Bhaja Govindam

My favourite Adi Shakara composition.

TEXT 1

bhajagovindam bhajagovindam govindam bhaja muudhamate sampraapte sannihite kaale nahi nahi rakshati dukrijnkarane

Worship Govinda, Worship Govinda, Worship Govinda. Oh fool! Rules of Grammar will not save you at the time of your death.

TEXT 2

mudha jahiihi dhanaagamatrishhnaam kuru sadbuddhim manasi vitrishhnaam yallabhase nijakarmopaattam vittam tena vinodaya chittam

Oh fool! Give up your thirst to amass wealth, devote your mind to thoughts to the Real. Be content with what comes through actions already performed in the past.

TEXT 3

naariistanabhara naabhiidesham drishhtvaa maagaamohaavesham etanmaamsaavasaadi vikaaram manasi vichintaya vaaram vaaram

Do not get drowned in delusion by going wild with passions and lust by seeing a woman's navel and chest. Bodies are flesh, fat and blood. Do not fail to remember this again and again in your mind.

TEXT 4

naliniidalagata jalamatitaralam tadvajjiivitamatishayachapalam viddhi vyaadhyabhimaanagrastam lokam shokahatam cha samastam

Uncertain is the life of man as rain drops on a lotus leaf. Know that the whole world remains a prey to disease, ego and grief.

TEXT 5

yaavadvittopaarjana saktah staavannija parivaaro raktah pashchaajjiivati jarjara dehe vaartaam koapi na prichchhati gehe

So long as a man is fit and able to support his family, see the affection all those around him show. But no one at home cares to even have a word with him when his body totters due to old age.

TEXT 6

yaavatpavano nivasati dehe taavatprichchhati kushalam gehe gatavati vaayau dehaapaaye bhaaryaa bibhyati tasminkaaye

When one is alive, his family members enquire kindly about his welfare. But when the soul departs from the body, even his wife runs away in fear of the corpse.

TEXT 7

baalastaavatkriidaasaktah tarunastaavattaruniisaktah vriddhastaavachchintaasaktah pare brahmani koapi na saktah

Childhood is lost in play. Youth is lost by attachment to woman. Old age passes away by thinking over many past things. Alas! hardly is there anyone who yearns to be lost in Parabrahman.

TEXT 8

kaate kaantaa kaste putrah samsaaro.ayamatiiva vichitrah kasya tvam kah kuta aayaatah tattvam chintaya tadiha bhraatah

Who is your wife? Who is your son? Strange is this samsara. Of whom are you? Where have you come from? Brother, ponder over these truths.

TEXT 9

satsangatve nissngatvam nissangatve nirmohatvam nirmohatve nishchalatattvam nishcalatattve jiivanmuktih

From Satsanga comes non-attachment, from non-attachment comes freedom from delusion, which leads to self-settledness. From self-settledness comes Jivan Mukti.

TEXT 10

vayasigate kah kaamavikaarah shushhke niire kah kaasaarah kshiinevitte kah parivaarah gyaate tattve kah samsaarah

What good is lust when youth has fled? What use is a lake which has no water? Where are the relatives when wealth is gone? Where is samsara when the Truth is known?

TEXT 11

maa kuru dhana jana yauvana garvam harati nimeshhaatkaalah sarvam maayaamayamidamakhilaM hitvaa brahmapadaM tvaM pravisha viditvaa

Do not boast of wealth, friends, and youth. Each one of these are destroyed within a minute. Free yourself from the illusion of the world of Maya and attain the timeless Truth.

TEXT 12

dinayaaminyau saayam praatah shishiravasantau punaraayaatah kaalah kriidati gachchhatyaayuh tadapi na mujncatyaashaavaayuh

Daylight and darkness, dusk and dawn, winter and springtime come and go. Time plays and life ebbs away. But the storm of desire never leaves.

TEXT 13

dvaadashamajnjarikaabhirasheshhah kathito vaiyaakaranasyaishhah upadesho bhuudvidyaanipunaih shriimachchhankarabhagavachchharanarih

This bouquet of twelve verses was imparted to a grammarian by the all-knowing Shankara, adored as the bhagavadpada.

