bhajagovindam bhajagovindam
govindam bhajamuudhamate
sampraapte sannihite kaale
nahi nahi rakshati dukrijnkarane
Worship Govinda! Worship Govinda!
Worship Govinda! Oh fool!
Rules of grammar will not save you
at the time of your death
Through this fervent verse, Adi Shankaracharya, one of India’s greatest saints of all times, tries to bring back to reason an elderly man whose path he crossed on his pilgrimage to Benares. Seeing this man of advanced age trying desperately to learn Sanskrit grammar, he felt distraught. It was Shankara’s compassionate manner to urge him not to waste the last precious moments of his life with futile distractions. Instead, he should worship God, making sure that His name would be on his lips at the time of death.
When I first read this verse, I felt deeply touched. My life seemed to flash by on the screen of my mind, and I was the detached and lucid observer of the film. I wondered if, like the old man, I had wasted precious time with useless pastimes instead of developing a one-pointed focus on the Divine. If the next breath would be my last, what would be my final thought, my ultimate desire ?
Would my mind be attracted by the worldly attachments I had created during my life on Earth, willingly or unwillingly ? For it is said that our last thought will determine the quality of our future incarnation, in case there might be one. Yet, the goal according to certain spiritual traditions is “Moksha” or Liberation (from ego, and therefore from the wheel of death and rebirth), and no future birth is desired.
Reincarnation only exists for the “I”, the ego … no ego (desire) – no reincarnation.
But what exactly is this “ego”, that some wish to “kill” and others claim “illusionary” ? Isn’t it just a concept invented by the thinking mind – or even the thinking mind itself ? When we look for it, we can’t find it, no matter how hard we try. And we don’t even need any sophisticated spiritual practice in order to realize this truth; and even less, to adopt religious dogma.
Shankaracharya is venerated as one of the most important teachers of a philosophical-spiritual current called Advaita-Vedanta, or non-duality. An ancient tradition, rooted in the Upanishads, it is still very much honoured nowadays by those who prefer a “direct approach” to enlightenment over “progressive methods” based on the idea of separation between the seeker and God.
Shankara's teachings can be reduced to this essential verse :
Brahma Satyam Jagan Mithya Jivo Brahmaiva Na Aparah
Brahman (the Absolute) alone is real; this world is unreal;
and the Jiva (individual soul) is non-different from Brahman
It was actually my husband, who introduced me to this “direct approach”, and during one of his workshops, at the beginning of our marriage, he asked the participants to find the “I” that we speak about when we say : “I am doing this”,” I am Austrian”,” I am an artist” etc. To say the least, it was a truly shocking experience for me to try to find this “I” somewhere within my body or mind. Wherever I turned, I was unable to locate it, there just was “nobody home”.
I was so intrigued by this revelation, that I wanted to find out, if there actually was a “soul”., since we so readily use this term and it is an important notion in all religions. So I sat down, closed my eyes, and interiorised myself. We could say that I meditated on the subject. And again, the same experience : I just could not find an entity called “soul” anywhere I looked. The same result, when I intended to search for the existence of the "mind" ...
And an essential question arose : if there is no “me”, no “soul”, no "mind", WHO AM I ???
Although those first experiences on the “direct path” – or better, non-path – were rather disturbing, for they shattered many beliefs I had taken for granted, I continued to explore my inherent nature of Pure Consciousness.
Progressive paths completely lost their attraction for me, since I felt uncomfortable about the feeling that I had a long way to go, a lot of practices and rituals to do, many mantras to recite, in order to, eventually, gain enlightenment one day in this life or the next. There was something that sounded “fake” about it.
And it was again my husband who guided my experience towards clarification of this conflict. He just suggested to pronounce two short affirmations, one essentially describing the progressive approach, the other the direct one. He then invited me to let them soak in and to see how that felt.
The first phrase was : “I am That.”
The other was : “I will be That.”
