Shankara's Bhaja Govindham

Seek Govindha, seek Govindha
Seek Govindha, Oh fool!
When the appointed time arrives,
Rules of grammar will definitely not save you. [1]

Oh fool! Give up your thirst to amass wealth,
Think of reality in your mind , devoid of passions.
Whatever you obtain, produced by your karma,
With that wealth, entertain the ciththa (mind). [2]

Woman's navel region, weighted down by her breasts,
Seeing, fall not a prey to maddening delusion.
They are modifications of flesh, fat, etc.,
Reflect in your mind, again and again. [3]

Water on a lotus leaf is extremely unstable;
Even so is life, very much uncertain.
Know that, engulfed by disease and pride,
The entire world is overtaken by grief. [4]

As long as you are able to earn money,
So long will your family be attached to you.
When later, you live with an infirm body,
No one at home asks about your welfare. [5]

As long as life-breath remains in the body,
So long will they enquire about your welfare at home.
When the vital air leaves the body,
The wife is afraid of that lifeless body. [6]

Child is attached to play,
Young man is attached to damsels,
Old man is attached to worries,
To supreme Brahman, none is attached. [7]

Who is your beloved? Who is your son?
This samsâra (world) is very strange.
To whom do you belong? Who are you? From where have you come?
Reflect over these truths here, Friend! [8]

From association with the wise comes non-attachment,
From non-attachment comes absence of delusion,
From absence of delusion comes steady dwelling in reality,
From steady dwelling in reality comes jîvanmukthi (freedom). [9]

When one has become old, what is lust drive?
When water has dried, what is a lake?
When wealth is gone, what is a family?
When the reality is known, what is samsâra? [10]

Do not be proud of your wealth, people, or youth;
Time destroys everything in just a moment.
Giving up all these that are the products of mâyâ,
Enter into the state of Brahman, after knowing. [11]

Day and night, dusk and dawn,
Winter and spring, keep coming again.
Time plays, life is spent;
Even then, man does not give up the storm of hope. [12]

Who is your beloved? Why think about wealth?
Oh mad man, is there none to guide you?
In all three worlds, only association with the wise
Is a boat for crossing the ocean of worldly existence. [13]

Matted locks, shaven head, plucked-out hairs,
Saffron cloth, these are various enacted roles.
Even though seeing, the fool does not see,
For stomach's sake, these are various enacted roles. [14]

Body is weak, head is bald,
Without tooth, leaning on crutches,
Old man goes holding a stick,
Yet does not give up the bundle of hope. [15]

Fire in the front, the sun behind,
At night, he curls up the body to keep out the cold,
With hand as bowl for bhiksha (food), and dwelling beneath a tree,
Yet does not give up the bonds of hope. [16]

One might make a pilgrimage to the Gangâ or the ocean,
Observe vows, or give away in charity.
But without jñâna (knowledge), with all of these,
He cannot attain mukthi (freedom) even in a hundred births. [17]

Dwelling in a holy temple, beneath a tree,
The earth as bed, deerskin as dress,
Renouncing all possessions and enjoyments,
Who would not be made happy by dispassion? [18]

Taking delight in yoga or bhoga (sense pleasure),
Taking delight in company, or being alone,
He whose mind likes to dwell in Brahman,
Enjoys, enjoys, certainly enjoys. [19]

Has studied some part of Bhagavadhgîthâ;
Has drunk a drop of Gangâ water;
He who has done some deliberation on Murâri (Lord),
Such a person shall not have any dispute with Yama (Death). [20]

And again birth, and again death,
And again, in the mother's womb, to sleep;
In this samsâra, very difficult to cross,
And boundless, please save me, Murâri! [21]

Whose cloth is made of pieces from the road,
Whose path is devoid of virtue and vice,
The yogin, whose ciththa is immersed in yoga,
Enjoys, like a child and as one intoxicated indeed. [22]

Who are you? Who am I? From where did I come ?
Who is my mother? Who is my father?
Thus ponder; the entire, essenceless
Universe, having given up, as a mere dreamland. [23]

In you, in me, and in other places, there is but one Vishnu (Lord).
Unecessarily, you are angry with me, and impatient;
You should become equal-minded everywhere,
If you wish to soon attain the status of Vishnu. [24]

With foe, friend, son, relatives,
Make no effort to love or fight;
In everyone, indeed, see yourself;
Everywhere, give up sense of difference. [25]

Lust, anger, greed, delusion,
Giving up, reflect about yourself: "Who am I?"
Devoid of self-knowledge, are fools;
They are tortured in hell as captives. [26]

Gîthâ and thousand names are to be sung;
Vishnu's form is to be meditated upon, always;
Ciththa is to be led into the company of noble people;
And wealth is to be given to the needy people. [27]

Easily is done, indulgence in sexual pleasure;
Later on, alas, in the body, disease comes;
Though, in the world, death is the ultimate end,
Even then, one does not give up sinful behavior. [28]

Wealth as calamitous, think always;
From it, there is no bit of happiness, truly;
Even from son, for rich people, there is fear;
Everywhere, this is the ordained way. [29]

Prânâyâma, withdrawal of sense-organs,
Vicâra (enquiry) with discrimination between real and unreal;
Along with japa, practice of samâdhi:
Perform with care, with extreme care. [30]

Great bhaktha (devotee) of guru's lotus feet!
From samsâra, soon, be free;
Through control of senses and mind, thus,
You will see the Lord that dwells in one's heart! [31]

Last Revised: 2 May 2002

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