Bhaja Govindam - Post 5

Verse 4

नलिनीदलगतजलमतितरलं तद्वज्जीवितमतिशयचपलम् ।

विद्धि व्याध्यभिमानग्रस्तं लोकं शोकहतं च समस्तम् ॥४॥

nalinīdalagata jalamatitaralaṁ 
tadvajjīvitamatiśayacapalam | 
viddhi vyādhyabhimānagrastaṁ 
lokaṁ śokahataṁ ca samastam || 4||

(The water-drop playing on a lotus petal has an extremely uncertain existence. So also, is life ever unstable. Understand it to be consumed by disease and conceit; and this entire world is riddled only with pangs.)

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... 

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 Sankara always finds the perfect simile – how much closer he gets 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.

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... 

 

Gautam Buddha said,

Sarvam Dukkham Dukkham,

Sarvam Kshanikam Kshanikam

(All is sorrow and misery, all is fleeting and misery)

The remedy/solution

Thru the analogy of lotus flower, Acharya Sankara is also revealing the deeper vedantic meaning. 

Water in the pond is analogous to “all pervading” un manifested brahman. The droplet on the Lotus flower is jiva. 

The Lotus flower is the manifestation of the world. The flower is born from the water. (un-manifested to manifested form). The drop of water takes the flower to the real world and tries to “attach” itself to the flower. In the end, both jiva and manifested world have to merge into the un-manifested. 

The water drop, Jiva, is no different than the water in the pond – the un-manifested all-pervading brahman, also indicated by the Mahāvākya, ‘Tat Tvam Asi’ - That Art Thou (or You are that). 

Thus, the only purpose of a human birth is to aspire for liberation, to realize God, i.e. for the drop let of water on the flower to discard the flower and merge back into the water in the expansive pond!!!

We have to transcend all limitations, soar beyond all sorrows and float above all fleeting pleasures and passing joys. 

If we keep thinking of how to start this difficult journey, in that thinking, our life will be gone and when death kisses us, we are bound to cry heart of heart, “O, I missed  taking to spiritual path in this life, now the life is getting over”!

SWAMI SAYS, “GIVEN MOMENT IS NOW”, “PRESENT IS MY GREATEST PRESENT (GIFT) TO YOU”!

So, LET US START TODAY AND NOW. 

Has Sai not promised us, “Take one step towards me, I shall take 10 steps, Shed one tear for me, I shall wipe 100 tears from your eyes”!!

Each day is just passing and everything in life is possible through wealth and power but never has a man got back a moment, a day that has got over!

Love.