Bhaj Govindam little by little

So we have been studying deep truths in Vedanta during our study of Yog Vashishta…click:

I feel a little confused as to what to share with you next. Do you know about Adi Shankar Acharya? He was one of the greatest Vedantists. As a very young boy he wanted to leave home in search for the Truth and meditate. Very soon in his life his father died. And his mother would not let him leave. One day as the little boy was bathing in the river a crocodile caught his leg. The distraught mother prayed and said that if the boy survived she would let him leave and lead the life of a mendicant. The child miraculously survived. He went on to comment , interpret and revive the Vedas. And he also compiled the poem Bhaj Govindam .
In the Bhaj Govindam he urges mankind to chant the Lord’s name… I shall share the first verse with you tomorrow. Would you like that?

Before we enter the ‘Bhaja Govindam’
I would like to share with you about another composition of Adi Shankar Acharya.
In Samskrit it says: Mano Buddhi Ahankara Chitta Ninaham
Nacha Shrotra Jihve Na Cha Ghrana Netre
Nacha Vyoma Bhoomir Na Tejo Na Vayu
Chidananda Rupa Shivoham Shivoham
Meaning :
am not mind, nor intellect, nor ego,
    nor the reflections of inner self (chitta).
I am not the five senses.
I am beyond that.
I am not the ether, nor the earth,
    nor the fire, nor the wind (the five elements).
I am indeed,
    That eternal knowing and bliss, Shiva, love and pure consciousness.

I say: We are roles that we play and Salome says:
I am a different person in different roles Daughter sister wife mother friend employee employer Etc
Different masks for different situations and yet that part of me which is unique is That which is constant I have to be aware that praise or censure should not affect me!
And in continuing with the discussion about being criticised though being s good person , Salome has the following to say:
…about being disliked, it’s the conditioning that we have grown up with… the idea that we must excel …the sense of competition of wanting to be the favourite. This feeling, I feel brings out the worst in us we have to recondition ourselves to doing things purely for our selves and not to be validated
Tough thoughts
Easier said than done!
I say : once one has started upon the spiritual journey one has to try in the least …
So if all the above difficult concepts do not work… here is the first verse of the
Bhaj Govindam:

Bhaja Govindam
Bhaja Govindam, Govindambhaja mūḍhamatē । samprāptē sannihitē kālē nahi nahi rakṣati ḍukṛṅkaraṇē ॥ 1 ॥

Meaning
Worship Govinda, worship Govinda, worship Govinda, Oh fool!
Rules of grammar ( or other mundane activities) will not save you at the time of your death.
🙏🙏🙏

The verses that I shared with you yesterday, before the BhajGovindam are called the Nirvana Shatakam or the Atma Shatakam.
(Do look it up on YouTube, it is beautifully sung by various artists)
The story is that as Adi Shankara when he was roaming when he was eight years old in the forest, he met a mendicant who asked him who are you? And that is when Adi Shankara burst into the verses of Nirvana Shatakam , which I would say belong to the Neti Neti philosophy of I am neither this, nor this… but the curious thing to observe here is that the Great philosopher realised that the high philosophy of Vedanta is not for the common man, hence he urged that we chant the Lord’s name… Guru Nanik also urged mankind to constantly chant the Lord’s Name…
The phrase “Kalyug Kewal Naam Adhara, Simar simar nar utarayi paara’ is attributed to Goswami Tulsidas and it means : In the Age of Kali, the Name of the Lord is the only mainstay, which will take you across the Ocean of Sansara! Think about it!

So the second verse in Bhaj Govindam urges us to give up our thirst to amass wealth…
I say: Come to think of it, why do we need more than is necesarry …
One is going to live for at the most a century or a little more… I can understand wanting for calamities , sickness of oneself or family… but what does one do with thousands of crores?
Once one reaches that level , first of all comes the fear of losing it… losing the power that comes with it… controlling the ego that comes with it…
Once I was taking a Swamiji for a drive…
I showed him the Taj Mahal Hotel. I also told him about how much we paid for the night only to sleep on the bed. No breakfast lunch or dinner included. So the Swamiji said:
If you are paying so much only to sleep at night, they must be guaranteeing sleep!
And I laughed and said: No! probably the beggar on the street sleeps a better sleep !strange but true isn’t it? Think about it!
The second verse of Bhaj Govindam continues to state: Be content with what comes through actions which karmas which come from your past lives, (or for what you have striven in your present one)
And devote your mind to what is real !
In the Guru Granth Sahib there is a verse that states : ‘chinta taki keejiye jo unhone hoye, yeh marg sansaar da Nanak thir nahin koye!
I like to interpret it like this: ‘Worry about that which is ‘Unhoni’ ( always remains , always True, Always permanent) Why worry about something which is always changing , no one and nothing ever remains the same, money , health comes and goes! Think about it!

