Bhaja Govindam : ( 23/11/2012. )

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...

SLOKAM:-31 (LAST)- Guru charan  ambuja   nirbhara  bhaktah Samsara  adacirad  bhava  Muktah Sendriya  manasa  niyamad  evam Draksyasi  nija  hrdayastham  Devam. O Devotee of  the lotus-feet of the teacher! May you become liberated  soon from the samsara through the discipline of the sense-organs and the mind. You will come to experience(behold) the Lord that dwells in your own heart.   

Pranayamam  pratyaharam Nityanitya  vivekavicaram  Japyasameta-Samadhividhanam Kurvavadhanam  Mahadavadhanam. The control  of all activities ( of life's manifestations in you ),  the sense-withdrawal   ( from their respective sense-objects ), the reflection ( consisting of discrimination between the permanent and the impermanent ), along with japa and the practice of reaching the total-inner-silence ( Samadhi )-these, perform with care----with care---- Bhaja Govindam------repeat 1st slokam again in chorus.

Artham  Anartham  Bhavaya  Nityam Nasti  Tatah  Sukhalesah  Satyam Putradapi  Dhanabhajam  Bhitih Sarvatraisa  Vihita  Ritih. Bhaja Govindam------------------[repeat the 1st slokam] "Wealth  is  calamitous,"thus reflect constantly: the truth is that there is no happiness at all to be got from it.  To the rich, there is fear even from one's own son.  This is the way with wealth everywhere.  Seek Govinda-----