[gundos]

What am I?

“I am the Lord of lords. I am devoid of even a touch of jealousy and hatred. I am He that fulfils the desired object for those who are bent on realizing the goal. I am undecaying, I am imperishable. I am the Lord, I am the consciousness of the inner self, I am full of supreme bliss, I am the supreme self, I am the infinite. I am full of Bliss, Knowledge and the realization of the Self. I am far aloof from any thought of the objective. I am delighted at heart by that which is not objective.

I pervade up and down and around with my own extraordinary glories. I am He who appears to be determined by means of argument, counter argument and enquiry. I am free from changes such as birth, thinness, senility and death; for I am other than the body. I am unattached to the objects of the senses, such as sound and taste; for I am without sense-organs.

I am free from sorrow; attachment, malice and fear; for I am other than the mind. For it is written in the Upanishad, “He is without breath and without mind, pure, higher than the high and imperishable.” I am verily the Supreme Brahman (consciousness) which is eternal, stainless, and free; which is one, indivisible, and non-dual; and which is of the nature of Bliss, Truth, Knowledge and Infinity.

I am without attributes and action, eternal and pure, free from stain and desire, changeless and formless, and always free. I am the revealer of oneness. I alone am the supreme reality for minds, purified by a thorough understanding of the (Vedantic) formula. I am the sun that dispels ignorance like the darkness of the night.

I am the healing balm to evils. I am devoid of all conditional properties. I am the acme of liberality. I am He that rescues all by granting the fourfold desires (merits, riches, pleasures and liberation) in various ways.

I am Knowledge. I am the Known. I am the Knower. I am all the aids to Knowledge. I am the pure Soul – existence bereft of Knower, Knowledge and Known. I am devotion, I am worship, and I am liberation. I alone am the means to liberation. I am the ruler of all beings. I am the root cause of all that is past, present and future.

I am neither the mind, intelligence, ego nor the chitta(seat of memory); neither the ears nor the tongue nor the senses of smell and sight; neither ether nor air, nor fire, nor water nor earth – I am eternal bliss and awareness – I am Shiva! I am Shiva!

I am neither the prana (vital force), nor the five vital breaths, neither the seven elements of the body, nor its five sheaths, nor hands, nor feet, nor tongue, nor other organs of action. I am eternal, bliss and awareness – I am Shiva! I am Shiva!
Neither greed nor delusion, nor loathing, nor liking have I; nothing of pride or ego, neither of dharma or object, nor of desire or liberation. I am eternal, bliss and awareness – I am Shiva! I am Shiva!

Nothing of pleasure or pain or virtue or vice do I know, of mantra or sacred place, of Vedas or sacrifice; neither am I the eater, nor the food nor the act of eating; I am eternal, bliss and awareness, - I am Shiva! I am Shiva!

Death or fear have I none nor any distinction of caste; neither father nor mother; nor even a birth have I; neither friend nor comrade, neither disciple nor Guru. I am eternal, bliss and awareness, - I am Shiva! I am Shiva!

I have no form or fancy, the all-pervading am I; everywhere I exist, and yet am beyond the senses; neither salvation am I, nor anything to be known. I am eternal, bliss and awareness, - I am Shiva! I am Shiva!"

- Sri Adi Sankaracharya


The Acharya is said to have composed the Bhaja Govindam during his famous pilgrimage to Kashi(Benares).The fourteen disciples are said to have accompanied him. The story goes that when he was walking along the streets of Kashi, he was pained to observe an elderly man trying hard to learn Sanskrit grammar. At his advanced age, the remaining valuable little time of his life should have been used for worshipping the God, instead of wasting on learning a language. This prompted Sri Sankara to burst out this composition, a sort of rebuke to foolish way of living.

