MOHAMUDGARA
OR
BAJAGOVINDAM
OF SANKARA
Moha
mudgara, popularly known as Bajagovindam,is a short lyric, high in poetic excellence and
magnificent in philosophical content. Hence this is an important work of Sankara, though a short one . The
lilting verses set to music makes it easy to remember thus enhancing the
quality of poetry and the selected verses of this lyric have been immortalized by the divine music of the
great M.S.Subbhalakshmi.
The incident that
inspired Sankara to break out into
these verses was described as follows:
When he was walking in
the city of
The next fourteen verses are attributed to his
disciples who had been inspired by the words of their guru to add an their own thoughts to his. The last four however are supposed to have been
uttered by Sankara himself as benediction. But as the whole work is
called generally as that of Sankara and that is the
line of thought adopted
in this commentary.
The opening verse itself
is a jolt to the man of the world by denouncing all secular knowledge as being
futile. All the learning
which is to be utilized for material welfare is not going to help
when the time comes for one to leave
this world, sampraapthe sannihithe kale nahi nahi rakshathi
dukrnjkarane.
Sankara pointed out to the old man that the aphorism, durnjkarane, will
not come to his rescue when the death comes. Only Brahmavidya,
knowledge of Brahman will help him to cross over the transmigratory
existence, samsara.
Here it should not be
mistaken that Sankara was against other branches of learning like
grammar or logic, which are very essential for the study of Vedanta and hence
the great acharya would not have undermined the study
of these. The real implication is that those who are not able to master these
branches of learning need not waste their entire life doing so but should
concentrate on Brahman through faith and devotion since all learning should
culminate in the final goal of emancipation. Sankara
advises such people to seek Govinda whose grace will
give them the wisdom as Krishna says in Gita, dhadhaami buddhi yogam tham I give them the required jnana.
However learned a man is his learning will not
stand in his stead at the time if his death but only the grace of God will help
him through. This is what
The term Govinda which has been given several meanings by the
commentators of Vishnusahasranama is significant
here as its etymological meaning can be
traced to Brahman. The word is derived as gaam vindhathi or vindhayathi . The word gam has several
meanings such as earth, speech, veda,
cattle and so on and can be construed to mean all the ten avataras
of Narayana which is perhaps why the name has been
chosen by the acharya. As Brahman is the substratum of everything,
source of speech, essence of all indhriyas which are
compared to cattle since they graze along the pastures of sense objects and
lastly because Brahman is known through
scriptures, the word Govinda is taken to mean
Brahman. Thus the lyric inspires both jnana and bhakthi.
Rajaji
our national leader and a great scholar says in his commentary on Bajagovindam that
when the wisdom is assimilated in the mind it is jnana
and when it merges with our life and is transformed into action it is bhakthi. Jnana without bhakthi is dry. Jnana cannot
arise in the mind without detachment and discrimination The Tamil saint Thiruvalluvar says, pattruga pattrattraan pattrinai appattrai pattruga paatru vidarku. In order to detach ourselves from the world
we have to attach ourselves to God. Sankara has
combined jnana with bhakthi
in this lyric
as a guideline to spiritual progress.
The purpose of this
work being mohamudgara,
destroying the illusion, Sankara expounds the
transitory nature of
the worldly experiences like suka and duhkha, in order
to divert the attention from them to the everlasting bliss through brahmajnana. That
is, the bhramajnana,
knowledge of the illusory nature of the universe will lead to brahmajnana,
knowledge of Brahman. This is achieved by showing that nothing in this world is
permanent and the objects of desire cherished to be of value are not worthy of
pursuit.
The example of sutra
of Panini includes all learning which is not
useful for spiritual uplift. Even to learn the scriptures is not beneficial if it only makes one
arrogant of his knowledge and to flaunt himself as a scholar. All learning must
be offered to the feet of the Lord because without His grace nothing can be
achieved. Those who are really wise are humble and simple as we can see in the
works of all great masters. It is said that
the arrogance due to knowledge is the most difficult to eradicate as it
stays till the end while the arrogance due to wealth, beauty, or power will
vanish when the cause is no more.