I didn’t need to meditate for long, in order to realize that only the first affirmation resonated as “Truth” within me and filled me with peace. The other one provoked frustration and the feeling of “not being enough, here and now”. Try it out, it is a liberating experience.
“That” is the name given to the Supreme Reality, a word that is abstract enough not to provoke mental images - although the thinking mind will probably try to create yet another concept out of it ...
Another name for the Absolute or we may say “God without form”, is Shiva – although Shiva is commonly known and worshipped as a deity, he is considered as the principle of Pure (non-manifested) Consciousness. There are some amusing (and highly insightful) word-games around the terms of “jiva” (individual soul) and “Shiva” (the Supreme Reality), since the pronunciation only differs slightly. One of them is the following :
Jiva is Shiva and Shiva is Jiva; when bound by husk it is paddy, unbound it is rice. Thus the bound one is Jiva, released from karma he is eternal Shiva. Bound by ropes, he is Jiva, unbound, Shiva.
- Skanda Upanishad -
Another wisdom-quote that touched my deepest core, because it had the power to stop my frantic quest for future happiness and the idea of something to achieve in the near or far future, through certain actions and practices. How liberating to suddenly realize that what we are looking for is closer than we might have thought. For we are it, already.
Any path would just lead us away from “Home” … why move ?
This realization was essential for me, and motivated me to write the following verse :
FROM JIVA TO SHIVA
On pathless path through realms of time and space
in quest for freedom in my doorless cage
I play my role on life’s enchanting stage
competing in Samsara’s ruthless race
despite despair still searching for my place
sometimes with gentle means, sometimes with rage
Convinced that, slowly, with increasing age
extremes I’ll quit, Nirvana to embrace
Yet if I deeply gaze within my soul
no obstacles prevent my blissful flight
Eureka ! And as strange as it may seem
the quest dissolves together with the goal
Instead of Maya’s veil, now clearest sight
the Jiva’s cage is naught but Shiva’s dream
- maa -
But, even if we realize that there is nowhere to go, nothing to achieve, and that nothing can be added to the reality of who we ultimately are, this knowledge has yet to be integrated in our daily life. Even a parrot can repeat : “I am That.” - it won’t transform him into a sage though.
So, although there might be no path leading to where we already are, in order to live this Truth in our relative reality we call “the world”, we may nevertheless wish to honor the Divine in its formless aspect or through worshipping one of its forms.
In India, there are two main currents, one called Jnana (knowledge), the other Bhakti (devotion). To simplify, Jnana generally uses a method called neti-neti (not this – nor that), as a means of self-inquiry. Through the realization of what we are not, what we are is revealed.
A perfect example would be one of my favorite Sanskrit Hymns by Shankaracharya called “Nirvanashtakam”. The following poem is a metered poetic rendering of the original verse, based on the English translation - all the merit for this piece goes to Shankara :
SHIVOHAM SHIVOHAM
I am neither the body, nor taste, smell or sight
neither ears, nose or tongue, nor the ego or mind
neither ether nor water, nor earth, fire or air
I am Consciousness-Bliss, Shivoham, Shivoham
Neither loathing nor liking, delusion or greed
neither knowledge nor pride, neither merit nor wealth
neither pleasure nor pain, doing wrong, doing right
I am Consciousness-Bliss, Shivoham, Shivoham
Neither pilgrimage, mantra, nor worship or prayer
neither scriptures nor teachings, devotion or rite
Fear of death I have none, what I am has no birth
I am Consciousness-Bliss, Shivoham, Shivoham
Neither mother nor father, nor friends are my own
neither brother nor sister, nor husband or wife
nor disciple, nor guru, religion or caste
I am Consciousness-Bliss, Shivoham, Shivoham
What I am has no form, All-pervading I am
Everywhere I exist, beyond senses I am
I am Nameless and Boundless, Unmoved and Unknown
I am Consciousness-Bliss, Shivoham, Shivoham
- maa -
And if a person has a naturally emotional tendency, (s)he may be more attracted to the devotional path of Bhakti, where the separation between the devotee and his/her chosen deity and/or guru (spiritual master) is voluntarily maintained. (S)he is worshipped by the seeker and often considered as a Universal Mother (even the masculine deities and teachers).
