadaṃ tvaṃ praviśa viditvā || 11 ||
Meaning – Let not money, power over people, and youth cause arrogance and pride in you. Time has the ability to destroy them all in just a minute. In this illusory world, distance yourself from the materialistic objects and aim at acquiring the state of liberation (Brahmapada).
This visible world that we are now experiencing was, before birth, devoid of distinctions such as bhokta (one who is enjoying) and bhogya (that which could be used or enjoyed). It was in a nirvikalpa (devoid of changes) state. It was over and above the triputi (triad of seer, seen and object being seen). At that point, only the Self existed! The Vedas confirm this- atma vā idam ekā ivagra asit. “Prior to the creation of this universe, only the Self existed.”
Before plant emerges from the seed, all that exists is a changeless (nirvikalpa) seed. This seed transforms into a huge tree with stems, branches, leaves, flowers and fruit. Akin to this, in the beginning, without any distinctions such as enjoyer (bhokta) and ‘that which is enjoyed’ (bhogya), only the Self existed. All these distinctions such as space and time are being created by illusion, which is completely under the Supreme Lord’s control. This combination led to the formation of this vast universe with so many distinctions and differences. Shankara Bhagawad-pādāchārya elucidates this in his Dakshinamurthy stotram.
We should therefore understand that this world, which is visible to us, is purely illusory. Only the causative factor (kārana) is permanent and indestructible. From mud we create objects such as pots. But these pots made of mud disintegrate back into mud. Akin to this, this entire world which emerged from Him will merge back into Him who was the causative factor behind it. At that time only He will remain. That is why the Upanishad reiterates- Brahma satyam, jagat mithyam.
A person who does not acquire an in-depth understanding of this subject continues to be enveloped in traits such as arrogance, pride, egoism etc. These traits distance him from wisdom and discriminatory capacities (viveka). ‘I am very wealthy; I can buy anything in this world with my money; why should I care?’ will be the attitude of a wealthy person. This is known as pride of wealth.
People who have a large fan following and plenty of supporters also have arrogance in them. They assume that they can accomplish any task with this mass support. This is the pride of power.
The third is pride of youth. In the prime of youth when the body is healthy & the senses are robust, a person believes that he can accomplish even the most difficult tasks with ease. Due to this he will not respect elders and will move about with a ‘don’t-care’ attitude.
The reasons behind this arrogance are wealth, power and youth. However all these are time-bound and time-controlled. When these vanish, a person is left without even a shelter to protect himself. Just as the toughest pumpkin also has to surrender to the might of a knife, everything in life is under the control of time. Time can make the pauper a millionaire or it can render a millionaire as a pauper.
A self-realized Brahmajnani, who has distanced himself from these materialistic objects, is however unaffected by the changes caused by time. Such Brahmajnani reaches those ultimate planes from where there is no return. He will go over these shackles of births and deaths. Such a state is called Brahmapada.
Permanent link to this article: https://puttugam.com/episode-12-arrogance-and-egoism-distance-us-from-wisdom-verse-11/
Bhaja Govindam 11: Burning desire for Self-knowledge should be inculcated (Verse 10)
Vayasi gate kaḥ kāmavikāraḥ śuṣke nīre kaḥ kāsāraḥ |
Kṣīṇe vitte kaḥ parivāraḥ jñāte tattve kaḥ saṃsāraḥ || 10 ||
Meaning -Where do lust and other desires vanish after youthfulness vanishes? Does the lake exist after completely drying up? Where do family and relatives disappear after wealth disappears? Where does the cycle of repeated re-births (samsāra) disappear after the Supreme Knowledge is known?
In order to ensure that the Self-knowledge (atma tattva) reaches one and all, Shankara Bhagawad-pādāchārya uses 3 simple but different examples to drive home the point. The most common examples that every person can relate to are desires (kāma), family and relatives (parivāram) and waterbeds such as ponds/ lakes (kāsāra) and hence these have been chosen as examples.
We have discussed earlier that every human being goes through the 4 primary stages viz., infancy, childhood, youth and old age. Each stage brings certain mental and physical modifications. During old age, a person loses the sharpness that existed during youth. Body shrinks and does not co-operate. The passion for desires that was experienced during youth will now be absent. He will be incapacitated and helpless. As he is free from passion, he will preach the rules of dharma effectively!