The next verse deals with the greed for wealth.
One gets what is his due according to his karma. It is wise to be contented
with what you have instead of pining for something you do not or cannot have. Sankara says mooda jahihi dhanaagamathrshnaam, give up the desire for accumulating more, and more
wealth and be satisfied with what you
have as the result of your karma, yallabhase nija karmopaaththam viththam thena vinodhaya chiththam. Desire for wealth here means all possessions
man hankers for.
After warning against greed for money and
possessions Sankara cautions man on the gratification
of sensual pleasures like lust. The beauty is skin deep under which there is
nothing like flesh. So, says Sankara, develop
dispassion, Vithrshna.
But
how to achieve this vithrshna, freedom from desire? Sankara gives a positive suggestion as to how this can be
achieved. He says kuru
sadbuddhim fill up the mind with thoughts about Brahman which will
bring to light the transitory nature of all worldly possessions. Coaxing the
mind to cling to something higher will make it give up what is lower. In
order to achieve this it is necessary to show that the most cherished desires
of the mind are worthless. This Sankara accomplishes
through a beautiful analogy.
A drop of water which
finds its way on a lotus leaf trembles, runs hither and thither nalinidhalagathajalam athi tharalam, only to fall back into the lake. Sankara compares it to human life, which is as
fickle and as agitated. This is due to the abhimana, ego which makes a man to
identify himself with body, mind and intellect and undergoes suffering.
Like a drop of water
on a lotus leaf he imagines that he has an independent existence and runs here
and there seeking happiness without realizing that his life is extremely fickle
and short, thadvath
jeevitham athisaya chapalam compared to his whole existence as a part of
the infinite, which is like the water in the lake. The drop of water came from the
lake and after a very short stay on the leaf goes back to the lake to merge
with it. So too, the span of one life is short and transitory. Even the short duration is not peaceful but
wrought with disease and other afflictions due to ego-centric desires, viddhi vyaadhyabhimaanagrastham.
Thus the life in the world is caught in the jaws of suffering and agony, lokam soka hatham cha samastham, which makes man run from pillar to post like the drop of water on
the lotus leaf.
Sankara
then elaborates on the sad aspect of life namely, old age. The futility of
spending one s life in the pursuit of wealth and power is poignantly brought
out in a portrait of an old man who is neglected when he is no more the
breadwinner of the family. As long as he was the provider of the needs of the
family , yaavath
vitthoparjana
sakthah, by
earning money, the family and the relatives respect him and cling to him, thaavath nija parivaro rakthah. But when he lives in his shattering
old age, yaavath
jeevathi jajaradehe, his
plight is pitifully described by Sankara as vaarthaam kopi na prchchathi gehe, no one even bothers to
enquire about him.
Sankara further
points out that even the wife shrinks from the body she has hitherto loved once
the life has gone out of it. Gathavathi vaayou dhehaapaaye
bhaaryaa bibhyathy thasmin kaaye. It should not
be misconstrued that Sankara asks one to
relinquish his wife. He only condemns the moha or illusion that the family
attachments are real and permanent. The relationship between husband and wife
or parents and children lasts only as long as there is life in the body, yaavath pavano nivasathi dhehe.
But
the sad truth is that, says Sankara, the whole life
is spent in caring for something which is transitory and provides only fleeting
happiness instead of trying to attain everlasting joy by seeking the infinite. Baalasthaavath kreedaasakthah,
in childhood man is engrossed in play, tharunasthaavath tharuneesakthah, in youth he is interested in damsels, vrddhasthaavath chinthaasakthah, even
in old age man spends his time
ruminating over the past. Alas, exclaims Sankara, no
one turns to Brahman even in his last days.
