Śrī Śaṅkar Āchārya’s vivid analysis of material existence.
Verses from this composition are cited and discussed by Śrīla Bhakti Rakṣak Śrīdhar Dev-Goswāmī Mahārāj and Śrīla Bhakti Sundar Govinda Dev-Goswāmī Mahārāj.
Moha-mudgāra-stotram
The Hammer for Delusion
by Śrī Śaṅkar Āchārya
भजगोविन्दं भजगोविन्दं
गोविन्दं भज मूढमते ।
संप्राप्ते सन्निहिते काले
नहि नहि रक्षति डुकृञ्करणे ॥ १ ॥
bhaja govindaṁ bhaja govindaṁ
govindaṁ bhaja mūḍha-mate
saṁprāpte sannihite kāle
na hi na hi rakṣati ḍukṛñ-karaṇe [1]
Serve Govinda, serve Govinda,
serve Govinda, O fool!
When the time of death arrives,
rules of grammar do not save you.
मूढ जहीहि धनागमतृष्णां
कुरु सद्बुद्धिं मनसि वितृष्णाम् ।
यल्लभसे निजकर्मोपात्तं
वित्तं तेन विनोदय चित्तम् ॥ २ ॥
mūḍha jahīhi dhanāgama-tṛṣṇāṁ
kuru sad-buddhiṁ manasi vitṛṣṇām
yal labhase nija-karmopāttaṁ
vittaṁ tena vinodaya chittam [2]
O fool! Give up the desire to amass wealth.
Be virtuous and free from desire within your mind.
Whatever wealth you receive, acquired through your karma,
satisfy your mind with that.
नारीस्तनभरनाभीदेशं
दृष्ट्वा मागामोहावेशम् ।
एतन्मांसवसादिविकारं
मनसि विचिन्तय वारं वारम् ॥ ३ ॥
nārī-stana-bhara-nābhī-deśaṁ
dṛṣṭvā mā gā mohāveśam
etan māṁsa-vasādi-vikāraṁ
manasi vichintaya vāraṁ vāram [3]
Seeing a women’s bosom and waist,
do not sink into delusion.
These are transformations of flesh, fat, and the like.
Within your mind, deliberate on this again and again.
नलिनीदलगतजलमतितरलं
तद्वज्जीवितमतिशयचपलम् ।
विद्धि व्याध्यभिमानग्रस्तं
लोकं शोकहतञ्च समस्तम् ॥ ४ ॥
nalinī-dala-gata-jalam ati-taralaṁ
tadvaj jīvitam atiśaya-chapalam
viddhi vyādhy-abhimāna-grastaṁ
lokaṁ śoka-hatañ cha samastam [4]
Water on the leaf of a lotus is extremely unstable.
Similarly, life is extremely uncertain.
Know that the whole world is stricken
with disease, pride, and grief.
यावद्वित्तोपार्जनसक्तस्
तावन्निजपरिवारो रक्तः ।
पश्चाज्जीवति जर्जरदेहे
वार्तां कोऽपि न पृच्छति गेहे ॥ ५ ॥
yāvad vittopārjana-saktas
tāvan nija-parivāro raktaḥ
paśchāj jīvati jarjara-dehe
vārtāṁ ko ’pi na pṛchchhati gehe [5]
When you are able to earn wealth,
then your companions are attached to you.
Later, when you live on in a decrepit body,
no one asks about your well being, even at home.
यावत्पवनो निवसति देहे
तावत्पृच्छति कुशलं गेहे ।
गतवति वायौ देहापाये
भार्या बिभ्यति तस्मिन्काये ॥ ६ ॥
yāvat pavano nivasati dehe
tāvat pṛchchhati kuśalaṁ gehe
gatavati vāyau dehāpāye
bhāryā bibhyati tasmin kāye [6]
When breath remains in your body,
then your companions ask about your welfare.
But when the breath withdrawals and your body decays,
then even your wife fears your body.
