भज गोविन्दं (Bhaj Govindam)

भजगोविन्दं भजगोविन्दं
गोविन्दं भजमूढमते .
संप्राप्ते सन्निहिते काले
नहि नहि रक्षति डुकृञ्करणे .. १..

Worship Govinda, worship Govinda, worship Govinda, Oh fool !
Rules of grammar will not save you at the time of your death.

मूढ जहीहि धनागमतृष्णां
कुरु सद्बुद्धिं मनसि वितृष्णाम् .
यल्लभसे निजकर्मोपात्तं
वित्तं तेन विनोदय चित्तम् .. २..

Oh fool ! Give up your thrist to amass wealth, devote your mind to thoughts to the Real . Be content with what comes through actions already performed in the past.

नारीस्तनभर नाभीदेशं
दृष्ट्वा मागामोहावेशम् .
एतन्मांसावसादि विकारं
मनसि विचिन्तय वारं वारम् .. ३..

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 . Fail not to remember this again and
again in your mind.


नलिनीदलगत जलमतितरलं
तद्वज्जीवितमतिशयचपलम् .
विद्धि व्याध्यभिमानग्रस्तं
लोकं शोकहतं च समस्तम् .. ४..


The life of a person is as uncertain as rain drops trembling on a
lotus leaf . Know that the whole world remains a prey to
disease, ego and grief.

यावद्वित्तोपार्जन सक्तः
स्तावन्निज परिवारो रक्तः .
पश्चाज्जीवति जर्जर देहे
वार्तां कोऽपि न पृच्छति गेहे .. ५..

So long as a man is fit and able to support his family, see
what affection all those around him show . But no one at home
cares to even have a word with him when his body totters due to
old age.

यावत्पवनो निवसति देहे
तावत्पृच्छति कुशलं गेहे .
गतवति वायौ देहापाये
भार्या बिभ्यति तस्मिन्काये .. ६..


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.

बालस्तावत्क्रीडासक्तः
तरुणस्तावत्तरुणीसक्तः .
वृद्धस्तावच्चिन्तासक्तः
परे ब्रह्मणि कोऽपि न सक्तः .. ७..

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.


काते कान्ता कस्ते पुत्रः
संसारोऽयमतीव विचित्रः .
कस्य त्वं कः कुत आयातः
तत्त्वं चिन्तय तदिह भ्रातः .. ८..

Who is your wife ? Who is your son ? Strange is this samsaara, the world.
Of whom are you ? From where have you come ? Brother, ponder
over these truths.

सत्सङ्गत्वे निस्स्ङ्गत्वं
निस्सङ्गत्वे निर्मोहत्वम् .
निर्मोहत्वे निश्चलतत्त्वं
निश्चलतत्त्वे जीवन्मुक्तिः .. ९..

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 Jiivan muktii.

वयसिगते कः कामविकारः
शुष्के नीरे कः कासारः .
क्षीणेवित्ते कः परिवारः
ज्ञाते तत्त्वे कः संसारः .. १०..


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 samsaara, the world, when the Truth is known ?


मा कुरु धन जन यौवन गर्वं
हरति निमेषात्कालः सर्वम् .
मायामयमिदमखिलं हित्वा
ब्रह्मपदं त्वं प्रविश विदित्वा .. ११..


Do not boast of wealth, friends, and youth . Each one of these
are destroyed within a minute by time . Free yourself from the
illusion of the world of Maya and attain the timeless Truth.


दिनयामिन्यौ सायं प्रातः
शिशिरवसन्तौ पुनरायातः .
कालः क्रीडति गच्छत्यायुः
तदपि न मुञ्चत्याशावायुः .. १२..



Daylight and darkness, dusk and dawn, winter and springtime
come and go . Time plays and life ebbs away . But the storm of
desire never leaves.


द्वादशमञ्जरिकाभिरशेषः
कथितो वैयाकरणस्यैषः .
उपदेशो भूद्विद्यानिपुणैः
श्रीमच्छन्करभगवच्छरणैः .. १२अ ..

