Bhaja Govindaṁ
Moha Mudgara
bhajagovindaṁ bhajagovindaṁ govindaṁ bhaja mūḍhamate samprāpte sannihite kāle nahi nahi rakshati ḍukṛijñkarane || 1 ||
Worship Govinda, Worship Govinda, Worship Govinda. Oh fool! Rules of Grammar will not save you at the time of your death.
muḍha jahīhi dhanāgamatṛiṣnāṁ kuru sadbuddhiṁ manasi vitṛiṣnām yallabhase nijakarmopāttaṁ vittaṁ 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.
nārīstanabhara nābhīdeshaṁ dṛiṣtvā māgāmohāvesham etanmāṁsāvasādi vikāraṁ manasi vichintaya vāraṁ vāram || 3 ||
Do not get drowned in delusion by going wild with passions and lust by seeing a woman's navel and chest. Bodies are flesh, fat and blood. Do not fail to remember this again and again in your mind.
nalinīdalagata jalamatitaralaṁ tadvajjīvitamatishayachapalam viddhi vyādhyabhimānagrastaṁ lokaṁ shokahataṁ cha samastam || 4 ||
Uncertain is the life of man as rain drops on a lotus leaf. Know that the whole world remains a prey to disease, ego and grief.
yāvadvittopārjana saktaḥ stāvannija parivāro raktaḥ pashchājjīvati jarjara dehe vārtāṁ koapi na pṛichchhati 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.
yāvatpavano nivasati dehe tāvatpṛichchhati kushalaṁ gehe gatavati vāyau dehāpāye bhāryā bibhyati tasminkāye || 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.
bālastāvatkrīḍāsaktaḥ tarunastāvattarunīsaktaḥ vṛiddhastāvachchintāsaktaḥ pare brahmani ko'api na saktaḥ || 7 ||
Childhood is lost in play. Youth is lost by attachment to woman. Old age passes away by thinking over many past things. Alas! Hardly is there anyone who yearns to be lost in Parabrahman.
kāte kāntā kaste putraḥ saṁsāro.ayamatīva vichitraḥ kasya tvaṁ kah kuta āyātaḥ tattvaṁ chintaya tadiha bhrātaḥ || 8 ||
Who is your wife? Who is your son? Strange is this samsara. Of whom are you? Where have you come from? Brother, ponder over these truths.
satsangatve nissngatvam nissangatve nirmohatvam nirmohatve nishchalatattvaṁ nishcalatattve jīvanmuktiḥ || 9 ||
From Satsanga comes non-attachment, from non-attachment comes freedom from delusion, which leads to self-settledness. From self-settledness comes Jivan Mukti (liberation).
vayasigate kaḥ kāmavikāraḥ shuṣke nīre kaḥ kāsāraḥ kshīnevitte kaḥ parivāraḥ gyāte tattve kaḥ samsāraḥ || 10 ||
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 (the continuaiton of birth and death) when the Truth is known?
mā kuru dhana jana yauvana garvaṁ harati nimeṣātkālah sarvam māyāmayamidaṁakhilaṁ hitvā brahmapadaṁ tvaṁ pravisha viditvā || 11 ||
Do not boast of wealth, friends, and youth. Each one of these are destroyed within a minute. Free yourself from the illusion of the world of Maya and attain the timeless Truth.
dinayāminyau sāyaṁ prātaḥ shishiravasantau punarāyātaḥ kālah krīḍati gachchhatyāyuh tadapi na mujñcatyāshāvāyuh || 12 ||
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.
dvādashamajñjarikābhirasheṣaḥ kathito vaiyākaranasyaiṣaḥ upadesho bhūdvidyānipunaih shrīmachchhankarabhagavachchharanarih || 12a ||
This bouquet of twelve verses was imparted to a grammarian by the all-knowing Shankara, adored as the bhagavadpada.