Some of the scriptures claim that Women is the downfall of men. But is it? It is the man’s lust for a woman’s body that is his down fall… in the third verse of the Bhaj Govindam, it says :
‘Do not get drowned in delusion by going wild with passions and lust by seeing a woman’s navel and chest. These are nothing but a modification of flesh. ( that she is only made up of flesh and bones) Fail not to remember this again and again in your mind.’
I say: Maybe the above verse is addressed to a rapist , or to help men and women so obsessed with ‘sex’ that they can’t think beyond it…

The 4th verse of the Bhaj Govindam is a little depressing to think about , but absolutely true…
It says …
‘The life of a person is as uncertain as rain drops trembling on a lotus leaf. Know that the whole world remains prey to disease, ego and grief.’
I say: Disease , grief Yes! But why ego?
Disease and grief is not in our hands, most of the time… but ego and delusion is, what we may have a little control over, though limited … and people who practice ‘mind over matter’ rarely go through too much ‘grief’ as they know about the impermanence of life , joy , sorrow …
And I have heard that often diseases are psychosomatic …
I often say , we criticise the ‘mind’ for all our problems… but to befriend the mind or to make it our enemy is in our hands… to open or close a lock don’t we use the same key? Think about it!

How do i befriend my mind? The way I do it, is to treat it like a child… I scold it sometimes , I pamper it sometimes … I remember when I lost my husband , I said to my mind, be grateful for the years that you had, I can’t get back my husband in his physical form back , but I will pamper you ( my mind) in different ways… so I travelled more, learned to play bridge , mahjong and my mind got too busy to trouble me too much … 😊🙏

So Aasha’s sweet message says:
🙏🙏 v positive vibes and energy, great way to samjhao the chanchal mann 👌
Nisha says: Good attitude to have ,
your attitude is your altitude …always soar high, don’t let anything bring you down, keep pulling up your laces 😄
And I says: got so many thumbs up for my last note… but no one noticed the technique that I used to ‘samjhao my chanchal mann’
I used ‘my mind’ as someone outside, my true Self… I became a witness to what my mind was cribbing about…
Now do you see it ! I now I understand what Swamiji insisted when he told me: You are not ‘attached’ the mother in you is attached to your children …

Poonam sums all that we have learned beautifully , she says: Yes ! one must keep the monkey mind busy & try to be Happy . Don’t be Sad, time changes everything, Things will get better IF U want. Better days ahead will come Remember no Storm lasts forever..😊
And wise Mani says : Be the Silent Witness. That is the ultimate truth. This one sentence has immense depth of meaning, which has to be unravelled continuously till you reach the level of being the silent witness.
I , Shakun say: I just watched a video of Raman Maharishi …a disciple says to him : I have done all there is to do , to reach the Enlightened State, but have not succeeded. What do I do? Raman Maharishi said: ‘do nothing … only know that you are already THAT which you seek , you believe yourself to be the wave, Which goes up and down and are afraid to die , to suffer? When you actually ARE the OCEAN! 🙏

The fifth verse of the Bhaj Govindam says:
So long as a man is fit and able to support his family, affection is poured upon him by all those around him…But no one cares to even have a word with him when his body totters due to old age.’
The above verse teaches us about ‘Vairagya’ I wouldn’t know how to translate it literally into english… but it is a kind of disappointment , dejection with life … maybe the feeling is, that we wasted so much time on accumulations , attachments , ego games… and when old one feels defeated…and this kind of feeling of ‘vairagya ‘ mostly comes when one ages… playing the game of life one needs to play it, but at the same time chant the ‘Bhaj Govindam’ which I know, that all of you have come this far with me, are doing … live your life to the best of your capacity but give a little time to learning about what the scriptures tell us…
i often say we find time to go to the parlour, the dentist, why not devote a little time to what the Masters teach us…I shall tell you a story tomorrow which influenced my quest for this knowledge ! 😊

So yesterday we spoke about ‘Vairagya’ and giving some time to Spiritual practices…
I shall share what readers spoke about Vairagya , but before that I shall share a story that inspired me to devote time to spiritual readings and practices…so here is the story:
Once a traveler was travelling through a thick forest in the dark of night… suddenly, he heard a thundering voice that said: Ruko! (Stop! ) and then the voice said ‘’Jhuko’ ( Stoop down) the voice continued … pick up some stones and place them in your pockets and hand bags , tomorrow morning some of you will laugh and some of you will cry!
Some were afraid so some picked up a few stones , some picked up more, some less and some none at all … thinking that they were so brave as to not pay heed to the voice… the following morning, in the light of day , they saw that the stones were precious stones … got the analogy? The voice was the Masters urging us to do good karmas , spend some time on spiritual practice … the ‘morning ‘ is our time after physical death, all we take with us is the gems of spirituality and good karmas that we accumulated during our lifetime !

And about ‘Vairagya’ Roshni says: One person described vairagya as being disenchanted with life and that propels one to look for a deeper meaning of life.
Aasha says:
Vairagya almost means to renounce worldly life, the pleasures of life. After that comes Sanyas when you totally give up on all family ties and go into solitude . My interpretation 🙏
My, Shakun, take on above, I say:
Sri Ram had Vairagya at an early age , ( Yog Vashishta) and his guru urged him not to go to the forest . Arjun also had a sort of Vairagya, but Krishna urged him to fight the battle or/play the game of life… in old age people generally would go to the forest but not always because of Vairagya but because it was customary ( remember Brahmacharya , Grahastha, Vana prastha and
Vanvaas)
But yes there are some genuine ones in early age who forsook their life and comforts like Buddha or Meerabai!
PS: Four stages were prescribed to humans by the Rishis of yore:
1) Brahmacharya , the life of a student
2) Grahastha , the married life, a time to have children, profession etc
3) Vanaprastha: when one starts preparing for the forthcoming life in the forest, one starts giving up responsibility to children , and starts to practice detachment ( this practice in Kaliyug is almost totally non existent 😊
4) Vanvaas) when you are ready to physically move to the forest and continue your spiritual sadhanas preparing for death!
I think that it is a perfect system … We can still practice the above, if not physically at least mentally… at around the age of 50, 60 years, start to detach and give responsibility to children and around the age of 70 totally let go of interference, except for advice when needed… tough isn’t it?