This bouquet of twelve verses was imparted to a grammarian
by the all-knowing Shankara, adored as the bhagavadpada.

काते कान्ता धन गतचिन्ता
वातुल किं तव नास्ति नियन्ता .
त्रिजगति सज्जनसं गतिरैका
भवति भवार्णवतरणे नौका .. १३..

Oh mad man ! Why this engrossment in thoughts of wealth ? Is
there no one to guide you ? There is only one thing in three
worlds that can save you from the ocean of samsaara, get into
the boat of satsanga, company of good people, quickly.
Stanza attributed to Padmapada.


जटिलो मुण्डी लुञ्छितकेशः
काषायाम्बरबहुकृतवेषः .
पश्यन्नपि चन पश्यति मूढः
उदरनिमित्तं बहुकृतवेषः .. १४..



There are many who go with matted locks, many who have clean
shaven heads, many whose hairs have been plucked out; some are
clothed in orange, yet others in various colors --- all just for
a livelihood . Seeing truth revealed before them, still the
foolish ones see it not.
Stanza attributed to Totakacharya.

अङ्गं गलितं पलितं मुण्डं
दशनविहीनं जतं तुण्डम् .
वृद्धो याति गृहीत्वा दण्डं
तदपि न मुञ्चत्याशापिण्डम् .. १५..

Strength has left the old man's body; his head has become bald,
his gums toothless and leaning on crutches . Even then the
attachment is strong and he clings firmly to fruitless desires.
Stanza attributed to Hastamalaka.

अग्रे वह्निः पृष्ठेभानुः
रात्रौ चुबुकसमर्पितजानुः .
करतलभिक्षस्तरुतलवासः
तदपि न मुञ्चत्याशापाशः .. १६..

Behold there lies the man who sits warming up his body with the
fire in front and the sun at the back; at night he curls up the
body to keep out of the cold; he eats his beggar's food from
the bowl of his hand and sleeps beneath the tree . Still in his
heart, he is a wretched puppet at the hands of passions.
Stanza attributed to Subodha.

कुरुते गङ्गासागरगमनं
व्रतपरिपालनमथवा दानम् .
ज्ञानविहिनः सर्वमतेन
मुक्तिं न भजति जन्मशतेन .. १७..


One may go to Gangasagar, observe fasts, and give away riches
in charity ! Yet, devoid of jnana, nothing can give mukthi even
at the end of a hundred births.
Stanza attributed to vaartikakaara.

सुर मंदिर तरु मूल निवासः
शय्या भूतल मजिनं वासः .
सर्व परिग्रह भोग त्यागः
कस्य सुखं न करोति विरागः .. १८..

Take your residence in a temple or below a tree, wear the
deerskin for the dress, and sleep with mother earth as your
bed . Give up all attachments and renounce all comforts . Blessed
with such vairgya, could any fail to be content ?
Stanza attributed to nityaananda.

योगरतो वाभोगरतोवा
सङ्गरतो वा सङ्गवीहिनः .
यस्य ब्रह्मणि रमते चित्तं
नन्दति नन्दति नन्दत्येव .. १९..



One may take delight in yoga or bhoga, may have attachment or
detachment . But only he whose mind steadily delights in Brahman
enjoys bliss, no one else . Stanza attributed to anandagiriH.


भगवद् गीता किञ्चिदधीता
गङ्गा जललव कणिकापीता .
सकृदपि येन मुरारि समर्चा
क्रियते तस्य यमेन न चर्चा .. २०..

Let a man read but a little from giitaa, drink just a drop of
water from the ganges, worship but once muraari . He then will
have no altercation with Yama . Stanza attributed to
dRiDhabhakta.

पुनरपि जननं पुनरपि मरणं
पुनरपि जननी जठरे शयनम् .
इह संसारे बहुदुस्तारे
कृपयाऽपारे पाहि मुरारे .. २१..

