Govinda!Govinda!

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Srimate SrivanSatakopa Sri Vedanta Desika Yatindra Maadesikaya nama:

 

 

 

" Govinda! Govinda! "

 

 

 

A huge crowd had gathered in front of the building housing a finance company.

Most of the people appeared agitated and the looks on their faces were

murderous. I went near to find out what was wrong, with all the curiosity of a

passerby and was surprised to find the Lord's name being uttered by many of

them, but without the devotion or ecstasy that normally accompanies such

chanting. In fact they appeared to be uttering the naama more in chagrin and

pain, than in any joy or elation. 'Govinda!' was the glorious name emanating

from their lips, irrespective of religious affinity. When I inquired, it

transpired that after mobilising sizeable deposits from a large number of

gullible investors, the finance company owners had done a vanishing act

overnight, disappearing with crores of rupees of public money. While describing

the loss of money, many in the crowd were saying 'Panam Govindaa thaan'. Anguish

and sorrow engulfed me, less in commiseration with the plight of those who had

lost the money, and more at the way Emperuman's tirunaamam was being misused to

depict a case of cheating and misappropriation. And this naturally led me to

thoughts of the glory of this particular name of the Lord, my mental rambling

confirming the extreme inappropriateness of using such a hallowed name of the

Lord under such circumstances.

 

 

 

If you really think about it, you would find the greatness of the Govinda naama

such as to defy narration. If a competition were to be held among Bhagavan

Naamaas, in terms of efficacy, sweetness, greatness, popular acceptance,

handiness for repetitive use, etc., the Govinda naama would win hands down. This

is no idle claim of an ignoramus like me, but a well-documented fact that is

reiterated often in our Itihaasaas and Puranas.

 

 

 

Further, the Govinda naama is intertwined with our lives and finds use from the

time we wake up till we go to sleep daily. One of the very first acts after our

getting up from bed is to perform an Aachamanam. And during this Achamanam and

every other that we perform on various occasions throughout the day, the name

Govinda occupies a pride of place, chanted first while sipping the water and

again while touching various parts of the body with our fingers. 'Sarvaangaanaam

Nayanam pradhaanam' say the Shastras, attributing primacy to the eyes among the

various organs of the body. And it is perhaps an indication of the greatness of

the Govinda naama that the prescribed part to be touched while uttering it is

the eye. And before we eat too, after sanctifying the food with the Parishechana

mantras and offering it to our Inner Dweller symbolically, it is the Govinda

naama that we utter, before even a crumb passes our lips. And Shastras tell us

that with each morsel of food intake, we should utter the Govinda naama-'Kapale

kapale chaiva kuryaat Govinda keertanam'.

 

At the beginning of every Sankalpam, which precedes any vaidika karma, we

recite, " Sri Govinda! Govinda! Govinda! asya Sri Bhagavata: mahaa Purushasya.. "

This perhaps makes food tastier, healthier and more nourishing. Most of us, when

we are past 40 and our limbs start giving us trouble, making us grunt and groan

when we sit down and get up, involuntarily say 'Govinda', to ease the process.

It is Govinda who protects those who play, the Mahabharata tells us-'Kreedantam

paatu Govinda: sayaanam paatu Madhava:' Hence the Govinda naama appears to be

the ideal one for athletes to utter. Thus, the use of the Govinda naama is

widespread and is inextricably mingled with our daily routine, made so by

Maharshis who have known and experienced the efficacy of this tirunaamam.

 

 

 

To talk of the efficacy of Bhagavan naamaas is perhaps sacrilegious-one holy

name of the Lord is definitely as potent as another in destroying sin and

conferring auspiciousness. However, some of these names have found much greater

favour with devotees, on various grounds. For instance, though the Lord has a

thousand names and more, there is no practice of chanting 'Nyagrodha:,

Udumbara:, Amoorti:' etc., though these are doubtless a part of the Sahasranaama

Stotram. Though these naamaas signify certain attributes of Emperuman, yet we do

not go in for intensified chanting or japam of these names. Similarly, though

there are divine names galore, devotees have preferred the Govinda naama as

protection against evil and while appealing to Him for assistance during

emergencies.

 

 

 

A classic case in point is Droupati. When all effort at protecting her modesty

(from the intemperate Ducchaasana who was intent on disrobing her in pubic)

fails, she puts up her hands in desperation and calls to a distant Krishna to

rush to her aid. And in doing so, she couches her appeal in the following words-

 

 

 

'Shanka Chakra Gadaa paane! Dwaaraka nilaya! Achyuta!

