October 25, 2015 Bhaja Govindam

ॐ श्री गणेशाय नमः

We had a great start to this year with our new text Bhaja Govindam by Adi Shankaracharya.

We started with a short introduction by each member of our Study group.

Today I wanted to paint the broad backdrop against which Adi Shankara composed Bhaja Govindam and give everyone a brief introduction to the great Saint, scholar and devotee that Adi Shankara was by providing a quick biography. We discussed the various types of compositions by Adi Shankara including Prakarana granthas, Bhashyas, Stotras and Stutis etc. I talked about how this great proponent of Jnana marga wrote this hymn to inculcate devotion in the hearts of people.

We studied the story behind the composition itself and the incident in Benaras that led him to compose this and how the first 12 verses are also known as "Dwadasha Manjareeka Stotra" since they are the once commonly attributed to the great Master. Another name for Bhaja Govindam is "Moha Mudgara" or the hammer that shatters delusion. 

We talked about Rajaji's famous introduction to Bhaja  Govindam where he says
"When intelligence (jnana) matures and lodges securely in the heart, it becomes wisdom (vignyana). When that wisdom (vignyana) is integrated with life and issues out in action, it becomes devotion (bhakti). Knowledge (jnana) which has become mature is spoken of as devotion (bhakti). If it does not get transformed into devotion (bhakti), such knowledge (jnana) is useless tinsel."

We started with Gurudev's commentary on the first verse and discussed the concept of "Navadha Bhakti" as enjoined in Srimad Bhagavatam:

Some examples include:

1). Hearing about God (Shravana)- King Parikshit attained Abhaya after listening to Srimad Bhagavatam from Shuka deva. Uddhava is another example of Shravana.

2). Chanting His Name and Glory (Kirtana): The very embodiment of Kirtana is the revered sage Narada. In fact, so engrossed is Narada in the act of Kirtana that he was actually happy when a curse was placed on him that he would not be able to stay in one place and would have to roam around the three worlds. Instead of lamenting this curse, he welcomed it saying that it would enable him to spread the Lord’s name and glory all over the three worlds. Narsinh Mehta, Meerabai, Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, Tukaram are all great examples.

3). Remembering Him (Smarana): An inspiring example of Smarana is Prahlada, who due to his constant remembrance of God was able to perceive Him everywhere. In fact, when his evil father ridiculed him saying that if God was everywhere, why did He not show up in the pillar in front of them? The father then kicked the pillar, out of which sprang Lord Narasimha, validating the truth of Prahlada’s conviction. Dhruva, Bhishma, Kunti, Vidura, Valmiki etc are examples of Smarana.

4). Serving His Lotus Feet (Pada Sevana): The obvious example of this kind of Bhakti is our mother goddess Lakshmi, who is seen in constant service of Lord Vishnu’s lotus feet. We also talked about Bharata and his devotion to Rama's padukas. Kevat is another example of Padasevanam.

5). Worshipping Him as per the Scriptures (Archana: An example of Archana Bhakti is that of King Prithu in the Srimad Bhagavatam, who satisfied Shri Vishnu with the selfless Vedic sacrifices he performed, so much so that the Lord presented Himself in person before the king. Ekanath, Jnaneshwar and Tukaram are also further examples where the Bhakta considers every living being an image of God and worships all.

6). Prostrating before Him (Vandana): Vandana can mean singing the glories of the Lord or Vandana also means prostrating oneself before the Lord. An illuminating example of this Bhakti is Akrura, another great personality in the Srimad Bhagavatam. The great Bhakta Akrura could not contain himself when he entered Vrindavana. He was overcome with emotion and the consequent surge of affection for Krishna made his hair stand on its end and the overflowing eyes began to shed tears. Akrura jumped onto the land of Vrindavana and rolled around on the earth saying: “Oh! This is the dust touched by the feet of my beloved Lord” (10.38.26).

On going further, he saw Krishna milking the cows. The physical beauty of the Lord overwhelmed Akrura so much that he rushed down and prostrated himself at the feet of Krishna. Understanding Akrura’s mental state, Krishna helped him to his feet, drew him to His heart and then embraced His beloved devotee” (10.38.34).

7). Being His Servant (Dasya): The most powerful embodiment of this kind of Bhakti is undoubtedly Shri Hanuman, who as soon as he caught a glimpse of Shri Rama, declared himself to be the latter’s servant. Being a servant of God means leaving aside one’s most important work to respectfully do the Lord’s bidding; leaving all of one’s own desires to fulfil His desire; considering even the greatest effort done for Him to be miniscule; thinking His ownership over our body to be greater than even our own; understanding that our wealth, life, body etc is useful only as long as it is in the use of God and so on. Hanuman had all these qualities, and no wonder that Shri Rama embraced him saying: “You are more dear to me than even Lakshmana”

8). Befriending Him (Sakhya):Stories about the friendship of Krishna and Arjuna abound in the Mahabharata and Bhagavatam.

9). Offering Oneself to Him (Atma Nivedana): Offering oneself wholly, including all of one’s material possessions, with firm conviction, is known as Atmanivedana.King Bali during the Vamana avatara is an illustrious example of Atma nivedanam when he invites the Brahmin to place his third step on his head!

Upon analysis we find that these types of Bhakti are the personal relationship of the devotee to the Lord of their choice. The fact that a person is an example of one kind does not preclude the fact that they exhibit some other form of bhakti as well. It stands to reason that if we too cultivate any one of these types of bhakti, the othes will follow suit.

Food for thought:  Please think about what kind of devotee you are. Do you believe in God? What is your relationship with God? What kinds of Bhakti