Verse 7
बालस्तावत्क्रीडासक्तः तरुणस्तावत्तरुणीसक्तः । वृद्धस्तावच्चिन्तासक्तः परमे ब्रह्मणि कोऽपि न सक्तः ॥ ७॥
Bālastāvatkrīḍāsaktaḥ
taruṇastāvattaruṇīsaktaḥ,
Vr̥ddhastāvaccintāsaktaḥ
parame brahmaṇi ko’pi na saktaḥ.
The
childhood slips away in attachment to playfulness. Youth passes away in
attachment to woman. Old age passes away in worrying about many things. Alas,
there is hardly anyone who wants to be lost in parabrahman.
The dangers that face us throughout Life. Throughout life, there
is something or other that always distracts us from the essential purpose of
life. We take a look at these distractions.
The overall point of this verse is, “When do we find time for God
in our life?” A broad look at life shows us that three stereotypes predominate
in our lives:
Childhood
The boy is usually engrossed in his playful
activities. In childhood, play and games take away all his time.
Nothing but play delights him then.
Youth
The days of dolls and play disappear and the days of youth come
with its pressing passions. The youth’s mind is diverted, one may even dare to
say captured, by thoughts of his beloved.
Old age
With the wasting of energies and power, the dreaded old age gains
admittance forcing man to bend upon others for support. The old man is
preoccupied with concerns over his health and the possibility of being lonely.
Even then, when so much of sorrow, suffering and misery batters
him like the waves of the turbulent sea, he does not wholeheartedly turn to
God. His fickle mind does not take delight in the thoughts of God.
Instead, his poor health, advancing age and fear of death, all
these haunt a man and in fact, take him nearer to his death, with no peace
of mind!
In some cases, repentance does set in old age, man does feel the
need to get inwards, turn towards God, but his physical health, his dependence
physically and otherwise on others in that age-all these things shatter his
confidence and he is left high and dry, without any courage and conviction to
turn towards God.
Sankara has covered 3 stages- childhood, youth and old age and
related these 3 stages with the desires / state in these 3 stages which haunt a
man.
There are few desires / craving which haunts a man which are
in between the 3 stages covered in this verse.
Once man settles for marriage, the physical attraction and
affection for wife haunts man.
Then, to provide security for himself and his family and to
glorify his ego, power, wealth and fame haunts a man.
Simultaneously, affection for his children, then his children’s
family…, and the list is endless.
If one examines the basis / underlying factor for whatever has
been given by Sankara in 3 stages in this verse, one can realize that it is EGO
of a man, ignorance that he is verily divine!!!
The onus is on each one of us to make definite arrangements to
bring God into our life at the earliest possible age. If this can be done
before we begin to get knocked about by desires in life, then it would save us
a lot of bitter experiences in life.
Love.
