Bhaja Govindam – Verse 17   «   »

Bhaja Govindam – Verse 17   «   »

अग्रे वह्निः पृष्ठे भानुः
रात्रौ चुबुक समर्पित जानुः |
करतल भिक्षस्-तरुतल वासः
तदपि न मुञ्चत्याशा पाशः ‖ 17 ‖
agre vahniḥ pṛśhṭhe bhānuḥ
rātrau chubuka samarpita jānuḥ |
karatala bhikśhas-tarutala vāsaḥ
tadapi na muñchatyāśā pāśaḥ ‖ 17 ‖
The ascetic warms his body with fire in front and the sun at the back. At night he dwells under a tree with face huddled between the knees to keep out of the cold. In his hands he holds the beggar’s alms and yet he does not let go of the noose of attachment to desire and passion. (Stanza attributed to Subhodha.)
agre — in front of, beforehand; vahniḥ — fire ( for worship); pṛṣṭhe-bhānuḥ — the sun at the back; rātrau — in the night, at night; cubuka-samarpita-jānuḥ — face dedicated to (huddled up between) the knees; karatala-bhikṣas — alms in the palms; tarutala-vāsaḥ — whose dwelling, living, is under the trees; tadapi — then even so; na — not; muñcati — releases, lets go; āśā — desire; pāśaḥ — rope, ties, noose; āśā–pāśaḥ — the noose that is hope, desire.
Sri Adi Sankaracharya

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

Bhaja Govindam – Verse 17 – Bhaja Govindam – 17-agre vahniḥ – By Adi Sankaracharya – In Sanskrit with English Transliteration, Word-by-word meaning and Translation – Bhaja-Govindam-17