Bhaja Govindam Verse 6

यावत्पवनो निवसति देहे तावत्पृच्छति कुशलं गेहे।
गतवति वायौ देहापाये भार्या बिभ्यति तस्मिन्काये॥
yāvatpavano nivasati dehe tāvatpṛcchati kuśalaṃ gehe |
gatavati vāyau dehāpāye bhāryā bibhyati tasminkāye ||

  • yāvat: as long as; pavanaḥ: the breath or life-force (prana); nivasati: resides; dehe: in the body; tāvat: till then; pṛcchati: (people) inquire about; kuśalaṃ: the welfare; gehe: in the house; vāyau: (when) the breath; gatavati: has departed; dehāpāye: upon the perishing of the physical body; bhāryā: (even) the wife; bibhyati: is afraid of; tasmin: that; kāye: body

Summary: The Fleeting Nature of Worldly Affection
As long as the vital prāṇa resides within the physical body, family members in the house will continuously inquire about your well-being.
However, the moment this breath departs and the body perishes, the situation drastically changes.
Even one’s own wife becomes completely terrified of that very same corpse.

  • The Revelation of Bitter Truths: Swamiji points out that śaṅkarācārya reveals bitter truths about life. Many people get disturbed or even angry when he pulls the carpet out from under their attachments—declaring that holding onto people or money is highly risky. However, he reveals these harsh realities so that we will not suffer later.
  • The Bitter Medicine for Spiritual Health: Just like a doctor who prescribes medicine without worrying whether it is sweet or sour because their ultimate goal is the patient’s health, śaṅkarācārya prioritizes our spiritual health. His teachings in the mohamudgara act like a blacksmith’s hammer hitting hot iron; the hammering may seem painful, but it is entirely meant to shape us into better seekers.
  • The Delusion of the Physical Body: A major delusion afflicts humanity regarding the physical body. We love our bodies infinitely and dedicate almost our entire lives to feeding, clothing, treating, and decorating them, often spending millions. Quoting udaranimittaṃ bahukṛtaveṣaḥ, Swamiji explains that we mistakenly treat the body as our true self, dedicating all our wealth to it and acting as though it can be permanently retained.
  • The Lack of Intrinsic Value: In reality, the physical body has no intrinsic worth of its own. It is sacred and beautiful only as long as the inner supporting principle keeps it alive. The moment life departs, the body becomes an unsacred corpse and is treated as an impurity (aśaucam). People no longer refer to it by its name, and chemicals are required to prevent it from decomposing. Even the nearest and dearest relatives want to dispose of it as quickly as possible.
  • The Body as a Temporary Container: Recognizing this truth does not mean we should neglect the body. Instead, we should use it wisely to attain our spiritual goals before it dies, allowing us to happily return it to bhagavan. Swamiji compares the body to a disposable tea cup at a railway station: it is a temporary container meant to be used to drink the nectar of spiritual wisdom (ātmānanda), and then naturally disposed of once its purpose is fulfilled.
  • The Meaning of the Verse: The verse beautifully illustrates this reality. The word pavanaḥ refers to prāṇaḥ (the life breath). As long as life resides in the body (yāvatpavano dehe nivasati), family members constantly make loving inquiries about one’s welfare (tāvatpṛcchati kuśalaṃ gehe). However, the moment the life breath departs (gatavati vāyau) and the body turns into a corpse (dehāpāye), even the closest relatives are afraid of that dead body (bhāryā bibhyati tasminkāye) and do not wish to keep it in the house for long.
  • A Grammatical Insight on the Word Bhāryā: Swamiji provides an interesting grammatical note regarding the word bibhyati (is afraid). In Sanskrit, bibhyati is a plural verb (the singular is bibheti). This might confuse some into thinking śaṅkarācārya is referring to multiple wives since bhāryā usually means wife. However, the word bhāryā literally translates to “whoever is protected.” Thus, taking the plural verb into account, it refers to every dependent member of the family who was under the care of this person; once the person dies, all of those dependents become afraid to keep the lifeless body.