Granted that the life
is short and the relations and possessions will last only for one life span
only, how to free oneself from attachment ? In order
to do this Sankara asks men to contemplate on the
questions, Who am I and Where did I come from? Every one comes into this
world alone goes out of it alone. No one is dependent on another nor belongs to
another. Wife, children and possessions are placed in the custody of man for
the time being and taken away after a while. He does not own them. Pondering on
this brings detachment. kaa the kaanthaa kasthe puthrah, kasya thvam kah kutha aayaathah, who is your wife and
who is your son, whom do you belong to and where did you come from? asks Sankara and tells us
to dwell on this truth. The attachment comes from dhehaathmabuddhi, identification
with the body. When one has discrimination that he is the eternal Self and not
the perishable body, he gets detached from the world and enjoys the show, that
is presented before
him by the world, as an onlooker. As Sankara points out he perceives the samsara as being atheeva vichithrah, full
of wonder and beauty but illusory like a drama that opens up in front to entice
him.
But
how to bring about this detachment? Sankara,
the practical philosopher points out the way. The first step advised by him is satsanga, the
good association or company of the spiritual seekers or failing which , acquaintance with the spiritual texts. This leads to
detachment, nissangathvam.
Through detachment one is freed from delusion, nirmohathvam. When the mind is
freed from the delusion which is the cause of identification with the body, it
becomes clear waking up to the real nature of things and becoming aware of the immutable
reality. This awareness culminates in jeevanmukthi, Self-realisation. Here Sankara
describes the ladder of ascension while
Sankara cites three examples to show that
absence of attachment secures release from samsara.
The lustful desire, kamavikara, vanishes with youth, vayasi gathe , when the water is dried up, sushke neere, there is no lake, kah kaasaarah and
When the wealth is gone, ksheene viththe, the people around leave you kah parivaarah. So too when the
knowledge of Reality dawns, jnaathe thaththve, there is no samsara. It is significant that Sankara has chosen the illustrations in such a
way as to show the transitoriness of the worldly matters
in contrast to the knowledge of Reality.
The life ebbs away
carrying all that which is cherished by man, harathi nimeshaath kaalah sarvam may it be
wealth or power or youth. One should not
have conceit over these fleeting possessions, maa kuru dhanajanayouvanagarvam.
The whole world is maayaamaya nothing but a delusion.
Therefore Sankara implores mankind to understand this
and take steps to acquire brahmajnana, brahmapadham thvam pravisa vidhithvaa.
It is not possible for
all to renounce the world and follow mukthimarga even if they understand that the worldly joys
are short lived and always mixed with sorrow. But Sankara
does not advise renunciation for everyone. Unless one acquires discrimination
and detachment, samatva, equanimity, necessary for
entering Brahmapada will not arise in the mind. Before
that one must cultivate patience, thithiksha considering the fact
that both joy and sorrow are unavoidable as
As and when we observe
the beauty of the dawn and
dusk we should bear in mind that it signifies the passing of each
day which brings the end of this life nearer
and nearer. Days and nights, morning and evening pass by and so do the
seasons, spring and winter, which recur every year. Dinamapi rajani saayam praathah sisiravasanthou punaraayaathah.
But, says Sankara, man does not give up his desires
thinking that he is eternal, and not realizing that kaalahkridathi gachchathyayuh
, the time goes by and his life is getting shorter by each year. Thadhapi na munchathyaasa vayuh Even seeing this the desire
does not leave a man till the end of life.
Sankara
feels sorry for the ignorant man who is carried away by his attachments and
says Is there no limit for your folly? vathula kim thava nasthi niyantha There is
no connection whatsoever between man and his relations ,may it be his wife, or
his possessions because they do not follow him once he leaves this life . Ka the kantha dhangatha chintha
Here it is relevant to
refer to a story on Bhagavatha where a king is
sorrowing for the death for his son and sage Narada
comes to him and makes
the dead son appear before him and asks the son to comfort his parents. The jeeva which was the son in his previous life asks the sage
as to which of his parents he has to feel for, since he has had so many parents
in so many births. Then the king is comforted that death is something as
natural as life.
So, says Shankara, the only means of getting out of attachment and
the subsequent sorrow is to cross the sea of samsara
through the boat of the association with the wise and the good. kshanamapi
sajjanasanghathirekaa bhavathi
bhavaarnavatharane noukaa.
Shankara describes the plight of a man who is
under the sway of the senses in the next three slokas.
