Upasana Sastram – Bhaja Govindam

Preparatory Prayers

Swamiji begins the session by invoking mental purity through the foundational prayers found in the text:

prārthanā (Prayer): ātmoddhāraṇakāmānāṃ dakṣiṇāmūrtyanugrahāt | ātmavidyā tatphalaṃ ca pravardhetāṃ nirantaram ||

maṅgala-ślokaḥ (Salutation to Sri Adi Shankaracharya): śruti-smṛti-purāṇānām ālayaṃ karuṇālayam | namāmi bhagavatpāda-śaṅkaraṃ lokaśaṅkaram ||

Introduction: Living Without Attachment

  • The Core Problem: Swamiji recaps the teachings of the śāstras, stating that the jīva must live in the world without attachment (pattru) to the physical body, wealth, or the opposite sex. The jīva must control lust (kāma) and live responsibly according to the śāstras, but without placing attachment anywhere, because attachment brings only sorrow.
  • The World of Disease and Sorrow: The world is completely gripped by disease and false bodily attachment (vyādhi abhimāna grastaṃ lokaṃ) and is struck by sorrow (śokahataṃ). Swamiji states that because people do not understand the nature of life, they unnecessarily worry.
  • Ignoring the Comments of the Ignorant: Swamiji notes that people in the world will always speak in various ways, and no one is perfect. The jīva should not care about the judgments or comments of ignorant people. If wise people point out mistakes, one can correct them. To illustrate this unwavering focus, Swamiji quotes the nītiśatakam (74): nindantu nītinipuṇāḥ yadi vā stuvantu lakṣmīḥ sthirā bhavatu gacchatu vā yatheṣṭam | adyaiva vā maraṇamastu yugāntare vā nyāyyātpathaḥ pravicalanti padaṃ na dhīrāḥ || 74 || (Let the experts in justice praise or insult them, let wealth stay or leave as it pleases, let death come today or at the end of the age—a wise person never wavers from the righteous path.)
  • Constant Worry: Swamiji states that due to ignorance, the jīva constantly celebrates sorrow. He quotes Bharathiyar to describe this state of endless anxiety: “தேடியுனைச் சரணடைந்தேன், தேச முத்து மாரி! கேடதனை நீக்கிடுவாய், கேட்டவரந் தருவாய் பாடியுனைச் சரணடைந்தேன் பாசமெல்லாங் களைவாய்; கோடிநலஞ் செய்திடுவாய், குறைகளெல்லாந் தீர்ப்பாய் எப்பொழுதும் கவலையிலே இணங்கி நிற்பான் பாவி; ஒப்ப রচন தேவல்செய்வேன் உனதருளால் வாழ்வேன் சக்தி யென்று நேர மெல்லாந் தமிழ்க் கவிதை பாடி, பக்தியுடன் போற்றி நின்றால் பயமனைத்துந் தீரும்…”

5. The conditional love of family

yāvadvittopārjanasaktaḥ tāvannijaparivāro raktaḥ | paścāt jīvati jarjaradehe vārtāṃ ko’pi na pṛcchati gehe || 5 ||

Word by word meaning: yāvat — as long as vitta-upārjana-saktaḥ — one is capable of earning wealth tāvat — till then nija-parivāraḥ — one’s own family raktaḥ — is attached paścāt — later jīvati — lives jarjaradehe — in a decrepit body gehe — in the house ko’pi — anyone vārtāṃ — word / welfare na pṛcchati — does not ask

English Meaning: As long as one is capable of earning wealth, till then one’s own family is attached. Later, when one lives in a decrepit body, no one in the house even asks about their welfare.

  • The Core Problem: Swamiji states that the jīva should not long for emotional dependence from anyone. Family members are attached and show special care as long as a person has the physical strength to earn wealth (vittopārjana). Once old age sets in and earning capacity is lost, the person is sidelined in the house, and no one even asks about their well-being.
  • The Story of the Grandfather: Swamiji shares an anecdote about visiting a very old man. After a long time searching in his bag, the old man gave Swamiji a ten-rupee note. The man’s only request was for Swamiji to tell the people in the house to at least speak a few words to him occasionally. Swamiji states this proves the extreme isolation of old age.
  • The Threat of Old Age: Swamiji quotes the vairāgyaśatakam (38) to describe the miseries of the decaying body (jarjaradehe): vyāghrīva tiṣṭhati jarā paritarjayantī rogāśca śatrava iva praharanti deham | āyuḥ parisravati bhinnaghaṭādivāmbhaḥ lokasvasthāpyahitamācaratīti citram || 38 ||
  • Dropping Attachment: To diminish attachment to relatives, Swamiji quotes Saint Pattinathar: “ஊருஞ் சதமல்ல, உற்றார் சதமல்ல, உற்றுப் பெற்ற பேருஞ் சதமல்ல, பெண்டீர் சதமல்ல, பிள்ளைகளுஞ்சீருஞ் சதமல்ல, செல்வஞ் சதமல்ல, தேசத்திலேயாருஞ் சதமல்ல, நின்தாள் சதங் கச்சியேகம்பனே.”
  • Preparation for the End: Swamiji advises telling the mind right now not to expect anyone to care for you in old age, not even to properly wash your food plate. One must practice meditation and keep the mind entirely on bhagavan while healthy, rather than waiting for old age to begin spiritual practices.

