Bhaja Govindam

Short Messages from Sringeri Jagadguru Series: Sringeri Jagadguru explains a verse from Bhaja Govindam on 

'We should not have any Ahankaram (arrogance)'

(A rough translation)

In Bhaja Govindam, Jagadguru Adi Shankaracharya had said:

मा कुरु धन जन यौवन गर्वं

हरति निमेषात्कालः सर्वम् ।

Do not boast of wealth, friends, and youth । Each one of these

are destroyed within a minute by time.

We should not have any Ahankaram. How much ever wealth, knowledge, power or strength we have, we should not have Ahankaram (Arrogance) on any of these. None of these are permanent/eternal.

Only Bhagavan (God) alone is eternal and we must all strive to attain Bhagavad Kripa (God's grace).

Bhagavan is happy with a person who has Bhakti.

Bhagavan does not see your wealth, education, power or physical strength.

Bhagavan only sees whether there is Bhakti (devotion) in your heart.

When we do puja, it doesn't matter how much flowers or leaves or milk we bring. What matters is if we have pure Bhakti within us.

Most people do puja mechanically. Their mind is elsewhere. Bhagavan does not accept this type of puja.

Many people say they do puja for 3 hours but most of the time, their mind is somewhere else.

If one does puja for just 10 minutes but with their mind fully focused on Bhagavan, then Bhagavan accepts that type of puja.

Hence, Shankara says we should not have any Ahankaram at all. We should be a Nirahankari and do Bhagavad Seva with atmost Bhakti.

This statement of Shankara holds true not just for now but for all centuries in future.