

The Bhaja Govindam deals with our twin motivations in life kanchana, acquisition of wealth, and kamini, enjoyment of it. Thus together, the chorus, Dvadashamanjarika Stotram, Chaturdasha Manjarika Stotram and Shankara’s blessings form the 31 verses of the Bhaja Govindam.ī) Verses 2 – 13: Dvadashamanjarika StotramĬ) Verses 14 – 27: Chaturdasha Manjarika Stotram d) Verses 27 – 31: Shankara’s Blessing After listening to his students, Shankara blesses the true seekers of all times in the last 4 verses. These 14 verses form the Chaturdasha Manjarika Stotram.

So inspiring was Shankara’s oration that each of his 14 disciples travelling with him added a verse each. Those who live the philosophy and use it to rise spiritually. Those who analyseĪnd reflect upon the matter in the verses. Similarly, those who truly enjoy the Bhaja Govindam are those who absorb its message. However, the ones that truly enjoy the flowers are the bees that enter deep into the flower to draw out their nectar. Similarly, those who understand the meaning of the verses gain useful instructions on life. Those who come near the flower experience the fragrance emanating from the flower. Just as a bouquet of fresh flowers can be appreciated even by looking at them from afar, the Bhaja Govindam too can be appreciated merely by listening to the melodious chanting of the verses. These 12 verses form the first part of the Bhaja Govindam and are called the Dvadashamanjarika Stotram, a bouquet of 12 stanza-flowers. Tradition has it that the 12 verses following the chorus were spoken by the great master himself. The opening stanza is taken to be the chorus that is chanted at the end of every other verse. He observed how the pundit memorised the grammar rules but missed the message of what he was studying and this inspired a masterful oration by Shankara that we call the Bhaja Govindam or Moha Mudgara. Along the way, Shankara overheard an old pundit, scholar, memorising Panini’s grammar rules. It was on one of those days when Shankara and his disciples were travelling that they passed through Benaras, a holy city of India. It is called so because it deals a body blow to the excessive value we place on this samsara that is the world. Together, Moha Mudgara means the remover or destroyer of delusion.

The word moha, in Sanskrit, means ‘delusion’ while mudgara means ‘hammer’. Each one of its 31 verses is a pearl of wisdom that is relevant to our lives.Īnother name for this text is Moha Mudgara. Its style is simple and its melody makes it appealing to people of all ages. Although small, it is a prominent composition of Shankara’s that teaches the fundamentals of Vedanta. However, as the verses contain deep Vedantic thought it is often included as a prakarana, introductory text. The Bhaja Govindam belongs to the class of stotras.
Bhaja govindam meaning pdf manuals#
Prakarana Granthas: Introductory manuals for spiritual studies Stotras: Devotional compositions like the Dakshinamoorthy stotrasģ. Bhashya: Commentaries on the scriptures such as the Upanishads, Bhagavad Gita and the BrahmasutrasĢ. Shankara’s works are classified into 3 main categories:ġ. He combined his scientific knowledge of the subject with deep devotion to produce brilliant compositions. Some of the other magnificent works on Vedanta by Adi Shankaracharya are the Vivekachudamani and Atmabodha. Composed by the great saint Bhagavadpada Sri Adi Shankaracharya, Bhaja Govindam is one of the most lucid yet insightful works of Vedanta.
