Bhaja Govindam - Post 21

Verse 20

भगवद्गीता किञ्चिदधीता गङ्गाजललवकणिका पीता ।

सकृदपि येन मुरारिसमर्चा क्रियते तस्य यमेन न चर्चा ॥ २०॥

bhagavad gītā kiñcidadhītā

gaṅgā jalalava kaṇikāpītā,

sakṛdapi yena murāri samarcā

kriyate tasya yamena na carcā

To the one who has studied the Bhagavad gītā even a little, who has sipped at least a drop of Ganges water, who has worshipped Lord Murāri at least once, there is no discussion with Yama, the Lord of Death.

In this verse, Sankara gives us a three-fold exercise for the spiritual unfoldment  of the soul, so that one may discover the true Joy / Bliss, which is the subject of the previous verse.

Reading Bhagavad Gita

The sweet essence of all spiritual knowledge has been given by Krishna in the sacred text - Bhagavad Gita.

Sir E. Arnold wrote, “The central teaching of the Bhagavad Gita is the attainment of freedom and final release from bondage”.

Bhagavad Gita is the contemporary supplement to our ancient Upanishads. If properly understood and meditated upon, one would realize that it is the essence of Vedanta.

Thus, a little but in depth study of Bhagavad Gita can link a spiritual seeker with all other treatise and can take him to great spiritual heights

Take a dip in Ganges

River Ganges is sacred not only because it flows from the Jata or the hair lock of Lord Shiva but because, it symbolically points to and stands for the unbroken flow of spiritual wisdom handed over by the Master to his disciple, generation by generation.

A national flag, for example, is only a piece of cloth with three colors in it. But when hoisted, it becomes the symbol of a nation and the entire nation salutes it with a feeling which is far beyond the appearance of that simple flag.

Similarly, Ganges, which may appear to be just a river, elevates a sincere spiritual seeker to an elevated state when he takes a dip and sips the sacred Ganges.

Worship Murari

It is man’s ego which arouses desires in him, making him ignorant of his divine nature, causing him to act as per the prompting of his ego filled desires. 

With such acts, man accumulates Karma and is born, he dies and he is born and thus he goes through this never ending cycle of birth and death. Man is thus caught in Samsara and is ultimately filled with a little happiness and lot of pain and sorrows.

What else can save a man from this transmigration, except his surrender at the feet of Murari, the Lord??

Who else but Murari, the slayer of demon mura, can slay the devil mura in each one of us, which is our ego??

As explained in a recent session by the author, such a man who has undertaken this threefold path, is free from fear of death, for, he has realized that the body is indeed perishable and it must die one day.  

He has realized the secret of the line “Mrutyor ma amrutam gamaya” and bows to Murari / Sai who has listened to his prayer flowing from his heart thus:-

Sathya sanathana antaryami

Sakala charachara (ke) tum  ho swami

Janam maran se paar karo

Bhava bandhan se uddhaar karo ..........

Araj suno mere parama kripalo

Pathiswara Sai deva!!!!, 

and...  has in fact taken him beyond the fear of death (of his body) and elevated him to exist as SELF, which has no death, as it never had any birth. 

What discussion will such a yogi have with Yama, when the moment of his (physical) death comes?? It is then Yama, who would prostrate to such a noble saint and take his body with reverence!

Love.

Bhaja Govindam - Post 20

Verse 19

योगरतो वा भोगरतो वा सङ्गरतो वा सङ्गविहीनः ।

यस्य ब्रह्मणि रमते चित्तं नन्दति नन्दति नन्दत्येव ॥ १९॥

yogarato vā bhogaratovā

sangarato vā sangavihīnaḥ,

yasya brahmaṇi ramate cittaṁ

nandati nandati nandatyeva

(One may revel in yoga or pleasures; in the company of people or bereft of company. Only the one whose mind steadily delights in Brahman revels; indeed he alone is truly happy.)

In the previous verses, Sankara deals with dispassion and desire and traces to their origin.

Now in this verse we do the same for Happiness, and trace where it comes from. 

