[Chaturamnaya] Adi Sankara's Bhaja Govindam - 12

[S Jayanarayanan]

(Continued from previous post)
 
 
Verse 15
अङ्गं गलितं पलितं मुण्डं दशनविहीनं जातं तुण्डम् ।
वृद्धो याति गृहीत्वा दण्डं तदपि न मुञ्चत्याशापिण्डम् ॥
angam galitam palitam mundam, dashanavihīnam jātam tundam
vriddhō yāti gruhītvā dandam, tadapi na munchatyāshāpindam
 
The limbs (अङ्गं angam) are weakened (गलितम् galitam); the head (मुण्डम् mundam) has turned grey (पलितम् palitam); the mouth (तुण्डम् tundam) has become (जातम् jātam) toothless (दशनविहीनम् dashanavihīnam).
The old man (व्रूद्ध: vrddha:) walks (याति yāti) holding (गृहीत्वा gruhītvā) a stick (दण्डम् dandam). Even then (तदपि tadapi) [he] does not give up (न मुञ्चति na munchati) his bundle of hopes and desires
(आशापिण्डम् āshāpindam).
 
The imagery presented of an old, decrypt man unable to carry his own weight but still carrying the burden of his desires and ambition is indeed graphic. If with age, the maturity
to let go does not come, then old age becomes an even greater burden after all. Recall the line “वृद्धस्तावच्चिन्तासक्त: vrddhastāvat chintāsakta:” of Verse 7 in Part 2 whereby only worries
and despair become the only capacity left to the old who fit the description of that verse “परमे ब्रह्मणि कोपि न सक्त: paramē brahmani kōpi na sakta:” (incapable of setting one’s mind
on Brahman).Age does not automatically engender maturity. Emotional and spiritual age should indeed accompany physical age, and that is the primary import of this verse.
 
In the following verse, the āchārya notes that the above plight does not befall just the wealthy, who are endowed with various means for pleasure, but can befall even the homeless
destitute, or for that matter even an ascetic. The poverty of desire and inadequacy is the greatest equalizer on this earth sparing none in any segment of the social scale except
those who have gained an inner sense of adequacy and dispassion.
 
Verse 16
अग्रे वह्नि: पृष्ठे भानुःरात्रौ चुबुचुकसमर्पितजानु: ।
करतलभिक्षस्तरुतलवासस्तदपि न मुञ्चत्याशापाश: ॥
agrē vahni: prishtē bhānū: rātrou chubukasamarpitajānu:
karatalabhikshastarutalavāsa: tadapi na munjatyāhāpāsha:
 
In front (अग्रे agrē) [is] fire (वह्नि: vahni:), behind (पृष्ठे prishtē) is sun (भानु: bhanu:). At night (रात्रौ rātrou) is the face huddled between the knees (चुचुकसमर्पितजानु: chuchukasamarpita jānu:).
In the palms are alms (करतलभिक्ष: karatalabhiksha:). [He is] living under a tree (रुतलवास: tarutalavāsa:). And yet (तदपि tadapi) [his] desires and attachments (आशापाश: āshāpāsha: )
do not wane (न मुञ्चति na munchati).
 
Interpreted as applying to a renunciate, the above verse can be explained as stressing that creating physical distance with one’s possessions and dear and near ones is not the real key
to true detachment. Renunciation is an act of the mind, the renunciation of one’s cravings and desires. Vedānta points out that desires are a consequence of the inadequacy born out of
a lack of recognition that the Self is complete (पूर्णम् इदम् pūrnam idam) as Brahman itself (पूर्णमद: pūrnam ada:) with no separation between the two since after all there cannot be two things
that are both distinct and complete. The ultimate victory over desires and attachments is through knowledge of this ultimate truth only. True renunciation involves overcoming one’s likes
(राग: rāga) and dislikes (द्वेष: dvēsha); through the former one sheds the desire to acquire anything (प्रवृत्ति pravrtthi) and through the latter the desire to avoid and get rid of anything
(निवृत्ति nivrtthi), enabling one thereby to accept all that comes as a blessing (प्रसादबुद्धि: prasāda buddhi) and indulging in action only as an offering to God (ईश्वरार्पणबुद्धि: Iswarārpana buddhi).
A true ascetic is one who has acquired these two qualities and is therefore without desires or an agenda of one’s own (सर्वारम्भपरित्यागि sarvārambha parityāgi).
 
Yet there are many who think renunciation is a matter of garb and appearance or one of austerities and penance alone. The next two verses together underscore the āchārya’s disdain for
ignorant and blind acts of faith and superficial appearances much of which, in the absence of true enlightenment, may only amount to an ostentatious piety.
 
 
(Continued in next post)