Upasana Sastram – Bhaja Govindam
Preparatory Prayers
Swamiji begins the session by invoking mental purity and focus through the foundational prayers found in the text:
prārthanā (Prayer): आत्मोद्धारणकामानां दक्षिणामूर्त्यनुग्रहात्। आत्मविद्या तत्फलं च प्रवर्धेतां निरन्तरम्॥ ātmoddhāraṇakāmānāṃ dakṣiṇāmūrtyanugrahāt | ātmavidyā tatphalaṃ ca pravardhetāṃ nirantaram ||
maṅgala-ślokaḥ (Salutation to ஶ்ரீ Adi Shankaracharya): श्रुति-स्मृति-पुराणानाम् आलयं करुणालयम्। नमामि भगवत्पाद-शङ्करं लोकशङ्करम्॥ śruti-smṛti-purāṇānām ālayaṃ karuṇālayam | namāmi bhagavatpāda-śaṅkaraṃ lokaśaṅkaram ||
8. The illusion of relationships
का ते कान्ता कस्ते पुत्रः संसारोऽयमतीव विचित्रः । कस्य त्वं कः कुत आयातः तत्त्वं चिन्तय तदिह भ्रातः ॥ ८ ॥
kā te kāntā kaste putraḥ saṃsāro’yamatīva vicitraḥ | kasya tvaṃ kaḥ kuta āyātaḥ tattvaṃ cintaya tadiha bhrātaḥ || 8 ||
Word by word meaning: he bhrātaḥ! — Oh brother! (Oh mind!) te kāntā kā? — Who is your wife? te putraḥ kaḥ? — Who is your son? ayaṃ saṃsāraḥ — This worldly life atīva vicitraḥ — is extremely strange / mysterious. tvaṃ kasya? — Whose are you? (tvaṃ) kaḥ? — Who are you? kutaḥ āyātaḥ? — From where did you come? iha — Here (in this world) tat tattvaṃ cintaya — Think about that truth!
English Meaning: Oh brother! Who is your wife? Who is your son? This worldly life is extremely mysterious. Whose are you? Who are you? From where did you come? Think about that truth here in this world.
Commentary and Anecdotes:
- The Core Problem: The jīva is entirely bound by ahaṅkāra (ego) (“I”) and mamakāra (“Mine”). Swamiji references Sri Adi Shankaracharya’s commentary on the bhagavadgītā, explaining that the root cause of all human suffering is the false identification expressed as “I am this body” and “these people are mine.” While living harmoniously in a family is a core part of Hindu dharma, a jnani must ensure that this does not turn into an excessive, blinding attachment.
- The extreme strangeness of the world (atīva vicitraḥ): Swamiji emphasizes how astonishingly unpredictable and unstable this world is. A wealthy person can become a beggar overnight, and a poor person can acquire immense wealth. To prove how little control humans have, Swamiji points to the microscopic coronavirus that brought the entire globe to a standstill, terrifying powerful nations and wealthy individuals alike. Swamiji quotes Thayumanavar (Verse 2) to illustrate bhagavan‘s absolute power to change destinies: “கிரீடபதி யாக்குவீர் கற்பாந்த வெள்ளமொரு கேணியிடை குறுகவைப்பீர்…” (You make a beggar into a king with a crown, and you shrink the deluge of the eon into a small well).
- The types of families in the world: Swamiji shares an observation on the strange ways people live together to illustrate atīva vicitraḥ. Some live completely together (serndhu serndhu), sharing a single kitchen even with 100 members in joint families. Some live physically together but remain mentally separated into factions (serndhu pirinju). Some live physically separated but stay emotionally connected (pirinju serndhu). Others completely separate and never see each other again (pirinju pirinju). This shows that worldly relationships have no fixed, permanent nature.
- The illusion of doership: We falsely believe that we are the absolute providers of joy or sorrow to our family members. Swamiji shatters this illusion by quoting a profound Sanskrit verse: sukhasya duḥkhasya na ko’pi dātā paro dadātīti kubuddhireṣā | ahaṃ karomīti vṛthābhimānaḥ svakarmasūtragrathito hi lokaḥ || (No one is the giver of joy or sorrow; thinking another gives it is a foolish mind. “I am doing it” is false pride; the world is entirely bound by the threads of its own karma).
- The story of Kuchela (Sudama): To highlight the intense burdens of worldly entanglement and the struggles of raising a massive family without seeking bhagavan, Swamiji references the traditional story of Kuchela, who lived in extreme, crushing poverty with 27 children (“குசேலன்… 27 குழந்தைகள்னா…”).
- The renunciation of Pattinathar: When true wisdom dawns, the jīva drops its false attachments. Swamiji points out that Saint Pattinathar realized the world was an illusion and instantly threw away all his immense wealth. Swamiji quotes: “பாரனைத்தும் பொய் எனவே பட்டினத்து பிள்ளையை போல் ஆரும் துறக்க எரிது.”
