Bhaj Govindam
Today’s verse is written by Guru Hastamalaka. The fragrance of each guru’s experience is present in his/her discourses or writing. Guru Hastamalaka, a disciple of the Great Guru Shankaracharya, was born in a very pious village, to a devout family. He remained like a dumb-dim-wit and this worried his father, and when Shankaracharya came, his father took him to meet this sage, in order to find a cure. At that time Hastamalaka, when asked, Who are you? By Shankaracharya - sang out the essence of the very existence.
Hence, Guru Shankaracharyaji not only took him as his disciple, but also named him Hastamalaka, which means the one who has fruit amla (goose-berry) in his hand. It refers to the one who has the divine knowledge in his palm, he who was awakened and enlightened, and he who did not have to go through any Guru, knowledge, Shastras or tapas, he was born enlightened.
Yeh sukh sadan se nahin hoye,
Tumhari kripa paye koi koi.
To get realisation there is no set route, rule, path or Sadhana,
This happens with God’s grace alone, and this is bestowed upon only a few.
Being in the vicinity of great scholars, pandit, sadhus from his very childhood, he must have seen, what he expresses in this verse.
Verse 16
अग्रे वह्निः पृष्ठेभानुः,
रात्रौ चुबुकसमर्पितजानुः।
करतलभिक्षस्तरुतलवासः,
तदपि न मुञ्चत्याशापाशः॥
सूर्यास्त के बाद, रात्रि में आग जला कर और घुटनों में सर छिपाकर सर्दी बचाने वाला , हाथ में भिक्षा का अन्न खाने वाला, पेड़ के नीचे रहने वाला भी अपनी इच्छाओं के बंधन को छोड़ नहीं पाता है॥
Agre Vahnih Prsthe Bhanuh
Ratrau Cubukasamarpitajanuh
Karatalabhiksastarutalavasah
Tadapi Na Muncatyasapasah
The sixteenth verse said to me - Shruti Says🌷
When the sun goes away, at night he lights the fire and sits coiled up to shield himself from the cold.
Having no vessels he eats whatever his hand can hold, takes bhiksha only in his hand.
The one who has no home, wander and stays under the tree.
Even this kind of a sanyasi is unable to leave his desires and expectation.
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He is describing here a sanyasi - sanyasis are not allowed to do any kind of ‘Sangrah’ or accumulation. The minute one enters the sanyas ashram, there is a decorum that one has to follow. As mentioned many times before, there is a decorum for each ashram, no ashram is inferior to the other, they just have their own rules. What we see today in the name of Sanyas, is not what the ashram demands. It is unfortunate that the gullible public, just seeing coloured robes get deluded and falls at their feet (Never before in the history of Sanatan Dharma, the Grihast Ashram has had such a low self esteem of the self). The true sanyasis are hidden, and the ones we are reaching for, are not even close to being called one.
What Hastamalaka ji says here is that even such a sanyasi, who has been able to follow the decorum of the ashram, has been able to align the deeds and words to being a true sanyasi, he/she also can fail at aligning the thoughts, and in the thoughts rages the fire of desire and expectation. One can forcefully control ones body and the tongue, but the mind can not be controlled by force.
Then what does one do, to get rid of this Ashapasha - the shackles of Desire and Expectation?
Well, we have all heard about the domino affect, one domino pushed and automatically all the other dominos which are ahead start falling, the domino in the front does not make the effort to fall either, it is effortlessly pushed. Even the first domino does not make the effort to fall, it is pushed.
If we follow the decorum of each ashram as mentioned in the scriptures, one ashram helps us glide to...
