EXTOL GOVINDA

(Composed by Srivilliputtur Alagar Govindakrishnan) December 2007

PREFACE This composition is a kind of translation (NOT A TANSLITERATION) of the famous BHAJAGOVINDAM song composed by Shri Adhi Shankaracharya. Bhajagovindam has been sung melodiously and made famous by Smt.M.S. Subalakshmi. This is known to almost every one, especially in Tamil Nadu. But those who do not know Sanskrit, it remains a melodious divine song to be sung with Bhakthi. When I happened to get some meaning for these songs, I felt greatly attracted by these verses pregnant with deep truisms. I thought men with sparse knowledge should get some insight first on these beautiful verses and hence, this humble attempt to translate. First it got composed in Tamil in verse form by His divine will. When a cousin of my settled in Canada for decades desired to have it on English, I made this attempt. It is extremely foolish on my part to imagine that I have brought out every import of every word, of Shri Adhi Shankaracharya. It is humanly impossible to bring out the import of the compositions of the great avatar fully by any one, leave by me, wanting in all aspects. While my work in Tamil itsef would be falling greatly short, less said about this English version is better. Yet, I have attempted solely to satisfy my desire or ego. The main points propounded by the 31 songs of the great Acharya, are that the superior education we had, the wealth amassed by us, our family and friends none of them would ever come to our rescue for salvation. (There is a nice tamil poem which sums this up ilamayum selvamum yakkaiyum nilaiyaa..sellum thesathirkku urthunai thedumin.) The ONE AND THE ONLY recourse is the reciting of the name of Lord Govinda. This is was Lord Krishna also reiterated in the Bhagawat Geetha, in the famous charamas slokam, where in He assures that if we surrender unto him without any reservation, He will see us through and we shall have nothing to worry about. Here, Govinda represents the absolute primordial power, extolled in all Vedas and purnas.

EXTOL GOVINDA
(Composed by Srivilliputtur Govindakrishnan Alagar)

1.

Extol Govinda Extol Govinda, Oh! Egoistic mind Extol Govinda, Summons when come from certain death, Saviour is not thy thundering knowledge.

(Of all the ego, ego of knowledge is very subtle and easily cheats even great people. Hence Bhagavathpathal preferred ego of knowledge as the first one to be attacked. He actually uses the word dukrin meaning difficult Sanskrit grammar theorems. He sarcastically appears to ask whether we are going to repeat grammar rules when Lord of Death beckons us.) 2. Ignorant thirsts for ever on earth, Endless wealth in mindless pursuit, Simple wealth for sustenance alone, Secures the mind satiating solitude. (Craving ceaselessly for wealth is a curse. This is what Ramakrishna paramahamsa used to warn of kaanchan (greed for wealth). The aacharya is not against rightful earning for livelihood.) 3. Bulging breasts and fascinating navel, Brandishing woman a bewitching beauty, What it contains but waste and meat, Wisely think endlessly the truth. (Again He warns of un-satiated desire for carnal pleasures, not that the dharma of a householder permitted in the shastras for creation. So was Ramakrishna Paramahamsa when he warned against Kamini ( though it means women literally, Master M clarifies that Paramahamsa meant only the lust). 4. Blissless life on this planet is, Restless water drop on lotus leaf, Endless sorrow ever in life, Ever you think to digest the truth. (The meaning is obvious. Life on earth is as restless as water drop on lotus leave, unsteady and impermanent.) 5. Folk in number flock around, Fortune as you amass as mound, Feeble body as you attain in distaste, Flee away the folk in frightening haste. (Friends and relatives are only as long as you earn. When you wither away in health, they all will flee off, warns the wise guru.)
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6.

Cosily hugs and cohabits with you, Closely nestles your good wife, Quietly when breathe goes off in you, Quickly calls cold corpse there Oh.

(Even the good wife would (or rather has to) desert when we become a dead body.)

7.

Childhood slips in sportive plays, Charming youth young women steal, Old age goes in woes and worries, Oh! Govind! When is one to think of you.

(We waste life, preoccupied at different stages of life with different tastes and plesures and in the end, there is no time to think of our Lord. Thondaridpodi azhwar pleas with God: veda pirayam noorutham manizar puguvarelum, paathi urangippom, meethil pathinainthandu pethai balaganum, pin pini, pas, mooppam, aathalil ip piravi vedeyn, arangamanagarulane ) 8. Bewitching wife blessed kids, Binding self and endless relations, All are but an astounding mirage, Aware! You have ultimately no relation. (Whole life is a dream, says the aacharya)

9.

