Bhaja Govindam part 13...... (commentary by Gopi Krishna)

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Commentary on the Bhaja Govindam of Shanakra by Gopi Krishna...

 

 

Sloka 8

 

Kaa Te Kaantaa Kaste Putrah

Samsaaroyamateeva Vichitrah

Kasya Tvam Kah Kuta Aayaatah

Tattvam Chintaya Tadiha Bhraatah

 

.... Bhaja Govindam, Bhaja Govindam

 

 

Meaning:

 

Kaa - who is, Te - your, Kaantaa - wife, Kah - who is, Te - your, Putrah -

son, Samsaarah Ayah - this Samsaara, Ateeva - supremely, Vichitrah -

(indeed) wonderful, Kasya - of whom, Tvam - are you, Kah (Tvam) - who are

you, Kutah - from where, Aayaatah - have come, Tattvam - of that Truth,

Chintaya - think, Tad Iha - that here alone, Bhraatah - O Brother.

 

Substance:

 

Who is your wife? Who is your son? Very strange is this family bond or

samsaara. Of whom are you? From where have you come? O Brother, ponder over

that Truth here.

 

Commentary:

 

If one starts reflecting on the course of worldly life, which is a great

mysterious enigma, one is faced with questions like, whence did one come,

where was one previously, who is one's wife, one's son and other relations

and what is the existence of oneself and the relation or the bond between

one and another, etc. Starting with these simple questions, one will be

puzzled by many more such questions and the reasons for one's anxiety and

attachment. As one keeps on contemplating and meditating on such questions,

the delusion will vanish and one will be at peace. One will understand that

the body is perishable and the soul is imperishable and one should not

become victim of erroneous attachments and the transient nature of these

relations. These bonds may teach us or influence us to be tolerant,

understand the limits of one's freedom, necessity of sharing, relieve from

the selfishness and save us from many such negative aspects, but if one

looks at the other side, it may lead us to get entangled in worldly

attachments and become the root cause for our anxieties and worries. So as

to get over these pitfalls, one has to learn to live life with detachment at

home itself. The only possible antidote for the follies of delusion is

complete surrender to Lord and through intelligent enquiry choose " shreyas "

instead of " preyas " . Naturally, the first questions is who am I?, then who

is my wife? who is my son?, etc. On simple analysis, one understands that

one's wife is another's daughter or sister or some such relation. Having

born independently, in the journey from birth to death, one acquires many

such relations and bonds and when the death descends, all these relations

vanish in thin air. Ultimately, one realises the truth that one belongs only

to the Divine Father or Mother and nobody else. All relations other than the

relation with the Main Source of Universe is false, causes unhappiness,

anxiety and worry.

 

Sri Adi Sankaracharya asks his younger brothers in this sloka to

ponder over the weakness of extreme attachment to things of the world

outside and the futility that it brings ultimately.