It is a common belief that object fetch us happiness.

In a session, author deals with this.

A south Indian coffee which brings immense satisfaction to a South Indian, is not touched by a pathan based in Afghan who finds satisfaction only in tea.

Similarly, a south Indian lady may love to wear a south Indian silk saree whereas a lady based in Banaras may not even touch a Kancheepuram silk saree, she may go in for only attractive Banaras silk saree.

Also, for a same human being, as he moves from childhood to youth and from youth and manhood etc., the objects which give him satisfaction keep varying. Obviously, those games which gave him great joy while he was a child, may not attract him when he reaches his adolescent age. 

In his youth, he may get attracted to some female and his life’s purpose would then be to attain that girl as his partner. He feels his life will get fulfilled only when he gets that girl as his partner in life.

So, one thing is clear.

No object in this world has propensity to give high level of happiness to all human beings in all times, in all situations!!

Happiness is in Self Alone!!! 

Taittriya Upanishad deals with various levels of Ananda / Bliss. 

For simplicity sake, let us prefix each level of ananda explained in this Upanishads as a level.

Level 1 - Suppose there is a young man — a noble young man — versed, the best of rulers, firm in body and strong and possesses the whole world, full of wealth, is his: that is one measure of human bliss. 

Level 2 - This human bliss, multiplied on hundred times, is one measure of the bliss of the human gandharvas, as also of a man versed in the Vedas and free from desires. 

Level 3 – This bliss of the human gandharvas, multiplied one hundred times, is one measure of the bliss of the celestial gandharvas, as also of a man versed in the Vedas and free from desires.

Level 4 - This bliss of the celestial gandharvas, multiplied one hundred times, is one measure of the bliss of the Manes, who dwell in the long — enduring world, as also of a man versed in the Vedas and free from desires.

Level 5 - This bliss of the Manes who dwell in the long — enduring world, multiplied on hundred times, is one measure of the bliss of the gods born in the Ajana heaven, as also of a man versed in the Vedas and free from desires.

Level 6 - The bliss of the Gods born in the Ajana heaven, multiplied one hundred times, is one measure of the bliss of the sacrificial gods who have attained to divinity by means of sacrifices, as also of a man versed in the Vedas and free from desires.

Level 7 - The bliss of the sacrificial gods, multiplied one hundred times, is one measure of the bliss of the gods, as also of a man versed in the Vedas and free from desires.

Level 8 - The bliss of the gods, multiplied one hundred times, is one measure of the bliss of Indra, as also of a man versed in the Vedas and free from desires.

Level 9 - The bliss of Indra, multiplied one hundred times, is one measure of the bliss of Brihaspati, as also of a man versed in the Vedas and free from desires.

Level 10 - The bliss of Brihaspati, multiplied one hundred times, is one measure of the bliss of Prajapati, as also of a man versed in the Vedas and free from desires.

Level 11 - The bliss of Prajapati, multiplied one hundred times, is one measure of the bliss of Brahma, as also of a man versed in the Vedas and free from desires.

ULTIMATE LEVEL OF HAPPINESS -BRAHMANANDA

He who is here in man and he who is in yonder sun — both are one. He who knows this, after dying to this world, attains the self which consists of food, attains the self which consist of the vital breath, attains the self which consists of the mind, attains the self which consists of intellect, attains the self which consists of bliss. 

While all other happiness are  at mental level, once a spiritual aspirant, after years or may be several births of Sadhana, realizes SELF / Brahmananda, he crosses the stage where he is able to exist separate from Bliss / Happiness and is able to experience Bliss with his mind.

Such a man is free, but not whimsical. He enjoys without attachment. 

Such a Jivanmukhta, though without any possession and yet is ever content, though he may be engaged in lot of activities, yet he remains inactive (from within), though in Bhoga sometimes but he is  still untouched by it.

While sankara said, 

“Nandati Nandati Nandaty Eva”

(He alone truly enjoys, without any doubt)

The author prostrates to Sankara and dares to change the expression and says:

 He does not enjoy true happiness, HE IS JOY.