Shanti asks: What spiritual sadhanas preparing to death, kindly elaborate, as I don’t think we wd go into the forest…
And I reply: I honestly do not believe that any one in this chat group at least, would literally go to a forest and that includes me 😊 I think that in today’s age, what would suffice is to live a ‘Forest like life’ with less needs, less desires, less ego, less attachments , less interference … our scriptures claim that whatsoever you think of at your time of death , that is where you will go ( or in my mind , take another birth to continue with whatever was paramount in your mind ,at your time of death… scriptures say if you think of gold , you will become a snake 😱
Maybe because a snake lives where gold resides… so I guess the spiritual practices would be to continue practicing whatever spiritual practices you are following with an addition of practicing more and more and getting less involved in conflicts one can do nothing about !

So today let us look into what the 6th verse of Bhaj Govindam states :
When one is alive, his family members enquire kindly about his welfare. But when the soul departs from the body, even his wife runs away in fear of the corpse.
This is again addressed to most of us who are ‘lost’ in our attachments… the verse reminds us that no body is truly attached to you …
I would add , that we who ‘worship’ our body … and which body is ‘loved’ eventually no one really ‘loves’ the body … yet we continue to love what was ‘real ‘ and loving about the soul that lived in the body… isn’t it… don’t they say do not neglect the body because it is the temple of God … but don’t be overly attached to it either…

Sapna says: So true ! A healthy body helps one to pray better…also
We need to look after the body as this is HIS TREASURE ( Gift) TO US … but sometimes the healthiest body also lands up with issues, but At least we tried to keep it healthy .
We should not be obsessed with it …
Biggest wealth is health and our spirituality!
Vanisha says:
Yes we get so overly attached to our body that we go overboard trying to beautify it, like doing botox etc and sometimes we don’t age gracefully.We feel the body will never age and keep pushing it.
Not realising in the process that it is only causing harm to the body and mind which believes that you are not perishable.
We have to leave everything behind so why so much attachment to this body that one starts to live away from reality.
And I Shakun say: True! Balance is the key!
We Must look after our body and try to look the best we can … Why not? But I got a note today which said:
‘It’s insane how many people are insecure about their appearance but not
about their character.’
Meera sings: kharche na khootey,
Chor na lootey ,
Din din badhat savaayo!
Main to Ram Ratan dhan paayo’
Meaning : I have achieved the wealth of ‘Ram Ratan’ which does not diminish by spending , and thieves cannot steal it… ‘
See the analogy with what I said earlier?

Vanisha says : True! 🙏🙏He is the ultimate….search Him and you will achieve all.
Once we become one with Him, you don’t need anyone.
You achieve moksha😇which is not easy with so many distractions in this day and age..Discipline and Devotion with ultimate faith are the keys.
Hare Krishna 🙏🌸🙏
Deepika says:
Body is your secret place
Body is your home.
Always keep it pure its mind, body and soul. Body is sacred,
Treat it as your temple!
I, Shakun , agree with the above but yet, talking about the body, I often wonder, why does everyone want to be young and live forever , when at the same time we constantly complain about how life brings with it so many hurdles and difficulties…and then though I have lived s reasonably good life, would I like to turn back the clock and be young again ? I don’t really think so … so I guess the wise ones are right when the constantly say : Live in the moment , live one moment at a time and the next moment , will take care of itself ! 😊

Poonam says: Yes Shakun’
Live today freely, Tomorrow will sort out by itself.
We Must not miss a moment , looking young, we all like to ( look young)
B….t feeling young is something that’s me!
I say : I so agree ! While ‘living… live’ but just give a little time to do some sadhana , which I can say all of you are doing…
The 8th verse of Bhaj Govindam states:
The childhood is lost by attachment to playfulness. Youth is lost by attachment to woman.
Old age passes away by thinking over many things. But there is hardly anyone who wants to be lost in parabrahman.
I, Shakun say: Have you heard a bhajan which states :
Tune raat gavaayee soyke,
Divas gavaya khaye …
Your life was consumed , by eating during the day , and the night by sleeping… and then he goes on to say: you were given this priceless life which you sold for a few pennies … think about it!

Nisha says : The key reason to feel you have not led your life to full potential is because of our tricky mind, it is always oscillating between the past & the future …being anxious about the future & regretting about the past …when you are grateful for your present moment & realise that this is Gods ‘present’ to you and do your sadhana’s and carry out your responsibilities & live in gratitude you are living a priceless precious life God blesses you for 🙏

Aasha says: 🙏🙏 We waste precious moments in this precious Life by thinking and worrying about the future of what will happen with our our precious Family!
And I Shakun reply: Turn chinta into Chintan
Meaning convert ‘worry’ into ‘prayer’

