- March 24, 2025
Contents
रचन: शन्कराचार्य
भज गॊविन्दं भज गॊविन्दं
गॊविन्दं भज मूढमतॆ ।
सम्प्राप्तॆ सन्निहितॆ कालॆ
नहि नहि रक्षति डुक्रिङ्करणॆ ॥ 1 ॥
मूढ जहीहि धनागमतृष्णां
कुरु सद्बुद्धिम् मनसि वितृष्णाम् ।
यल्लभसॆ निज कर्मॊपात्तं
वित्तं तॆन विनॊदय चित्तम् ॥ 2 ॥
नारी स्तनभर नाभीदॆशं
दृष्ट्वा मा गा मॊहावॆशम् ।
ऎतन्मांस वसादि विकारं
मनसि विचिन्तया वारं वारम् ॥ 3 ॥
नलिनी दलगत जलमति तरलं
तद्वज्जीवित मतिशय चपलम् ।
विद्धि व्याध्यभिमान ग्रस्तं
लॊकं शॊकहतं च समस्तम् ॥ 4 ॥
यावद्-वित्तॊपार्जन सक्तः
तावन्-निजपरिवारॊ रक्तः ।
पश्चाज्जीवति जर्जर दॆहॆ
वार्तां कॊஉपि न पृच्छति गॆहॆ ॥ 5 ॥
यावत्-पवनॊ निवसति दॆहॆ
तावत्-पृच्छति कुशलं गॆहॆ ।
गतवति वायौ दॆहापायॆ
भार्या बिभ्यति तस्मिन् कायॆ ॥ 6 ॥
बाल स्तावत् क्रीडासक्तः
तरुण स्तावत् तरुणीसक्तः ।
वृद्ध स्तावत्-चिन्तामग्नः
परमॆ ब्रह्मणि कॊஉपि न लग्नः ॥ 7 ॥
का तॆ कान्ता कस्तॆ पुत्रः
संसारॊஉयमतीव विचित्रः ।
कस्य त्वं वा कुत आयातः
तत्वं चिन्तय तदिह भ्रातः ॥ 8 ॥
सत्सङ्गत्वॆ निस्सङ्गत्वं
निस्सङ्गत्वॆ निर्मॊहत्वम् ।
निर्मॊहत्वॆ निश्चलतत्त्वं
निश्चलतत्त्वॆ जीवन्मुक्तिः ॥ 9 ॥
वयसि गतॆ कः कामविकारः
शुष्कॆ नीरॆ कः कासारः ।
क्षीणॆ वित्तॆ कः परिवारः
ज्ञातॆ तत्त्वॆ कः संसारः ॥ 10 ॥
मा कुरु धनजन यौवन गर्वं
हरति निमॆषात्-कालः सर्वम् ।
मायामयमिदम्-अखिलं हित्वा
ब्रह्मपदं त्वं प्रविश विदित्वा ॥ 11 ॥
दिन यामिन्यौ सायं प्रातः
शिशिर वसन्तौ पुनरायातः ।
कालः क्रीडति गच्छत्यायुः
तदपि न मुञ्चत्याशावायुः ॥ 12 ॥
द्वादश मञ्जरिकाभिर शॆषः
कथितॊ वैया करणस्यैषः ।
उपदॆशॊ भूद्-विद्या निपुणैः
श्रीमच्छङ्कर भगवच्छरणैः ॥ 13 ॥
का तॆ कान्ता धन गत चिन्ता
वातुल किं तव नास्ति नियन्ता ।
त्रिजगति सज्जन सङ्गतिरॆका
भवति भवार्णव तरणॆ नौका ॥ 14 ॥
जटिलॊ मुण्डी लुञ्जित कॆशः
काषायान्बर बहुकृत वॆषः ।
पश्यन्नपि च न पश्यति मूढः
उदर निमित्तं बहुकृत वॆषः ॥ 15 ॥
अङ्गं गलितं पलितं मुण्डं
दशन विहीनं जातं तुण्डम् ।
वृद्धॊ याति गृहीत्वा दण्डं
तदपि न मुञ्चत्याशा पिण्डम् ॥ 16 ॥
अग्रॆ वह्निः पृष्ठॆ भानुः
रात्रौ चुबुक समर्पित जानुः ।
करतल भिक्षस्-तरुतल वासः
तदपि न मुञ्चत्याशा पाशः ॥ 17 ॥
कुरुतॆ गङ्गा सागर गमनं
व्रत परिपालनम्-अथवा दानम् ।
ज्ञान विहीनः सर्वमतॆन
भजति न मुक्तिं जन्म शतॆन ॥ 18 ॥
सुरमन्दिर तरु मूल निवासः
शय्या भूतलम्-अजिनं वासः ।
सर्व परिग्रह भॊगत्यागः
कस्य सुखं न करॊति विरागः ॥ 19 ॥
