Bhaja Govindam – Verse 18   «   »

Bhaja Govindam – Verse 18   «   »

कुरुते गङ्गा सागर गमनं
व्रत परिपालनम्-अथवा दानम् |
ज्ञान विहीनः सर्वमतेन
भजति न मुक्तिं जन्म शतेन ‖ 18 ‖
kurute gaṅgā sāgara gamanaṃ
vrata paripālanam-athavā dānam |
GYāna vihīnaḥ sarvamatena
bhajati na muktiṃ janma śatena ‖ 18 ‖
One may travel (on a pilgrimage) to the confluence where the Gaṅgā river meets the ocean (gaṅgā-sāgara), undertake vows and give away in charity, however without true knowledge (jñāna) one will not achieve liberation (mukti) even in a hundred lifetimes, according to all [schools of] thought. (Stanza attributed to Vārtikakāra.)
kurute — takes resort to, does perform; gaṅgā-sāgara — confluence of the Gaṅgā and Ocean; gamanaṁ — going, traveling, pilgrimage; vrata — austerities; paripālanam — observance of vows; athavā — or, else; dānam — charity, give away for religious merit; jñāna-vihinaḥ — bereft of true knowledge of the Self; sarvamatena — unanimously, according to all schools of thought; muktiṁ — salvation, freedom; na — not; bhajati — attains, achive; janma — birth(s); śatena — hundred.
Sri Adi Sankaracharya

Links
Sankara’s Bhaja Govindam – English Translation and Commentary by T.M.P. Mahadevan, 1962

Bhaja Govindam – Verse 18 – Bhaja Govindam – 18-kurute gaṅgā – By Adi Sankaracharya – In Sanskrit with English Transliteration, Word-by-word meaning and Translation – Bhaja-Govindam-18