BHAJA GOVINDAM : 2. “Hammer Blows to Delusion” Composed by Sri Adi Shankaracharyaji.

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Reflections by Swami Gurubhaktananda
on the 12 Lectures delivered by Swami Advayananda,
Acharyaji, 15th Batch Vedanta Course
AT SANDEEPANY SADHANALAYA, POWAI, MUMBAI
28th November, 2011 – 16th December, 2011
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SERVE  LOVE  GIVE  PURIFY  MEDITATE  REALISE
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Dvadasha Manjarika Stotram
PART II – Songs 2-13 (12 No.)
“Pitfalls to Beware of”
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Song 2: Kanchana: The Thirst for Wealth.

"moodha jaheehi dhana-agama trishnaam  kuru sadbuddhim manasi vitrishnaam;  

yal-labhase nija karma-upaattam  vittam tena vinodaya chittam."  || 2||  

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Translation :

1. moodha jaheehi dhana-agama trishnaam   =  O Fool! Give up the thirst to possess wealth.

2. kuru sadbuddhim manasi vitrishnaam;      =  Create in your mind, devoid of passions, thoughts of the Reality.

3 yal-labhase nija karma-upaattam                =  From your actions, whatever you get as

4 vittam tena vinodaya chittam.                    =  wealth, entertain your mind (be content).

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1 Moodha: “O Fool!” There is an urgency to wake up. When the house is on fire, there is no time to wait for formalities to wake people up and save their lives. It could have even been “O Idiot!” without being rude in a case like this. This is how much Sri Shankaracharya is concerned for the spiritual wellbeing of mankind.

If livelihood is meant for living, then what is living meant for? What are we going to do with so much wealth? Let us not make the means into an end. Everything has its proper time and limits. Is the wealth going to come with us when we go?

Acharyaji quoted the story of Alexander the Great who had instructed that at the time of his funeral, his hands should be positioned to hang out of the coffin with the palms open, to indicate that after all his conquests he is not taking anything with him!

There is a wise old belief that if we die with excess wealth, we will be reborn as snakes to come and look after that wealth. Hence the advice is to give away surplus wealth.

Replacing Evil Thoughts With Good Ones :

2 What happens when we give away our excess wealth? The passions in our mind are cooled down. In a mind free from passions, we are able to entertain thoughts of the Reality. This method by which we substitute a harmful thought with one that is more beneficial, is called Pratipaksha Bhavana. This Bhavana includes developing a disgust for at which is harmful.

Note that the pursuits themselves are not being criticized, only their effect of making us forget God is criticized. Knowledge and wealth are both needed, but not at the expense of losing our spiritual identity. When they are in excess of our need, they tend to make us forget God. By giving this excess away in charity, we can be safe from this danger.

When sensual pleasure is criticized, it is not man or woman or marriage that is the target, but its invariable effect of making us completely forget our spiritual purpose.

Remaining Contented :

3-4 What is occupying our mind? What should be occupying it? Is a Sattwic pursuit such as the quest for knowledge going to be of more use than the Rajasic one of earning more wealth? Knowledge also has its dangers. It may make one swollen-headed. One can become great in a particular field. Then there will be welcome receptions everywhere, one will be a speaker at every function, etc. Will this be help to realize one’s spiritual goal?

Vinodaya Chittam – “give joy to the mind”. When we use our excess wealth for the welfare of others, it helps to build a noble mind; such a mind is always pleasant and joyful.

The total message in this verse is therefore to be understood clearly: Anything that takes us away from the spiritual goal is to be considered as a wasted effort.

End.
Next - Songe 3: Kamini: The Attraction for Woman.
To be continued ....

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