Why such pessimism?
Even now many South Indians wake up to the voice of MS Subbulakshmi either chanting the Vishnu Sahasranamam or the Venkatesa Suprabatham or singing Bhaja Govindam written by Sri Sankaracharya. I was no different my childhood. Among the three I liked Bhaja Govindam a lot because of the way MS sings it.
I recently got a booklet from Ramakrishna Math that had the translation and transliteration of Bhaja Govindam (by Swami Nikhilananda). I learnt that the one sung by MS is not the complete version but has verses selected by Chandrasekharendra Saraswati (I remember reading about this some where but could not confirm it).
As I read some verses and their meanings in the booklet, I couldn’t but wonder as to why Adi Sankara (himself, who drank the ocean of gyana, as Rajaji would say in his introduction) was pessimistic and negative in a lot of places while writing this. For example, there is this verse that is also sung by MS:
Yavad vittoparjana-sakta-
Stavad nija-parivaro raktah
Pascat jivati jarjaradehe
Vartam ko’pi na pracchati gehe
which translates to:
While a man supports his family,
See what loving care they show!
But when his aging body falters,
Nearing the time of dissolution,
None, not even his nearest kin,
Will think to ask him how he fares.
To me, this verse looked no different from the early dramas that used to be telecast in the Doordarshan where the elders are shown to be abused by the family members and helpless. Not only this verse, there are many others (not sung by MSS) that show wives and sons in bad light. These make me wonder why Adi Sankara should write such things even if he wanted people to abjure grihasta.
- General | Time: 12:02:47 AM (UTC+8)
I’ve read Bhaja Govindam sometime back. The point he wanted to tell with those verses is,
“Dont waste the time by doing what is not the purpose of life.Act on the purpose ie. God realisation”
Thats why he sung in those verses, nobody / no thing will save you in the last moment.
He even criticised that by uttering merely slogas wont help you. Talking about grammar in the old age wont help you.
If you see it as pessimistic, then it is upto you. But in my point of view, that is the one song in which Adi shankara broke all the rules and criticised the mad practices.
Comment by Subbaraman — October 14, 2006 @ 2:24:41 PM
Adi Sankara was probably in a bad mood when he wrote that verse. Or maybe he saw someone happily married and started to wonder, whether married life is much better than his. And concluded not, so he could feel good.
And when he wrote, “Maa kuru dhana jana yavvana garvam…” he probably was mocked at by a beautiful female.
On a less frivolous note, I think I can understand his point of view if his goal was to comment on the impermanance of material life (Maya).
Comment by swami — October 21, 2006 @ 3:20:47 AM
You would understand this better if you had an old family member who is suffering from terminal illness and has been in the (death)bed for a long period and who had to be constantly taken care like a young infant.
In this situation, you would be forced to balance between your work/studies/family and serving this member (it could be your father, mother, grandparents, uncles, aunts, etc..,). Over time (say after a few weeks), you would be sapped of your mental strength and character and might wish this person to ‘go away’ soon, without much suffering (both to yourself and himself).
What would be the state of mind of the suffering person?
what would be the state of mind of yourself or your family who is striving to support/care this person?
what would be the state of mind of near relatives?
Comment by JKB — June 14, 2008 @ 3:47:38 PM