 

Govinda! Pundareekaaksha! Raksha maam saranaagataam'

 

 

 

Readers may wonder-Droupati has definitely not given any primacy to the Govinda

naama while crying out to Sri Krishna, prefacing the same with others like

Achyuta, Dwaraka Nilaya, etc. So, where is the question of Govinda naama alone

coming to her rescue? To find an answer to this, we have to look into the

response of Sri Krishna to Droupati's appeal. Discussing the matter at Dwaraka

with Sri Rugmini, the Lord tells Her that He had to rush to the distressed

damsel's rescue immediately, because her calling Him 'Govinda' had struck a deep

chord in His merciful heart and His sense of obligation to save her was

multiplying every moment, much like a debt contracted at usurious rates of

interest. Among all the other names she calls Him in her appeal, Emperuman

particularly remembers and repeats the name Govinda, as being responsible for

making Him feel extremely obliged-

 

 

 

'Govinda!' iti yat aakrandat Krishnaa maam doora vaasinam

 

Rinam pravruddham iva me hridayaat na apasarpati'

 

 

 

Sri Pillai Lokacharya declares that it was this Govinda naama, not even the Lord

Himself, which protected Droupati from certain shame and ignominy-'Droupatikku

aapattile pudavai surandadu tirunaamam ire'. The Acharya explains that even if

Emperuman is far off, as He was at distant Dwaraka when Droupati (at

Hastinapuram) appealed to Him, His glorious Govinda naama is always by our side

and would protect us from peril, if only we choose to utter it-'avan doorastthan

aanaalum idu kitti nindru udavum'. Hence the Acharya concludes that the Govinda

naama in particular and all Bhagavan naamaas in general, are greater and more

glorious than the Lord Himself-'Vaachya prabhaavam pol andru vaachaka

prabhaavam'.

 

 

 

We come across several devotees, especially at Tirumala, uttering this holiest

of holy names differently--some say 'Goyinda', yet others 'Gohinda'.

Etymologically, such pronunciations rob the word of all significance, making it

probably meaningless. However, as far as the Lord is concerned, it is the

devotion with which the name is uttered, rather than its grammatical perfection,

which matters more. Whichever way the Govinda naama is uttered, rightly or

wrongly, it offers comprehensive protection to its votaries, unlike most other

mantras which require perfect pronunciation and intonation. This again is stated

by Sri Pillai Lokacharya-'sollum kramam ozhiya sonnaalum than svaroopam keda

nillaadu'.

 

 

 

Well, if it is all that exalted as is touted by Shastras, the purport of this

tirunaamam must indeed be profound. What exactly does the name Govinda mean?

According to the Sri Vishnu Sahasranama Stotram, the Lord is known as Govinda:

as He is the (sole) recipient of wholesome words of praise by the

Shruti-'Gavaam, Stuti Giraam vinda: Govinda: sa udaahrita:'. It is a universally

accepted fact that all words of the immaculate Vedas are nothing but words of

adoration and adulation addressed to Emperuman. At places, it may appear that

the Shruti is heaping praise on various devatas like Agni, Vaayu, Varuna, Indra,

Rudra, et al. However, all such paeans of praise are meant solely for the

Universal Inner Dweller, the Paramatma. As such, Sriman Narayana is the only

person entitled to be adulated ('Stavya:' says the Sahasranaamam) and to whom

all words of admiration are addressed, thus making Him Govindan.

 

 

 

Sri Parasara Battar interprets the naama as referring to Varaha Perumal-He is

Govindan because He rescued and regained Mother Earth who had been spirited away

by asuras and hidden deep under the ocean. In support of this, he quotes the

Lord Himself, in the following Mahabhaarata slokam-

 

 

 

'nashtaam cha dharaneem poorvam avindam cha guhaa gataam

 

Govinda iti tenaaham devai: vaagbhi: abhishtuta:'.

 

 

 

This appears to be most authentic interpretation, since it comes from Emperuman

Himself and is reiterated elsewhere too in Mahabharata-

 

 

 

'imaam hi dharaneem poorvam nashtaam saagara mekhalaam

 

Govinda ujjahaara aasu Vaaraaham roopam aasrtita;'

 

 

 

The most obvious interpretation and the one which brings out in full the Lord's

admirable trait of Accessibility or Soulabhyam, is of course to define Him as

one who attains/protects/leads cows. Just think of it, the Supreme Paramatma,

the omnipotent Parabrahmam coming down to earth and moving as one with the

lowliest of lowly and engaging Himself in the humble occupation of a cowherd!