Again, one of Shankaracharya’s Sanskrit Hymns demonstrates quite well the different approach of devotion and the particular ambiance it creates. As follows, another poetic rendering of the original text based on its English translation :
BHAVANI ASHTAKAM REVISITED
No father, no mother, no sister, no brother
no son and no daughter, no friend and no servant
I’m calling my own – for in You I take refuge
gatistvam gatistvam tvameka Bhavani
I drown in the ocean of worldly existence
rejecting the pain, yet in pleasure entangled
avidity, envy and ignorance haunt me
gatistvam gatistvam tvameka Bhavani
Oh Mother ! I know not of vows and of tapas
of pilgrimage, yoga or renunciation
impure are my heart and my mind and my actions
gatistvam gatistvam tvameka Bhavani
I worship no Brahma, no Vishnu, no Shiva
nor Indra, Ganesha, nor Surya, nor Chandra
Your Name is my garland, Your Form is my temple
gatistvam gatistvam tvameka Bhavani
- maa -
I have explored both approaches, and don’t really have a preference, nor do I consider one superior to the other. It is even said that a healthy balance between both should be aspired to. Here is a verse that speaks of this insight :
TWO WINGS – ONE BIRD … THE BHAKTI-JNANA-BALANCE
Devotion and knowledge : two wings of one bird
Nirvana needs both, with one wing, there’s no flight
Although by most people, the mind is preferred
heart’s love guides the path towards truth and clear sight
Serenity’s voice in deep silence is heard
sweet perfume of bliss fills the soul with delight
The path of pure knowledge is stony and dry
embedded in desert where pride’s flowers grow
dead concepts among rotten principles lie
dull dreams through illusion-veiled mind-landscape flow
Love’s rain of pure blessings will fear’s knot untie
Surrender your being to what you don’t know
Remember your wings, cross Samsara’s dark sea
Rejoice ! Maya’s lock always comes with the key
- maa -
Right now, the reader might feel confused and ask : “How come, she tells us that there is no path, and then tells us to choose one, after all ?” And although this might seem like a paradox, in reality, it isn’t.
Whatever we do, or don’t do – it does not change That.
There is an ancient Sanskrit mantra that confirms this Truth :
om purnamada purnamidam
purnad purnamudachyate
purnasya purnamadaya
purnameva vasisyate
That (Supreme Reality) is the Whole, This (Creation) is the Whole
When taking the Whole from the Whole
the Whole remains
In a contemporary version, this mantra could be translated into :
Within-without, below-above, while-afterwards-before
belong to those who life in cage of time and space adore
To Wholeness we can never add, for wholer it won’t get
and not less whole will Wholeness be, subtracting This from That
- maa -
OM SHANTI SHANTI SHANTI
Author notes
Sanskrit glossary :
Advaita Vedanta … spiritual tradition of non-duality
Advaitic … non-dual
bhajan … devotional chant
Bhakti … Devotion
Bhavani … one of the Names of the Divine Mother, her ferocious aspect as “Giver Of Life”
Brahma … God Of Creation in the Hindu Trinity
Brahman … Ultimate Reality
Chandra … Moon(god)
Ganesha … God with the head of an elephant who removes ego’s obstacles
gatistvam, gatistvam tvameka Bhavani … You are my sole refuge, Oh Divine Mother !