Association of wise is association-nice, Association-nice negates natural lust, Negation of lust is nevertheless bliss, Never-ending bliss brings enlightenment.

(First get satsang good company. Then things will fall in place and take you to the ultimate gradually. Hence take the first step) 10. Riches, relatives and ravishing beauty, Routed in seconds if time changes, Realise the vagaries vested in life, Restore thought in timeless bliss. (Our relations, wealth, handsome body, ego everything would vanish if time changes. Just a couple of days fever is enough to send ones beauty and charm to nought. Remember the truth and shed the ego, says Aacharya. (The famous Tamil saying Kudai nizhal irunthu kunjaram voornthor, nadai melinthuor voor nanninum nalguvar meaning that even emperors who ruled under shining thrones and rode on elephants, may one day have to walk to the other countries seeking help. History is replete with such events. We have seen in our own times many leaders running from country to country seeking asylum.)
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11.

Shrunken skin sucks away lust, Shrunken pond purged of its birds, Stay off men as wealth stays off you, Shrugs not bliss the enlightened ones.

(As the Tamil saying Atra kulathu Aruneer paravaikal birds desert the empty pond - people desert when we are old and without wealth. But enlightened ones live in bliss knowing the truth.) 12. Damsel the Time dances around in splendor, Donning the dress of charming seasons, Ignorant are we immersed in her wrap, Each day a slice off our scalp. (Time, the damsel, changes her clothes as day, night, morning, evening, seasons of fall colours etc. We the fools enjoy forgetting that each day that she dances away is a day minus in our longevity. Thirumazhisai azhwar warns vaalathagi naalgal sella noigal patri mooppeithu.) 13. Leaving wealth and lustrous wife, Lonely journey lurks you around, Wise men company if held nicely, Vast Ocean of life vanishes quicky. (Repeatedly aacharya warns that life is transient and one should keep good company.) 14. Saffron robe or shaven head, Stark naked or sullied hair, Sported on to earn for stomach sake, Surely the wise dont need any day. (Aacharya warns of false sanyasis. The dress code is for cheating the simple ones and earn a living. He is not against the shastras that has prescribed the code of life and dress for the saints. He cautions us not only against false saints but also an advice to the budding sanyasis that external is not a substitute internal effulgence.) 15. Dimmed eye-sight, dangerous cough, Dark hair turned snow-white, Blabbering mouth this pitiful old man too, Battered by perennial desire. (What a sight he is a laughing stock to youngsters. Yet desires have not deserted him, wonders Aacharya.) 16. Shady tree this beggars residence, Shaky hands his only vessels, Biting cold coils him at night, But desire the ghost deserted him hasnt.
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(He lives by the tree. He has no vessels. Only his hands are his vessels to beg. In biting cold he gets no fire and hence coils himself. But desires have not deserted him too.) 17. Ganges bath or great sea bath, Painful penance or pilgrims path, Bereft of bhakthi bestows no mukthi, Blessed religions reiterate relentlessly. (All religions extol devotion. Any so-called pious act without that is a waste,warns the Aacharya.) 18. Set to rest under shady tree or tower, Saints wear single piece of cloth, Relinquishing differentiation in creation, Realise bliss basking in bliss alone. (He, the true saint cares for a Diem. His have destroyed the differences and for him everything is only the embodiment of God and hence in bliss all the time bliss.) 19. Deep in yoga or damning bhoga, Cast in crowd or in cave solitary, He who merges mind in the mightiest, Merges in bliss the supreme bliss. (Where one stationed in life is not a matter but what the mind does only counts. If it is serene it enjoys bliss in any situation, says Aacharya.) 20. Recite a little Bhagawat Geetha, Reverently sip a drop of Ganga, Remember Murari ever once, Rid off quarrel ever with Yama. (Just read a little of Geetha of Lord Krishna. No need to master the 18 chapters. Drink a drop of Ganges water. Please, once utter my Lord Muraris name. You shall never have any occasion to argue with the Lord of death.
There was a sinner by name Mutkalan. When he died, he was taken to hell by the servants of Yama. On the way near the gates of hell, Yamraja happened to see that and chided his servants from taking Mutkalan to the hell. Mutkalan asked Yama the reasons for stopping his servants though he was the sinner of the first order. Yama replied that once in his life-time Mutkalan spoke about the name of Lord Hari and hence, all his sins stood cancelled. When this talk was going on, the purnas say, that those stationed in the hell overheard this conversation and that place in hell became heaven because the name of Hari was uttered. Thondaradipodi Azhwar sings in praise of Lord Hari thus, Namanum Mutkalanum Pesa, Naragil Nindrargal Ketkka, Naragame Sorgamagum Namangaludaiya Nambi. Such is the power of our Lords name, says the aacharyas.)