Jatilo mundee lunchitha kesah kaashaayaambhara bahukrthaveshah pasyannapi na pasyathi
moodah udharanimiththam bahukrthaveshah. One does not become a sannyasi just by wearing saffron clothes or by shaving his
head or by having long hair and beard. If he is not renounced in his mind he is only putting on
these costumes for filling up his stomach. That is, these are pseudo sannyasis.
This reflects the
words of
Rajaji in his
commentary says that there are so many sannyasis who use their saffron robes only to achieve their ambition
and craze for power. If it were true
even in his days how much it is so now!
If this is the condition of pseudo sannyasis the plight of the householders is even more pitiable in old age. The limbs are shaky, angam galitham, the hair has gone completely grey, phalitham mundam, the mouth has lost its teeth, dhasanaviheenam jaatham thundam, and the old man walks with the aid if a staff in hand, vrdhdho yaathi grhe ethvaa dhandam. Even then the desires do not disappear, thadhapi na munchathi aasaapindam. That is not all. The old man cannot bear the cold at night and sits near the fire with his chin on his knees during the night and in the sun during the day. He has no abode but resides under a tree getting his food by begging. Agre vahnih prshte bhanuh rathrou chubukasamarpitha januh karathalabhikshastharuthlvaasah. Even then ,says Shankara, his craving for sensual pleasure is not extinct. thadhapi na munchathyaasaapaasah.
There is no guarantee
that desires will cease to exist just because one is too old to indulge in
fulfilling them. Desires unsatisfied torment in old age when
the body is not strong enough to pursue the sense gratification.
Similarly by dipping
oneself in the holy water of the Ganges and by observing the vows of austerity
and giving away things in charity Kuruthe gangaasaagaragamanam vrathparipaalanam
athavaa dhaanam, do
not bestow liberation. Shankara says without jnana one cannot hope to get salvation even in a hundred lives. jnanaviheenah sarvamathena mukthim bhajathi na janmasathena.
Then as a contrast comes the
description of a real sannyaasin who is sarvaparigrahathyagi,
one who has given up all possessions and their enjoyment. Such a person
lives under a tree outside a temple, suramandhiratharumoolanivasah, he sleeps on the ground and
wears a skin sayyaa bhoothalam ajinam vaasah, yet he is full of
joy because he has no desires. Shankara asks kasya sukham na karothi viragah, where is the unhappiness when one is detached? Thiuvalluvar says, vendaamai
anna vizuchchelvam eendillai aandum ahdhoppadhil, there is no
greater wealth than contentment. Has
there been any example for this? There were many as we see the saints like Ramakrishna
and Ramana in all ages. Even in the west we read
about people such as Diogenes who, when asked by Alexander the great to express
his wish , said that he wished only that
Alexander would move away as he was obstructing the Sun. Such was the inner joy
experienced by the realized masters. Yogaratho vaa bhogaratho vaa sangaratho vaa sangaviheenah yasya brahmani ramathe chiththam nandhathi nandhathi nandhathyeva. Whether he is seen practicing
yoga or seemingly indulgent in bhoga his inner bliss
remains unalloyed. He is always happy
because his mind is revels ever in Brahman. Sankara
repeats the word nandhathi
three times to emphasize the eternal and continuous nature of bliss. Also it
implies that the happiness is experienced at all three levels of body, mind and
intellect.
Is there no hope then till
one reaches the stage of
a jeevanmuktha?
Do not despair, says Sankara, Bhagavatgeethaa kimchidhadheethaa
gangaajalalava kanikaa peethaa sakrdhapi yena muraari samarchaa kriyathe thasya yamena na charchaa.
Even a little knowledge of Bhagavatgita, drinking a few drops of the ganges water or even once worshipping Lord Hari will protect
from the fear of death.
This has to be carefully analyzed and
understood properly. Learning a little of Bhagavatgita means learning at least one verse of gita and contemplating on its meaning and applying it in our life, is beneficial rather
than memorizing the whole text without
understanding and application. Few drops
of Ganges water drunk implies that even a little sipped with full faith is
better than plunging into the river without faith. Worshipping Hari even once refers to total surrender which is
done only once as after that one belongs to the Lord.