The Lord is praised by Indra as being the leader of cows, in the following

Harivamsa sloka-

 

 

 

'Aham kila Indro devaanaam, tvam gavaam Indratvam gata;

 

Govinda iti lokaa: tvaam stoshyanti bhuvi saasvatam'

 

 

 

He knows each of the cows in Gokulam individually and inside out. And the cows

know Him too, recognizing Him as the Supreme Lord and showering their love and

affection on Him in abundant measure-- this too gives Him the name

Govinda;- " Govindo vedanaat gavaam " . And He is crowned by Indra as the King of

Cows, in what is known as Govinda Pattaabhishekam, which followed the Lord's

holding up the Goverdhana mountain for seven days with His little finger, as a

protective umbrella for the cows and cowherds of Gokulam from the sleet, rain

and storm let loose by an enraged Indra, denied his usual annual tribute.

'Abhyashinchata Daasaarham "

 

 

 

There are several other subsidiary meanings of the Govinda naama arrived at by

scholars who have immersed themselves in the beauty and glory of this hallowed

name of the Lord.

 

 

 

It is interesting if you see how the Govinda nama is used by scriptures while

denoting the Paramatma. To offer just one example, we know the famous

Taittiriyopanishad dictum which tells us that all demigods perform their

appointed work, prompted by fear of the Parabrahmam- " Bheeshaasmaat vaata;

pavate, bheeshodeti Soorya: bheeshaasmaat Agnischa Indrascha, Mrityu: dhaavati'.

That Paramatma, who is left nameless by the Taittiriyopanishad, is identified

definitively as Govinda, by the Gopala Poorvataapini Upanishad-'Govindaat

Mrityu: bibheti'. If Govinda is thus the source of fear ( " Bhaya krit " ), He is

also the one who destroys fear " Bhaya naasana: " , we are told by Sri

Mahabharatam-

 

" Atasee pushpa sankaasam peeta vaasasam Achyutam

 

Ye namasyanti Govindam na teshaam vidyate bhayam'

 

 

 

It is Govinda who is touted to be the holiest of the holy, the most auspicious

of all that is held auspicious-

 

 

 

'Pavitraanaam hi Govinda: pavitram param uchyate

 

Punyaanaam api punya: asou mangalaanaam cha mangalam'

 

 

 

He might have a thousand and more names, but the name to which He answers with

pleasure is of course the Govinda naama, because it reminds Him of His sojourn

with cows and Gopas and Gopis, who are extremely dear to His heart. In fact, He

is pained if addressed by any other name indicating His supremacy, which is why

Sri Andal beseeches Him not to be annoyed at being called such names-'Siru per

azhaittanavum seeri arulaade.' Again, to indicate the wantlessness of the

Paramatma and to explain His having attained all that He desires, it is the

Govinda naama that She resorts to-'Kurai ondrum illaada Govinda!'. Such is

Andal's fascination and infatuation with the Govinda nama, that she trains even

Her parrots to continuously call out only that tirunaamam - " Koottil irundu kili

eppodum Govinda!Govinda! endru azhaikkum "

 

 

 

The greatness and glory of the Govinda naama are such that they are capable of

instantly transforming hell into heaven, says Tondaradippodi Azhwar- " poriyil

vaazh narakam ellaam pul ezhundu ozhiyum andre " . Though there is no direct

reference here to the Govinda nama, it is clear by inference, as Azhwar speaks

earlier of the three-lettered name of the Lord- " Govinda " -- which conferred

liberation on even a vile and wicked knave like Kshatrabandhu- " Moondru ezhutthu

udaya peraal Katthirabandhum andre paraangati kandu kondaan " . The same idea of

Govinda nama being the sole panacea for all mundane ills is emphasized by Vishnu

Dharmam too-

 

" Yadi samsaara nirvedaat abhivaanchasi sadgatim

 

Tat aaraadhaya Govindam " .

 

Further, not only does Govinda not have any " Kurai " or wants, He makes His

devotees too rid of any unrequited desires-for, a single utterance of the

Govinda nama is capable of conferring merits which cannot be attained even by

gifting a million cows during the auspicious eclipse period, by living for ages

on the banks of the sacred Ganga at Kasi and Prayag, giving off gold in

mountainous quantities to the needy and performing innumerable sacrifices

ordained in the Vedas.

