BHAJA GOVINDAM "Hammer Blows to Delusion" : Slokam-3. Sri Adi Shankaracharyaji

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Thursday, July 09, 2020. 9:36. AM.

Dvadasha Manjarika Stotram

Part - 2.

Slokam-s - 2-13 (12 No)

"Pitfalls to Bewarw of"

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Slokam 3: Kamini : The Attraction for Woman

"Nari-stana bhara nabhi-desam 

Drishtva  Ma’Ga Moha- avesam;

Etan mamsa vasadi vikaram

Manasi Vichintaya varam varam."

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Translation :

1 nari-stana bhara nabhi-desam            =  Seeing the weighty bosoms of young maidens, and their navel –

2 drishtva ma’ga moha - avesam;         =  do not fall a prey to maddening delusion.

3 etan mamsa vasadi vikaram               =  These are but modifications of flesh and fat.

4 manasi vichintaya vaaram vaaram.     =    Reflect well in your mind again and again.

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Discourse :

Going beyond the natural passions is not a weakness suffered by animals. Only man falls a prey to that – and pays the price for his indulgence.

For a spiritual aspirant these words will not sound offensive but rather helpful in regulating his life’s energies. The spirit of the verse is least offensive, indeed, most helpful,

considering the urgency of spiritual awakening.

1 One is compelled to ask: What, after all, is attracting in the physical body? 

The physical centres of attraction are mentioned in the sloam. But are they attractive in themselves? 

Pada 3 answers that question, and Pada 4 tells where the problem lies.

2 Maa (A) gaa : “Do not fall a prey”. This sums up the advice being given on this subject. It is not directed to man or to woman; nor is it against man or against woman. Lust

is present in man and woman. The truth is that it arises from the power of delusion which is rooted in ignorance.

The advice given is to eschew an ignoble view of the human body, seeing it only as an object of enjoyment. This view is demeaning to one’s character, and inexcusably unworthy of the dignity of man. It is the very antithesis of all striving for nobility and a greater meaning to life. The words “fall a prey” allude to the negative effect of lust.

4 Manasi Vichintaya: “Reflect well”. The hint is very strong that the unseen mind is the culprit that promotes lust in a person. Lust has never found a safer refuge and supporter than the human mind; that makes lust a purely mental phenomenon, inflamed by thoughts and musings of desire. Any remedy to cure one of it has to deal with the mind, not the body.

Thus, “think well thus in your mind”.

There have been sincere aspirants who have abandoned themselves to life in a desert, with barely enough food to eat, and were yet victims of pangs of passion. This proves that lust is a desire, and the home of desire is the mind.

The ‘virus’ of lust proliferates in the mind. The ‘anti-virus’ has two aspects: i) firmly establishing the intellect in a higher ideal; and ii) cultivating the correct attitude towards the human body. The first takes care of the inner virus of desire; the second takes care of the external actions that seek to fulfil that desire. Sadhana that incorporates both these aspects will certainly succeed in cleaning out the virus of lust.

In conclusion, this verse teaches us that to consider someone else just as an object of pleasure and degrade ourselves in carnal pursuit is just like being an animal. We are asked to raise ourselves to higher things. “Move forward!” is the poet’s call to us.

An Anecdote from Acharyaji’s Life :

Acharyaji gave us an amusing anecdote from his own life. A long time ago he had to send a sample of urine urgently to his secretary from out of town. There was no time to look for the right packaging. He found a perfume bottle that would do for the sample. Using the perfume bottle packaging itself, he sent it off with a friend. The friend took it.

On the way his curiosity grew as he looked at the address on the package – “To Miss So-and-so.” The packaging made him suspicious. He could not contain his inquisitive mind.

“What! Has he got some secret ideas in his mind?” He had to open and see for himself. He opened up the box. Finding the neatly wrapped perfume bottle for the young secretary, he became very curious. Curiosity made him open the lid to smell the perfume!

Next : Slokam - 4 : The Instability of Life

To be continued ...

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