[Chaturamnaya] Adi Sankara's Bhaja Govindam - 9

[S Jayanarayanan]

(Continued from previous post)
 
 
Verse 10
वयसि गते कः कामविकारः शुष्के नीरे कः कासारः |
क्षीणे वित्ते कः परिवारः ज्ञाते तत्वे कः संसारः ||
 
Vayasi gatE kah kaamavikaarah, SushkE neerE kah kaasaarah
Ksheene vittE kah parivarO, JnaatE tatvE kah samsaarah
 
When youthfulness has passed (vayasi gate वयसि गते), where is lust and its play (kah kaama vikaara: कः काम विकारः)? When water has dried up (sushkE neerE शुष्के नीरे) where is the lake
(kah kaasaarah कः कासारः)? When wealth is spent (Ksheene vittE क्षीणे वित्ते) where are the relations (kah parivara: कः परिवारः)? When the Truth is realized (jnaatE tatvE ज्ञाते तत्वे), 
where is the bondage (kah samsaarah कः संसारः)?
 
With the passage of youth, the expression of lust vanishes in the body. The dry lake and spent wealth are given to exemplify the correlation between youth and physical desires.
But verily, that circumstance is related primarily to the gross body (sthoola sareera स्थूलशरीर). Various desires may continue to exist in the subtle body (sookshma sareera सूक्ष्मशरीर)
comprising of the mind, etc., and one needs active intervention for their removal. Such removal is accomplished through knowledge of the Truth, here Truth referring to the truth
concerning the eternal and the bondage of our desires and attachments that get in the way of its realization. When that Truth is realized, there is no place for such desires
and bondage even within one’s thought, and that makes it possible to attain brahmacharya (ब्रह्मचर्य) , chastity in the wider sense as noted above.
 
What our scriptures advocate is not the suppression of our desires. Suppression is inherently dangerous in that there is always the risk that suppressed desires could come out
with redoubled vigor and cause much harm. What is advocated is rather the sublimation of those desires through involving one’s mind and thoughts on higher goals through prayer,
good company, and association with a guru (गुरु).
 
Finally, we come to what creates the utmost bondage for us humans, namely our attachment to our kith and kin. We shall discuss the two verses below together as they bring forth
a common theme.
 
Verse 8
का ते कान्ता कस्ते पुत्रः संसारोयमतीव विचित्रः |
कस्य त्वं कुत आयातः तत्त्वं चिन्तय तदिह भ्रातः ||
Kaa tE kaantaa kastE putrah, SamsaarOyamatIva vichitrah
Kasya tvam kuta aayaatah, Tattvam chintaya tadiha bhraatah
 
Oh, brother! (bhraata: भ्रातः ) Who is your wife? (tE kaantaa kaa ? ते कान्ता का ?) Who is your son? (kah tE putrah? कः ते पुत्रः ?). This life is very strange (ayam samsaara: atIva vichitrah
अयं संसारः अतीव विचित्रः ). Whose are you ? (kasya tvam? कस्य त्वं ) Where did you come from? (kuta aayaatah? कुत आयातः ). Dwell on these truths here (tat tvam iha chintaya तत् त्वं इह चिन्तय ).
 
 
(Continued in next post)