Saint & Starter

Bhaja Govindham 7

Verse 18

sura mandira taru mula nivasah sayya bhutalam ajinam vasah |

sarva parigraha bhoga tyagah kasya sukham na karoti viragah || 18 ||

He lives under a tree at the temple premises; his bed is the bare ground and dress is deerskin; he has given up all desires for worldly possessions and enjoyment of earthly pleasures; who won’t be happy, living with this kind of renunciation?

This verse is composed by Sri Nithyananda.  In this verse we have a picture of a true sanyasi, a man of dispassion who has given up all possessions. He lives at the root of a tree outside a temple; his bed is the lap of Mother Earth herself. His dress is only a simple deer skin.  He has renounced all pleasures both physically and mentally.  The life of utter simplicity described here, is not extremism or moderation. This is how great saints like Swami Tapovan Maharaj and Swami Sivananda lived after willingly renouncing their lucrative careers and choosing voluntarily to live the type of a simple life described here, accepting cheerfully all the hardships involved.  After describing the life of a true Vairagi, Acharya wonders why such a person should not be happy, for he has freed himself from the four things that causes mental preoccupation and worry.  They are possessions, obligations, relationships and transactions, which Swami Paramarthananda describes in his lectures as PORT.  His mind is unattached to the objects of the world.   He doesn’t crave for pleasures, and is free from fondness and fear; virtue and vice, attraction and aversion.  He is devoid of longing as he is freed from all desires.  As he has abandoned all the desires of the heart he is free from the delusion created by them.  He is not carried away with happiness or lost in worries.  He behaves with equanimity in happiness or sorrow, gain or loss, victory or defeat.  It is of such a person that Gita describes in 2-55 as one “satisfied in the Self by the Self” (atmanyeva atmana thushtaha).

Verse 19

yogarato va bhogarato va sangarato va sangavihinaḥ |

yasya brahmani ramate cittam nandati nandati nandatyeva ||

One may be immersed in Yoga or indulged in worldly pleasures; at times he may be in the company of others and at other times he may be alone.  But he alone whose mind delights in Brahman experiences bliss.

This verse is composed by Sri Aananda Giri.  He continues with the experience of the Yogi described in the previous verse. This Yogi has realized Brahman as his Real Self.  As Brahman is permanent pure Bliss, he is experiencing pure Bliss all the time as his mind is always absorbed in Brahman.  Whether such a yogi pursues Nivritti Marga (Yogarathaha) or Pravritti Marga(bhogarathaha), it does not matter. Whether he is in Grihastha asrama (sangarathaha) or Sanyasa asrama (sangavihinaha), it does not matter.  What matters is his mind is fixed in Brahman all the time.  Happiness is a state of mind and this permanent happiness cannot come from any external object, individually or collectively, as they themselves are not permanent.  So the happiness of mind in experiencing them has limited life and it binds one also in karma.  But the enjoyment of bliss in the realization of Brahman is permanent and free of karmic baggage.  Transcending the three gunas (Sattva, Rajas and Tamas), his mind is firmly established in a state of equilibrium.  The feeling of “I” and “mine” also disappears.  So with the mind focused on Brahman only, he is free of anguish and agitations and enjoys peace and tranquillity internally all the time.

Verse 20

bhagavad gita kincidadhita ganga jalalava kaṇikapita |

sakṛdapi yena murari samarca kriyate tasya yamena na carca || 

One who has understood at least a little of the Bhagavad Gita, or drank a drop of water from the holy Ganga, or at least once in his life worshipped the Lord Krishna, has no quarrel with Yama at the time of death.

In this verse three sadhanas are mentioned engaging in which with faith and sincerity, one can make a good start in the path of spiritual salvation. Significantly each of these sadhanas stand for a different path of Yoga, as given below:. 

1)    Study of Bhagavad Gita, that stands for study of spiritual literature – Jnana Yoga

2)    Drinking water from river Ganga, that stands for pilgrimage and bath in holy rivers – Karma Yoga

3)    Worship of Lord Krishna, that stands for regular puja and worship - Bhakthi Yoga

It is significant that Lord Krishna is spoken of as Murari; slayer of demon, Mura, who symbolises egoism. Egoism is a big obstacle for spiritual progress and subduing egoism is an important requirement for progress in the path of Self-realisation. “He has no quarrel with Yama” indicates that this sadhaka has no fear of death.

Acharya lovingly suggests in this verse to the spiritual aspirant who is looking for guidance on what spiritual sadhana to start and how to pursue the sadhana for his spiritual salvation, to start from doing  ‘something small’ and has shown areas from each yoga for his choice.  He is aware that once a person makes a start and begins to derive some benefit, he will be enthused to continue in the path with vigour and keenness.  After all it is from small beginnings that big things are developed.  So these steps singly or collectively, when pursued with a vision of the final goal of Liberation, can lead one to that goal. 

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