 

 

 

The famous Ambareesha Chakravarthy is another votary of the Govinda nama, as

would appear from his response to Indra. The Emperor tells the chief of

celestials that it is natural for Devas to place hurdles in the way of those

whose devotion to Govinda is steadfast, for the celestials are envious of the

devotees. And why should there be such envy? Because the votaries of Govinda

would definitely rid themselves of Samsara and thus place themselves beyond the

power of Devas. Here is the relative slokam from Vishnu Dharmam--

 

 

 

'Srooyate kila Govinde bhakti udvahataam nrinaam

 

Samsaaraarnava bheetaanaam tridasaa: paripanthina:'

 

 

 

Notwithstanding any such hurdle, the Emperor expresses his resolve never to

forsake the worship of Govinda, for nothing else could be more auspicious-

 

 

 

'Govinda bhaktaadhikam shreyascha anyam na vidyate

 

Sa tvam prahara maa vaa mayi vajram Purandara!

 

Naaham utsrijya Govindam anyam aaraadhayaami bho:'

 

 

 

However, is the Govinda nama part of a potent mantra, like Narayana, Vishnu and

Vasudeva, which respectively form the body of the Ashtaakshara, Shadakshara and

Dvaadasaakshara mantras? Yes, the Upanishad tells us, calling it the

five-lettered/worded formulation- " Govindasya pancha padam manum " . To those who

meditate on the Lord and surrender to Him using this Govinda mantra prefaced by

Pranavam, He shows Himself in all His splendour, we are told- " teshaam asou

darsayat aatma roopam tasmaat mumukshu: abhyaset nitya shaanti: " Apart from the

Govinda mantra, this holy name also forms an integral part of the MahaSudarsana

mantram.

 

 

 

Govindan is described as a beautiful moorthi, distinct and different from other

forms of Sriman Narayana. He is depicted with not one or two, but four bows in

His four hands, all meant for aasrita rakshanam (protection of the devout),

which sets Him apart as a Saviour par excellence. He is extraordinarily

effulgent, His splendour not that of the scorching Sun, but resembling that of a

thousand moons, cool, pleasant and inviting, instantly relieving us from the

horrible heat of Samsara. Here is Swami Desikan's tribute to Govindan, in his

Panniru Tirunaamam-

 

 

 

" Govinan endrum kulir madiyaagi kodiyavarai

 

Evum dhanukkaludan terkkilum ul kazhutthilum

 

Mevum tiruvarulaal vinai teertthu enai aandu arulum

 

Poovan tozha atthi maa malai mel nindra punniyane "

 

 

 

When my ruminations drew to a close, I recollected

what started off the train of thought-the habit of people uttering the Govinda

nama, especially when they are cheated, looted or lose money otherwise. I

realized, on second thoughts, that the habit is not as inappropriate as I

originally concluded, but is indeed the losers' call to the Lord, just like

Droupati, for assistance at a time of distress, due to the involuntary

realization that it is to Govinda they must appeal, at a time of anguish and

pain. If the hills of Tirumala have been reverberating since time immemorial

with the devotees' call of " Govinda! " , despite Srinivasa having no apparent

connection with the particular name, it speaks volumes about bhaktas' preference

for the intoxicating elixir of the Govinda nama. Thus, while scholars prefer the

name for its profound purport, the proletariat prefers it for its simplicity and

sweetness, making this holy name one of universal acceptance and adulation.

 

 

 

Here are a few slokas I found in the course

of my browsing, which sit sweet on the tongue, for your perusal and pleasure-

 

 

 

" Namo viggyaana roopaaya paramaananda roopine

 

Krishnaya Gopeenaathaaya Govindaya namo nama:

 

 

 

Barhi peedaabhiraamaaya raamaaya aakuntta medhase

 

Ramaa maanasa hamsaaya Govindaya namo nama:

 

 

 

Kesava! klesa harana! Narayana! Janardana!

 

Govinda!Paramaananda!maam samuddhara Madhava!

 

 

 

Yata: Satyam yato Dharma: yato hree: aarjavam yata:

 

Tato bhavati Govinda: yata: Krishna: tato jaya:

 

 

 

Go koti daanam grahaneshu, Kaasi Prayaaga Gangaa krita kalpa vaasa:

 

Yagyaayutam Meru suvarna daanam Govinda naamnaam na kadaapi tulyam " .

 

 

 

 

 

Srimate SriLakshmiNrisimha divya paduka sevaka SrivanSatakopa Sri Narayana

Yatindra Mahadesikaya nama:

 

dasan, sadagopan

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Vrindavane cha govindam