Bhaja Govindam (Sanskrit: भज गोविन्दं, meaning Praise/Seek Govinda), also known as Moha Mudgara (Destroyer of illusion), is a popular Hindu devotional poem in Sanskrit composed by Adi Shankara. This work of Adi Shankara underscores the view that bhakti (devotion) is also important along with jñāna (knowledge), as emphasised by the Bhakti movement.[1]
There is a legend related to the composition of this hymn. It is said that Adi Shankara, accompanied by his disciples, was walking along a street in Varanasi one day, when he came across an old aged scholar reciting the rules of Sanskrit grammar of Panini repeatedly on the street. Taking pity on him, Adi Shankara went up to the scholar and advised him not to waste his time on grammar at his age, but to turn his mind to God in worship and adoration, which would only save him from this vicious cycle of life and death. The hymn Bhaja Govindam is said to have been composed on this occasion.[2]
This composition is a reminder that Adi Shankara, who is often regarded as reviver of Hinduism Jnana Marga (Jnana Yoga) or the "Path of Knowledge" to attain Mukti, also was a proponent of Bhakti Marga (Bhakti Yoga) to attain the same goal,[3] and as C. Rajagopalachari put in his commentary, "When intelligence (jnana) matures and lodges securely in the heart, it becomes wisdom (vignyana). When that wisdom (vignyana) is integrated with life and issues out in action, it becomes devotion (bhakti). Knowledge (jnana) which has become mature is spoken of as devotion (bhakti). If it does not get transformed into devotion (bhakti), such knowledge (jnana) is useless tinsel."[4]
In this prayer, Adi Shankara emphasizes the importance of devotion for God as a means to spiritual development and to liberation from the cycle of birth and death. The prayer leaves one in no doubt that the renunciation of our egotistical differences and surrender to God makes for salvation. Many scholars hold that this composition encapsulates with both brevity and simplicity the substance of all Vedantic thought found in whatever other works that Adi Shankara wrote:
"The refrain "Bhaja Govindam" which defines the composition and gives it its name invokes the almighty in the aspect of supreme god Shree Krishna; it is therefore very popular not only with Sri Adi Shankaracharya's immediate followers, the Smarthas, but also with Vaishnavas and others."
The metre is moraic (मात्राछन्दस्). Apart from the first verse, all other verses have 16 matras, which tend to fit the description of the padakulakam variety of matrasamaka [मात्रासमक] in vrtta-ratnakara.
| verse | Devanagari | Transliteration | English Translation | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | ||||
| 2 | ||||
| 3 | nārīstanabhara-nābhīdēśaṃdṛṣṭvā mā gā mōhāvēśam ।ētanmāṃsavasādivikāraṃmanasi vichintaya vāraṃ vāram ॥ | |||
| 4 | nalinīdala-gatajalamatitaralaṃtadvajjīvitamatiśaya-chapalam ।viddhi vyādhyabhimānagrastaṃlōkaṃ śōkahataṃ cha samastam ॥ | |||
| 5 | yāvadvittōpārjanasaktaḥtāvannijaparivārō raktaḥ ।paśchājjīvati jarjaradēhēvārtāṃ kō'pi na pṛchChati gēhē ॥ | |||
| 6 | yāvatpavanō nivasati dēhētāvatpṛchChati kuśalaṃ gēhē ।gatavati vāyau dēhāpāyēbhāryā bibhyati tasminkāyē ॥ | |||
| 7 | bālastāvatkrīḍāsaktaḥtaruṇastāvattaruṇīsaktaḥ ।vṛddhastāvachchintāsaktaḥparamē brahmaṇi kō'pi na saktaḥ ॥ | |||
