THE ESSENTIAL
DOs AND DON’TS OF LIFE
BHAJA GOVINDAM
by
Sri Adi Sankaracharya
(POST.11)
VERSE 22
(By Nityanatha)
RATHYAACHARPATA VIRACHITAKANTHAH
PUNYAAPUNYA VIVARJITAPANTHAH
YOGEE YOGANIYOJITACHITTHO
RAMATHE BAALONMATThAVADEVA
(... Bhaja Govindaj, Bhaja Govindam,Govindam…)
Meaning:
Ø He who wears the cloth (shawl) made up of rags of cloth rejected by others and thrown on the road;
Ø One who treads the path that is beyond merit and demerit,
Ø the Yogi (sage), whose mind is totally immersed in Yoga (or union),
Ø enjoys (or lives) like a child (or), like a madman.
Commentary:
Yoga – means union. What is this union?
Union with one’s own self. This union with Self really is Yoga.
I am the Brahman. Aham Brahma asmi. This realization has happened to the yogi. His union with his self has taken place.
Brahman is Sath – Chith – Aananda; It is the eternal truth; the all pervading Chaitanyam, the supreme joy; This state of Brahman is realized by the Yogi within himself and as himself.
One who is in such supreme joy, what does he want more than that and what for? In this state, all his needs have evaporated. He has no further needs; His Joy is ever lasting and the highest. It cannot be disturbed by any incident or event.
Even small rags of cloth gathered from the roads, he gathers and wears only for not embarrassing others. Not for himself.
Whatever he does – there is no Karthrithva bhavana (sense of being the doer) in him. Therefore, his deeds are beyond punyam and papam, which lead to punarjanma or re-birth.
For the rest of this mundane world, his actions look child-like or like that of a mad man.
For example, if we give him money or diamonds, he may throw them into a dustbin. He may sleep under a tree in the dust, in preference to a luxurious bed. All his actions are beyond mundane logic.
But, he is the one with the highest wisdom.
Do we not hear of great yogis like Sri Ramakrishna Paramahamsa, Sri Ramana Maharishi, Sri Shirdi Sai Baba, etc, behaving in such odd fashion?
They never cared for amassing any thing. Ramana lived a beggar’s life with a joy, unknown to some of his wealthy disciples. So did the other yogis like Sai baba. Place him in a king’s palace. He may sleep under the cot. They are like that – child like. They may look like mad men from our view point. They are yogis known to us.
But, there are so many great Yogis – in such rags and on the streets; who are totally unknown to us. Differentiating a yogi from an ordinary beggar requires careful watching.
VERSE 23
(By Surendra)
KASTHVAM KO’HAM KUTHA AAYAATHAH
KAA ME JANANEE KO ME THAATHAH
ITHI PARIBHAVAYA SARVAMASAARAM
VISWAM THYAKTHVAA SWAPNAVICHAARAM
(... Bhaja Govindam, Bhaja Govindam, Govindam..)
Meaning:
Ø Who are you?
Ø Who am I?
Ø from where, did I come?
Ø who is my mother? who is my Father?
Ø thus, enquire, all and every thing;
Ø leaving aside the entire world of experience,
Ø which is essence-less and a mere dreamland born of imagination.
Commentary :
Who are You? Who am I?
Know thy self!
This is the most important question posed and answered in elaborate detail, in the Upanishads. This is the greatest science there is.
The physical bodies are a product of the Pancha bhoothas, space, vayu, agni, water, and earth. The physical bodies come from them and go back to them. They are constantly undergoing changes.
They are not you. They are not me. The physical bodies do not also represent our father or mother. But, these bodies are part of the world of experience. They are within the field of the five senses.
This physical world is an essence-less world and the physical bodies are a part of this world of experience.
They are not the reality. Their own cause is beyond the sense experience and is the reality.
The essence is the reality but is beyond ordinary experience. The essence is – ‘I’. This essence is “YOU”. We need to explore the self; the essence.
Unfortunately – this ESSENTIAL enquiry is getting identified with religion by people who do not go into this question at all.
These people want to prostrate before a God whom they don’t know. Paradoxically, they don’t even know themselves and are not even interested in knowing themselves.
He who does not know himself – how can he know a higher being – like, the God?
What greater science can be there – than the one which explores the self and finds the self?
This enquiry has nothing to do with religion. Upanishads have nothing to do with ordinary religion.
They are the highest science available to humanity. The whole focus of this blog also is on this central question. Explore your self. Find your self. In that exploration only, we have seen Atma Bodha, Nirvana Shatkam and Maneesha panchakam. Bhaja Govindam is only a continuation of the same exploration.
The present verse also –is pointing out that the world of experience is merely and experience of our imagination; it is much like a dream only. It is therefore asking us and urging us to explore our own self and find the self. Explore your self; Explore your self.
* * * E N D * * *
No comments:
Post a Comment