The Acharya urges the man to turn towards God and sing His glory instead of trying to learn a language. A censure is implied when the Acharya calls the man a fool(Mudhamathe). It may be added here that the tone of Bhaja Govindam is not at all soft, but somewhat striking, in spite of its exotic poetic beauty and perfection of composition. This is no wonder, because such a treatment is required to wake up man from his slumber. A milder approach would delay the matter. The matter is urgent, as the Acharya explains in the next verse, for, when the hour of death approaches without any forewarning; the hard-learned verses of grammar are not going to save the poor soul. Hence the song rightly starts without any preamble:
bhajagovindaM bhajagovindaM
govindaM bhaja muDhamate.
saMpraapte sannihite kaale
nahi nahi rakshati DukRiJNkaraNe .. (1)
Worship Govinda, Worship Govinda, Worship Govinda. Oh fool! Rules of Grammar will not save you at the time of your death.

mUDha jahiihi dhanaagamatRishhNaaM
kuru sadbuddhiM manasi vitRishhNaam.
yallabhase nijakarmopaattaM
vittaM tena vinodaya chittam. .. (2)

Oh fool! Give up your thirst to amass wealth, devote your mind to thoughts to the Real. Be content with what comes through actions already performed in the past.

naariistanabhara naabhiideshaM
dRishhTvaa maagaamohaavesham.
etanmaaMsaavasaadi vikaaraM
manasi vichintaya vaaraM vaaram. .. (3)
Do not get drowned in delusion by going wild with passions and lust by seeing a woman's navel and chest. These are nothing but a modification of flesh. Do not fail to remember this again and again in your mind.
naliniidalagata jalamatitaralaM
tadvajjiivitamatishayachapalam.
viddhi vyaadhyabhimaanagrastaM
lokaM shokahataM cha samastam .. ( 4 )
The life of a man is as uncertain as rain drops trembling on a lotus leaf. Know that the whole world remains a prey to disease, ego and grief.
yaavadvittopaarjana sakta H
staavannija parivaaro rakta H.
pashchaajjiivati jarjara dehe
vaartaaM ko.api na pRichchhati gehe .. ( 5 )
So long as a man is fit and able to support his family, see the affection all those around him show. But no one at home cares to even have a word with him when his body totters due to old age.

yaavatpavano nivasati dehe
taavatpRichchhati kushalaM gehe.
gatavati vaayau dehaapaaye
bhaaryaa bibhyati tasminkaaye .. ( 6 )
When one is alive, his family members enquire kindly about his welfare. But when the soul departs from the body, even his wife runs away in fear of the corpse.

baalastaavatkriiDaasakta H
taruNastaavattaruNiisakta H.
vRiddhastaavachchintaasakta H
pare brahmaNi ko.api na sakta H .. ( 7 )
The childhood is lost by attachment to playfulness. Youth is lost by attachment to woman. Old age passes away by thinking over many past things. But there is hardly anyone who wants to be lost in parabrahman(Supreme being).

kaate kaantaa kaste putra H
saMsaaro.ayamatiiva vichitra H.
kasya tvaM ka H kuta aayaata H
tattvaM chintaya tadiha bhraata H ..( 8 )
Who is your wife? Who is your son? Strange is this samsara. Of whom are you? From where have you come? Brother, ponder over these truths here.

satsaNgatve nissN ^ gatvaM
nissaNgatve nirmohatvam.h.
nirmohatve nishchalatattvaM
nishcalatattve jiivanmukti H ....( 9 )
From Satsangha(the companionship of realised souls) comes non-attachment, from
non-attachment comes freedom from delusion, which leads to self-settledness. From self-settledness comes Jeevan Mukti.

vayasigate ka H kaamavikaaraH
shushhke niire ka H kaasaaraH.
kshiiNevitte ka H parivaara H
G Y aate tattve ka H saMsaara H ...(1 0 )
What good is lust when youth has fled? What use is a lake which has no water? Where are the relatives when wealth is gone? Where is samsara when the Truth is known?

maa kuru dhana jana yauvana garvaM
harati nimeshhaatkaala H sarvam.h.
maayaamayamidamakhilaM hitvaa
brahmapadaM tvaM pravisha viditvaa .. (1 1)
Do not boast of wealth, followers, and youth. Each one of these is destroyed within a minute.
Free yourself from the illusion of the world of Maya and attain the timeless Truth.

dinayaaminyau saayaM praata H
shishiravasantau punaraayaata H.
kaala H kriiDati gachchhatyaayu H
tadapi na muJNcatyaashaavaayu H .. (1 2)
Daylight and darkness, dusk and dawn, winter and springtime come and go. Time plays and life ebbs away. But the storm of desire never leaves.

dvaadashamaJNjarikaabhirasheshha H
kathito vaiyaakaraNasyaishha H.
upadesho bhuudvidyaanipuNai H
shrimachchhankarabhagavachchharaNari H .. ( 12a )
This bouquet of twelve verses was imparted to a grammarian by the all-knowing Shankara, adored as the Bhagawadpada.