- The inquiry into the true self: Swamiji guides the jīva to sit in solitude and perform deep self-inquiry (tattvaṃ cintaya): “Who am I before birth? Who am I after death? Am I the body, the breath, or the mind?” He answers this by quoting the dakṣiṇāmūrti stotram (Verse 5), which states that identifying with the decaying flesh or the breath is a delusion fit for children or the ignorant: dehaṃ prāṇamapīndriyāṇyapi calāṃ buddhiṃ ca śūnyaṃ viduḥ | strībālāndhajaḍopamāstvahamiti bhrāntā bhṛśaṃ vādinaḥ | māyāśaktivilāsakalpitamahā vyāmohasaṃhāriṇe tasmai śrīgurumūrtaye nama idaṃ śrīdakṣiṇāmūrtaye || 5 ||
Tamil Quotes on Delusion and Wisdom:
- On the unpredictability of life (Thirukkural 337): “ஒருபொழுதும் வாழ்வது அறியார் கருதுப கோடியும் அல்ல பல.” (Not knowing if they will live for another moment, they imagine millions of things.)
- On the illusion of relationships (Manikkavasagar): “தாமே தமக்குச் சுற்றமும் தாமே தமக்கு விதிவகையும் யாமார் எமதார் பாசமார்…”
- On realizing the ultimate truth (Thirukkural 355 & 351): “எப்பொருள் எத்தன்மைத் தாயினும் அப்பொருள் மெய்ப்பொருள் காண்பது அறிவு.” “பொருளல்ல வற்றைப் பொருளென்று உணரும் மருளானாம் மாணாப் பிறப்பு.”
- On seeking freedom from rebirth (Thirukkural 349 & 362): “பற்றற்ற கண்ணே பிறப்பறுக்கும் மற்றும் நிலையாமை காணப் படும்.” “வேண்டுங்கால் வேண்டும் பிறவாமை மற்றது வேண்டாமை வேண்ட வரும்.” (If you must beg bhagavan for something, beg for freedom from rebirth, which comes only when you drop all desires.)
9. The value of good company
सत्सङ्गत्वे निस्सङ्गत्वं निस्सङ्गत्वे निर्मोहत्वम् । निर्मोहत्वे निश्चलतत्त्वं निश्चलतत्त्वे जीवन्मुक्तिः ॥ ९ ॥
satsaṅgatve nissaṅgatvaṃ nissaṅgatve nirmohatvam | nirmohatve niścalatattvaṃ niścalatattve jīvanmuktiḥ || 9 ||
Word by word meaning: satsaṅgatve — through the company of the good/Guru nissaṅgatvaṃ — non-attachment / detachment occurs nissaṅgatve — through non-attachment nirmohatvam — freedom from delusion occurs nirmohatve — through freedom from delusion niścalatattvaṃ — unwavering state of mind occurs niścalatattve — through an unwavering mind jīvanmuktiḥ — liberation while living is attained
English Meaning: Through the company of the good, detachment arises. Through detachment, freedom from delusion arises. Through freedom from delusion, an unwavering mind arises. Through an unwavering mind, liberation while living is attained.
Commentary and Anecdotes:
- The Core Problem: After understanding the frightening, unstable illusion of worldly life, the jīva naturally asks, “How do I escape this?” Swamiji explains that the mind cannot free itself using its own confused logic. The only practical solution is satsaṅg.
- The true meaning of satsaṅg: Swamiji clarifies that in this context, sat strictly refers to the sadguru (the true Guru). The jīva must seek the company of a Guru to learn the siddhanta. Only through this sacred connection can one cultivate the deep detachment (vairāgya) necessary to escape the cycle of rebirth.
- The characteristics of the good (satāṃ lakṣaṇam): To identify who is genuinely “good,” Swamiji states that a good person is someone who wishes well for the entire world without any discrimination. He details their qualities using a famous Sanskrit verse: tṛṣṇāṃ chindhi bhaja kṣamāṃ jahi madaṃ pāpe ratiṃ mā kṛthāḥ | satyaṃ brūhyanuyāhi sādhupadavīṃ sevasva vidvajjanam | mānyānmānaya vidviṣo’pyanunaya prakhyāpaya praśrayaṃ kīrtiṃ pālaya duḥkhite kuru dayāmetatsatāṃ lakṣaṇam || (Cut off greed, practice patience, destroy pride, do not delight in pāpa. Speak the truth, follow the path of the good, serve the wise. Honor the respectable, appease even enemies, conceal your own fame, protect your good name, and show compassion to the suffering—these are the absolute marks of the good.)
Concluding Prayers
Swamiji concludes the session with verses (upasaṃhāra-ślokaḥ) praying for uninterrupted devotion to bhagavan and the ultimate destruction of worldly bondage:
प्रेमादौ प्रेम मध्ये च प्रेमान्ते भवतु त्वयि। प्रेमसिन्धावहं बिन्दुः प्रेम्णः स्यामिति मेऽर्थना॥ premādau prema madhye ca premānte bhavatu tvayi | premasindhāvahaṃ binduḥ premṇaḥ syāmiti me’rthanā ||
ययात्मविद्यया ज्ञेयं सर्वं ब्रह्मेति निश्चयः। तयात्मविद्यया सर्वे मुच्यन्तामात्मबन्धनात्॥ yayātmavidyayā jñeyaṃ sarvaṃ brahmeti niścayaḥ | tayātmavidyayā sarve mucyantāmātmabandhanāt ||