Roshni says: There is a tuk ( a verse in the Gurbani is referred to as ‘tuk’ ) by Sheik Farid which says:
Char gavaya hund mein
Char gavaya sam
Lekha Rab mangasiya
Tu aaho kaire kam?
Which translates to:
The first quarter of life went in play
The second quarter in sleep
When God asks for your account on this earth
He will question of what use you were in this life.
And I Shakun reply : I believe that all of us are born with a gift… that gift need not be a lofty one, but through that ‘gift’ we are meant to serve… my friends have said that I have the ‘gift’of making complex study, a little simpler to understand.
And so I say that while I write my notes to you every morning… whatsoever, I am sharing with you. I share with myself too. I try to walk the talk ! I am not always successful …but I do my best, and leave the rest 😊🙏
Shanti says:
Just as sandalwood is too pure and precious to be wasted as ordinary firewood, this human body—rare and divine—is not meant to be consumed in the flames of endless material ambitions. Its real purpose is far more sacred: to carry the fragrance of devotion, humility, and service to the lotus feet of Śrī Kṛṣṇa. When we live with this understanding, every breath becomes worship, every action becomes an offering, and our life itself becomes a gentle aroma rising toward the Lord.
.Thought of the Day Sunday !

Viveeta says : It’s so true we all just go through our daily motions in life be it eating or sleeping and life goes by ! Hence meditation helps us look at our inner selves and live a more meaningful life .
Think about it!

Verse 8 of the Bhaj Govindam says:
Who is your wife? Who is your son? Strange is this samsara, the world. Of whom are you? From where have you come? Brother, ponder over these truths.
I Shakun say : Have your read ‘The Prophet’ by Kahlil Gibran?
It is one of the most beautiful books that I have read.
It speaks of marriage, children and other topics. About children it says.
Your children are not your children,
They are sons and daughters of life’s longing for itself,
They come through you but not from you,
And though they are with you, they belong not to you…
Dear Readers, the book ‘The Prophet’ is definitely worth a read and pondering over, specially what he says about Marriage too…
Will share with you tomorrow what it says about Marriage! Ok?

Did you ponder upon ‘your children come through you but not from you? ‘
The minute we put up a ‘My’ in front of children , we feel that we ‘own’ them … yes! We are responsible for them… but I have read that you have only an influence upon them until the age of 13… I was shocked to read this… I thought at least upto the age of 18 we can have an influence upon them … so just like I am telling you now, I also tell myself … whatever one can do, one has done… now one can only advise … they have their karmas they have their life… they have their lessons to learn ….what do you say?

Huri says: Yes AND ACCEPT BECAUSE WE HAVE NO CHOICE
Aasha says: Yes it’s true, all of us have taken this birth to complete and fulfil past karmas , so say the scriptures. 🙏🙏

Nisha says: yes absolutely …just like we had parents who advised us and then we took on life with courage & strength …and here we are today …we can continue to advise our children as long as they need it and always bless them from near or far ❤️

Malu says: I think a lot about all that Khalil Gibran says .
The more I reflect…,
I can drop.
Going back to old patterns is slower ..
Reflection is a must I feel.
Maya says: It is true Shakun. Nothing and nobody belongs to us including our loved ones. The sooner we realise this, the better it is for all of us.
Sunita says: That’s true. Dada once told us that children are like sponges until the age of 7 they absorb readily everything until then and after that it becomes more difficult.
Shanti says: Looks like we are all playing roles according to our sanskars in this drama called life.

Salome asks: So everything is pre ordained or is there Free Will?
Choices which door do we walk into?
I , Shakun believe that ( though one school of thought believes that we have no choice whatsoever)
I believe that genetics , birth are pre determined , however we do exercise a certain amount of free will, by choosing how to react to different circumstances.
The choice is however very limited…
Eg : A goat is tied to a pole by a rope inside a fence , its free choice is what it does within the fence , tied by the rope…
Coming back to humans , sanskars play a big role here to determine ones choice of actions …
Therefore since the choice of reaction is so limited , it is important that it becomes natural for us to walk into the right door of choice …it is often explained this way : we are dealt certain
Cards, that is our destiny … how we play those cards is our free will… that free will becomes our ‘future Karma’ to deal with and learn from .

Mani says : … we have to handle and negate baggage of past karmas !
Poonam says: Peace comes when you realize that everything that’s out of your control, should be out of your mind too….
Every situation/ circumstance is different…..
everyone is playing out their Karma and will face the consequences.
Sapna says : I had once asked this question frm Sri Ravi Shankar .. how much free will do we have ?
His reply was
You can’t change your height but you can change your weight …😊 certain things we can’t change as you said Didi but we have limited choice ….
Personally I feel that it depends on the choices we make
But sometimes in that also I feel because it had to happen, that’s why the mind worked like that .. that at times it tells us whether it is the right or wrong decision, which was made . As no one would like to make wrong decision..
Huri says: I FEEL WE HAVE CHOCES AND WE MAKE THEM ACCORDING TO OUR WANTS AND NATURE…
I , Shakun say:
But those choices may or may not be the correct ones…
I have read, when confused about making a choice, refer to the scriptures, what your guru says, and your conscience, ie your gut instinct.
If all three have a different answer then refer to your guru. I asked what if your guru is not truly enlightened? And the reply is, that if one is an honest seeker then the universe, call it God will see that that reply is the correct one for you and delivered to you 🙏

Maya D says : Hi, yesterday’s and today’s messages are a blessing to read and digest- before acting I decided to calm down , before reading the above , and today I decided to increase my awareness to calm down…
I , Shakun say : Bravo 👏🏻 👏🏻👏🏻
That’s the way to do it … remember our parents used to tell us to count to 10 before getting angry ?