Born again, death again, again to stay in the mother's womb !
It is indeed hard to cross this boundless ocean of samsaara . Oh
Murari ! Redeem me through Thy mercy.
Stanza attributed to nityanaatha.

रथ्या चर्पट विरचित कन्थः
पुण्यापुण्य विवर्जित पन्थः .
योगी योगनियोजित चित्तो
रमते बालोन्मत्तवदेव .. २२..

There is no shortage of clothing for a monk so long as there
are rags cast off the road . Freed from vices and virtues, onward
he wanders . One who lives in communion with god enjoys bliss,
pure and uncontaminated, like a child and as an intoxicated.
Stanza attributed to nityanaatha.


कस्त्वं कोऽहं कुत आयातः
का मे जननी को मे तातः .
इति परिभावय सर्वमसारम्
विश्वं त्यक्त्वा स्वप्न विचारम् .. २३..


Who are you ? Who am I ? From where do I come ? Who is my
mother, who is my father ? Ponder thus, look at everything as
essenceless and give up the world as an idle dream.
Stanza attributed to surendra.

त्वयि मयि चान्यत्रैको विष्णुः
व्यर्थं कुप्यसि मय्यसहिष्णुः .
भव समचित्तः सर्वत्र त्वं
वाञ्छस्यचिराद्यदि विष्णुत्वम् .. २४..

In me, in you and in everything, none but the same Vishnu
dwells . Your anger and impatience is meaningless . If you wish
to attain the status of Vishnu, have samabhaava, equanimity, always.
Stanza attributed to medhaatithira.


शत्रौ मित्रे पुत्रे बन्धौ
मा कुरु यत्नं विग्रहसन्धौ .
सर्वस्मिन्नपि पश्यात्मानं
सर्वत्रोत्सृज भेदाज्ञानम् .. २५..

Waste not your efforts to win the love of or to fight against friend and foe, children and relatives . See yourself in everyone and give up all feelings of duality completely. Stanza attributed to medhaatithira.

कामं क्रोधं लोभं मोहं
त्यक्त्वाऽत्मानं भावय कोऽहम् .
आत्मज्ञान विहीना मूढाः
ते पच्यन्ते नरकनिगूढाः .. २६..

Give up lust, anger, infatuation, and greed . Ponder over your real nature . Fools are they who are blind to the Self . Cast into hell, they suffer there endlessly.
Stanza attributed to bhaarativamsha.

गेयं गीता नाम सहस्रं
ध्येयं श्रीपति रूपमजस्रम् .
नेयं सज्जन सङ्गे चित्तं
देयं दीनजनाय च वित्तम् .. २७..

Regularly recite from the Gita, meditate on Vishnu in your heart, and chant His thousand glories . Take delight to be with the noble and the holy . Distribute your wealth in charity to the poor and the needy. Stanza attributed to sumatir.

सुखतः क्रियते रामाभोगः
पश्चाद्धन्त शरीरे रोगः .
यद्यपि लोके मरणं शरणं
तदपि न मुञ्चति पापाचरणम् .. २८..

He who yields to lust for pleasure leaves his body a prey to
disease . Though death brings an end to everything, man does not
give-up the sinful path.

अर्थमनर्थं भावय नित्यं
नास्तिततः सुखलेशः सत्यम् .
पुत्रादपि धन भाजां भीतिः
सर्वत्रैषा विहिआ रीतिः .. २९..

Wealth is not welfare, truly there is no joy in it . Reflect
thus at all times . A rich man fears even his own son . This is
the way of wealth everywhere.

प्राणायामं प्रत्याहारं
नित्यानित्य विवेकविचारम् .
जाप्यसमेत समाधिविधानं
कुर्ववधानं महदवधानम् .. ३०..

Regulate the praaNa-s, life forces, remain unaffected by external influences
and discriminate between the real and the fleeting . Chant the
holy name of God and silence the turbulent mind . Perform these
with care, with extreme care.