Govinda … a name for God – one of Lord Krishna’s names
Indra … God Of War
Jiva … individual soul (bound to karma)
Jnana … Knowledge
karma … the law of cause and effect
mantra … sacred syllables, repeated to purify the mind and to reach one-pointedness
Maya … Illusion, mistaking the transient for the real, appearance disguised as reality
Nirvana … annihilation of the ego, liberation from the cycle of rebirth and suffering
puja … ritual
Samsara … the cycle of birth, death and rebirth, the world of suffering
Shanti … peace
Shiva … God Of Destruction – or Pure Consciousness in his impersonal and formless aspect
Shivoham … I am Shiva (Pure Consciousness)
Surya … Sun(god)
tapas … austerities
Vishnu … God Of Preservation
yoga … spiritual discipline (including asanas = postures of the commonly known hatha-yoga)
***
“SHIVOHAM SHIVOHAM”
(also “Mano Buddhya”, “Nirvana Shatakam” or “Atmanubhuti”)
the original Hymn and its English translation :
http://www.sankaracharya.org/nirvana_shatkam.php
“BHAVANI ASHTAKAM”
the original Hymn and its English translation
Bhavani Ashtakam http://www.sankaracharya.org/bhavani_ashtakam.php
“Bhaja Govindam” http://www.sankaracharya.org/bhaja_govindam.php
the famous scene extracted from the film “Adi Shankaracharya” by G. V. Iyer
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d3qjIvhWIKs&feature=related
the entire film can be watched here :
http://video.google.fr/videoplay?docid=1047087149251803384&q=Adi+Shankaracharya+site%3Avideo.google.com&total=5&start=0&num=10&so=0&type=search&plindex=0
***
essay : 2065 words
footnotes : 276 words
Please tell me what you think
Comments
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Hello Maa.
I was wondering why your name was Maa; mother. I was going to ask you if it was for that reason, someone else's comment has clarified that for me.
Well, there is much wisdom here, and it was a joy to read your writing. Putting the illusion of what is us (flesh, ego, etc), into it's right place, not letting the internal be at the mercy of the external, and letting who and what we really are back into the driving seat, and so many other things. Excellent.
I shall definately be checking more out.
I wish you well on your journey. My regards.
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The alarm has gone off and awakening is slow but sure as each day passes for me. I had a Reiki session last fall that was a very spiritual experience. I went 3 days in a row. The first day I traveled to highest heights of the Universe surrounded by angels, the second day I felt like I levitated off the table and became one with the Universe. On my way home I was one with the car. I stopped at a store to ground before continuing on and was one with the store and The third day I experienced Love incomprehensible to my physical mind.
Your words have awakened the experience and brought great peace within this earthly body my oneness wears.
skye
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You covered a lot here; and mangaged to create an almost perfect circle with it. "Balance," as you say, is the key to living out this "Maya".
I have come full circle in my life. I understood much of the dilemma that you are presenting here when I was quite young - but did not have the guidance or "knowledge" to know where to go with it.
"Balance" became my answer; and is now. I find myself spiraling between non-being and personal entity; but deep down inside I view whatever state I am in as what "is" and as a reflection of my spiritual, inner state.
I loved your vocabulary list, as I am still trying to familiarize myself with many Hindu terms.
You truly have a grasp of the concepts that you present here; I can tell. It is something that I deal with personally every day. Thank you for sharing your wisdom with us Marion.
My favorite Saivite teacher/guru, Subramanyaswami said, "You are where you are!" That is so defining and clarifying for me. That gentle, simple truth. We are who we are, and we are the Divine; Siva's dreams, so to speak. If we are dreams of the Divine, then that means we are the Divine manifesting into this reality that is Maya. We really have no choice but to live the dream. It is like, when we are dreaming ourselves, we act out our part in the dream, until we awaken and realize it was all a manifestation of our mind; but even that is debatable. Maybe our own dreams are more the reality than what we think is our reality. LOL's -
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thank you so much for your patience to read this lengthy essay, my dear friend karen ...
I have certainly not studied advaita vedanta for decades or even lifetimes like many of the "specialists", so my limited understanding may contain a certain number of flaws ... but, as you say, even these flaws should be accepted, for clouds can't veil the sun forever ...
as for the "almost perfect circle", I was smiling, since one of my favorite zen-drawings consists of a calligraphic circle which is not closed ... I must admit that I rarely conclude my thoughts or writings, but love the "breaking of the circle" ... especially when it comes down to the wheel of karma and reincarnation ...