यॊगरतॊ वा भॊगरतॊ वा
सङ्गरतॊ वा सङ्गविहीनः ।
यस्य ब्रह्मणि रमतॆ चित्तं
नन्दति नन्दति नन्दत्यॆव ॥ 20 ॥
भगवद्गीता किञ्चिदधीता
गङ्गा जललव कणिका पीता ।
सकृदपि यॆन मुरारी समर्चा
क्रियतॆ तस्य यमॆन न चर्चा ॥ 21 ॥
पुनरपि जननं पुनरपि मरणं
पुनरपि जननी जठरॆ शयनम् ।
इह संसारॆ बहु दुस्तारॆ
कृपयाஉपारॆ पाहि मुरारॆ ॥ 22 ॥
रथ्या चर्पट विरचित कन्थः
पुण्यापुण्य विवर्जित पन्थः ।
यॊगी यॊग नियॊजित चित्तः
रमतॆ बालॊन्मत्तवदॆव ॥ 23 ॥
कस्त्वं कॊஉहं कुत आयातः
का मॆ जननी कॊ मॆ तातः ।
इति परिभावय निज संसारं
सर्वं त्यक्त्वा स्वप्न विचारम् ॥ 24 ॥
त्वयि मयि सर्वत्रैकॊ विष्णुः
व्यर्थं कुप्यसि मय्यसहिष्णुः ।
भव समचित्तः सर्वत्र त्वं
वाञ्छस्यचिराद्-यदि विष्णुत्वम् ॥ 25 ॥
शत्रौ मित्रॆ पुत्रॆ बन्धौ
मा कुरु यत्नं विग्रह सन्धौ ।
सर्वस्मिन्नपि पश्यात्मानं
सर्वत्रॊत्-सृज भॆदाज्ञानम् ॥ 26 ॥
कामं क्रॊधं लॊभं मॊहं
त्यक्त्वाஉஉत्मानं पश्यति सॊஉहम् ।
आत्मज्ञ्नान विहीना मूढाः
तॆ पच्यन्तॆ नरक निगूढाः ॥ 27 ॥
गॆयं गीता नाम सहस्रं
ध्यॆयं श्रीपति रूपम्-अजस्रम् ।
नॆयं सज्जन सङ्गॆ चित्तं
दॆयं दीनजनाय च वित्तम् ॥ 28 ॥
सुखतः क्रियतॆ रामाभॊगः
पश्चाद्धन्त शरीरॆ रॊगः ।
यद्यपि लॊकॆ मरणं शरणं
तदपि न मुञ्चति पापाचरणम् ॥ 29 ॥
अर्थमनर्थं भावय नित्यं
नास्ति ततः सुख लॆशः सत्यम् ।
पुत्रादपि धनभाजां भीतिः
सर्वत्रैषा विहिता रीतिः ॥ 30 ॥
प्राणायामं प्रत्याहारं
नित्यानित्य विवॆक विचारम् ।
जाप्यसमॆत समाधि विधानं
कुर्व वधानं महद्-अवधानम् ॥ 31 ॥
गुरु चरणाम्भुज निर्भरभक्तः
संसाराद्-अचिराद्-भव मुक्तः ।
सॆन्दिय मानस नियमादॆवं
द्रक्ष्यसि निज हृदयस्थं दॆवम् ॥ 32 ॥
मूढः कश्चिन वैयाकरणॊ
डुकृण्करणाध्ययन धुरीणः ।
श्रीमच्छङ्कर भगवच्चिष्यैः
बॊधित आसीच्छॊदित करणैः ॥ 33 ॥
Here is the meaning of each stanza of Bhaja Govindam in English:
Worship Govinda, worship Govinda,
Worship Govinda, O foolish mind!
When the time of death comes near,
Grammar rules will not save you.
O foolish one, give up the craving for wealth,
Develop noble thoughts and detachment in your mind.
Be content with what you obtain through your own actions,
And let your mind find joy in that.
Seeing the youthful beauty of a woman’s body,
Do not fall into the trap of delusion.
Reflect again and again that this is only flesh and bones,
Nothing more than a modification of flesh and fat.