[Colorostikse]

SO MY QUESTION IS LEARNING A LANGUAGE AT OLDER AGE IS STRICTLY PROHIBITED??? AM I RIGHT. Older people should say only govinda govinda... They should not learn anything apart from this... ?

JUstanotherchildofgod, a very nice effort taken for translation and is really good. (Really this sloka is a very nice piece of shankara and whenever we hear that in the voice of smt. MS, we all will melt). I just mentioned a dark side of this sloka. Thats all. Iam a devotee of our acharya and noone has the knowledge to criticise him. Anyhow, I just shared in this post, what I thought. Lets us see elders reactions in this regard...

Pranams

[Heclailia]

Namassadhasae.

This grantham of Sankarar was compiled by him on seeing a very old man, wasting his time to learn Grammar of a language, instead of chanting the namas of god, as explained in the story.

Sankarar's view: There is a better thing to do in aged life.

Even at the stage of realising the death bed, most of us could only bother about materialism, because of the maya effect. Gnanam is that difficult to come.

(Durga: Yaanaikku Yarram enRal Kudhiraikku Kurram enru arthamA??)

If a person like Adhi Sankarar addresses his mind as 'Moodamathae', let us imagine the condition of our minds. This addressing was made on our behalf.

All cannot read and understand his literatures like 'Viveka Choodamani', for which pundits are needed. Bhaja Govindam is for common man with the sandham he is very familiar with and in very simple lucid language. Above all, Late MS amma had sung and popularised this Baja Govindham and Vishnu Sahasranamam.

Sankarar lived only for a very short life. But his contributions will ever live and guide us all.

"அவரவர் இச்சையில் எவை எவை உற்றவை அவை தருவித்தருள் பெருமாளே!" _ திருவக்கரை திருப்புகழ்

[Teomaderm]

If i had not mistaken the person who was reciting and memorising the Dukrin Karane grammar was doing so to get employed by the king and get a handsome income(correct me if wrong).
Adhi Sankaraarcharyas verse is to remind us to apply what we study with faith to aid us in the journey of spiritual upliftment and not just memorize verses blindly.
Learning of a language and grammar is never restricted at any age.
We should all learn the language which can call for God in any name that is the language of Love.

[textarchive]

Dear soundarrajan uncle

Thats what I said in my first post itslelf... That actual mudamathe is we people only. We cannot compare our jagadguru's knowledge with noone. His manisha panchagam, and other sthuthis are very well examples for his knowledge. I just said, "whether age is a criteria for learning things/ age is a criteria for saying govinda?"

See even in this slokam, punarapi jananam punarapi maranam and so many philosophical verses with rich meanings are there. As I said already, noone has the knowledge to criticize him.

I just needed a clarification. Thats all. I wish to know "yanaiku erram na... Kudiraikku enna??" if there is no answer for that, I wish to conclude kudiraikku "Kurram" am I right uncle. I wish to borrow a word from Kunjuppu sir. Am a "MANDU". So, I wish to have clarifications... Thats all.

Pranams

[Uhmavano]

Quote ”The story goes that when he was walking along the streets of Kashi, he was pained to observe an elderly man trying hard to learn Sanskrit grammar. At his advanced age, the remaining valuable little time of his life should have been used for worshipping the God, instead of wasting on learning a language. This prompted Sri Sankara to burst out this composition, a sort of rebuke to foolish way of living.”

”The Acharya urges the man to turn towards God and sing His glory instead of trying to learn a language. A censure is implied when the Acharya calls the man a fool(Mudhamathe).”


“This grantham of Sankarar was compiled by him on seeing a very old man, wasting his time to learn Grammar of a language, instead of chanting the namas of god, as explained in the story.” -unquote

The above three portions I have quoted for relevance from 3 posts under this thread.

What I am made to under stand is :-

While Sankaracharya and his shishyas were on their way, at Kasi , one very old scholar approached Sankaracharya and asked doubts on “ Dukrunj Karanam”. Dukrunj karanama is one of the karanams- a part in grammar in Sanskrit -

Seeing the plight and age of the old man Sankaracharya says as a sort of advice to the man as well as to his shishyas that
“ when the time comes for one to leave this world , your Dukrunj karanam will not save you. So , ignorant mind , please pray Govinda....” (Sampraapte sannihite kale nahi nahi rakshati Dukrunj karane..”