| 8 | kā tē kāntā kastē putraḥsaṃsārō'yamatīva vichitraḥ ।kasya tvaṃ kaḥ kuta āyātaḥtattvaṃ chintaya tadiha bhrātaḥ ॥ | |||
| 9 | satsaṅgatvē nissaṅgatvaṃnissaṅgatvē nirmōhatvam ।nirmōhatvē niśchalatattvaṃniśchalatattvē jīvanmuktiḥ ॥ | |||
| 10 | vayasi gatē kaḥ kāmavikāraḥśuṣkē nīrē kaḥ kāsāraḥ ।kṣīṇē vittē kaḥ parivāraḥjñātē tattvē kaḥ saṃsāraḥ ॥ | |||
| 11 | mā kuru dhana-jana-yauvana-garvaṃharati nimēṣātkālaḥ sarvam ।māyāmayamidamakhilaṃ hitvābrahmapadaṃ tvaṃ praviśa viditvā ॥ | |||
| 12 | dinayāminyau sāyaṃ prātaḥśiśiravasantau punarāyātaḥ ।kālaḥ krīḍati gachChatyāyuḥtadapi na muñchatyāśāvāyuḥ ॥ | |||
| 13 | kā tē kāntā dhanagatachintāvātula kiṃ tava nāsti niyantā ।trijagati sajjanasaṅgatirēkābhavati bhavārṇavataraṇē naukā ॥ | |||
| 14 | dvādaśa-mañjarikābhiraśēṣaḥkathitō vaiyākaraṇasyaiṣaḥ ।upadēśō'bhūdvidyā-nipuṇaiḥśrīmachChaṅkara-bhagavachCharaṇaiḥ ॥ | |||
| 15 | jaṭilō muṇḍī luñChitakēśaḥkāṣāyāmbara-bahukṛtavēṣaḥ ।paśyannapi cha na paśyati mūḍhaḥudaranimittaṃ bahukṛtavēṣaḥ ॥ | |||
| 16 | aṅgaṃ galitaṃ palitaṃ muṇḍaṃdaśanavihīnaṃ jātaṃ tuṇḍam ।vṛddhō yāti gṛhītvā daṇḍaṃtadapi na muñchatyāśāpiṇḍam ॥ | |||
| 17 | agrē vahniḥ pṛṣṭhē bhānuḥrātrau chubuka-samarpita-jānuḥ ।karatala-bhikṣastarutalavāsaḥtadapi na muñchatyāśāpāśaḥ ॥ | |||
| 18 | kurutē gaṅgāsāgaragamanaṃvrata-paripālanamathavā dānam ।jñānavihīnaḥ sarvamatēnabhajati na muktiṃ janmaśatēna ॥ | |||
| 19 | suramandira-taru-mūla-nivāsaḥśayyā bhūtalamajinaṃ vāsaḥ ।sarva-parigraha-bhōgatyāgaḥkasya sukhaṃ na karōti virāgaḥ ॥ | |||
| 20 | yōgaratō vā bhōgaratō vāsaṅgaratō vā saṅgavihīnaḥ ।yasya brahmaṇi ramatē chittaṃnandati nandati nandatyēva ॥ | |||
| 21 | bhagavadgītā kiñchidadhītāgaṅgājala-lavakaṇikā pītā ।sakṛdapi yēna murārisamarchākriyatē tasya yamēna na charchā ॥ | |||
| 22 | punarapi jananaṃ punarapi maraṇaṃpunarapi jananījaṭharē śayanam ।iha saṃsārē bahudustārēkṛpayā'pārē pāhi murārē ॥ | |||
| 23 | rathyācharpaṭa-virachita-kanthaḥpuṇyāpuṇya-vivarjita-panthaḥ ।yōgī yōganiyōjita-chittaḥramatē bālōnmattavadēva ॥ | |||
| 24 | kastvaṃ kō'haṃ kuta āyātaḥkā mē jananī kō mē tātaḥ ।iti paribhāvaya sarvamasāraṃviśvaṃ tyaktvā svapnavichāram ॥ | |||
| 25 | tvayi mayi chānyatraikō viṣṇuḥvyarthaṃ kupyasi mayyasahiṣṇuḥ ।bhava samachittaḥ sarvatra tvaṃvāñChasyachirādyadi viṣṇutvam ॥ | |||
| 26 | śatrau mitrē putrē bandhaumā kuru yatnaṃ vigrahasandhau ।sarvasminnapi paśyātmānaṃsarvatrōtsṛja bhēdājñānam ॥ | |||
| 27 | kāmaṃ krōdhaṃ lōbhaṃ mōhaṃtyaktvātmānaṃ paśyati sō'ham ।ātmajñānavihīnā mūḍhāḥtē pachyantē narakanigūḍhāḥ ॥ | |||
| 28 | gēyaṃ gītā-nāmasahasraṃdhyēyaṃ śrīpati-rūpamajasram ।nēyaṃ sajjana-saṅgē chittaṃdēyaṃ dīnajanāya cha vittam ॥ | |||
| 29 | sukhataḥ kriyatē kāmābhōgaḥpaśchādanta śarīrē rōgaḥ ।yadyapi lōkē maraṇaṃ śaraṇaṃtadapi na muñchati pāpācharaṇam ॥ | |||
| 30 | arthamanarthaṃ bhāvaya nityaṃnāstitataḥ sukhalēśaḥ satyam ।putrādapi dhanabhājāṃ bhītiḥsarvatraiṣā vihitā rītiḥ ॥ | |||
| 31 | prāṇāyāmaṃ pratyāhāraṃnityānitya vivēkavichāram ।jāpyasamētasamādhividhānaṃkurvavadhānaṃ mahadavadhānam ॥ | |||
| 32 | gurucharaṇāmbuja-nirbharabhaktaḥsaṃsārādachirādbhava muktaḥ ।sēndriyamānasa-niyamādēvaṃdrakṣyasi nijahṛdayasthaṃ dēvam ॥ | |||
| 33 | mūḍhaḥ kaśchana vaiyākaraṇōḍuḥkṛṅkaraṇādhyayanadhurīṇaḥ ।śrīmachChaṅkara-bhagavachChiṣyaiḥbōdhita āsīchChōdhita-karaṇaḥ ॥ |