Posted on: 23 Feb 2020
[Reply to a question by Shri PVNM Sharma] Govinda means the cowherd who leads cows and it indicates Krishna. The word Govinda also has another meaning and that is the Satguru or the God who is associated with the human body which is a bundle of senses (Gavāṃ indriyāṇāṃ saṅghātaṃ nara śarīraṃ vindate prapnoti iti Govindaḥ). It means the unimaginable God present in the medium of a human body, which is a bundle of senses. This meaning applies to any Human Incarnation of God and specifically to Krishna, who was an Incarnation and was also popularly called Govinda. Śaṅkara sang this song for the benefit of the people in His time, for whom He was the Satguru or the contemporary Human Incarnation of God. The meaning of the chorus is that one must serve the Satguru (Govinda) to get real spiritual knowledge, which in turn will ensure the protection of the soul (Bhaja Govindaṃ... mūḍhamate). Here the word bhaja means to reach and to serve (Bhaja prāpane sevāyāṃ ca). On the banks of the Ganga, in Kashi (Varanasi), Śaṅkara came across an old scholar, who, in spite of being so close to death, was memorising the rules of Sanskrit grammar, so that he could show off his talent in the king’s court and earn some reward from the king. No doubt, grammar is helpful in understanding the spiritual scripture correctly. But that was not the intention of the scholar! Hence, Śaṅkara advised Him through this song “O fool! Serve the Satguru (Govinda) and get correct spiritual knowledge from him since that spiritual knowledge alone can protect you at the time of your death”. It was out of sympathy for the scholar that Śaṅkara advised him to concentrate on God, at least in his old age, when the scholar had almost reached the end of his life. Sadly, souls remain trapped in their worldly bonds, even in their last moments! This is the background of the song Bhaja Govindam composed by Śaṅkara. Krishna (Govinda) was a Satguru, who gave wonderful spiritual knowledge in the form of the Gita. The song suggests that we should worship Krishna. Actually, God does not need our worship since He is not fond of any fame. The best worship of Krishna is reading the Gita, understanding it in the correct sense and assimilating it, so that it leads to practice. With this, the soul gets uplifted and Krishna is truly pleased. But the Gita is in a highly condensed form and hence, every ordinary soul cannot understand it in the right sense. Hence, Śaṅkara used the word Govinda in the sense of the Satguru, who is the contemporary Human Incarnation of God. At that time, Śaṅkara Himself was the Satguru. So, Śaṅkara was indicating to the scholar that he should approach Śaṅkara for guidance, so that the scholar would be uplifted, at least at the very end of his life.
| Shri Dattaswami | Gavaam indriyaanaam samghaatam narashariiram vindate prapnoti iti Govindah Gavaam indriyaanaam samghaatam narashariiram vindate prapnoti iti Govindah Bhaja praapane sevaayaam cha Shankara