Abha says: Loved the last few posts.
God gave us a free will and an intellect to think and analyse what we hear and then choose the path we think is correct. It may be wrong, which we realise later on and can try another path… We are lucky to be born as humans and have this ability.
May be it is our destiny which is our karma paying forward.

I have not digressed as I spoke about our attachment to our children.
Just a reminder of what was said in the Bhaj Govindam.
‘Who is your wife? Who is your son? Strange is this samsara, the world. Of whom are you? From where have you come? Brother, ponder over these truths.’
So now let us speak about marriages… and again I would like to quote what Khalil Gibran says in his poem about Marraiges in the Prophet…

You were born together, and together you shall be forevermore.

You shall be together when the white wings of death scatter your days.

Ay, you shall be together even in the silent memory of God.

But let there be spaces in your togetherness, and

Let the winds of the heavens dance between you.

Love one another but make not a bond of love:

Let it rather be a moving sea between the shores of your souls.

Fill each other’s cup but drink not from one cup.

Give one another of your bread but eat not from the same loaf.

Sing and dance together and be joyous, but let each one of you be alone;

Even as the strings of a lute are alone though they quiver with the same music.

Give your hearts, but not into each other’s keeping.

For only the hand of Life can contain your hearts.

And stand together, yet not too near together: For the pillars of the temple stand apart, and

The oak tree and the cypress grow not in each other’s shadow.
I Shakun say: tell me what stands out for you, in the above poem on Marriages …

Let’s see the first verse of Khalil: ‘you will be together and together you shall be for ever more’
Sunita poetically says :
‘Even as the strings of a lute ( like a guitar) are alone though they quiver with the same music’
I say : True ! And as Khalil says: yet , let there be spaces in your togetherness, stand together , yet not too near together, for the pillars of the temple stand apart…
And I Shakun say: Yes: each one of us though together, have our own ‘gifts’ to use in the world to fulfill our karmas…
No husband and no wife can completely fulfill one another … talking about myself , I was able to write,sing, dance, talk because my husband was always standing by the side, yet close enough to cheer me on…
Viveeta says: The thread that flows through the poem is ‘togetherness’ with space’… which I feel is very Important in marriages…
So many break ups happen when one is constricted…
Mani says: You have to allow space between your spouse . Do not try to possess the other , and do not try to dictate your terms and conditions on the other . Do not try to morally blackmail each other. There are so many things that can go wrong in a marriage and the divorce courts are full of stories.
Poonam says:
I think Marriage needs togetherness and space … it is the Best Partnership, but yet, each one of us like to sometimes sing and dance alone.
It depends upon the couple to make it go ‘hit’ or ‘fuse’
And I add to the above , that I today wonder that after couples living together for years before marriage, still sometimes break up after a few months of wedlock … i understand that so many factors contribute to the making or breaking of a marriage … yet to sum it up , as Khalil says: stand together yet not too near for only the hand of life can contain your hearts…the oak tree and the cypress tree grow not in each other’s shadow…
I says ‘Love, Live and Let live … within limits… in perfect rhythm and tune …

Now let’s look at the next verse in the Bhaj Govindam, it says:
From satsanga, company of good people,
comes non-attachment,
from non-attachment comes freedom from delusion,
which leads to self-settledness.
From self-settledness comes the ultimate liberation.
So dear readers, read the above again … where does the path to liberation start from ? And what is satsang ? Is it only sitting with saints and sages? What do you think?

And Maya D said: …We must all have a ‘Satsangi friend’ in our crowd of friends’
I Shakun feel that ‘Satsang’ means , though wonderful to be in the company of Rishis snd Sages , it can also mean when you are with your mother , a friend , a sister who gives the advice , not because they are attached to you but because they are coming from the truth of their heart.
Remember, we spoke about sharavan , manan and nidhidhyaasan ?
Shravan is to hear and/or read…
Manan is to ‘think about it’
And Nidhidhyaasan is to ‘practice it… to use it in our life to make it better.
And isn’t that what we are doing in this chat?
We are doing Shravan and manan , Nidhidhyasan is up to each one of us.
One can give water to someone, but to drink it is the person’s responsibility.
Aasha says:
Satsang is sitting with your inner self in self introspection also with like minded people who are in search of liberation from moh ( attachment) maya ( illusion) 🙏
Roshni says:
Liberation starts with being in the company of the saints which leads to the inner satsang when we contact the Truth. Gurbani says : Jis vakhar to lein aaya, Ram Naam santan ghar paya. Which translates to: the treasure you have come to obtain, the name of God can be obtained from the saints.
And Liberation to me, is when we come in contact with the Inner truth, it sets us free from maya and delusion as the Bible says: The Tuth shall set you free. 🥰
Salome says:
…most importantly sitting with one self after the discourses and discussion,
Mulling over, absorbing and making it your own, and to know that the journey is
Ultimately alone.
Deepika says:
Satsang is a Sanskrit word meaning gathering of truth or company of the wise. It’s a spiritual gathering where people come together to share knowledge wisdom and experience about life spirituality and self realisation Think of it like a chill vibe where Folks discuss meaningful stuff…. meditate and uplift each other .
Sat…..is also truth,
Sang…..is also company.
So Satsang is a truthful gathering of like minded souls….feeling happy and elevated together.
Shanti says:
Loved Khalil’poem on marriage…your further elaborations enhanced the meaning and enjoyed reading views of the girls…
Sapna says:
Satsang is company of truth … the purpose of Satsang is to get transformation in oneself . Connecting to inner truth ..
lots of benefits.
It can be even if we sit with like minded people n discuss spirituality can be Satsang too ..
so not necessarily with sages n saints.
I think what we do here is also Satsang .
It’s making us realise to liberate … reminding us of our inner journey which is so important.
And I Shakun say : thankyou all of you, for giving yourselves time and me the opportunity to remember and ponder upon the truth… what ultimately truly matters, and what will be of use to us in our onward Spiritual journey to our true Home 🙏