बालस्तावत्क्रीडासक्तः
तरुणस्तावत्तरुणीसक्तः ।
वृद्धस्तावच्चिन्तासक्तः
परे ब्रह्मणि कोऽपि न सक्तः ॥ ७ ॥
bālas tāvat krīḍā-saktaḥ
taruṇas tāvat taruṇī-saktaḥ
vṛddhas tāvach chintā-saktaḥ
pare brahmaṇi ko ’pi na saktaḥ [7]
As a child, one is absorbed in play.
As a youth, one is absorbed in young women.
As an elder, one is absorbed in worry.
No one is absorbed in the Absolute.
का ते कान्ता कस्ते पुत्रः
संसारोऽयमतीव विचित्रः ।
कस्य त्वं कः कुत आयातः
तत्त्वञ्चिन्तय तदिह भ्रातः ॥ ८ ॥
kā te kāntā kas te putraḥ
saṁsāro ’yam atīva vichitraḥ
kasya tvaṁ kaḥ kuta āyātaḥ
tattvañ chintaya tad iha bhrātaḥ [8]
Who is your wife? Who is your son?
This world is extremely perplexing.
Whose are you? Who are you? Where do you come from?
Contemplate these truths now brother.
सत्सङ्गत्वे निस्सङ्गत्वं
निस्सङ्गत्वे निर्मोहत्वम् ।
निर्मोहत्वे निश्चलतत्त्वं
निश्चलतत्त्वे जीवन्मुक्तिः ॥ ९ ॥
sat-saṅgatve nissaṅgatvaṁ
nissaṅgatve nirmohatvam
nirmohatve niśchala-tattvaṁ
niśchala-tattve jīvan-muktiḥ [9]
From the association of the virtuous comes detachment.
From detachment comes freedom from delusion.
From freedom from delusion comes immovability.
And from immovability comes liberation in life.
वयसि गते कः कामविकारः
शुष्के नीरे कः कासारः ।
क्षीणे वित्ते कः परिवारः
ज्ञाते तत्त्वे कः संसारः ॥ १० ॥
vayasi gate kaḥ kāma-vikāraḥ
śuṣke nīre kaḥ kāsāraḥ
kṣīṇe vitte kaḥ parivāraḥ
jñāte tattve kaḥ saṁsāraḥ [10]
When youth has gone, what is the excitement of lust?
When the water has run dry, what is a lake?
When wealth is gone, what is a family?
When the truth is known, what is the world?
मा कुरु धनजनयौवनगर्वं
हरति निमेषात्कालः सर्वम् ।
मायामयमिदमखिलं हित्वा
ब्रह्मपदं त्वं प्रविश विदित्वा ॥ ११ ॥
mā kuru dhana-jana-yauvana-garvaṁ
harati nimeṣāt kālaḥ sarvam
māyāmayam idam akhilaṁ hitvā
brahma-padaṁ tvaṁ praviśa viditvā [11]
Do not take pride in wealth, companions, or youth.
In a moment, time takes them all away.
They are all illusory. Leave them,
understand the nature of the Absolute, and enter it.
दिनयामिन्यौ सायं प्रातः
शिशिरवसन्तौ पुनरायातः ।
कालः क्रीडति गच्छत्यायुः
तदपि न मुञ्चत्याशावायुः ॥ १२ ॥
dina-yāminyau sāyaṁ prātaḥ
śiśira-vasantau punar āyātaḥ
kālaḥ krīḍati gachchhaty āyuḥ
tad api na muñchaty āśā-vāyuḥ [12]
Day and night, dusk and dawn,
winter and spring revolve.
Time plays on, and life passes away,
but the wind of desire never lets go.
Note
Presented here are the twelve verses of the Moha-mudgāra-stotram known as the Dvādaśa-mañjarikā-stotram, or the first twelve verses of a composition popularly known as Bhaja Govindam.