TEXT 14

kaate kaantaa dhana gatachintaa vaatula kim tava naasti niyantaa trijagati sajjanasam gatiraikaa bhavati bhavaarnavatarane naukaa

Oh mad man! Why this engrossment in thoughts of wealth? Is there no one to guide you? There is only one thing in three worlds that can save you from the ocean from samsara. Get into that boat of satsangha quickly.

TEXT 15

jatilo mundii lujnchhitakeshah kaashhaayaambarabahukritaveshhah pashyannapi cana pashyati muudhah udaranimittam bahukritaveshhah

There are many who go with matted locks, many who have clean shaven heads, many whose hairs have been plucked out; some are clothed in saffron, yet others in various colors --- all just for a livelihood. Seeing truth revealed before them, still the foolish ones see it not.

TEXT 16

angam galitam palitam mundam dashanavihiinam jatam tundam vriddho yaati grihiitvaa dandam tadapi na mujncatyaashaapindam

Strength has left the old man's body; his head has become bald, his gums toothless and leaning on crutches. Even then the attachment is strong and he clings firmly to fruitless hope.

TEXT 17

agre vahnih prishhthebhaanuh raatrau chubukasamarpitajaanuh karatalabhikshastarutalavaasah tadapi na mujncatyaashaapaashah

Behold there lies the man who sits warming up his body with the fire in front and the sun at the back; at night he curls up the body to keep out of the cold; he eats his beggar's food from the bowl of his hand and sleeps beneath the tree. Still in his heart, he is a wretched puppet at the hands of passions.

TEXT 18

kurute gangaasaagaragamanam vrataparipaalanamathavaa daanam gyaanavihinah sarvamatena muktim na bhajati janmashatena

One may go to the Ganga, observe fasts, and give away riches in charity! Yet, devoid of jnana, nothing can give mukthi even at the end of a hundred births.

TEXT 19

sura mandira taru muula nivaasah shayyaa bhuutala majinam vaasah sarva parigraha bhoga tyaagah kasya sukham na karoti viraagah

Take your residence in a temple or below a tree, wear the deerskin for the dress, and sleep with mother earth as your bed. Give up all attachments and renounce all comforts. Blessed with such vairagya, could any fail to be content?

TEXT 20

yogarato vaabhogaratovaa sangarato vaa sangaviihinah yasya brahmani ramate chittam nandati nandati nandatyeva

One may take delight in yoga or bhoga, may have attachment or detachment. But only he whose mind steadily delights in Brahman enjoys bliss, no one else.

TEXT 21

bhagavad giitaa kijnchidadhiitaa gangaa jalalava kanikaapiitaa sakridapi yena muraari samarchaa kriyate tasya yamena na charchaa

Let a man read but a little from the Gita, drink just a drop of water from the Ganga, worship Murari just once. He then will have no altercation with Yama.

TEXT 22

punarapi jananam punarapi maranam punarapi jananii jathare shayanam iha samsaare bahudustaare kripayaa apaare paahi muraare

Born again, death again, birth again to stay in the mother's womb ! It is indeed hard to cross this boundless ocean of samsara. Oh Murari ! Redeem me through Thy mercy.

TEXT 23

rathyaa charpata virachita kanthah punyaapunya vivarjita panthah yogii yoganiyojita chitto ramate baalonmattavadeva

There is no shortage of clothing for a monk so long as there are rags cast off the road. Freed from vice and virtue, onward he wanders. One who lives in communion with God enjoys bliss, pure and uncontaminated, like a child and as someone intoxicated.

TEXT 24

kastvam ko.aham kuta aayaatah kaa me jananii ko me taatah iti paribhaavaya sarvamasaaram vishvam tyaktvaa svapna vichaaram

Who are you? Who am I? From where do I come? Who is my mother, who is my father? Ponder thus, look at everything as essence less and give up the world as an idle dream.

TEXT 25

tvayi mayi chaanyatraiko vishhnuh vyartham kupyasi mayyasahishhnuh bhava samachittah sarvatra tvam vaajnchhasyachiraadyadi vishhnutvam

In me, in you and in everything, none but the same Vishnu dwells. Your anger and impatience is meaningless. If you wish to attain the quality of Vishnu soon, have Sama Bhaava always.