गुरुचरणाम्बुज निर्भर भकतः
संसारादचिराद्भव मुक्तः .
सेन्द्रियमानस नियमादेवं
द्रक्ष्यसि निज हृदयस्थं देवम् .. ३१..

Oh devotee of the lotus feet of the Guru ! May thou be soon
free from Samsara . Through disciplined senses and controlled
mind, thou shalt come to experience the indwelling Lord of your
heart !

मूढः कश्चन वैयाकरणो
डुकृञ्करणाध्ययन धुरिणः .
श्रीमच्छम्कर भगवच्छिष्यै
बोधित आसिच्छोधितकरणः .. ३२..

Thus a silly grammarian lost in rules cleansed of his narrow
vision and shown the Light by Shankara's apostles.

भजगोविन्दं भजगोविन्दं
गोविन्दं भजमूढमते .
नामस्मरणादन्यमुपायं
नहि पश्यामो भवतरणे .. ३३..

Worship Govinda, worship Govinda, worship Govinda, Oh fool !
Other than chanting the Lord's names, there is no other way
to cross the life's ocean.

shortest form of ramayanam

आदौ राम: तपोवनादी गमनम , हत्व मृगमं कान्चानमं
वैदेही हरणमं , जटायु मरणमं , सुग्रीव संभाषणमं
बालि निग्रहं, समुद्र तरणमं, लंकापुरी दाहनं
पश्चात् रावण कुम्भकर्ण निधनं येत्तादि रामायणमं

Cricket circus - IPL Controversy - Not too long ago

(The views expressed by the author are personal)

Not too long ago, the BCCI was still mired in medieval times. Political party representatives bickering over trivial issues, selectors earning loose change for selection favours, local boards sitting over match ticket scams, and smalltime siphoning-off of equipment money was the norm.

At a time when the world was yet to wake up to Lehman Brothers and Satyam, it was embarrassing for Indian cricket to be so Old World. It was in such a scenario that the greatest game changer came along. He came with a BlackBerry. And a laptop with a PowerPoint presentation.

He came with an unnatural glint in the eye and a pathological problem of involuntarily drooling at the scent of money. But, most importantly, he came with the key to a chamber with unbelievable riches. It was this vision of the proverbial pot of gold that made me notice him for the first time. It was back in 2005 when I heard some people talk about his first press conference during which he described Indian cricket as a ‘goldmine worth billions of dollars’.

He thought the game was big enough for cricketers to be paid at par with top basketball and football players. From the kind of words being attributed to him, it seemed he didn’t even consider Indian Rupees a legitimate currency. To be honest, people laughed at him.

To most, even within the BCCI, he appeared to be nothing more than a rich man’s spoilt brat, all gas and no poop. And boy, were they wrong. It took a special kind of man to spot this special talent. The man, who’s dutifully conducting the BCCI with the sweetest tooth in India because every morsel on his plate is tainted with sweet, was also the man who saw in Lalit Modi the ability to create money out of thin air.

And the IPL was born with Lalit Modi reincarnate as its father, mother, aunt, uncle, wet nurse, aayah as well as a toy. The world may think that running a successful IPL has been Modi’s greatest achievement. I disagree. For me, his greatest achievement has been the unification of a fractious cricket board.

A system once plagued by political arguments, ideological differences, vote bank politics, squabbles over seats was suddenly transformed into one well-oiled machine (pun, as always, intended). Where yesterday there were the BJP, Congress, NCP and the likes, suddenly there were just well wishers of Indian cricket. Where yesterday there was a barren land, today there is a stadium.

Which meant building contracts, contractors, materials, payments etc. And which certainly did not mean kickbacks and favours. Money which was busy sunning itself in non-descript virgin beaches and islands returned to the economy. The BCCI’s coffers filled up and they started diligently spending it for the betterment of the sport. Which, again, meant contracts, contractors, materials, payments etc.