I feel blessed to have a friend like you with whom I can exchange about those subjects ...
thank you !
marion
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Marvellous to say the least. Very transforming. Sankara is considered Adi Guru in India. Bajagovindam is recited in every home, though most listeners do not know the meaing. A recital by M.S. Subbalakshmi(Melodious singer)recited it. Very listening is liberating. You are a 'Maa'(mother) to many spiritual seekers..Thank you
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thank you so much for your patience to read and comment on this essay ... it means a lot to me ...
maa
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An ode to beauty
Thank you, so much, dear Maa, for this inspiring essay on Advaita-Vedanta and Shankaracharya. You point with delicacy and subtlety toward the apparent paradox that nothing can bring us where we already are. In your wide perspective, you keep however a place for rituals and practices, as a way to reconciliate the idea of being already realized with its opposite twin, the idea which emphasizes the need of an effort and striving in order to reach what we really want. Love embraces all the apparent divisions, ignoring the apparent duality of beliefs and opinions. As you let it think, love has no contrary. Thank you again, dear Maa, to so well incarnate love, in its both Divine and human dimension.
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I bound and shiver when I, unbound, husky, jive :)
- word games around the terms of “jiva” (individual soul) and “Shiva
__________
Yet if I deeply gaze within my soul
the flight imprints a pattern on the Way
with nor Eureka ! nor some hide-bound theme,
the quest seems part and parcel of the goal
veiled whole from hole may role-reverse insight
as Shiva's wheel spins, turning Jiva’s dream
________
Serenity’s voice in deep silence is heard
sweet perfume of bliss fills the soul with delight
Ode on a Distant Prospect of Eton College
"Yet ah! why should they know their fate?
Since sorrow never comes too late,
And happiness too swiftly flies.
Thought would destroy their paradise.
No more; where ignorance is bliss,
'Tis folly to be wise."
Thomas Gray
_______________
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You tackle here, inter alia, the question I leave unanswered in my essay - what is meant by all the terms in this paraphrase of Descartes - "I am aware therefore I exist"? Specifically, what is meant by "I"?
And I always had a soft spot for Ganesha.
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I have often thought of reincarnation, and pondered upon why it is? That we can do so many things, and have such wonderful skills without being taught them.
They are already within us. Perhaps from past lives, and reincarnated deep within the collective knowledge we have acquired throughout the centuries.The mind is more complex then we could ever imagine.Perhaps that is why I do not fear death.Somewhere inside I know my energy force will transcend to another place.
It is all very interesting, I like your mind Maa! Very good write and the best of luck!
Now go away i want to read it all again!
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Well!!!!!
Very interesting and informative.I too will have to read many more times and I will probably still not understand.Of course the I should or shouldn't it? Dear me, I'm a bit confused but nicely so.Thankyou for this brain teaser it was apleasure to read, Ros
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Very reflective and completely enveloping. You had me laughing with your rejection of the word "I" as so many look at me funny when I say the same thing. I love the Hindu philosophies. They tend to be so encouraging. But, I am not here to speak of that, I am looking at your essay. It is very artistic and flows beautifully. I am not certain that a conclusion has been drawn, rather you have just shown us where you are in your life. That is good, too.
I shall read it again. I am told that in many past lives I was devoted to Seta, and was a storyteller of considerable power and healing. I will tell you more about that sometime.
A wonderully uplifting essay. Kudos.
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Maa
You rocked this. I can't wait to see other people's comments and how the other judges rate this. Personally, I'm going to have to read another three times just to understand its depth and complexity. Thanks for a metaphysical headache. I had no idea what I was getting into. Maybe, when I ascend to your level, then I'll have a criticism. The wolf backs off the path in terror. Red Cap has very sharp teeth
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