Hari
OM
Application - that is what 'Workings-days' are about!
The text under study is BHAJA GOVINDAM, song of despair of time-wasting, by Sri Adi Shankaraachaarya.
The
next verse has been attributed to another of the 'inner four', Sri
Totakaachaarya.
A¢e
viû> p&:Qe _aanu>
raÇaE
cubuksmipRtjanu>,
krtli_aúaStétlvas>
Tadip
n mÂTyazapaz>.16.
Agre
vahniH pRshte bhaanuH
Raatrau
chubukasam-arpitajaanuH,
karatalabhikshastarutalabaasaH
Tadapi
na munchatyaashaapaashaH ||16||
In front of the fire at the back of the sun,
Late at night he sits with his knees held to his chin;
He receives alms in his own scooped palm under the
shelter of a tree
And yet the noose of desires spares him not!.
Well
herein lies a warning and reprimand, if ever there was one! So often throughout
history it has been found that those who would play the part of 'being
spiritual', or who make a show of religiosity, fall foul of all the same traps
of personality and indiscipline as the rest of humanity.
In
the verse before, it was the householders who got the rocket for succumbing to
the force of their own desires and persecutions, now the 'sadhu', the wandering
monks, are the focus of ire. The tyrannies of desire are universal and affect
all, regardless of chosen occupation or lifestyle. The mind of all humans is a
fickle and taxing co-traveller!
It
would be easy to dismiss this verse if one is of the twenty-first century and
living in Western society. Be not so ready. Many of us are seeking to live a
life more devoted to self-improvement, whether or not that is with a religious
intent. Simply being the very best Human Being that we can be is as noble and
just a pursuit as any religious one… indeed, all religions worth their salt
have this is the core of their philosophy anyway. However, living up to the
core ideals as not as easy as discussing them. Talking the talk is one thing,
walking the walk quite another.
Any
individual can make the decision to live their life to higher ideals, but
unless they have looked at themselves deeply and 'worked their stuff' in order
to purify and clarify their mind and intention, the bonds of desire will always
anchor them and pull them ever backward. It is important to understand that renunciation of
the things of the world is not true renunciation… that has to take place deep
within the psyche, at the mental, emotional and
the spiritual level. Self-denial without the appropriate mental purity will
inevitably implode upon the personality. In Indian tradition - and even today,
in the twenty first century - there are those who leave all behind and take to
the roadsides, dressed in loin cloths and carrying their kamandalu without at
all having proper intention to walk the spiritual path. This results in them
seeking only to serve their bellies and find a place to sleep at night.
Suppression is unprofitable - this will be further explored next verse.