A pond that is full of water attracts people who approach it for fulfilling their needs. If the water in this pond were to dry up, then who would approach it thereafter? Will the pond exist?
In a similar manner, as long as the house is abounding in wealth, relatives enjoy all the comforts it can grant. Once the money is exhausted all the members desert that household. Do birds continue to nest on the tree which has dried up completely? Likewise family members abandon a house in which wealth has dried up. At that moment, what will be the mental state of that person who has lived his entire life under the illusion that this family and this money were permanent companions?
If a person truly desires to go over and above such mental state, he should necessarily understand the Self-knowledge (atma tattva). Until this is obtained, he will be bound by these worldly bondages and be tormented by them.
This entire world will dissolve the moment he experiences Absolute Truth! Obtaining Supreme Knowledge (brahma jnana) means experiencing the truth- ‘I am Paramātma’. This is the state of liberation when alive (jeevanmukti). At that point, apart from the Self (atma) he cannot perceive anything else in this world. That is why this is the most supreme transcendental knowledge.
‘jñāte tattve’ implies that the person should have a burning desire to acquire this knowledge. It is imperative for the person to obtain this knowledge directly from his Guru. Thereafter he should contemplate over this. After this, through meditation he should strive to experientially realize this. To reach this, it is imperative to possess a pure clean mind. Mind plays a critical role towards achieving this. Only the mind pushes the person towards Self- realization. The all-pervading Supreme Parabrahma can be understood only through the analysis of the ‘tattva’.
Permanent link to this article: https://puttugam.com/episode-11-burning-desire-for-self-knowledge-should-be-inculcated-verse-10/
Bhaja Govindam 10: Satsang with holy saints paves way to liberation (Verse 9)
Satsangatve nissamgatvaṃ nissamgatve nirmohatvam |
Nirmohatve niścalatattvaṃ niścalatattve jīvanmuktiḥ || 9 ||
Meaning – Association/ friendship with great Mahatmas (satsang) prevents the mind from associating with materialistic world (nissangatva). This in turn ensures that the mind is rendered free from illusion (nirmoha). When illusion is driven away the person acquires Supreme Knowledge which is permanent. With this he will attain liberation when alive (jeevanmukti).
Almost every scripture extols the greatness of satsang! In addition there are many stories that emphasize the importance of maintaining satsang in life.
Maharishi Nārada once wanted to know who exactly could be addressed as a satpurusha (great being), the importance of satsang, and the influence that satsang could have upon a person. Immediately he approached Mahavishnu and put forth his doubts. In response, Maha Vishnu replied, “O Nārada! On earth, in the city called Mahishmatipuram, a sow (female pig) has just delivered. Please go and visit her”.
Maharishi Nārada was utterly confused, yet out of respect towards the Lord he visited the sow. The sow glanced at Nārada and immediately breathed its last. Perplexed Nārada returned back and reported the matter to Vishnu. Vishnu said, “Don’t worry, Narada. Now in that very city, a bird has perched itself upon a tree. Please go and visit it”.
No sooner had the bird seen Narada approaching it, than it gave up its life. Unmindful of this Vishnu asked Narada to pay a visit to a cow in that same city. Narada was trembling as he approached the cow. Just as he feared, the cow died as soon as its eyes rested upon the sage. Wailing that he was responsible for a go-hatya (sin accrued due to killing of a cow), Narada returned back to Vaikunṭha. Lord Vishnu was unperturbed by this and instead asked Narada to visit the newborn prince at Mahismatipuram. This time Narada stubbornly objected to making such trips. Vishnu however convinced Narada and sent him to Mahismatipuram.
Seeing the sage approaching him, the little infant was all smiles. Narada was astonished at this. More than this he was thankful that the infant was still alive even after seeing him. Happily he returned to Vaikunṭha and addressed the Lord and said, “O Lord, I had asked you a question about great souls (sat purushas) and the influence cast by them. In response to this, you are making me travel across different planes and meet some beings in each trip. Even after all these trips, my question remains unresolved”.
