BHAJA GOVINDAM - 12. Swami Adi Sri Sankaracharya.

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Thursday, December 15, 2022. 06:00.

Slokam - 12.The Stubborn Gusts of Desire (with Translation)

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Slokam-12. (with Translation)

1 dinayaaminyau saayam praatah       = Day and night, dawn and dusk,

2 shishira vasantau punara- ayaatah; = winter and spring, again they come (and go).

3 kaalah kreedati gacchaty- aayuh    = With the play of time, life ebbs away.

4tadapi na munchaty-aashaa vaayuh.   = And yet, one leaves not the gusts of desires.

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Bhashyam (Vyakyanam) :

The Cycle of Joy and Sorrow :

1-2 The opposites mentioned can be interpreted in two ways:

i) Literally: They indicate the relentless march of Time – day in and day out, year in 

and year out. The cycle of repetition is not noticed because we are so engrossed in our small 

world of pleasures.

ii) Figuratively: They can also be taken to mean the recurring opposites of joy and 

sorrow, the ups and downs of life, the extremes we encounter in day-to-day life. Every time 

we experience joy, we must realize that sorrow is just around the corner in pursuit. This 

cycle is also never-ending – it lasts as long as we are trapped in the birth and death cycle.

This figurative meaning is more applicable in the context which the poet is trying to 

portray. The Time cycle is unavoidable; it is a law of Nature. But the cycle of joy and sorrow 

can be overcome by living in the light of knowledge and discovery of our true nature of 

spirit. There IS an end to it after all! This is what the poet is desperately trying to teach us.

Desire, Like Time, Has No End

3-4 Time marches on, and with it the Dance of Death goes on with its performance. 

Life is passing away rapidly before our very eyes, yet we are not prepared to let go our 

desires. 

There is a beautiful simile which Acharyaji gave in detail:

A man is chased by a tiger in the forest. He falls into a well. He is stuck in the well on 

a branch midway down. If he slips by a fraction of an inch he will plunge into the water 

below where water snakes are swimming about. The tiger peers threateningly at him from 

the top. Just then the man is stung by bees. Soon rats are busy gnawing at the creeper on 

which the man is being supported. A bear comes and claws into the honeycomb on the tree 

overhanging the well. In this perilous position, with danger at every turn, a drop of honey 

drips on his face from the honeycomb above. The man, forgetting all his perils, sticks out his 

tongue to lick it!

This typifies the kind of satisfaction we are seeking in worldly life. The serpents are 

one’s relatives, the well itself represents family life. The rats represent TIME. And the honey 

in the midst of all these dangers represents the momentary pleasures of sensual life.

Acharyaji was evidently not contented with one example. He offered us another:

Have you ever seen a cat playing with a rat? How it tortures the spirit of the rat! It 

does not kill it straightaway, but goes on torturing it. It just stares at it and the poor rat 

trembles. Then it grabs the rat’s tail and gives it a few shakes, staring at the poor fellow all 

the while. This goes on until the rat literally dies of fright!

This is how worldly pleasures torture us. They give us a pinch of 
pleasure accompanied by a pound of pain.

*****

Next
Mantram - 13: Surrendering Our Worries
To be continued

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