6. The body is valued only for the breath

yāvatpavano nivasati dehe tāvatpṛcchati kuśalaṃ gehe | gatavati vāyau dehāpāye bhāryā bibhyati tasminkāye || 6 ||

Word by word meaning: yāvat — as long as pavanaḥ — breath nivasati — resides dehe — in the body tāvat — till then pṛcchati — (people) ask kuśalaṃ — welfare gehe — in the house gatavati vāyau — when the breath departs dehāpāye — when the body perishes bhāryā — the wife bibhyati — fears tasmin kāye — that body

English Meaning: As long as the breath resides in the body, people in the house ask about your welfare. When the breath departs and the body perishes, even the wife fears that corpse.

  • The Core Problem: As long as breath (pavana) resides in the body, people in the house ask about your welfare. Swamiji states that once the breath departs (gatavati vāyau), even the devoted wife, who previously embraced the body, fears the lifeless corpse (bhāryā bibhyati tasminkāye) and wants it removed quickly. The attachment was never to the physical body, but to the jīva inside.
  • The Story of the Village Grandmother vs. City Life: Swamiji shares a story comparing village and city life. When a 95-year-old grandmother from a village is taken to the hospital, the whole town comes to visit, and her husband must buy food for everyone. In the city, a husband drops his wife at the hospital and goes straight to work because of the pressure to pay monthly expenses. Swamiji states this shows how extreme focus on money destroys human connection.
  • The Disposal of the Corpse: Swamiji notes that modern people do not even have the time or patience to perform traditional 10-day funeral rituals. They want to finish everything, including the sapiṇḍīkaraṇa, on the very same day to dispose of the body quickly.
  • The Illusion of the Body: Swamiji quotes two Thirukkural verses to show that the body is merely a temporary vessel for the jīva: Thirukkural 338: “குடம்பை தனித்துஒழியப் புள்பறந் தற்றே உடம்பொடு உயிரிடை நட்பு.” Thirukkural 340: “புக்கில் அமைந்தின்று கொல்லோ உடம்பினுள் துச்சில் இருந்த உயிர்க்கு.”

7. Wasting the stages of life

bālastāvatkrīḍāsaktaḥ taruṇastāvattaruṇīsaktaḥ | vṛddhastāvaccintāsaktaḥ parame brahmaṇi ko’pi na saktaḥ || 7 ||

Word by word meaning: bālaḥ — the child tāvat — is krīḍā-saktaḥ — attached to play taruṇaḥ — the youth tāvat — is taruṇī-saktaḥ — attached to young women vṛddhaḥ — the old man tāvat — is cintā-saktaḥ — attached to anxiety/worry parame brahmaṇi — in the Supreme Brahman (bhagavan) ko’pi — anyone na saktaḥ — is not attached

English Meaning: The child is attached to play, the youth is attached to young women, and the old man is attached to worry. No one is attached to the Supreme Brahman.

  • The Core Problem: The jīva constantly wastes the precious human birth by succumbing to the specific delusions of each life stage. A child’s mind is completely absorbed in play. In youth, the jīva is biologically driven and becomes obsessed with lust. In old age, the mind is crippled by endless worry. Consequently, no one seeks bhagavan.
  • The Responsibility of Parents: Swamiji places strong responsibility on parents. In the past, parents washed their children and taught them the viṣṇusahasranāma and śiva mantras. Now, parents fail to teach dharma. Swamiji cites Thirukkural 60 to emphasize that true wealth is raising virtuous children: “மங்கலம் என்ப மனைமாட்சி மற்று அதன் நன்கலம் நன்மக்கட் பேறு.”
  • The Story of the Lost Agricultural Dharma: Swamiji tells of traditional families who made their wealth through agriculture but sent their children to big cities for worldly education. Once there, the youth abandon their agricultural dharma, sell the farmlands, avoid marriage and family responsibilities, and waste their time in nightclubs. Swamiji states that excessive money and purely secular education actively destroy dharma.
  • The Nature of People: Swamiji shares an English saying to describe the varied nature of people in the world: “Some people give happiness wherever they go, some people give happiness whenever they go.”

Concluding Prayers

Swamiji concludes the discourse with verses (upasaṃhāra-ślokaḥ) praying for uninterrupted devotion to bhagavan:

premādau prema madhye ca premānte bhavatu tvayi | premasindhāvahaṃ binduḥ premṇaḥ syāmiti me’rthanā ||

yayātmavidyayā jñeyaṃ sarvaṃ brahmeti niścayaḥ | tayātmavidyayā sarve mucyantāmātmabandhanāt ||