BHAJA GOVINDAM "Hammer Blows to Delusion" : Slokam-4. Sri Adi Shankaracharyaji

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Monday, August  31, 2020. 04:50. AM.
Dvadasha Manjarika Stotram
Part - 2.
Slokam-s - 2-13 (12 No)
"Pitfalls to Bewarw of"
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Slokam - 4 : The Instability of Life

"1 Nalinee- dalagata jalam- ati- taralam, 2 tadvat- jeevitam- atishaya- chapalam;
3 viddhi vyaadhy- abhimaana grastam, 4 lokam shoka- hatam cha samastam."
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Translation :

1 nalinee- dalagata jalam- ati- taralam    =  The water-drop playing on a lotus petal has an extremely uncertain existence;
2 tadvat- jeevitam- atishaya- chapalam;  =  so also is life ever unstable.
3 viddhi vyaadhy- abhimaana grastam    =  Understand it to be consumed by disease and conceit; and
4 lokam shoka- hatam cha samastam.     =  this entire world is riddled only with pangs.
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Discourse :

We have been born with an expiry date – when it will come we do not know. Even if
we escape the temptations of wealth or the pleasures of the senses (as described in the
previous two stanzas), this birth itself is so uncertain in duration. No one can escape from
the clutches of Time or Death. Death stalks at every moment.

2 This verse focuses our attention on the uncertainty of life, so that we learn to make
the best possible use of our time. Life is fickle. We really have very little time in one birth.
Before we know it the “water-drop” of our life-span will have evaporated. This brings us to
the excellent simile used to symbolize one’s life-span…

The droplet arises from water and return to water. In the same way we arise from
Brahman and return to Brahman. This is the Vedantic meaning of the same simile.

1 If one sees a droplet of water on a lotus leaf, the first thought is the sheer beauty
of the sight. It is one of nature’s thrilling sights. A closer look reveals another side attached
to this beauty – its shaky, uncertain existence. It faces many dangers to its existence:

i) A slight wind can simply blow it off the leaf.

ii) A slight wave in the water can shake off the droplet back into the water.

iii) Even if it survives that, as soon as the sun rises a bit higher, even without any
wind the droplet cannot avoid drying up out of existence.

The poet in Shankaracharyaji always finds the perfect simile – how much closer can
he get to a comparison with our life span!

Pratipaksha Bhavana is brought into play here also. If we realize the extreme
uncertainty of life, it will impel us to take up our spiritual life more seriously, and with a
sense of urgency. If this verse does that, the poet’s selection of the beautiful simile would
not be in vain.

The Pangs of Pain and Disease :

3-4 Even such a brittle life, short as it is, is riddled with the dangers of disease and
conceit (arising from greed) waiting to consume us.

One may argue that there is no problem of a short life as long as one enjoys it well,
in good health and in happiness. But that is a Utopian dream. Life brings with it all the tests
and trials. It does not spare anyone the pangs of pain and disease.

The pangs are not only physical pains. There are even more unbearable pains lying in
wait for the non-discriminating in the world…

Next : Slokam - 5: The Selfishness of Dependents
To be continued ...

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