Like a water droplet on a lotus leaf,
Life is very fragile and unsteady.
Know that the world is filled with sorrow,
And afflicted with disease and ego.
As long as one is able to earn wealth,
So long will one’s family remain affectionate.
But when the body becomes old and weak,
No one in the house even asks about you.
As long as there is breath in the body,
People inquire about your well-being at home.
But when the breath departs and the body collapses,
Even the wife is afraid of that lifeless corpse.
A child is attached to play,
A young man is attached to a young woman,
An old man is lost in worries,
But no one is ever devoted to the Supreme Brahman.
Who is your wife? Who is your son?
This world is a strange wonder.
From where have you come? To whom do you belong?
Think deeply about this, O brother!
From good company comes non-attachment,
From non-attachment arises freedom from delusion,
From freedom from delusion comes the realization of truth,
From realization of truth, one attains liberation while living.
When youth is gone, what remains of desires?
When water dries up, where is the lake?
When wealth is lost, where is the family?
When the truth is known, where is the worldly illusion?
Do not be proud of wealth, people, or youth,
Time takes everything away in an instant.
Give up this entire illusion,
And seek the eternal state of Brahman.
Days and nights pass,
Seasons come and go.
Time plays and life departs,
Yet the storm of desires does not leave.
These twelve verses summarize wisdom,
Taught by the learned sages.
They serve as guidance to seekers,
At the feet of the divine Adi Shankaracharya.
Why worry about wife and wealth?
O deluded one, is there no guide for you?
In all three worlds, only the company of the wise,
Can help you cross the ocean of existence.
Some wear matted locks, some shave their heads,
Some pluck out their hair and wear saffron robes.
Yet, in their minds, they remain deluded,
Dressing up only for the sake of their stomachs.
The body ages, hair turns white,
Teeth fall out, the mouth becomes toothless.
An old man walks with a stick,
Yet desires never leave him.
With fire in front, the sun behind,
Sitting in the night with knees tucked under his chin,
Begging with hands, living under trees,
Yet, he does not give up his bondage to desires.
One may travel to holy places,
Observe fasts and perform charity.
But without wisdom and knowledge,
One will not attain liberation, even after a hundred births.
Living at the roots of temple trees,
Sleeping on the bare ground, dressed in rags,
Renouncing all possessions and pleasures,
Such detachment brings the highest joy.
Whether engaged in yoga or worldly pleasures,
Whether living with people or in solitude,
The one whose mind is absorbed in Brahman,
Rejoices, rejoices, and truly rejoices!
Reading even a little of the Bhagavad Gita,
Drinking even a drop of the Ganges water,
Or worshipping Lord Murari even once,
Will save one from the clutches of death.
Again and again, birth and death,
Again and again, lying in the mother’s womb.
This world is very difficult to cross,
O Murari, protect me with Your grace!
Wearing a tattered cloth sewn from rags,
Walking on the path free of good and bad deeds,
A yogi whose mind is immersed in meditation,
Lives like a child or a madman.
Who are you? Who am I? From where have I come?
Who is my mother? Who is my father?
Contemplate on these deeply,
And renounce all worldly illusions like a dream.
Vishnu is the one present in you, me, and everywhere.
Why do you get angry in vain?
Maintain an equal mind in all situations,
And you will soon attain divinity.
Do not fight over enemies and friends,
Or quarrel over sons and relatives.
See the Self in everyone,
And remove the illusion of differences.
Give up desires, anger, greed, and delusion,
And recognize your true divine Self.
Those without this knowledge,
Suffer in the deep hells of ignorance.
Sing the name of God,
Meditate continuously on His form.
Keep your mind in the company of the wise,
And give your wealth to those in need.
Pleasures seem enjoyable at first,
But later, they only bring disease to the body.
Though death is inevitable in this world,
People still do not give up sinful actions.
Reflect daily that wealth leads to misery,
There is not even an ounce of happiness in it.
Even those who have riches fear losing it,
Such is the nature of the world.
Practice breath control and withdrawal of senses,
Discriminate between the real and the unreal.
Chant the holy name and practice deep meditation,
Do this with great dedication and awareness.
By having unwavering devotion to the Guru’s feet,
One is quickly freed from the cycle of birth and death.
Through self-control and mental discipline,
You will behold the Divine within your heart.
A foolish scholar was once engrossed,
In the intricate rules of grammar.
Then, the disciples of Shankaracharya,
Enlightened him with true wisdom.
Also, read Bhaja Govindam Lyrics in English
