Bhaja Govindam : ( 23/11/2012. )

06/12/2018 1. INTRODUCTION : 3. In Swami ji's missionary work of propagating the great philosophical truths of the Upanishads and rediscovering through them the true cultural basis of our Nation Bharatham, Acharya Swami ji had a variety of efficient weapons in his resourceful  armoury. Swami ji was indeed pre-eminently the fittest genius who alone could have undertaken this self-appointed task as the sole guardian-mahatma of the RISHI-CULTURE. An exquisite thinker, a brilliant intellect, a personality scintillating with the vision of Truth, a heart throbbing with industrious faith and ardent desire to serve the nation, sweetly emotional and relentlessly logical; in Swami ji the Upanishad discovered the fittest Spiritual General. It was indeed a vast programme that Swami ji had to accomplish within the span of about twenty five years; for at the age of thirty-two Swami ji had finished his work and had folded up his Manifestation among the mortals of the world. To be con...

14/11/2018 1. INTRODUCTION : 2. It was at such a time, when our society was fertile for any ideal thought or practical philosophy to thrive, that the beautiful values of non-injury, self-control, love and affection of the Buddha came to enchant alike the kings and their subjects of this country. But the general decadence of the age did not spare the Buddhists also. They among themselves, precipitated different viewpoints, and by the time Sri Swami Adi Sankaracharya appeared on the horizon of  history of Sanatana Dharmam (  Hindu history ), the atheistic school of Buddhists ( Asad-Vadis ) had enticed away large sections the people of Bharatham. It was into such a chaotic intellectual atmosphere that Swami Adi Sri Sankaracharya brought his life-giving philosophy of the "NON-DUAL BRAHMAM OF THE UPANISHADS." It can be very well understood what a colossal work it must have been fir a single man to undertake in those days,* (*7th/9th centuries AD ) when modern con...

27/10/2018 INTRODUCTION :- Bhagavatpada Acharya Sri Sankarachara was not only a great thinker and noblest of Advaitic philosophers, but he was essentially an inspired champion of Sanatana Dharmam and one of the most vigorous missionaries in our holy country. Such a powerful leader was needed at the time when Sanatana Dharmam had been almost smothered ( as now happening all over BHARATHAM in the name of Secularism, Activism,etc., ) within the enticing entanglements of Buddhist philosophy and, consequently, the decadent Society following Sanatana Dharmam had come to be broken up and disunited ( as now we see by politicians tarnishing ) into sects and denominations, each championing a different view-point and mutually quarrelling in endless argumentation. Each pundit, as it were, had his own followers, his own philosophy, his own interpretations .. ( as we see in the garb of god-man  with violent anti social cum anti national groups of law breaking followers in various p...

06/10/2018 He may teach other students. What all these will bring to him? He will miss the purpose for which God has sent him as a human being.’ And Shankaracharya burst forth: "What is this? The whole life will be wasted in this. Instead of making use of God-given intellect for vichara, viveka and Self-realisation, here is one who is intent upon mere intellectual acrobatic exercise. This is not good. What will help him at the time of death? Adore the Lord, remember Him, take His name, Bhaja Govindam, Bhaja Govindam, Bhaja Govindam. " The beauty of this Bhaja Govindam is that it can be sung sweetly. One of the greatest singers of our present contemporary age Padmashri M.S. Subalakshmi Mataji, who has sung before the United Nations Organization, and who has also been honoured with the great Magsaysay award, has sung this Bhaja Govindam Stotram very beautifully. The Refrain: The recurring refrain is: "Bhaja Govindam, Bhaja Govindam, Bhaja Govindam. " Inspi...

19/09/2018 3. Spontaneous Poetry :- continued .. In those days, schools, which were called pathshalas, were held in open. Shankaracharya was coming back after a bath in the holy Ganga in Varanasi. He heard this, and turned around. There was a scholar completely absorbed in getting by heart this grammar rule. Something struck Shankaracharya. He thought : - "What is the sense if this man will stretch his brain for the whole life to remember the grammar rules? Will this help him? One day death will come and say, Come on!" : - Jatasya hi dhruvo mrityuh [Certain is death for the born. Gita 2.27] One day all of us have to go, we are only passers by here, we are merely travellers; this is not our ultimate abode. Just as from the Adi-Kavi (the first poet) Valmiki spontaneous poetry had come out suddenly, unexpectedly, due to sudden self-expression, and it became the first poetic work in Sanskrit literature; even so, passing by the streets of Kashi, seeing a student inten...

01/09/2018 3. Spontaneous Poetry :- The truths of the Bhagavad Gita, and the truths which Shankaracharya expounds in his beautiful lyric Dvadasha Manjanka — popularly known as Bhaja Govindam — are not different from each other. But the style in which it is given and the way in which it is expounded to the layman are different. Bhagavad Gita, Brahma-Sutra and the Upanishads are for a Sanskrit scholar, who has already got some background of philosophy; but for Bhaja Govindam no such background is necessary, because it tells you what you already know. It tells you home truths within the range of your own bitter and sweet experiences of this world of human nature and of the state of things that prevail in human society. The great compassionate Jagad-guru Adi Shankaracharya might have thought, ‘If these people, who are the children of Bharatavarsha, who are the descendants of those great illumined sages, who are the heirs to this wonderful cultural treasure of knowledge, are to b...

11/08/2018 2. Introduction: Bhagavad-pad-acharya, Jagad-guru Adi Shankaracharya, one of the greatest philosophers the world has ever produced, unparalleled in his Realisation, as well as in his exposition of the nature of the ultimate Reality, has commented upon all the three great scriptures that form the source of our religion Sanatana Vaidika Dharma. Vedas are the mother scriptures of those who follow the Sanatana Dharma or Hinduism. Therefore, we call it Veda-Mata (Veda, the mother) and our Dharma the Vaidika Dharma. Upanishads are that portion of the Vedas, which expounds the nature of the ultimate Reality, and thus, is one of the most important parts of these scriptures. The quintessence of the Upanishads is propounded in Srimad Bhagavad Gita in a brief, concise, aphoristic yet complete form by Bhagavan Veda-Vyasa, Bhagavan Badarayana, an amsha avatar (a partial incarnation) of Lord Vishnu. They say of him : - [Prostrations to Vyasa, the whole universe is whose manif...

27/07/2018 1. Chakravarti Sri Rajagopalachari has said: "Sri Shankara has packed into the "Bhaja Govindam" song the substance of all Vedanta and set the oneness of jnana and bhakti to melodious music." Jagad-guru Bhagavad-pada Shankaracharya has written not only the most erudite and scholarly commentaries on the Indian scriptures, but has also authored, in easy to understand language, many lucid introductory texts, devotional hymns and small catchy lyrics of admonitions. "Bhaja Govindam" is a small poem of admonition, which contains profound philosophy. But more importantly, it is a call to awakening, it inspires everyone to pursue the higher values of life. It is easy to understand and can be sung beautifully. Some of the top singers have already rendered it beautifully making this popular song all the more popular. The Acharya heard a scholar repeating a difficult grammar rule to learn it by heart. He was moved by this, thinking that this...