Bhaja Govindam - Post 22

Verse 21

पुनरपि जननं पुनरपि मरणं पुनरपि जननीजठरे शयनम् ।

 इह संसारे बहुदुस्तारे कृपयाऽपारे पाहि मुरारे ॥ २१॥

punarapi jananaṁ punarapi maraṇaṁ

punarapi jananī jaṭhare śayanam,

iha saṁsāre bahudusāre

kṛpayā’pāre pāhi murāre

Being born again, dying again, and again lying in the mother’s womb; this saṁsāra is extremely difficult to cross over. Save me, O destroyer of Mura, through your infinite compassion.

The topic of Liberation, which popped up its head in the last verse, is here taken up for its full definition and explanation. From “a little of everything” we have leaped “into the Infinite”! 

Punarapi:“again and again; unending”.

This is in the context of a seemingly unending cycle of births and deaths.

In Hindu religion, this is explained through the theory of Karma which bases on the theory of incarnation, i.e., Death-Re birth-Death cycle of human beings.

Without getting into the detail of this Karma theory, Author reproduces the flow of Karma which is given under the theme MBCA (Manas, Buddhi, Chitta, Ahankara) in this blog. 

 

From the second flow, it is seen that after KARMA, the last in the flow, the cycle goes back to where it started, CHITTA and then this cycle keeps continuing in each birth of man.

The escape from such a repetitive, meaningless cycle of existence is called Liberation. 

Jananee Jathare: “in the mother’s womb”. 

The significant event in life called birth referred to here as a symbol of the suffering and pain we encounter in being born as human beings in the world. 

It is a very apt symbol in that it carries with it the sense of all the pain the mother experiences, and the suffocation the child undergoes during the process of birth. 

By describing our imprisonment in this painful manner, the poet implants in our minds the value and desirability of striving for Liberation from it. 

Shayanam: “lying”.

The word strongly suggests the stagnation of the soul’s growth when it is immersed in the repetitive round of births and death, with no end to the cycle in sight. It is as good as “sleeping” all the while. 

Samsaare:

This is a vital line of the verse. All the painfulness, hardships, sufferings, pangs of an existence in ignorance of our real identity is contained in the word, Samsara. 

Samsara has been clearly explained in an earlier verse under the current theme.

Desires bind us to SAMSARA. This is also clearly depicted in the diagram on Karma given above.

There is a story in the Yogavāsiṣṭa, which illustrates this. A man was being chased by a tiger and was running for his life. He found a well and not knowing where to go, plunged into it. Fortunately for him, some roots of a tree had grown through the wall in the middle of the well. 

He grabbed hold of the roots and managed not to fall into the water. As he hung there, he looked up and saw the tiger. He looked down, and below him was a snake in the water, waiting for him. Then he saw that there were two rats among the roots. The rats were gnawing away at the very root from which he was hanging. At that time, there was a honeycomb on a tree above the well, from which honey was dripping slowly.

The story goes, that this person who was hanging for dear life, stretched out to catch a falling drop of honey in his mouth. Thus, even in the midst of tremendous fear, this little drop of honey caused him to go on. Such pessimistic pictures are given only in order to make us understand certain realities of life.

The most important thing to teach one in a situation like this is make him feel that remaining in prison is not acceptable; that one can and has to escape from it somehow. Before one can teach the method of escape to a student, he has to first of all ensure that the student feels the need for it in his very blood. 

The last line  states the two most essential qualities that free us from the cycle of births and death – an intense yearning or calling for God, and the Grace of God. 

i) Paahi Muraare: “Save me, O Lord, through Thy infinite kindness, from this fire of Samsara!” There is a burning desire to be freed or liberated from this perpetual cycle of births and deaths or Samsara, as it is called. This burning desire is named Mumukshutwa. Every spiritual aspirant is driven by Mumukshutwa to continue his Sadhana which culminates in Liberation. 

So, “Paahi” is the most sincere efforts combined with prayers to Murari, the Lord, to kindle the fire of Mumukshatva, intense craving for breaking the clutches/ chain of Samsara and to get free!!!

ii) Kripayaa: “by Thy infinite Grace”. Yearning for God is the fuel; the spark that sets it off is the Lord’s Grace which fires the soul’s search for freedom. Grace often comes in the form of a spiritual Master or Guru whose teaching is the spark that sets us alight. 

Grace provides the motive power which sustains the quest to the very end. 

Thus, we see in this line that a strong faith in the Grace of the Lord, and a strong devotional yearning spirit are both essential for success. 

Earning for grace is not to be construed like a beggar crying out to the lord in desperation, with his bowl extended for the lord to just come and place the morsel of liberation on his bowl.

Let us assume that the “Paahi’ prayer is granted after the lord, satisfied by the sincere efforts of the disciple (in practicing the initial 3 qualifications, Viveka, Vairagya and Shad Sampath) , blesses  the disciple / Spiritual aspirant to bring out the fire of Mumukshatva which is already built up within the disciple after he has succeeded in the earlier 3 qualifications.

Once this is through, then, the student’s sadhana starts in the backdrop of the fire of his mumukshatva.

Grace or Kripaya referred in this verse is then the deservingness of the disciple and not only the alms granted by the Lord. When the disciple / sadhaka has passed years in his intense sadhana and has reached the ripe stage for attaining the liberation, the disciple and the Lord face each other and in the penultimate encounter with the Lord, GRACE does and must flow from the Lord and the Lord holds the disciple with His invisible hands and makes the disciple cross the last step in this samsara to reach the abode of supreme peace, Prashanti,  where the sadhaka is no more a sadhaka but he has seen / experienced the truth, crossed the ocean of samsara and has freed himself from the cycle of "punarapi jananam punarapi maranam".

Lord is there only to shower His grace, the acharya is there only to give all that He has got, to his disciple. It is the disciple who has to reach the stage through his absorption and practice of his Acharya’s instructions sincerely and deserve and earn that Grace which the Lord is eager to grant to such deserving sadhaka!

Love.

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.