And Abha says:
‘Loved the post on Satsang….. or Santsang…😊
I agree with Salome,
Our journey is our own…We may come across people, on the way but ultimately we tread alone, to find ourselves.’

I, Shakun say:
The verse that we are studying from the Bhaj Govindam, says:
From satsanga, company of good people,
comes non-attachment,
from non-attachment comes freedom from delusion …
Non attachment is to let go of the desperate need to possess, control …and to let go of expectations of fruits … as I say ‘doing our best and leaving the rest’
Many people drop ‘love’ trying to drop attachments… and I often say that it is like throwing the baby with the bath water… let us discuss the difference between love and attachment… shall we?

Difference between love and attachment:
Poonam says:
As we keep on hearing about all this and during Satsang and the deeper & deeper thoughts make us feel detached , its good to observe and let go of attachment…of when I get attached or detached, it just happens due to circumstances…
It is Natural, it just happens.
I , Shakun think that what Poonam is trying to say… is that Satsang helps us to observe when we feel love or attachment… yet the attachment creeps in depending upon circumstances.
I Shakun say: Yes we are on the path , and during our spiritual journey being aware is a good starting point.
Nisha says:
i have an anecdote to share
when we see a pretty flower on a plant & when we just admire it from far without plucking it is love
while if we have the need to pluck it, then that is attachment or need or greed …for me that is the difference between love and the need to acquire, possess & attachment
Sapna says:
According to me love is selfless, it’s only care , giving , no ego , peace , one feels secure , love is an emotion can be felt from the heart ..
love is limitless..
love expands us.
With attachment comes fear , anxiety, possessiveness … but we are attached to our dear ones because we love them . Where there is love attachment comes too .. but we should give them space and not be overprotective, over powering ,possessive as then it is not pure love .. we understand what the other person wants !
I, Shakun say: Yes the problem with loving is that attachment just creeps in… and so some ‘so called spiritual people’ stop ‘loving and caring’ … Now we are told that Love is God… so dropping love is obviously not the solution… maybe we should drop the ‘My’ from what we are attached to.
Maybe we should remember and make it a practice to remember, that everything has been given to us for a time. I remember the story I heard once , let me tell it to you.
Once a friend lent a bike to his friend and said I will take it back from you when I return after three months. The friend enjoyed the bike for two months and 15 days. Now he realised that the Friend would return and take away the bike from him. And he was miserable. I believe that the moral of the story is that enjoy what we have, knowing at the back of our mind that everything is temporary. What do you think?

Nisha says: yes everything will pass the good the bad the happiness the sadness the possessions the need to acquire..,flow with the tide be a good surfer when life takes you on the high tides keep hanging on to your faith belief & divine blessings you have collected so far …surrender,because that’s all we will do eventually because HE is the ULTIMATE no one else is 🙏
I Shakun say: I was reading : Nothing belongs to you, even the air that you breathe, you have to exhale… one can enjoy a 5 star hotel room , knowing that you will have to let it go, no? But all these lofty words are easier said than done, right? Yes! Yet doesnt one enjoy a holiday though one knows that one eventually must go home? I can only say , one must know… I knew someone who cried and cried because her father died when in his 90s … and she never thought that he would ever die! 😅
So what do you think ? Knowing about these things is better? Or do you believe that ignorance is bliss!

So yesterday we were discussing about ignorance, with the question: do you think that ignorance is bliss?

Viveeta says:
I realise forewarned is forearmed but enjoy the moment and just have faith. The acceptance becomes easier when one surrenders to the Almighty .

Aasha says :
We all definitely are aware that we all have to leave this temporary “ Hotel “ , in Hindi it’s called Saraya , or inn, we are also temporary here, but we don’t accept this reality or we forget about it and remain attached! Hence the fear , the doubt, the uncertainty and the grief when someone special leaves us . But it’s alright when we are young in age but in later years this awareness must penetrate our soul, so our daily thoughts and actions can become more meaningful 🙏🙏

Sapna says : Just as I read I saw this fwd sent ..
…true nothing belongs to us
We must learn to accept Gods will in all circumstances..
it’s our karmas too
Birth death not in our hands
What is in our hands is acceptance and to pray for strength in tough times ..
Sapna continues: …my friend lost her 32 years old son who was holidaying in Goa
Her dp had his picture and the lines were…
Thank you God for giving him to me for 32 years !
I felt so much spirituality and acceptance in her .. to accept this loss!
It’s hard but we know that time is a big healer too…
With time and prayers one accepts..
the loss remains in the heart for sure !