21.

Birth and death, death and birth, Binding vicious circle our life is, Sea of life a limitless languish, Save us Murari! Saviour Oh! Lord.
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(Only He can relieve us of the endless cycle of birth and death. If such a great Aacharya like Shankaracharya, who was none other than the avatar of Lord Shiva, and who wrote the first commentary on Brahma Sutram, should cry that Haris name alone is the refuge, what are we, simple mortals? We should realise that the aacharya cried for our-sake and not mistake that he cried for him.) 22. Sin he doesnt do, neither, Salvation does he seek, Merged in Lord this man on earth, Surged with bliss and bliss alone. (He who is lost in Lord, neither he does sin nor he cares to do punyam. Both are irrelevant to him. He is in bliss.) [Immediately my mind seeks the divine form of Ramana Maharishi.] 23. Who is mother? so ones father? Who are these countless cousins? Who am I? the earth? the path if any? Who realises the whole as but one dream? Who are you? Who your relatives are? Lo! Is there the world or any path even? The whole thing is just a mirage, (a dream says the aacharya.) 24. Charming Lord the Chaithanya Vishnu, Subtle life force of vast universe, Delightedly adorns astral world and all, Destroy sense of differentiation in you. (Lord Vishnu pervades the whole universe and everything in it. Where are the differences between you and the rest? Destroy the sense of you and the other. There is nothing but Him.) 25. Who is friend and who is foe? Who is that darling son of yours? Who are that mine or not mine? Wholly hold on only His feet. (Again the same truth. Who is enemy or friend to you? Why you call some as your men and some not yours. There is only one and hold His feet says the Aacharya.) 26. Anger, desire and deep lust, Craze of wealth carefully set aside, Think and drop the deceptive I, Or deeply suffer netherworld here. (Four enemies Anger, desire, carnal craze, thirst for wealth. Set aside these four and also the ego I. Lest, you will suffer hell here-itself.) 27. Daily recite divine name a thousand, Deeply implant divine form of Sripathi, Set the mind amidst wise-men group, Set off wealth verily to the poor.
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(Sing His thousand names. Set the form of Sris husband at heart. Keep satsang and give thy wealth to the needy.) 28. Assured to earth-born the death sure, Surely the fools forget this truth, Sin and sensual pleasure seek these fools, Suffer the remuneration of sick and sadness. (The one guarantee for all those born is death. It is foolish to forget this and indulge in sin and carnal pleasures. The return for that is sickness and sorrow says the Guru.) 29. Pursuing wealth one misses the good, Pampered wealth a virtual disaster, Frightened of thieves and even ones son, Finally this is the truth about wealth. (Why, dear, run crazy after wealth. You will be afraid not only of thief but of your own son.) 30. Balance the breath and hold it within, Blissfully reign in the blighted senses, Having realised the True and the False, Halt thy mind always in God. (Practice pranayama and regulate the breath. Hold it in kumbhaka. Lord over your five senses and realise the Truth and False about existence.) 31. Casting burden on Gurus feet, Carefree becomes the blessed disciple, Verily cutting vicious cycle of birth and death, Vishnu pervades the perfect mind. (The mind of the blessed one who placed all burdens on his Gurus feet is filled with God intoxication, cutting once for all the painful cycle of birth and death.) Adhi Shankaras astounding bhajagovindam, As told by Alagar Govindakrishnan, Assured to grant all the good to, All by grace of Andal Rangamannar.

[Song composed by Thirukkudanthai Aandavan Thiruvadi, A.GOVINDAKRISHNAN, D 211 Kumara Dhara Block, National Games Village, Koramangala, Bangalore, 560047 Ph: 080-25713209 Mail: alagar_g@yahoo.com]