As long as one says, I enjoy this, I enjoy that, to that extent, He is different from the thing he is enjoying or the experience he is getting out of the object of enjoyment. This is so because no object can give eternal enjoyment, which has been dealt clearly in the beginning of this post. 

But here is the vairaagi or the Jivanmukhta who does not enjoy bliss but exists as the very source of Bliss.

He sings,

Chidananda Roopah Shivoham Shivoham

[The embodiment of consciousness absolute, Bliss absolute, the benign one am I, I am Shiva (the ever auspicious)]

Love.

Bhaja Govindam - Post 19

Verse 18

सुरमंदिरतरुमूलनिवासः शय्या भूतलमजिनं वासः । सर्वपरिग्रहभोगत्यागः कस्य सुखं न करोति विरागः ॥ १८॥

sura mandira taru mūla nivāsaḥ

śayyā bhūtala majinaṁ vāsaḥ,

sarva parigraha bhoga tyāgaḥ

kasya sukhaṁ na karoti virāgaḥ

Live in a temple or under a tree, wear the deer-skin for the dress, and sleep with mother earth as your bed. Renounce all your possessions and enjoyments. Blessed with such dispassion, could anyone fail to be happy?

We have a description of the true Vairagi or man of dispassion. The simplicity of this person is quite clear. 

Indian culture supports religious practices like no other country in the world. We can benefit from that if we are sincere seekers. If we are not sincere, we become a burden to that hospitality. 

The life of utter simplicity is described here, not extremism or moderation. This is how great saints like Swami Sivananda lived after renouncing lucrative careers and choosing to voluntarily live the simple life described here. 

Swami Sivananda left his practice as a professional Doctor in Malaysia, came to Hrishikesh, slept in a charity home. He had already attained Self-Realization by then and yet, got formal Diksha from another monk staying there in that home.

Author cannot help quoting couple of verses from Jivanmukhtananda Lahari, written by none other than Sri Sankara, to bring about the state of such a realized vairagi.

Vane vrukshán-pashyan-dala phalabharánnamra sushikhán

ghanaccháyácchannán bahula kala küjad dvija ganán

Bhajañghasre rátrávavanitalatal paika shayano

munir na vyámoham bhajati gurudèkshákshatatamáh

During daytime he may take a leisurely walk in lonely forests gazing delightfully at the numerous trees standing covered by thick shades, with their branches bent low due to the weight of leaves and fruits, with flocks of birds perching on their top cooing and wailing variously in chorus their unsullied songs and tunes, adding greatly to the charm and glory of pristine wilderness. At night he may lie fast asleep on the strong bed of the un-decked surface of Mother Earth, the one common gift of Nature to mankind. Whatever be thus the resort of the illumined ascetic, whose ignorance has been liquidated by the graceful initiation of the Teacher, his mind will not be duped or agitated. 

Kadácit prásáde kvacidapi ca saudheshu dhaninám

kadá kále kvacidapi ca küleshu saritám

Kuûère dántánám munijanavaránámapi vasan

munir ca vyámoham bhajati gurudèkshákshata tamáh(3)

Sometimes he may stay in the imposing palaces of prominent kings, sometimes in the luxurious houses of the affluent people, sometimes on the slopes of mountains full of rocks, at times on the sandy banks of rivers and lakes, sometimes in the simple hermitages of great saints and Knowers; though living variously thus in a wide range of abodes, his mind rid of ignorance by the benign tuition of the Teacher and seated in its own natural stability and contentment, will not court further delusion and misery. 

This is how the true Vairagi lives. He brings his mind under control, with practical and sensible dispassion. 

And by doing so, he succeeds in attaining lasting happiness which is the result of true dispassion.

How Sankara says that a man of dispassion attains lasting happiness?

It is so because his happiness does not depend upon external environment, on getting something or on losing something.

He has come to terms with eternal joy of the SELF within. After that, the external conditions cannot affect that joy which is the very source - THE SELF / ATMAN.

Love.