Bhaja Govindham ~ by Adi Sri Shankara ~ Shlokham 25
शत्रौ मित्रे पुत्रे बन्धौ
मा कुरु यत्नं विग्रह सन्धौ ।
सर्वस्मिन्नपि पश्यात्मानं
... सर्वत्रोत्-सृज भेदाज्ञानम् ॥ 25 ॥
satrau mitre putre bandhau
maa kuru yatnam vigrahasandhau
sarvasminnapi pasyaatmaanam
sarvatrotsrija bhedaagynaanam
Meaning
satrau – against an enemy, mitre – against a friend, putre – against a son, bandhau – against a relative, maa – never, kuru – do, yatnam – strive, vigrahasandhau – for strive and for making friends, sarvasmin api – in everything (everywhere), pasya – see, aatmaanam – the self, sarvatra – everywhere, utasrija – lift away, bheda agyaanam – the sense of different (born out of ignorance).
Substance
Do not waste your efforts to win the love of or to fight against friend or foe, son or relative. Seeking the Self everywhere, lift the sense of difference (or give up the feeling of duality completely) born out of ignorance and treat all alike.
Commentary
One must attain liberation by gradually reducing and ultimately getting rid of attachments, as from attachment flows grief and delusion. In other words, in our dealings everyday, one should develop equanimity and try to see the divinity in everyone and everywhere. It is possible only when one cultivates a sense of impartiality, as friendship or enmity only perpetuates the impediment of attachment. Yes, it is a very difficult task to achieve in worldly life.
It is no use to pretend to be calm externally when anger burns inside in the heart, and how many occasions come about for anger. It is no doubt that it is a tall order to ask the human beings who are totally immersed in worldly affairs, where one is after the life of the other, for petty gains to develop divine outlook. Like wise, hate can come only when one sees the other as something different from one.
One does not hate one’s own body, though it is stinking due to some disease, but the person hates even one’s own most loved person, if the body of that person has the same problem. Why? It is because, one thinks that person is different from Self. Can one hate or get angry if one’s teeth bite one’s tongue?
It is but natural that one forgives the teeth without giving any punishment to them. Like wise, when the whole universe is born out of one (whether one calls it mother, father, god, reality or with any other name), how can one afford to hate or get angry with the other. When all are one and there is no second, where is the question that one is different from the other, as all are his manifestations alone.
Sri Adi Sankaracharya has provided an easy remedy to overcome the feeling of duality. He says, that one should nurture pure (untainted by selfish intentions) love while constantly reminding oneself and firmly believing in the truth that Govinda resides in everybody. The way to control and overcome anger and aversion is to keep telling oneself, how many times one was guilty of one’s own lapses and how many are the evils that lodge in one’s heart concealed from the gaze of others.
If so, then others are also like me and what right do I have to get angry and aversion about the other person? The lapses of others are also like mine and I have no genuine right to get angry on others. Precisely for this reason, our elders keep telling us to remember God’s name or Govinda always, so that one day the heart is filled with his love and it will be lifted up to him.
Instead of expiating one s countless sins and defects, how can one indulge in wasting time thinking of the vices of others? One has to cry out to Govinda, as counting the lapses of others will only add to one’s misery. Life after life will be wasted in such pursuits. Therefore, there should not be any doubt in one s mind that the first and foremost task to accomplish is to quickly go about purifying one s heart and that is possible only when one takes refuge in the lotus feet of Govinda.
After one’s duties are over every day or for that matter even while doing one’s duties, try to lift up one’s thoughts up to Govinda, as contemplation of Govinda is the most effective means of purifying one’s heart. One should always remember the truth that one can be a friend or foe of one’s own self.
So, it is important to recognize the truth that one eternal source, as expressing through all the names and forms, is to change the very nature of our environment, the very vision of our world around. When one experiences oneness everywhere, no sorrow, anger, hatred or any other evil can reach one.See More
शत्रौ मित्रे पुत्रे बन्धौ
मा कुरु यत्नं विग्रह सन्धौ ।
सर्वस्मिन्नपि पश्यात्मानं
... सर्वत्रोत्-सृज भेदाज्ञानम् ॥ 25 ॥
satrau mitre putre bandhau
maa kuru yatnam vigrahasandhau
sarvasminnapi pasyaatmaanam
sarvatrotsrija bhedaagynaanam
Meaning
satrau – against an enemy, mitre – against a friend, putre – against a son, bandhau – against a relative, maa – never, kuru – do, yatnam – strive, vigrahasandhau – for strive and for making friends, sarvasmin api – in everything (everywhere), pasya – see, aatmaanam – the self, sarvatra – everywhere, utasrija – lift away, bheda agyaanam – the sense of different (born out of ignorance).
Substance
Do not waste your efforts to win the love of or to fight against friend or foe, son or relative. Seeking the Self everywhere, lift the sense of difference (or give up the feeling of duality completely) born out of ignorance and treat all alike.
Commentary
One must attain liberation by gradually reducing and ultimately getting rid of attachments, as from attachment flows grief and delusion. In other words, in our dealings everyday, one should develop equanimity and try to see the divinity in everyone and everywhere. It is possible only when one cultivates a sense of impartiality, as friendship or enmity only perpetuates the impediment of attachment. Yes, it is a very difficult task to achieve in worldly life.
It is no use to pretend to be calm externally when anger burns inside in the heart, and how many occasions come about for anger. It is no doubt that it is a tall order to ask the human beings who are totally immersed in worldly affairs, where one is after the life of the other, for petty gains to develop divine outlook. Like wise, hate can come only when one sees the other as something different from one.
One does not hate one’s own body, though it is stinking due to some disease, but the person hates even one’s own most loved person, if the body of that person has the same problem. Why? It is because, one thinks that person is different from Self. Can one hate or get angry if one’s teeth bite one’s tongue?
It is but natural that one forgives the teeth without giving any punishment to them. Like wise, when the whole universe is born out of one (whether one calls it mother, father, god, reality or with any other name), how can one afford to hate or get angry with the other. When all are one and there is no second, where is the question that one is different from the other, as all are his manifestations alone.
Sri Adi Sankaracharya has provided an easy remedy to overcome the feeling of duality. He says, that one should nurture pure (untainted by selfish intentions) love while constantly reminding oneself and firmly believing in the truth that Govinda resides in everybody. The way to control and overcome anger and aversion is to keep telling oneself, how many times one was guilty of one’s own lapses and how many are the evils that lodge in one’s heart concealed from the gaze of others.
If so, then others are also like me and what right do I have to get angry and aversion about the other person? The lapses of others are also like mine and I have no genuine right to get angry on others. Precisely for this reason, our elders keep telling us to remember God’s name or Govinda always, so that one day the heart is filled with his love and it will be lifted up to him.
Instead of expiating one s countless sins and defects, how can one indulge in wasting time thinking of the vices of others? One has to cry out to Govinda, as counting the lapses of others will only add to one’s misery. Life after life will be wasted in such pursuits. Therefore, there should not be any doubt in one s mind that the first and foremost task to accomplish is to quickly go about purifying one s heart and that is possible only when one takes refuge in the lotus feet of Govinda.
After one’s duties are over every day or for that matter even while doing one’s duties, try to lift up one’s thoughts up to Govinda, as contemplation of Govinda is the most effective means of purifying one’s heart. One should always remember the truth that one can be a friend or foe of one’s own self.
So, it is important to recognize the truth that one eternal source, as expressing through all the names and forms, is to change the very nature of our environment, the very vision of our world around. When one experiences oneness everywhere, no sorrow, anger, hatred or any other evil can reach one.See More
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