Taking lead from here the shishyas aske further other doubts and Sankaracharya gives answers. These answers are compiled into the now famous Bhajaovindam –originally called Dwaadasa manjari –having 12 slokas – and expanded to present day BhajaGovindam..

(I am welcome to be corrected if found wrong)

Greetings

[Susanleech]

Dear Suryakasyapa ji

I think you may be right. The whole conversation acharya swami has converted into sloka like this... A very nice piece too.

Pranams

[Investblogger]

Sow. Sri. Renukakarthikayan,

"If i had not mistaken the person who was reciting and memorising the Dukrin Karane grammar was doing so to get employed by the king and get a handsome income(correct me if wrong)."

It is not mentioned in the song that old man trying to recite grammer composed by Pannini for the sake of getting an employment by the king or getting a hansome income. If it is mentioned like that, then, honestly I don't see anything wrong with that either. Learning is encouraged for the elderly to keep the dementia away.

Even for a 6 month course, cramming the answers the night before the exam will not help to understand the subject; it should have been learned through the period of the course. for the long multiple decades of life (old man has to be 70 years or above), what is the point of thinking about God only at the death bed ? It should have been done all through the life. We don't know much about that old man. I would not pass judgement on that old man. If I knew the Pannini grammer, I would have taught him that. By the way, this is not 'vidhandaa vaadham'. I work in 'aged care sector'. I have in my care residents aged between 72 yrs and 101 yrs (One lady passed away at the age of 102 last month). I always teach them 'new tricks' (which they have forgotten) in caring for for themselves. But, you know these informations already, if I am not wrong.

[BrianGoldsmith]

Dear raghy ji

What you think about the that "Dukrin karane" then???
Am sure that mere learning of this dukrin karane is not enough to get praise and prize for king. If he started learning grammer, then that should be appreaciated na. Beacuse, acharya himself is a great pundit in sanskrit. Why? why? why? which insisted acharya swami to say like this? Because, such a person who came to light the power of knowldege will never find fault in reading things. (In particularly grammar). Because of this only, I arised this as an issue at all.

Note: I dont know whether acharya mentioned anywhere that "OLD" man in that sloka. Only the piece of dukrin karane is there... How people are judjing that this happened only on seeing an old man reciting grammar.

Kindly clarify me.

Pranams

[DrunkMans]

Absolutely agree with you wise soul Soundara Rajanji; Adi Sankaracharya is none other than the embodiment of Supreme Brahman. Though Jnani himself, but laid foundation for Bhakthi by composing various hymns to rejuvenate Hinduism and bring it near to common man.

The Lord himself, who declared that he will come whenever dharma declines and adharma prevails manifested in the south as Sri Shankara.

Without the grace of God, one cannot understand true meaning of Enlightened souls.

[KinicsBonee]

renukakarthikayanji, agree with your views. Sri Shankara's rebuke is not about learning grammer or something else but rather it is to make us focus on the real.

[unapelosina]

Sri Durgadasan asked :-

"What you think about the that "Dukrin karane" then???
Am sure that mere learning of this dukrin karane is not enough to get praise and prize for king. If he started learning grammer, then that should be appreaciated na. Beacuse, acharya himself is a great pundit in sanskrit. Why? why? why? which insisted acharya swami to say like this? Because, such a person who came to light the power of knowldege will never find fault in reading things. (In particularly grammar). Because of this only, I arised this as an issue at all."

Sri Durgadasan,

'Dukrin Karane' in the first stanza is interesting. (In the book 'Dhevathin Kural' it is mentioned), Paramacharyal asked this same question to the audience. Acharyal said that the term 'dukrin karane' did not fit well in the stanza at all? Why should Sri. Adi Sankara mention about a grammer rule in that song? Then with Acharyal's usual humor, Acharyal narrated the circumstances when Sri. Adi Sankara composed that song which was initially known as 'Moha Mudgara' and later popularly known as 'Bhaja Govindam'. Here is the link for the explanation from yet a different source :-

Bhajagovindam

As you rightly mentioned, Sri. Adi Sankara as a scholar himself would not have found fault with such a grammetical enquiry; possibly, I assume, Sri. Adi Sankara may have explained that grammer too. Chances are, that would have become insignificant in comparison to the song Sri. Adi Sankara composed after that.