So well spread was the feast that everyone was busy stuffing their mouths with little time or inclination to argue. It’s sad that the man single-handedly responsible for ushering in the most peaceful era in Indian cricket is now being vilified. Modi’s skills at bringing people together didn’t end there. He handpicked a group of like-minded people, a freemason-like society, who bought the first set of franchises.

To be part of the group, the minimum qualification was a certain amount of wealth followed by a certain kind of lifestyle, the kind of people they hang out with, the kind of places they holiday at, the way they party, the places they hold bank accounts at etc. Some exceptions were made here and there, but by and large, it was an ‘invite only’ club.

All members had money-related problems, the kind of problems where you have too much money and don’t know what to do with it. And our man had a solution for every such problem. The incestuous nature of this club was quite noticeable but, like many others, I found nothing suspicious in it then. Aren’t all rich and famous folks supposed to hang out together?

Modi also ensured that the money came from a select closed-group, circulated in the system, inflated in value and was redistributed amongst the same closedgroup. Even the Creator would have been proud to have created such a self-fulfilling eco system.

But then, the Creator has one thing that Lalit Modi doesn’t, a sense of humour. While creating a man with such obvious talents, God added one little flaw. The tendency of being in love with himself. It’s a flaw that has brought down greater men. And to those who were following Lalit Modi, his fall was a matter of when, rather than if.

The rumblings really began in 2009 when Lalit Modi travelled around South Africa waving his BlackBerry-toting hand, signing autographs, grinning on TV and generally walking around with the air of a head of state. Members of the BCCI, senior to him in age and position, secretly grudged his larger than life persona. But what they found hardest to digest was how Modi treated them like irritating flies, tongue-lashing them at times, but mostly brushing them aside with disdain.

The fact that the ‘honorary’ official was quite literally living up to his title of the ‘Commissioner’ was common knowledge. That his commission was far greater than many others’ wasn’t quite as common. This was at the root of the IMG payment row at the end of the IPL 2009. Unfortunately for Modi, he won that battle which lulled him into a false sense of complacency and gave his adversaries an idea of the kind of man they were up against.

The next time they crossed swords, they would come prepared to fight not just Modi but also his powerful friends. For me, the countdown to Modi’s ouster began the day Sharad Pawar refused to attend the opening ceremony of IPL 3. Unhappiness over invitations was the official reason given. But, official reasons are very rarely the real reasons. Unhappiness over green-coloured paper of the crispy kinds seems more believable of the BCCI.

Modi should have known better than to pee on the lap he was sitting on. But, he didn’t and the writing was on the wall from that day onwards. I expected the seasoned politician to bide his time and strike when the iron was cold. And he would probably have done that had Modi not tripped over his tweet and brought about his own downfall.

The government is now acting tough, more out of indignance than anything else. The witch hunt is on with a mercenary zeal not usually associated with them. For them, this is a golden opportunity to lay their hands on the filthy secrets of all politicians involved with the BCCI.

The non-politicos with their fingers in the pie are admitting to feeling ambushed. For them, it’s almost like the party’s ended just because someone puked on the carpet. But, they should fear not. In moments such as this, the resilience of the human spirit usually comes to the fore.

The web of deceit is so wide that it cuts across all political and professional lines involved with the IPL. It won’t take long for them to realise that if the sheets are taken off they will all step out naked. It’s a situation nobody wants. Experienced politicians and businessmen will put their heads together and arrive at the new Nash Equilibrium, after taking into account Lalit Modi’s threat to take everyone down with him.

The government agencies would get to the bottom of the scam and hand their report to the government. The ruling party will keep the truth close to its chest with the intention of using them as threats in future political negotiations with the NCP, BJP and others.

Some token gestures will follow. There will be a few fall guys, Lalit Modi likely to be one of them. Eventually, it will be back to business as usual. Greed often stays alive even when everything else is over and it’s set to live a long and healthy life in Indian cricket.

(The views expressed by the author are personal)