Bhaja Govindam - Post 23

Verse 21

रथ्याचर्पटविरचितकन्थः पुण्यापुण्यविवर्जितपन्थः ।

योगी योगनियोजितचित्तो रमते बालोन्मत्तवदेव ॥ २२॥

rathyā carpaṭa viracita kanthaḥ

puṇyāpuṇya vivarjita panthaḥ,

yogī yoganiyojita

citto ramate bālonmattavadeva

The yogi who wears but a quilt made of rags, who walks the path that is beyond merit and demerit, whose mind is joined in perfect yoga with its goal, revels in God consciousness, and lives thereafter as a child or as a madman.

The previous verse ended with the two essential qualities an aspirant has to possess to tread this path - Mumukshatva and God’s grace.

This verse, though appearing quite simple, goes very deep, indeed, and sets apart the goal of Liberation from other goals offered by various religious practices. 

i) The Path of Renunciation 

The Vedas are a body which provides the knowledge by which one may achieve his desired goal. 

That goal may be different, for different beings who read and practice vedas.

Some of them may desire worldly prosperity,

Some others may desire to attain a heavenly existence and,

Very few may desire Liberation from Samsara itself. This is the highest goal beyond which there is nothing further to attain. They renounce this world and intensely pursue sadhana so as to attain Liberation.

The first and second goals have desire as their basis. The third is unique in that its basis is renunciation. This is depicted in the first line by the simile of a Godadi. 

Such men of renunciation radiate peace and love in the world. In return, they do not expect anything from the world. Though they dedicate their whole life for the world, they do not demand / expect even a single piece of cloth in return, to protect themselves. 

So long as there are rags thrown on roadside by someone, they are satisfied wearing such discarded rags, stitch them together and wear them, that too, for protecting their body from vagaries of nature on one side and to maintain the social norms and accordingly, not roam around naked, though they have no body consciousness and hence, they do not even need that piece of cloth.

The spirit of Renunciation is the first essential feature of the Sadhana that leads one to Liberation. This path is to be trod by one who has the sole desire for God alone, not for anything created by Him such as available on earth or in heaven.

ii) The Path Beyond Dharma 

Good deeds bind a man with a golden chain whereas evil deeds bind him with an iron chain. In essence, both are chains only and both bind a man. He has to enjoy for his good deeds and suffer for his bad deeds. 

A man of renunciation has no desire for any outer object and so there is no need for earning merits in its case. Hence, it does not require any actions to be performed to attain it. It needs only knowledge of the Lord’s nature to “attain” it. 

Karma earned as a result of merits demerits in previous births is called prarabdha karma or Praptam in Tamil.

In Ashtavakra Gita, Janaka roars and says, “I have no prarabdha Karma”. 

It is not that a man of realization does not have prarabdha karma to exhaust. Sages like Ramana or Ramakrishna have suffered from cancer even after Self-realization. If that be the case, how Janaka can say, I do not have any prarabdha karma??

It means, "Janaka  has  gone beyond the prarabdha karma caused / left over, as a result of his karmas upto the moment of my realization".

So, whatever effects of merits / demerits left over is not cognized by a man of realization as He flies  higher and higher in Brahma Ananda, with no mind to suffer for past demerits and to enjoy for past merits, though, physically, the body might be undergoing suffering.

And, after realization, he exists only for the welfare of the world and hence, there is no way that his actions can fetch him any merits or demerits. 

iii) Abidance in the Self: 

The spiritual practice resorted to by the aspirant of the third goal, i.e. Liberation, is also very different from that of aspirants of the other two goals. The seeker of Liberation devotes himself to meditation on the Supreme Lord. This is called Nidhidhyasana in Vedanta. 

The Attainment of the Goal 

The reference to a child or a madman is to reflect the mental state of the realized sage. 

The sage becomes egoless. The closest example of such a state we can understand is seen in a little child or baby, in whom the ego-consciousness has not yet manifested. Such is the state of the saint of God – he becomes innocent and guileless. A child acts spontaneously, without any interference from any ego. 

A verse from Jivanmukhtananda lahari explains the child like nature of a realized yogi thus:-

"He may at times play with innocent children who smile and dance, clapping their hands in unison in devotional rejoicing; sometimes he may be with grown up men and women in the prime of youth, participating in their gay talks and sports; sometimes he may be wailing and lamenting along with the old and the decrepit given to their habitual brooding and agitation. Although he accepts all of them alike for his company, his mind, illumined and naturally peaceful as it is, will not be the least duped or disturbed on any account due to the blessing of his benign Teacher."

Another example is that of a madman. A madman acts contrary to all social norms or expectations; hence he is called “mad”. The sage also acts from standards that are not accepted by people! His actions appear to ordinary men to be similar to a “mad-man”. An example will help to clarify what is meant here: 

Our concept of enjoyment is wealth, woman and fame. But the saint’s joys are of a different kind. Hence, he appears to us as a child or a madman. 

A madman is merely one who sees what you don’t and you see what he does not – that is the only difference. We do not have a visa into his world; nor does he have one into our world! 

Sri Rama Krishna appeared to be such a mad man to many existing during his time. 

Also, in the Avadhutha Gita, such nature of an Avadhutha (the one who has cast off everything in the world) is described.

The irony is that, whereas world looks at them as mad, for them, all others in the world appear to be mad (mad after money, mad after power, mad after woman, even mad / fanatic over God / religion etc. etc.)

A Brahma Jnani thus moves around in the world, beyond sins and virtues, beyond good and bad, beyond liberation and bondage, beyond all possible duality which a human mind can comprehend or imagine.

He exists verily as God!

Love.