kāte kāntā dhana gatachintā vātula kiṁ tava nāsti niyantā trijagati sajjanasaṁ gatiraikā bhavati bhavārnavatarane naukā || 13 ||
Oh mad man! Why this engrossment in thoughts of wealth? Is there no one to guide you? There is only one thing in three worlds that can save you from the ocean of samsara. Get into that boat of satsangha (knowledge of the Truth) quickly.
jatilo munḍī lujñchhitakeshaḥ kāṣāyāmbarabahukṛitaveṣaḥ pashyannapi cana pashyati mūḍhaḥ udaranimittam bahukṛitaveṣaḥ || 14 ||
There are many who go with matted locks, many who have clean shaven heads, many whose hairs have been plucked out; some are clothed in saffron, yet others in various colors --- all just for a livelihood. Seeing truth revealed before them, still the foolish ones see it not.
angaṁ galitaṁ palitaṁ munḍaṁ dashanavihīnaṁ jataṁ tunḍaṁ vṛiddho yāti gṛihītvā danḍaṁ tadapi na mujñcatyāshāpinḍam || 15 ||
Strength has left the old man's body; his head has become bald, his gums toothless and leaning on crutches. Even then the attachment is strong and he clings firmly to fruitless hope.
agre vahnih priṣthebhānuh rātrau chubukasamarpitajānuh karatalabhikshastarutalavāsaḥ tadapi na mujñcatyāshāpāshaḥ || 16 ||
Behold there lies the man who sits warming up his body with the fire in front and the sun at the back; at night he curls up the body to keep out of the cold; he eats his beggar's food from the bowl of his hand and sleeps beneath the tree. Still in his heart, he is a wretched puppet at the hands of passions.
kurute gangāsāgaragamanaṁ vrataparipālanamathavā dānam gyānavihinah sarvamatena muktiṁ na bhajati janmashatena || 17 ||
One may go to the Ganga, observe fasts, and give away riches in charity! Yet, devoid of jnana, nothing can give mukthi even at the end of a hundred births.
sura mandira taru mūla nivāsaḥ shayyā bhūtala majinaṁ vāsaḥ sarva parigraha bhoga tyāgaḥ kasya sukhaṁ na karoti virāgaḥ || 18 ||
Take your residence in a temple or below a tree, wear the deerskin for the dress, and sleep with mother earth as your bed. Give up all attachments and renounce all comforts. Blessed with such vairagya, could any fail to be content?
yogarato vābhogaratovā sangarato vā sangavīhinaḥ yasya brahmani ramate chittaṁ nandati nandati nandatyeva || 19 ||
One may take delight in yoga or bhoga, may have attachment or detachment. But only he whose mind steadily delights in Brahman enjoys bliss, no one else.
bhagavad gītā kijñchidadhītā gangā jalalava kanikāpītā sakṛidapi yena murāri samarchā kriyate tasya yamena na charchā || 20 ||
Let a man read but a little from the Bhagavad-Gita, drink just a drop of water from the Ganga, worship Murari (Krishna) just once. He then will have no altercation with Yama (the lord of death).
punarapi jananaṁ punarapi maranaṁ punarapi jananī jathare shayanam iha saṁsāre bahudustāre kṛipayā apāre pāhi murāre || 21 ||
Born again, death again, birth again to stay in the mother's womb! It is indeed hard to cross this boundless ocean of samsara. Oh Murari! Redeem me through Thy mercy.
rathyā charpata virachita kanthaḥ punyāpunya vivarjita panthaḥ yogī yoganiyojita chitto ramate bālonmattavadeva || 22 ||
There is no shortage of clothing for a monk so long as there are rags cast off the road. Freed from vice and virtue, onward he wanders. One who lives in communion with God enjoys bliss, pure and uncontaminated, like a child and as someone intoxicated.