TEXT 26

shatrau mitre putre bandhau maa kuru yatnam vigrahasandhau sarvasminnapi pashyaatmaanam sarvatrotsrija bhedaagyaanam

Do not waste your efforts to win the love of or to fight against friend and foe, children and relatives. See yourself in everyone and give up all feelings of duality completely.

TEXT 27

kaamam krodham lobham moham tyaktvaa atmaanam bhaavaya ko aham aatmagyaana vihiinaa muudhaah te pachyante narakaniguudhaah

Give up lust, anger, infatuation, and greed. Ponder over your real nature. Fools are they who are blind to the Self. Cast into hell they suffer there endlessly.

TEXT 28

geyam giitaa naama sahasram dhyeyam shriipati ruupamajasram neyam sajjana sange chittam deyam diinajanaaya cha vittam

Regularly recite from the Gita, meditate on Vishnu in your heart, and chant His thousand glories. Take delight to be with the noble and the holy. Distribute your wealth in charity to the poor and the needy.

TEXT 29

sukhatah kriyate raamaabhogah pashchaaddhanta shariire rogah yadyapi loke maranam sharanam tadapi na mujnchati paapaacharanam

He who yields to lust for pleasure leaves his body a prey to disease. Though death brings an end to everything, man does not gives up the sinful path.

TEXT 30

arthamanartham bhaavaya nityam naastitatah sukhaleshah satyam putraadapi dhana bhaajaam bhiitih sarvatraishhaa vihitaa riitih

Wealth is not welfare, truly there is no joy in it. Reflect thus at all times. A rich man fears even his own son. This is the way of wealth everywhere.

TEXT 31

praanaayaamam pratyaahaaram nityaanitya vivekavichaaram jaapyasameta samaadhividhaanam kurvavadhaanam mahadavadhaanam

Regulate the pranas, remain unaffected by external influences and discriminate between the real and the fleeting. Chant the holy name of God and silence the turbulent mind. Perform these with care, with extreme care.

TEXT 32

gurucharanaambuja nirbhara bhakatah samsaaraadachiraadbhava muktah sendriyamaanasa niyamaadevam drakshyasi nija hridayastham devam

Oh devotee of the lotus feet of the Guru! May thou be soon free from Samsara. Through disciplined senses and controlled mind, thou shalt come to experience the indwelling Lord of your heart!

TEXT 33

muudhah kashchana vaiyaakarano dukrijnkaranaadhyayana dhurinah shriimachchhamkara bhagavachchhishhyai bodhita aasichchhodhitakaranah

Thus was a silly grammarian lost in rules cleansed of his narrow vision and shown the Light by Shankara's apostles.

TEXT 34

bhajagovindam bhajagovindam govindam bhajamuudhamate naamasmaranaadanyamupaayam nahi pashyaamo bhavatarane

Worship Govinda, worship Govinda, worship Govinda, Oh fool! Other than chanting the Lord's names, there is no other way to cross the life's ocean.

I am not a religious person nor do I subscribe to the Hindu thoughts, but there some stark truth in these verses.

bhajagovindam bhajagovindam govindam bhaja muudhamate sampraapte sannihite kaale nahi nahi rakshati dukrijnkarane

A Time to Kill,

The following posts are about the books that influenced my thoughts; I start with A Time to Kill. This is tale of a young lawyer defending a black Vietnam war hero who kills the white druggies who raped his child in tiny Clanton, Mississippi, is the first novel by John Grisham.

Carl Lee Hailey, the father, gets an M-16 from the Chicago hoodlum he'd saved at Da Nang, wastes the rapists on the courthouse steps, then turns to attorney Jake Brigance, who needs a desperate win to boost his career. Folks want to give Carl Lee a second medal, but how can they ignore premeditated execution? The town is split, revealing its social structure. Blacks note that a white man shooting a black rapist would be acquitted; the KKK revives itself and starts a new Clanton chapter ; the NAACP, the ambitious local reverend, a snobby, Harvard-infested big local firm, and others try to outmanoeuvre Jake and his brilliant, disbarred drunk of an ex-law partner. The stakes are high and everyone wants the whole cake. Jake Brigance looses his house, his dog, and his wife almost leaves him, due to the consequence of such high profile, society dividing case. Jake is driven to a point of giving up this case and wants to get back his old regular life. Crosses burn, people die, crowds chant "Free Carl Lee!" and "Fry Carl Lee,” the church forms special congressional meetings and the entire trial is watched by the media. The book is beautifully written describing the local customs and invisible divide between the races. It is meticulously researched and no accusatory tone used to describe the whites or the blacks. But the palpable tension is felt throughout the book. The conclusion can be rated one of the stark and hurting truth I have ever read.

