Bhaja Govindam
Sung by the music ensemble in Gurudev Siddha Peeth.
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This hymn serves as the perfect remedy for times when I feel besieged by events that are out of my control. Listening to it, my heart lightens. I am able to put aside my sometimes frivolous concerns and consider the needs of others with vigor and clarity.
Maine, United States
As I listened to and read the words of this beautifully sung hymn, I was filled with wisdom, joy, and great understanding. I could see that my day-to-day actions are often driven by desires, and when these desires are not fulfilled I feel sad and unloved. The hymn described my state and reminded me that this world is a dream and I must not be attached to transient feelings. I am eager to apply these teachings in my daily life.
Thank you, Gurumayi, for your guidance and grace that come to me through this hymn.
Melbourne, Australia
With many years of my life’s journey behind me, I am at a stage in life where I can look back and remember times where striving to reach some material goals drove me on with such wasteful force, as well as disappointments that made me utterly perplexed as I had not yet seen how, although one door had closed, another and far better one had opened. I can also remember how the loss of relationships made me cry as I had not yet accepted my own inner strength. Today, however, I can comfortably say to myself, “What a fool I was!”
This stage in life allows me to listen to and chant Sri Shankarachara ji’s composition, “
Bhaja Govindam,” with great delight. The beautiful rendering by the music ensemble in Gurudev Siddha Peeth is filled with joy, and the melody made me feel as if I were dancing joyfully with friends along a path running through a flower-covered meadow.
Vadodara, India
As I listened to Adi Shankaracharya's beautiful
bhajan, I kept thinking, “Thank God, praise God, that in this lifetime I have a Guru who can illumine my mind, show me my delusions, and give me the gift of true knowledge.” This must be the merit of a thousand lifetimes, and I must not squander it.
Ajijic, Mexico
The melody of
Bhaja Govindam sounds to me as beautiful and playful as a butterfly in the summer wind. At the same time what deep truth is conveyed in such lightness!
I am deeply touched by the message of this text. Gratitude fills my heart when I think of all the precious teachings Gurumayi so generously gives through the Siddha Yoga path website. These gifts fulfill a deep longing of my soul. I pray to God that I may strive every day to seek and experience the Truth in my heart.
Unterlangenegg, Switzerland
Adi Shankaracharya did not beat around the bush. He said it as it is, and I love his straight talk!
When I read in verse 12, “Renounce your attachment to this world, knowing it to be just a dream,” I feel relief from my current worries and challenges, understanding that they are transitory.
For me, this hymn shows the way to cross the ocean of delusion and reach my higher Self, my true identity, my true home.
New York, United States
I am listening to this beautiful hymn, present to the angelic voices singing as one voice with such devotion, and to the divine sounds of the instruments. I am both singing with the group and reading the translation, tears streaming down my face, with a deep yearning to dive more deeply—and to remain more thoroughly focused on the Guru, on the Self.
My gratitude for the privilege of being on this path is yet again renewed. I am so blessed.
Georgia, United States
When I read the verses 10, 11, and 12, I felt they were speaking to my current situation in life. Two of my family members have passed away recently. With deep grief, I have often asked myself, “Who are they? Where did they come from? Where are they are now?” Now, with the Guru's grace, I am contemplating these verses as a yogi, joyfully and with right understanding.
Chennai, India
Last night I listened to the beautiful rendition of this hymn by the musicians in Gurudev Siddha Peeth. How pure and united sounded the voices, the dancing cymbals, the lyrical harmonium.
Today I read the translation of
Bhaja Govindam, and I feel relief from the current seesawing world drama. I am focusing instead on Adi Shankaracharya's wisdom: "Everything is transient, so why grieve?"
I like the word
mudha, or
fool, in
mudhamate in the refrain, for I realize I am being foolish when I get lost, “bound by delusion,” trapped in the world’s suffering. My salvation is in
namasankirtana, in the Guru’s grace.
Ocean Shores, Australia
Simply listening to this melodious hymn gives me the experience of live chanting. After listening to it again and again, I sat for meditation. I felt so calm within. After some time, it seemed as though the pores of my body were resounding with the refrain
bhaja govindam, bhaja govindam.
I am so thankful to all the members of the music ensemble at Gurudev Siddha Peeth for their heart-touching voices in this captivating melody.
New Delhi, India