BHAJA GOVINDAM - 8. Swami Adi Sri Sankracharya
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Friday, June 03, 2022. 6:00. AM.
“Hammer Blows to Delusion” Composed by Sri Swami Adi Shankaracharyaji.
Song. 8 - Start Questioning
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Song. 8 - Start Questioning :
"ka te kanta kaste putrah
samsaro- ayam- ativa vichitrah
kasya twam kah kuta ayatah
tattvam chintaya tadiha bhratah."
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Translation :
1.ka te kanta kaste putrah = Who is your wife? Who is your son?
2 samsaro- ayam- ativa vichitrah; = Supremely wonderful indeed is this Samsara.
3 kasya twam kah kuta ayatah = Whose are you? From where have you come?
4 tattvam chintaya tadiha bhratah. = O brother, think of that Truth here.
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Tattvam : (Essence)
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Commentary :
#The Boundary of the Family Institution
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It may appear to some that this verse violates the institution of the family. The
Master is questioning the key structure of the family unit. Indeed, to upkeep family values is
very noble. However, the family institution itself has to be seen in the broader context of
the purpose of human life. It is valid for a certain period, during the householder’s stage of
life. When it has served its purpose, one has to go beyond its parameters, i.e. wife and son,
etc. It is valid only for a certain task in life, not throughout life.
Shankaracharya is looking at what the scene is beyond one’s family concerns. He is
therefore justified in questioning family life in the realm where it becomes out of place;
where one’s spiritual pursuit occupies prime place. This is applicable for those who wish to
progress further, beyond the limits set by family obligations. There is a call to a higher duty
than family responsibility. That higher realm is being brought into focus in this song.
#Obstacles to Transcend the Family Unit :
1 What are the main obstacles that bind us to family life beyond its legitimate
purpose? – the wife and the children. Thus, without intending to disrupt the family as a
social institution, the poet asks the earnest seeker to do some soul-searching here. When
one has played his or her role within the family, family life has to be transcended. That is all
that is being said here.
There comes a time in an aspirant’s quest for Truth when he has to forego the
comforts of home and take to a secluded lifestyle. This is built into the Indian way of life.
There is nothing abnormal about it.
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2 When he does this, he sees the true perspective of family life from the outside. The
true nature of worldly existence or Samsara is understood. When we are in a whirlpool, we
do not know in which direction we are going. Only when we step out of it, can we see see
that we were being spun around in never-ending circles. So it is with Samsara.
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3 The answers to “Where have you come from?” come from a deeper level of his
personality, and that level is reached only under the condition when he has come out of the
‘family’ life.
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4 This whole verse can be answered in two totally different ways, depending on
whether one is still family-bound or has transcended the family. From the latter perspective,
when one is unattached to the family, the answer comes that the real relationship to
nurture is the one that links us to the whole of creation, not just to the family of one’s birth.
Family relationships are in the realm of unreality; the Self goes beyond such narrow confines
and links one to the Pure Consciousness pervading this universe.
Our true relationship with the world is only understood when we have renounced
family ties. The broader picture then comes into focus
While we are looking at what is close to us, it is not possible to
see what is distant from us.
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Conclusion :
This song focuses on intellectual bondage. Who is your wife? Wife, in this context, is taken to mean all partners – in business, in a team sport, in a musical orchestra. In the larger context it means anybody we look to for comfort. Son or child refers to anyone who looks up to us for support.
Who are they? Who are we? Where did we come from? Where are we going? Have we ever thought about these things? We may not have the answers. However, we cannot live in ignorance all the time. Without knowing anything about ourselves and our close relationships we are bound to go wrong. When our actions boomerang on us and cause sorrow, we blame the other person or the environment or even God!
Acharya Shankaraji says we should maintain a dispossess attitude towards our possessions even while we have them and are enjoying them. People have misunderstood this verse and given up possessions! Attachments need to go, not objects of attachment. The problem is with our attitude, not the objects and beings around. So by giving up people and things we do not achieve anything. Distancing ourselves from things and people is easy. It is maintaining a spirit of detachment in our relationships that is difficult.
What is the difference? Detachment is the removal of selfishness, demands and expectations. It is the dropping of the sense of “my-ness”. Analyze all the things we are attached to. What is ours about the son, daughter, wife or husband? They are individuals with their own distinct personalities, life goals and aspirations. What right have we to interfere with this pattern and impose our will on them? Yet every one of us is doing precisely this. This causes strife, tension and difference of opinion. We should love them for themselves without a selfish agenda. Accept them for what they are, not for what we hope to receive from them. Then the relationship becomes pure, bereft of unreasonable expectations and the attendant disappointment and frustration.
It is the same with objects. Remove the possessiveness and keep the possessions. Only then will we enjoy the fruits of our labor. Today we put in a lot of effort to acquire these things. But our possessiveness towards them makes us agitated, bitter and irritated. As the Gita says, we cook but eat sin. We work hard, but the result is only sin or mental agitation.
Acharya Shankaraji emphasises the need to reflect over this truth here and now. We have to understand the urgency of the matter.
There is no time to waste pursuing only material ends.
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