This book gave me the true insight of a rural town in America and a lot information about the racial divide there. The customs, the court system and of course the segregation but not explicitly. That is when I decided that I will not discriminate on the basis of colour, religion, language or on the basis of general stereotypical descriptions. It thought me whatever may be the background, everyone is guided by a certain sense dignity and I need to respect that. And this book was the starting point for me to know more about the American culture. John Grisham’s books like The Painted House, The Chamber and The Innocent Man are steeped in full accounts of the rural America and it is not very different from the Indian rural villages. Many situations or the common struggles a man face is universal. It is the love and respect for each other to a large extent which keeps the momentum of life.

This is one book I would recommend first others to read to know about the struggles of the blacks in the US and other is To Kill a Mocking Bird, which is also there in my repertoire. This was made into a successful movie later on in 1996, starring Matthew McConaughey, Sandra Bullock, Samuel L. Jackson and Kevin Spacey.

The closing argument of this case can be seen in the below link to YouTube…

Closing Argument

Books that influenced my life.

I am tired of thinking and writing on many issues which I have no control over.

There is a prayer, I am not sure who really wrote it or said it and there is a controversy in this regard too..

“God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference.”

This is a prayer which is applicable in all areas of our life. Maybe it is one way of resigning from the reality of the situation. There are umpteen areas in our day-to-day life that we have no control over. Most of us have reconciled to this fact, it is one way of living at this time of uncertainties. But the greatest gift to man is no one can control anyone’s thoughts or change it in entirety. The change has to come over from inside, influenced by many sources and for me the books I have read has a deep impact on my life and thoughts. The following posts would be of books.

The earliest of books or rather the stories read out by my grandma were the greatest influence in my life and they are the Ramayana and the Mahabharata. God bless and rest in peace. We did not have any electricity in our place in Kerala, we literally burned the midnight oil by reading with the little kerosene lantern. I used to long for our winter holidays to go there to listen to those wonderful stories. My grandma was a fantastic storyteller, those epics were in Sanskrit and she would translate it to chaste Malayalam. She was the person who took me into the world of books and my curiosity and thirst for knowledge grew with the times.

The next biggest influence were the NCERT English textbooks we had in Kendriya Vidyalaya. I personally felt the entire time I spend in the school was an unending period of boredom. The only thing of worth I learned was the language English and the rest all is just a blur in the horizon. Those textbooks were full of beautiful stories on moral values, integrity, character and many many things. From the absent minded Kutchu to the poems by Nissim Ezekiel, I enjoyed them all. The Amar Chitra Katha, Tintin, Asterix and Obelix, Batman, Mad Comics, Chandamama, Spiderman, Walt Disney, and all the children’s books had a deep impact on me. They were all full of fun and every book or comic had a beautiful message to tell. I remember our librarian Mr Gandhi encouraging everyone to take up reading.

Then came the bit more serious stuff at that time and bulkier Famous Five, Hardy Boys and Nancy Drew. I read most of them whenever I could lay my hands on them. This was the stepping stone for most of the other serious reading later on. Slowly Alistair Maclean, Ken Follet, James Hardly Chase (I used to be excited and fearful of the covers), Louis L’Amour, the Sudden series of Western stories and ran through the entire lot by the end of school and the source of these books was a library run by a women’s welfare club. Then a girl introduced the wonderful writer P.G. Wodehouse. I used to read his books at the time of my 10th std and was caught reading this in the English period and a funny incident ensued. Those were the best days of my life. I was transported to a different world all together, I could conceive the scenario in my mind and conjure up the happenings. And my reading into the night was a cause of frequent frictions with my brothers.

I would give anything to get back to that period of wishful reading, if time travel backwards is possible. The next post will be much more details of the books which really changed my perception and thoughts.