BHAJA GOVINDAM "Hammer Blows to Delusion" : Slokam - 12. Sri Adi Shankaracharyaji (Reflection by Swami Guru Bhaktananda - Chinmaya Mission.).

 

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Sunday, June 13,  2021. 8 : 08. AM.
Slokam 12 : The Stubborn Gusts of Desire.
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Slokam #12 :

"Dinayaaminyau saayam praatah shishira vasantau punara- ayaatah;

kaalah kreedati gacchaty- aayuh  tadapi na munchaty-aashaa vaayuh."

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Translation :

1 dinayaaminyau saayam praatah        =     Day and night, dawn and dusk,

2 shishira vasantau punara- ayaatah;    =     winter and spring, again they come (and go).

3 kaalah kreedati gacchaty- aayuh        =    With the play of time, life ebbs away.

4 tadapi na munchaty-aashaa vaayuh.   =     And yet, one leaves not the gusts of desires.

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Commentary :

The Cycle of Joy and Sorrow :
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1-2 The opposites mentioned can be interpreted in two ways:

i) Literally: They indicate the relentless march of Time – day in and day out, year in and year out. The cycle of repetition is not noticed because we are so engrossed in our small world of pleasures.

ii) Figuratively: They can also be taken to mean the recurring opposites of joy and sorrow, the ups and downs of life, the extremes we encounter in day-to-day life. Every time we experience joy, we must realize that sorrow is just around the corner in pursuit. This cycle is also never-ending – it lasts as long as we are trapped in the birth and death cycle. This figurative meaning is more applicable in the context which the poet is trying to portray. The Time cycle is unavoidable; it is a law of Nature. But the cycle of joy and sorrow can be overcome by living in the light of knowledge and discovery of our true nature of spirit. There IS an end to it after all! This is what the poet is desperately trying to teach us.

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Desire, Like Time, Has No End :
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3-4 Time marches on, and with it the Dance of Death goes on with its performance. Life is passing away rapidly before our very eyes, yet we are not prepared to let go our desires. There is a beautiful simile which Acharyaji gave in detail:

A man is chased by a tiger in the forest. He falls into a well. He is stuck in the well on a branch midway down. If he slips by a fraction of an inch he will plunge into the water below where water snakes are swimming about. The tiger peers threateningly at him from the top. Just then the man is stung by bees. Soon rats are busy gnawing at the creeper on which the man is being supported. A bear comes and claws into the honeycomb on the tree overhanging the well. In this perilous position, with danger at every turn, a drop of honey drips on his face from the honeycomb above. The man, forgetting all his perils, sticks out his tongue to lick it!

This typifies the kind of satisfaction we are seeking in worldly life. The serpents are one’s relatives, the well itself represents family life. The rats represent TIME. And the honey in the midst of all these dangers represents the momentary pleasures of sensual life. Acharyaji was evidently not contented with one example. He offered us another: Have you ever seen a cat playing with a rat? How it tortures the spirit of the rat! It does not kill it straightaway, but goes on torturing it. It just stares at it and the poor rat trembles. Then it grabs the rat’s tail and gives it a few shakes, staring at the poor fellow all the while. This goes on until the rat literally dies of fright!

This is how worldly pleasures torture us. They give us a pinch of pleasure accompanied by a pound of pain.

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Conclusion :

Sloka #12

"Dinayāminyau sāyaṁ prātaḥ śiśiravasantau punarāyātaḥ |

kālaḥ krīḍati gacchatyāyuḥ tadapi na muñcatyāśāvāyuḥ" || 12 ||

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Word Meaning:

dinayāminyau - day and night, 

sāyaṁ - dusk, 

prātaḥ - dawn, 

śiśiravasantau - winter and spring, 

punah - again, 

arāyātaḥ - come (and depart), 

kālaḥ - time, 

krīḍat - sports, 

gacchati - ebbs away (goes away), 

āyuḥ- life (breath), 

tadapi - and yet, 

na - not, 

muñcati- leaves, 

āśāvāyuḥ- the gust of desire.

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Meaning:

Day and night, dawn and dusk, winter and spring come and depart again and again. Time thus frolics and plays and life ebbs away. Yet, one does not give up the gusts of desires.

 In the silent march of the wheel of time, days and nights and with it the age slips unnoticed and unrealized.

 One may escape any or all other hardships, but death and the parting of ways are inevitable.

 Time will never stop for any person and under any circumstances. Time cuts off the days of life and the death snatches away the life.

 The mind makes one to believe that all objects of glitter with an illusory beauty will give happiness, but time proves it otherwise.

 Life steadily ebbs away, but the desires only grow due to sense gratifications.

 With the age, human being becomes infirm from disease ridden body, desires and sense-enjoyments, worries and anxieties still haunt one.

 It is not too late to realize the truth and follow the path shown by Bhagavan Adi Sankaracharya to reap the benefits in this birth and in the forthcoming ones.

“Substitute wisely, grow steadily and be free.” – Pujya Gurudev Swami Chinmayananda

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End.
Next : Slokam - 13: Surrendering Our Worries.
To be continued ...

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