Here we are reminded
of the words of Rama at the instance of the surrender
by Vibheeshana. He said,. when questioned by Sugriva and
others regarding the fitness of Vibheeshana to be given refuge, ,Skrdheva prapannaanaam thavaasmi ithi vaadhinaam abhayam sarvabhoothaanaam dhadhaami ithi vratham mama. It is my
vow to give refuge to all beings who come to me once and says I am yours.
The
realized master is not always understood by the world which often mistakes him
as a madman or an idiot. But he moves on , taking the barest
minimum, only what is needed to maintain his body and soul together, from the
society which fails to understand him due to ignorance. Rathyaakarpatavirachitha kanthah , wears only a cloth thrown away as garbage, he is punyaapunyavivarjitha panthah, interested neither in
acts of merit or sin, because his mind is always engrossed in the bliss of brahman, yogi yoganiyojitha chiththah, such
a man appears to the world as a child or a madman.
The mind of the child is guileless and a
madman does not care about the world. This is the state of a yogi. Rshabhadeva , who left his kingdom and roamed about the world like a
madman and Jadabharatha who was like an imbecile to
the people around and Yogiram Suratkumar
in our own times are examples of such great souls.
Sankara emphasizes the futility of the life on
this earth and says sarvam
asaaram all that you cherish in this world ,even your close relations like wife and
parents are as valueless as in a dream. To think about them is svapnavichaara
only. Raga, attachment and the subsequent anger and hatred is due to ignorance
of our real nature of the self which is the same in others. To get angry with
someone is therefore like becoming angry with our own self. If you wish to attain vishnuthvam, that is ,
mukthi, says Sankara, cast off the attitude of difference , the
effect of ignorance and see yourself in all, bhavasamachiththah sarvathra thvam. Think about the real you without getting under
the sway of the inner enemies of man, namely kamakrodhalobhamoha,
desire anger, avarice and delusion. Only those devoid of the knowledge of the
self experience hell
on earth. Even though the Acharya is enumerating the four foes of man
the desire is the prime enemy and the others are its followers. As
Finally the Acharya bestows his blessing on the spiritual aspirant in
the concluding verses. Chant the Gita and the sahasranama
of the Lord and meditate always on His form, geyam githaanamasahsram dhyeyam
sripathi rupam ajasram. This will be possible only if we seek the
company of the good . Arjuna says indhriyaani pramaatheeni haranthi
prasabham manah, the
senses are mighty and pull the mind by force, which fact is also confirmed by
The sensual pleasures
are attractive in the beginning but brings misery in its wake. The raamaabhoga results in sariraroga. Over
indulgence in joys of the flesh 4nds in misery due to disease. Though all know
that death is a certainty no one gives up the sinful life and resort to
spirituality. Sankara calls all arthas, sense
objects anartha
cause of sorrow, and do not produce any joy. The rich seem to fear even from
their own sons because the
money breeds evil.
Sankara
thus invites the attention of a seeker of spiritual progress o the hazards of the sensual pleasures and
warns him against the play of maaya imploring him to
rise above that through spiritual practices like pranayama and prthyaahaara,
breath control and control of the mind. This accompanied with nityaanaityavasthu
viveka, discrimination
regarding which is permanent and which is not, leads one to Samadhi in which
the intellect is firmly established in Brahman. Sankara
gives a final assurance that the devotion to the guru will lead to a quick
deliverance from the samsara.Gurucharanaambujanirbharabhakthah samsaaraath achiraath
bhava mukthah. The final salvation comes from witnessing
the lord residing in the heart, drsyasi nijahrdhayastham dhevam.
This work of Sankara contains the essence of Gita and is aptly called Mohamudgara as it brings to the mind vividly the travails
of samsara and opens up the eyes of the man of the
world to reality. The description of the illusoriness of the worldly pleasures
is brought out in a picturesque manner. But for the refrain that goes
throughout, namely Bajagovindam the contents are not strictly
devotional but primarily philosophical. These verses are
verily a shock treatment administered to the materialistic intellect and shakes
it from the stupor of ignorance.