Bhaja Govindam Verse 16

अग्रे वह्निः पृष्ठे भानुः रात्रौ चुबुकसमर्पितजानुः ।
करतलभिक्षस्तरुतलवासः तदपि न मुञ्चत्याशापाशः ॥
agre vahniḥ pṛṣṭhe bhānuḥ rātrau cubukasamarpitajānuḥ |
karatalabhikṣastarutalavāsaḥ tadapi na muñcatyāśāpāśaḥ ||

  • agre: in front; vahniḥ: (there is) fire; pṛṣṭhe: behind; bhānuḥ: (there is the) sun; rātrau: at night; cubukasamarpitajānuḥ: sitting with the chin resting on the knees; karatalabhikṣaḥ: taking alms in the palms of the hands; tarutalavāsaḥ: residing under the base of a tree; tadapi: even then; āśāpāśaḥ: the rope of desire; na muñcati: does not leave / let go

Summary: The Binding Rope of Desire
An ascetic may endure extreme cold by warming himself with a fire in front and the sun behind him, resting his chin upon his knees at night. He might live a life of severe physical renunciation, eating alms directly from his bare hands and taking shelter under trees. However, even while practicing such extreme physical austerities, the binding rope of desire never truly leaves him.

  • The Four Stages of Life: The śāstra outlines four distinct stages of human life: brahmacaryāśrama, gṛhasthāśrama, vānaprasthāśrama, and saṃnyāsāśrama. Each āśrama is meant to facilitate a specific stage of transformation in an individual’s life.
  • External Transformation: A part of this transformation is external. At every stage, the śāstra prescribes a different dress code, acting much like a uniform to indicate one’s stage of life, which is known as liṅgadhāraṇam. For instance, a saṃnyāsī does not keep a śikhā, wears a specific kāṣāyavastram, and observes rudrākṣadhāraṇam.
  • The Primacy of Internal Transformation: However, between external and internal transformation, the internal change is far more critical. External changes are merely for convenience and are entirely secondary. Giving importance solely to an external transformation without undergoing a corresponding internal change is strongly condemned by the scriptures.
  • Symbolism of the Ochre Robe: The very color of the kāṣāyavastram indicates an absolute pursuit of jñānam. As Swamiji Dayananda Saraswati explains, it represents the color of a flame or glowing embers, visually signifying that a saṃnyāsī is entirely dedicated to spiritual knowledge.
  • The Hypocrisy of a Split Personality: If an individual outwardly declares themselves to be a saṃnyāsī but internally remains committed to an arthakāma pradhāna life—a life driven by wealth and sense pleasures—it is sheer hypocrisy. Such a mithyācārī saṃnyāsī sends wrong signals to society and inevitably suffers tremendous internal strain and friction from living a split life.
  • Criticism of the Fake Monk: This verse is attributed to subodha, another disciple of ādiśaṅkarācārya. Though subodha is known to us only by his name with no surviving independent works, he powerfully criticizes this hypocritical behavior, pointing out the profound tragedy of changing one’s clothes but failing to change one’s character.
  • The Picture of Extreme Austerity: subodha paints a vivid picture of a saṃnyāsī who has seemingly renounced everything. Enduring the bitter cold of winter in Kashi, he warms his front with a bonfire (agre vahniḥ) and his back with the rising sun (pṛṣṭhe bhānuḥ). At night, without the sun to protect him, he draws his knees to his chest so his chin rests upon his kneecaps (rātrau cubukasamarpitajānuḥ). Having no vessels or home, he begs for food using only his joined palms (karatalabhikṣaḥ) and sleeps under the natural roof of a tree’s foliage (tarutalavāsaḥ).
  • The Four Causes of Preoccupation: Why is such an extreme lifestyle talked about? The true purpose of saṃnyāsāśrama is to guarantee the availability of time and an unoccupied mind. Swamiji explains this using the acronym PORT for the four causes of mental preoccupation: Possession, Obligation, Relation, and Transaction. A true saṃnyāsī drastically cuts all four, having no family relations, worldly transactions, material possessions, or societal obligations.
  • The True Purpose of Sannyasa: This final āśrama is never an excuse to indulge in anything else; it is permitted solely for total spiritual pursuit. The freed time, energy, and unoccupied mind must be used exclusively for vedānta śravaṇam, vedānta mananam, and vedānta nididhyāsanam.
  • The Tragedy of Mental Attachment: If a saṃnyāsī takes up this life but does not use it for spirituality, they are cheating the scriptures, cheating bhagavan, and cheating themselves. The verse concludes that despite enduring such extreme physical renunciations (tadapi), the deluded monk still cannot let go of his mental attachments and worldly desires (āśāpāśaḥ na muñcati). While physically residing in Badri or Kedar, his mind remains busy replaying memories of his old married days and past relationships. Swamiji warns that if one is not mature enough for spirituality, it is perfectly fine to remain in the society as a householder; one must avoid mithyācāraḥ and be completely truthful to oneself.