Shankaracharya

A wise person learns lessons from his mistakes and does not repeat them. But a foolish person never learns. He repeats the same mistake again and again and suffers on account of his folly. A sleeping person can be woken up but how to wake up one who is feigning sleep? But great Master’s in all their benevolence, still continue to awaken sleeping ignorant ones. One such great master was “Adi Shankaracharya”. The master once passed by a sanskrit scholar in Varanasi who was busy memorizing the rules of sanskrit grammar. Seeing the tension writ all over the scholar’s face, Shankaracharya spontaneously composed a beautiful poem “Bhaja Govindam” .

Bhaja Govindam is a collection of thirty one shlokas, each of which is packed with the essence of all Vedanta, of knowledge and devotion. Shankaracharya says memorizing rules of sanskrit will be of no use at the time of death. So “Oh foolish man, sing the name of Govind.”

Gurumaaji offers us this gift of knowledge and devotion in the album Bhaja Govindam. She sets the profound verses to hummable melody. She talks at length explaining each sholka in a very modern day context for us to understand and apply in our day to day living.

Bhaja Govindam is also known as Moha Mudgara Stotra. Gurumaaji explains how mudgal is used to beat the dirt out of clothes, similarly the Moha Mudgara Stotra is meant to ‘beat’ the ignorance out of us! For man is so attached to wealth, youth and prosperity; seldom does he realize that it all disappears in a flash at the time of death.

This album comes from a shivir where Gurumaaji made ‘kirtan‘ the theme and so there are some lively and enchanting kirtans along with the subtle stotras. While expounding the meaning of each shloka, Gurumaaji also talks about ideas of love, sex, marriage and childbirth and shows us how to make our lives divine, whether we are householders or sanyasi.

‘Punarapi Jananam Punarapi Maranam, Punarapi Janani Jathare Shyanam’
‘Iha Samsare Bahu Dustare , Kripaya Pare Pahi Murare’

This shloka tells us how we have been going though the circle of birth and death innumerable times, we follow the same pattern of lying in the mother’s womb, experiencing the trauma of childbirth, playing games as a child, getting education, marrying, having children, amassing wealth and fame and leaving everything when we die one fine day.

Inspite of going through this cycle time and again, the ignorant one fails to realize that the only way out is to hold steadfast to the Divine Name.

Bhaja Govindam conveys this messages in myriad ways,we have heard it many times, but hardly contemplated on its meaning.

Here is an excellent opportunity to make every moment of life a blessing, to make every action of our lives divine. Meditate upon the shlokas and assimilate into your heart the essence of Adi Shankaracharya’s Bhaja Govindam handed to you with love by Gurumaaji