Huri says:
Knowing doesn’t help with sorrow…You feel and when you let go, you move on .
LIFE IS EXACTLY THIS…MOVING ON AND ON ONWARDS, FORWARD, FOREVER TO KRISHNA

Anita says: Ignorance is good where there is maya jaal. The rest you must know.
Once in this body we get driven away with the sansar and forget why we are here.
Gyaan is very necessary which you tend to get from a Guru

Nisha says: There is no harm enjoying the good things in life it is not a sin …by all means enjoy it because one has earned it through their good karma ,why feel guilty about it ..,but remember a coin as too sides just don’t get too comfortable anywhere because everything is transient 😃

Pushpa says: There is a 3rd side of the coin ,which we ignore. Because two sides of the coin is joined by the 3 rd side .I feel this 3rd side is our inner peace. These are my feelings.
I Shakun reply :
You say: Ignorance , gyaan and Peace… but peace comes from where? Knowing or not knowing? Or from sanskaars of last janam?
Once I asked a Swami… is ignorance bliss? Or is knowing better?
And Swami replied: a child is ignorant and peaceful, but should he remain like this all his life? Would you as a mother like that? No.! the child has to grow up and learn about life and go through tests and tribulations. There is a spiritual childhood, where khao piyo mauj karo is the way of life. But then comes a time when One asks: is this all to life? And One starts to look for answers. I wonder if I am clear enough in what I am trying to say? However, I have met people who though do not know the scriptures and have not met any guru or sages, are very wise. Those I believe come with a good karmas of their past life. What do you think? Do I make sense? Tell me.

So yesterday we were speaking about Ignorance, Gyaan ( knowledge) and Peace… and I asked if what I said made sense… (if you have forgotten what I said please read yesterday’s note)
Aasha says:
It makes Perfect sense 👍 In life we definitely need knowledge, without which we would just be living in a state of ignorance . Our first Guru is our Mother who’s teaching lays the foundation for us to move further in life and that becomes our first stepping stone to make our future choices. This includes our choice of a Guru in the form of our Professor in school/ college and later a Spiritual Guru who will become our Guiding light, our Beacon.
Poonam says:
Ignorance is the root 🌱
and the stem of all evil…
and I Shakun ask : Is it? The root of all evil?
However ignorant we may be, we all know ‘what is right and what is wrong’. It is another matter that we choose to not listen to God’s voice in our conscience form. And the conscience, if we refuse to listen to it goes to sleep. Our Gyaan is what makes an attempt to awaken it. What do you think?

Is ignorance the root of all evil? And I said that I believe that grown ups are never truly ignorant, they know intrinsically what is right or wrong except in some very complicated ‘dharam Sankats’ where one is not truly aware of what is right or wrong , like in Arjun’s case about fighting the war… in that case one enquires from a guru , scriptures and conscience … and makes a choice …
Viveeta says:
Many people feign ignorance just to avoid their duties. I feel knowledge is given to us by our Gurus our parents and whoever we choose as friends however this is also determined by our karmas . The whole web of life whether we are ignorant or knowledgeable is influenced by our karmas , who we meet and into to which family we are born etc. and much of it is predestined.
Mani says:
Every action of ours has to be evaluated, as to its consequences. In our Zoroastrian religion, after a childs Navjot is performed, that child is responsible for his actions. That is like we have entered into a contract with the Divine to be always righteous in all our actions.

Let us look into what else does the Bhaj Govindam say in verse 9 , It says:
From satsanga, company of good people, comes non-attachment, from non-attachment comes freedom from delusion, which leads to self-settledness. From self-settledness comes the ultimate liberation.
I Shakun say : we have looked into Satsang , and non attachment. Now from non attachment comes freedom from delusion … What delusion is it talking about ? I Shakun would say : from the delusion that we are the body , that this life is all there is ? And that clarity I would say comes from the practice which comes from the questions as Salome asks :
Who am I ?
What am I?
Why Am I ?’
The never ending questions
Do we get the answers
Not really because the ultimate truth is always shrouded in mystery
Knowledge is never complete
It is a progression
That’s why Man has reached where he has
But that ultimate knowledge will come when we give up wanting to know and just Be!
I Shakun ask: What do you understand from the above ?

Sapna says :
I am a Soul
We are spiritual beings going through a human experience .
To realise God,
I have understood this from
who am I
What am I
Why am I
This is a very deep philosophy
it is like as Socrates says looking for a black cat in a black room
Each one’s journey is different and hence realisation too
I agree we need to surrender completely to get that ultimate gyan or unity with the Lord.
Lot of practice and dedication is required…

I Shakun say to Sapna: I agree, even though the practice of ‘Who am I ‘ is not an easy one, yet we have to make a beginning somewhere, to learn to be a Sakshi, a witness unto oneself … and constantly remind ourselves that we are not the body … yet dear Sapna , you say ‘we need to surrender’ that is the Bhakti path which is equally effective in realising … as in my life I have gone by: Do your best and leave the rest… by leaving the rest, I mean to surrender to the fruits of the action … so yes each one’s path is unique … and as long as one is honest to oneself it takes us to our destination !