kastvaṁ ko'ahaṁ kuta āyātaḥ kā me jananī ko me tātaḥ iti paribhāvaya sarvamasāram vishvaṁ tyaktvā svapna vichāram || 23 ||
Who are you? Who am I? From where do I come? Who is my mother, who is my father? Ponder thus, look at everything as essence-less and give up the world as an idle dream.
tvayi mayi chānyatraiko viṣnuh vyarthaṁ kupyasi mayyasahiṣnuh bhava samachittah sarvatra tvaṁ vājñchhasyachirādyadi viṣnutvam || 24 ||
In me, in you and in everything, none but the same Vishnu dwells. Your anger and impatience is meaningless. If you wish to attain the quality of Vishnu soon, have Sama Bhāva always.
shatrau mitre putre bandhau mā kuru yatnaṁ vigrahasandhau sarvasminnapi pashyātmānaṁ sarvatrotsbṛija bhedāgyānam || 25 ||
Do not waste your efforts to win the love of or to fight against friend and foe, children and relatives. See yourself in everyone and give up all feelings of duality completely.
kāmaṁ krodhaṁ lobhaṁ mohaṁ tyaktvā atmānam bhāvaya ko aham ātmagyāna vihīnā mūḍhāh te pachyante narakanigūḍhāh || 26 ||
Give up lust, anger, infatuation, and greed. Ponder over your real nature. Fools are they who are blind to the Self. Cast into hell they suffer there endlessly.
geyam gītā nāma sahasraṁ dhyeyaṁ shrīpati rūpamajasram neyaṁ sajjana sange chittaṁ deyaṁ dīnajanāya cha vittam || 27 ||
Regularly recite from the Bhagavad-Gita, meditate on Vishnu in your heart, and chant His thousand glories. Take delight to be with the noble and the holy. Distribute your wealth in charity to the poor and the needy.
sukhatah kriyate rāmābhogaḥ pashchāddhanta sharīre rogaḥ yadyapi loke maranaṁ sharanaṁ tadapi na mujñchati pāpācharanam || 28 ||
He who yields to lust for pleasure leaves his body a prey to disease. Though death brings an end to everything, man does not give up the sinful path.
arthamanarthaṁ bhāvaya nityaṁ nāstitatah sukhaleshah satyam putrādapi dhana bhājāṁ bhītih sarvatraiṣā vihiā rītih || 29 ||
Wealth is not welfare, truly there is no joy in it. Reflect thus at all times. A rich man fears even his own son. This is the way of wealth everywhere.
prānāyāmaṁ pratyāhāraṁ nityānitya vivekavichāram āpyasameta samādhividhānaṁ kurvavadhānaṁ mahadavadhānam || 30 ||
Regulate the pranas (life airs within), remain unaffected by external influences and discriminate between the real and the fleeting. Chant the holy name of God and silence the turbulent mind. Perform these with care, with extreme care.
gurucharanāmbuja nirbhara bhakataḥ samsārādachirādbhava muktaḥ sendriyamānasa niyamādevaṁ drakshyasi nija hṛdayasthaṁ devam || 31 ||
Oh devotee of the lotus feet of the Guru! May thou be soon free from Samsara. Through disciplined senses and controlled mind, thou shalt come to experience the indwelling Lord of your heart!
mūḍhah kashchana vaiyākarano ḍukṛijñkaranādhyayana dhurinaḥ shrīmachchhamkara bhagavachchhiṣyai bodhita āsichchhodhitakaranaḥ || 32 ||
Thus was a silly grammarian lost in rules cleansed of his narrow vision and shown the Light by Shankara's apostles.
bhajagovindaṁ bhajagovindaṁ govindaṁ bhajamūḍhaṁate nāmasmaranādanyamupāyaṁ nahi pashyāmo bhavatarane || 33 ||
Worship Govinda, worship Govinda, worship Govinda, Oh fool! Other than chanting the Lord's names, there is no other way to cross the life's ocean.
[1] reproduced in part from shankaracharya.org
Mar/Apr 2002 122nd Jayanti of Sri Ramana Maharshi [1]