Bhaja Govindam (part 18) Commentary by Gopi Krishna

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Bhaja Govdinam ....Commentary by Gopi Krishna

(part 18)

 

Sloka 13

 

Kaa Te Kaantaa Dhanagatachintaa

Vaatula Kim Tava Naasti Niyantaa

Trijagati Sajjanasangatirekaa

Bhawati Bhavaarnavatarane Naukaa

 

.... Bhaja Govindam, Bhaja Govindam

 

Meaning:

 

Kaa - where is, Te - your, Kaantaa - wife, Dhanagat - pertaining to wealth,

Chintaa - worry, Vaatula - O distrcted one, Kim - is there, Tava - to you,

Na asti - not, Niyantaa - the ordainer of rules (one who ordains or

commands), Trijagati - in the three worlds, Sajjan - of the good, Sangati -

association, (Sajjanasangati - the association with the good), Ekaa - alone,

Bhavati - becomes (can serve as), Bhaava arnava tarane - to cross the sea of

change (birth and death), Naukaa - the boat.

 

Substance:

 

O Distracted one! why worry about wife, wealth, etc. Is there no one to

guide you? Know that in the three worlds, only the association with good

people alone can save you as a boat to cross the ocean of life (birth and

death).

 

Commentary:

 

To worry on anything materialistic means waste of our mental energies. By

allowing the mind besieged by the worries and thoughts of wife and wealth,

one is making it impoverished. If one starts reflecting and thinking

rationally about these attachments and examine carefully the connection

between one soul called wife and another soul called self or husband in this

life and also between oneself and the wealth one wishes to amass, one can

easily understand that all this botheration is for transitory pleasures.

These are all undoubtedly profitless or useless thoughts, as once the prana

escapes from the bundle of bones and flesh and the body gets disintegrated,

all attachments will bind one. The seeker should constantly strive to grow

over sense-gratification and base instincts and uplift one's thoughts by

conscious remembrance of the Lord. The only possible way out of such mean

actions is to associate oneself constantly and continuously with good

people, who are endowed with vision and mission in their lives. Although the

mind initially resists any attempts of associating oneself with learned and

self-controlled people, ultimately it will learn to forget, over a period of

time, the old habits of thought. This alone is the known and effective

remedy. As one proceeds on this new path, the devotee shall discover oneself

and the rewards or result of such sadhana depends on the amount of effort

one puts in.

 

Self-control will lead to mental peace, which ultimately result in

inner-joy or peace of mind. So, sajjana sangati, i.e., association with

devout people is an important prerequisite for one who wishes to tread on

this path. This sajjana sangati will work as a nauka or boat to cross the

ocean of limitation. As the boat keeps floating on the water, the sadhaka,

while living in this materialistic world, will float on it by not getting

entangled in the maya.