Maha Vishnu laughingly responded, “O Narada, have you not understood even now? People like you who eternally recite the names of the Lord and whose mind is eternally pure and free from any form of wavering are the true satpurushas. Due to association with a satpurusha of your cadre, the pig was able to evolve higher and be born as bird, a cow and thereafter as a prince. It could get the human birth. What can be a better proof than this to your question about satsang?”
The benefit of such satsang is acquiring nissangatvam which means ‘not having association with anything’. Nissangatva rewards the person with the ability to live by himself (ekanta vaasa), remain silent (mouna), obtain control over the senses (indriya nigraha) and achieve mental peace. Due to these abilities, the state of nirmohatva i.e. ‘absence of moha/ infatuation’ arises in him.
In turn, this blesses the person with the discriminative ability to distinguish between permanent and impermanent objects in this world. In other words, the illusion is totally wiped away and the person properly understands the truth. Such a state is known as ‘vāsana kshayam’. To state differently, the person who has reached this state of ‘nirmohatvam’ is able to understand the real essence ‘nishchala tattvam’ easily. He who endlessly floats in the bliss (ananda) that is acquired due to the supreme experience, becomes a jeevanmukta (liberated even while living).
Shankara Bhagawad-pādāchārya has explained such profound essence in such a simple stanza and in a manner that is easy to understand.
Permanent link to this article: https://puttugam.com/episode-10-association-with-holy-saints-paves-the-way-to-liberation-verse-9/
Bhaja Govindam 9: All relationships and friendships are purely illusory (Verse 8)
Kā te kāntā kaste putraḥ saṃsāroyamatīva vicitraḥ |
Kasya tvaṃ vā kuta āyātaḥ tatvaṃ cintaya tadiha bhrātaḥ || 8 ||
Meaning – O brother, who is your wife? Who is your son? This samsāra that is replete with births and deaths is totally strange. To whom do you really belong? Where have you come from? Contemplate on this supreme truth while living in this gross body.
To thoroughly understand the meaning of this stanza, we should understand the story of King Chitraketu from Srimad Bhāgavatam. King Chitraketu had many wives yet remained childless for a very long time. Due to this he was dejected. Maharishi Angira once unexpectedly arrived at his kingdom. Understanding the agony of the king, the great sage performed a Yāga (sacrificial ritual) and handed over the prasadam to the first queen Kṛtadyuti. A little time later, Queen Kritadyuti was blessed with a baby boy.
The king who was blessed with a son after long period of time was unduly overjoyed. He spent all his time with his newborn and with Krtadyuti, thereby neglecting all other queens and administrative duties. Unable to bear this neglect the other queens were overcome by jealousy and therefore poisoned the little boy due to which he died.
Coming to know of his son’s death, King Chitraketu sat beside the dead body and was grieving piteously. Exactly at that minute, Maharishi Angira arrived there and consoled the king in the following manner, “O King, you are grieving for your deceased son. What is the relationship you have with this son in your previous birth, present birth and in your future one? Please think deeply. There is no rule that the being who was your father in your previous birth should necessarily be your father even in this birth. It is possible that this boy can be your father in another birth. It is also possible that there could be no relationship between the two of you. These are transitory relationships.
Just as the seeds emerging from a fruit disperse in different directions to emerge as separate trees, the souls who are born out of Paramatma and who are caught in time (kala), keeping meeting and separating periodically.
Therefore O king, it is wrong on your part to lament for your son. Please understand that all this is taking place because of illusion. Although per your horoscope, you were destined to remain childless, in order to give you some happiness I performed the yāga and ensured that you were blessed with a son. Please remember that the son born to you was illusory. With this recollection, please increase your detachment (vairagya). Without getting attached, continue to rule wisely. Begin performing selfless action. Offer all the fruits of your work to the Almighty”.
With this teaching, wisdom dawned upon King Chitraketu and he was absolved of all his grief.
From this we understand that the relationship between two beings is purely illusory. Every being that assumes a body has a fixed longevity. Based on this it is possible that at time children predecease the elders. The agony experienced by the elders at such time is unexplainable. In such situation, if the person stands firmly and recollects these facts about the illusory relationship, then it will be beneficial. There is a story that explains about indebtedness and how the soul is born in accordance to it. If this is understood then no person will grieve that he is childless.
Permanent link to this article: https://puttugam.com/episode-9-all-relationships-and-friendships-are-purely-illusory-verse-8/
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