This is one of my favourite songs. It is a great piece of work from Sri. Adi Sankara. I used to think 'why think about God only at the death bed? (sAkum nErathil Sankara, Sankara enrAl pOdhumA; adhu vazhkkai muzhukka vendAmA?) (Is it enough to think of Sankara at the time of death; should it not be throughout the life time?).

So, when we enquire about the use of 'dukrin karane', the story of the old man comes along. I am happy to stand corrected if I am wrong.

[sportbos]

[QUOTE=Raghy;34247]
.........I used to think 'why think about God only at the death bed? (sAkum nErathil Sankara, Sankara enrAl pOdhumA; adhu vazhkkai muzhukka vendAmA?) (Is it enough to think of Sankara at the time of death; should it not be throughout the life time?).


The poem itself has reference to this.
Baalasthaavad Kreedaasaktah
Tarunastaavad Taruneesaktah
Vridhastaavad Chintaasaktah
Parame brahmani kopina saktah

Chihood is involved in playfulness, youth goes by attraction to young women(opposite sex) Old age goes in thoughts nobody gets any time for getting involved in the Supreme(God).

For conveying a good message an example or pointer or allusion is required.Here the old man is only the spark. Sankaracharya was a youth in the peak of his knowledge.He has voluntarily sought sanyasa. A person who can see god as one manifest ,and attained sarvajnapeeta , will not scoff at learned old men.Here the old scholar could have been only an ignition for Sankaracharya to convey his message.

I feel it may be relevant in this context o remind that in earlier days children were named after gods’ names like Narayana,Krishna,muruga,lakshmi,uma etc etc so that every time one calls the child , god’s name is recited.So when end nears God’s name naturally comes to the lips in one way or another.

The following happened my auntiy’s home many years ago. Aunty’s maamanaar was bedridden and used to have some serious stomach pain coming in bouts.At that time he used to shout and yell. One late night when he had a sudden bout of pain he shouted with fell downmaximum voice “Krishna, Rama, Adiye Adiye”…

A thief was waiting to enter the house , and when he heard this he felt that the old man has seen him and is calling his two sons Krishna and Rama and asking them to beat him.The thief ran for his life,tripped on something, and was caught by neighbours who heard the sound.

The old man was actually calling God and calling his wife involuntarily by habit.

Jokes apart, Naama smaranam is made a habit with the aim that God’ name should always be in our action and thought.

Sai followers usually greet with words Om Sri Sai Ram, People who follow Maata Amritanandamayi greet with Om Namashivaya. .A section of North Indians greet with Jai Sri Krishna ,Some others as Hari Om,. Many Maharshtrian now a days greet as Jai Ganesh..

Even after sneezing people say , Hari Krishna, or Oh Jesus etc.



Greetings

[LfYaRf1S]

Dear Raghy ji and suryakasyapa ji

Now Iam totally cleared in this regard. Yes. as mentioned by acharya we spent all the time in worldily matters alone... So, he is urging us to say bhaja govindam...

"APPODAIKU IPPODE SOLLI VAITHEN..."

I too wish to share an incident of shri ramakrishna paramahamsa here. A disciple of paramahamsa one night searched him at his bed, but he was not found. He immediately that whether he went to nagabath (Nagabath is the place (vaadhya room) where smt. sharadha devi resides), inorder to search (In a curiosity to know their position) he went in that direction. But shri ramakrishna came from the opposite direction and immediately on seeing his disciple he understood what he thought in his inner mind. Swami was very happy and said to him straightly that "It is your duty to check your guru". Dont blindly accept him. Whenever a doubt arise about him, clarify. But once you fully accepted him as guru, then never suspect his activities at all."


So, there is no doubt or second opinion that the words of guru are words of veda. But we have rights to get clarified. It is with that intention only, I just initiated this question. And there is nothing to deglorify the piece of shankara guru. He is a ocean of knowledge. As am unable to grasp certian things, I was in need of clarifications. thats all. Hope noone mistakes me in this regard.

Thanks for all your responses.

Pranams