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 follows on directly from the number 25;
kam<
³aex< lae_a< maeh<
TyKTva=Tman<
pZyit sae=hm!
AaTm}an-ivhIna
mUFa -
Ste
pCyNte nrkingUFa>.26.
Kaamam
krodham lobham moham
Tyaktvaa'tmaanam
pashati so'ham,
Aatmaghnaana-vihiinaa
muuDhaa -
Ste
pachyante narakaniguuDhaaH ||26||
Leaving desire, anger, greed and delusion
The seeker sees in the Self "He am I";
They are fools who have no Self-Knowledge,
And they (end up) as captives in hell and tortured.
A
fairly straightforward image is created here! An admonishment for those who do
not apply themselves to spiritual pursuit and a statement of the reward for
those who do.
Too
easily we are lost in the passions and vicissitudes of daily life and lower
ourselves too readily into its mire. It takes determination to remain on the
path towards Truth. Desire is somehow hardwired into us, we feel, and give up
too readily to it. If we can but once, and it only takes once, taste a little
of the nectar of Divinity, we will find it so incredibly sweet that it will become
the one over-riding desire and our striving for more of that is what will take
us to the Union with Self. This the reference to 'He am I'. Ultimately it will
become known to us that there is no separation of anything, that everything is
one.
But
how might one establish some tranquillity and equilibrium? The following stanza
says;
Geay<
gItanamshö<
Xyey<
ïIpitêpmjöm!
ney<
s¾ns¼e icÄ<
dey<
dInjnay c ivÄm!.27.
Geyam
giitanaamsahasram
Dhyeyam
shriipati-ruupamajasram,
Neyam
sajjanasange chittam
Deyam
diinajanaaya cha vittam ||27||
The Bhagavad Gita and Sahasranama are to be chanted,
Always the form of the Lord of Lakshmi is to be
meditated upon;
The mind is to be led towards the company of the good,
Wealth is to be distributed with the needy.
Basic
steps which would be familiar within any religious context. Good social
behaviours, with the addition of paying attention to the chosen scriptures and
keeping the Higher always to the forefront of one's mind, regardless of whether
you subscribe to that Higher having a form or not. If not, that is when OM
comes into play.
The
first part of the verse is clearly of religious quality and the second of
philosophical quality and the two are very closely linked; to have one without
the other is akin to a bird flying with one wing.
Study
in and of itself cannot serve one's unfoldment as a complete human being;
conversely, to live life without any adoption of the knowledge leaves one
adrift. Many people do this though; avoid learning for many reasons ranging
from never having the opportunity through to being scared of learning - or
avoid applying good social mores for fear of being made a pauper themselves
(greed) or of becoming obligated in some way. In another way, there are those
who use the 'sharing' of charity as if it were some kind of tool to further
their own personal standing.
The
point of this verse is that we must attend to our study of the scriptures and
personal connection with the Higher, but at the same time not forget our duties
and abilities within the world, which should reflect our learning and be
without ego or self-aggrandizement. At the core of this is Love. Unstinting,
unselfish, untiring.
To
further fuel this it is best to ensure that the company we keep has similar
values and is supportive of this goal.
