BHAJA GOVINDAM : 4. “Hammer Blows to Delusion” Composed by Sri Adi Shankaracharyaji.

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Friday, September 03, 2021. 6:54. AM.
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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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Songe 4 : The Instability of Life:

"Nalinee- dalagata jalam- ati- taralam  tadvat- jeevitam- atishaya- chapalam;

viddhi vyaadhy- abhimaana grastam  lokam shoka- hatam cha samastam."

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Translation :

1 Nalinee- dalagata jalam- ati- taralam      =  The water-drop playing on a lotus petal has

an extremely uncertain existence;

2 tadvat- jeevitam- atishaya- chapalam;   =  so also is life ever unstable.

3 viddhi vyaadhy- abhimaana grastam    =  Understand it to be consumed by disease and

conceit; and

4 lokam shoka- hatam cha samastam.     =  his entire world is riddled only with pangs

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Commentary :

We have been born with an expiry date – when it will come we do not know. Even if we escape the temptations of wealth or the pleasures of the senses (as described in the previous two stanzas), this birth itself is so uncertain in duration. No one can escape from the clutches of Time or Death. Death stalks at every 

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2 This verse focuses our attention on the uncertainty of life, so that we learn to make the best possible use of our time. Life is fickle. We really have very little time in one birth Before we know it the “water-drop” of our life-span will have evaporated. This brings us to the excellent simile used to symbolize one’s life-span…

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The droplet arises from water and return to water. In the same way we arise from Brahman and return to Brahman. This is the Vedantic meaning of the same simile.

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1. If one sees a droplet of water on a lotus leaf, the first thought is the sheer beauty of the sight. It is one of nature’s thrilling sights. A closer look reveals another side attached to this beauty – its shaky, uncertain existence. It faces many dangers to its existence :

i) A slight wind can simply blow it off the leaf.

ii) A slight wave in the water can shake off the droplet back into the water.

iii) Even if it survives that, as soon as the sun rises a bit higher, even without any wind the droplet cannot avoid drying up out of existence.

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The poet in Shankaracharyaji always finds the perfect simile – how much closer can he get to a comparison with our life span!

Pratipaksha Bhavana is brought into play here also. If we realize the extreme uncertainty of life, it will impel us to take up our spiritual life more seriously, and with a sense of urgency. If this verse does that, the poet’s selection of the beautiful simile would not be in vain.

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The Pangs of Pain and Disease :

3-4 Even such a brittle life, short as it is, is riddled with the dangers of disease and conceit (arising from greed) waiting to consume us.

One may argue that there is no problem of a short life as long as one enjoys it well, in good health and in happiness. But that is a Utopian dream. Life brings with it all the tests and trials. It does not spare anyone the pangs of pain and disease.

The pangs are not only physical pains. There are even more unbearable pains lying in ait for the non-discriminating in the world…

End.

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Next - Song 5: The Selfishness of Dependents.
To be continued .....

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