Mani says:
Sadhus and RishiMunis have been doing tapas for years and not attaining godhead ! That which is lacking is the Grace of God , which gives the final liberation .
I Shakun say yes : I have read/ heard that once we live our spiritual life to the best of our capacity , the final liberation comes through His Grace 🙏
Aasha says:
🙏🙏 it is best to let the mystery of Life remain as it is! Who are we to question the Higher Power as to who and why we are here, let’s just accept our current role in the Drama of Life and continue to follow the Direction of the Divine Director 🙏
Nisha says:
I personally feel, we only know ourselves till this moment …so we can not say with conviction this is who i am …there will be a lot of ups & downs & twists & turns in life & when we respond to these situations we will learn much more about ourselves …but in the. meanwhile life has definitely taught me not to react to situations but with a steady heart feel it, respond to it & let it go …especially if it doesn’t serve you anymore …life has also taught me not to chase happiness ,let it be free flowing like a butterfly flying from flower to flower in a beautiful garden just sit back and bask in happiness do not chase just bow in gratitude 🙏

I Shakun say to Nisha and Aasha: Let’s accept our current role in the Drama of life and bow in gratitude to what is … at the moment ! But yet learn to surrender like Meera and the Gopis did , the perfect Bhaktas that they were … or be good karma yogis … or like good Vedantists enquire : Who am I ? Take your pick though I believe that all the above paths are simultaneous! 🙏

Huri says :
Just TRUST and have FAITH in KRISHNA !
Asha says:
Yes ! Prayers can bring peace & strength . One must Surrender to HIM & Accept Everything because nothing is in our Control.
So Be Happy and let’s fly like a Butterfly 🦋 as Nisha says.
Aasha says:
🙏 acceptance 😇
I Shakun say:
I have never forgotten what my yoga teacher once said, she said that during Kaliyuga there is no need, for doing major penances. Just accepting with grace whatever calamities come upon us is enough to move us forward in our spiritual path.
And I would add learn the lesson that that calamity or misfortune brings…
And now the next verse in Bhaj Govindam says:
What good is lust when youth has fled?
What use is a lake which has no water?
Where are the relatives when wealth is gone?
Where is samsara, the world, when the Truth is known?
So what is the above verse truly saying according to you?

So as I shared yesterday the Bhaj Govindam verse states : What good is lust when youth has fled, what use is a lake which has no water, where are the relatives when wealth has gone , Where is Samsars when the truth is known ?
I , Shakun would say that the above verse is talking about ‘Vairagya’ mostly this feeling comes when one is old or a Gyaani and looks upon the experiences of one’s ’long gone’ days … and one realises that all one strived for, has come to almost nought… and therefore each verse ends with ‘Bhaj Govindam moodh matey which says that take the Lord ‘s name , Oh you weak minded, because at the end nothing of the above will matter much… I was reading:
Life is strange, we come with nothing , but fight for everything,
But in the end,
We leave everything,
And go with nothing…so Bhaj Govindam 😊
Roshni says:
That everything we see with our senses is an illusion.
Nisha says:
Every phase in life has its own use …what was useful once may not be so today ..what was useful then, may look very trivial today …with time & age you may lose the trivial things that were useful once and gain more important and an evolved mindset which has helped you progress to a higher plane …in this phase you start appreciating & being grateful a lot more than you were once ..( my analysis of what i think )
Huri says:
Nothing in this world lasts only temporary.SO DONT CLING TO THEM JUST ATTACH YOUR SELF TO KRISHNA!
😊❤️🙏

Aasha says:
🙏 Thank you for the clarity, yes every phase in Life teaches us important lessons and things we once cherished don’t matter anymore… eg when we were small we loved our dolls but now we have forgotten them. Similarly other attachments like relationships and attractions to material possessions diminishes with time and age … we are living in the present moment and what we have accumulated till now in terms of spirituality and love for God is uppermost 😇
Poonam says:
There is no certainty in life.
Keep your faith and move on….
I , Shakun agree that there is no certainty in life , nothing is permanent , we do not know for certain what tomorrow brings … the only moment that we are certain of is this moment, which again barely lasts …
Unless one dies young , old age will come, and both situations ie dying young or ‘getting old’ are not very pleasant . We yearn for riches but that brings ego and power which more often destroys …
No matter what life gives one , in my mind , the solution is, as Krishna in the Geeta says, is to live in balance … keeping in the back of our mind that nothing lasts forever… so Bhaj Govindam Bhaj Govindam moodh mate… 😊🙏

So yesterday I asked if you remember what Shravan manan and nidhidhyaasan was?
In the context of , about how to get rid of ‘attachments’
It is interesting to increase our knowledge… we do that all the time … we are learning different techniques of how to improve our technology skills , learn how to make a new dish , what new restaurants have opened up in town 😊
Spiritual knowledge differs from that if you want to grow spiritually.
Only ‘knowing ‘ will not do… first one must do ‘shravan’ ie hear/ read ( about what the scriptures teach us )
Then Manan , ie think about what they teach us … and then nidhidhyaasan ie act upon what they teach us … and as Poonam says:
Ego and desires :
kaam, krodh, lobh, moh and ahankaar. Any type of manipulation or politics….
All have to be controlled…. Only then will one get detached….
i , Shakun say : so this time don’t just read the above note… first Read or hear , Shravan…
Think about it , Manan…
And then practice what you heard/ heard/ read about it … Nidhidhyaasan!

So in the last note we spoke about Shravan manan nidhidhyasan. I how you remember these terms from now on 😊
Now Mani says: Similar to thought, word, and deed. What you think is what you should speak…and that should be your action…Good thought, good words, good deeds … total synchronisation. That is righteousness.
I , Shakun say : Before I go further shall we do manan and nidhidjyaasan on above ?