Days, desires and Deserving — A new year wish

दिनयामिन्यौ सायं प्रातः शिशिरवसन्तौ पुनरायातः।
कालः क्रीडति गच्छत्यायुस्तदपि न मुन्च्त्याशावायुः ॥

Above is a verse from mOha mudgaram, a stotra by Adi SaMkara bhagavatpAda AcArya. Today marks the last day of SrI Jaya year, 28th year in the 60 years cycle. It is the last day of SiSira Rtu i.e., the last day of fall and we enter the vasantha Rtu of Sri manmatha year tomorrow and celebrate it as new year i.e yUgAdi.

Days roll with evenings replacing mornings, and years with rolling seasons of fall and new springs keep coming; In this way the time plays its game. In this play of game what is lost or wasted is the lifespan of the individual. We all keep growing and consuming very valuable lifespan, which is limited. Even then the wind of desires does not get quenched. The desires continue to grow….

Best way to deal with this scenario is the bring the desires down to what one deserves. There is an ultimate force that runs infinite number of universes simultaneously; that force is called as gOvinda. (As anyone pleases they can call that force as they wish!) So, “Bhaja gOvindam; bhaja gOvindam; gOvindam bhaja, mUDha matE, samprAptE sannihitE kAlE na hi na hi rakshati duHkRnkaraNE!”

Bring the desires to the level of what you deserve and accept the results that are granted by gOvinda after duly putting the effort in discharging the duties is called bhajana or devotion. Such devotion leads to ultimate good for an individual and the complete collection of all human beings! why only human beings, it leads to the good of all beings that exists in all those infinite number of universes!!

duHkRnKaraNa is a complex vyAkaraNa sUtra which symbolizes the worldly knowledge that is acquired and utilized by the senses and mind within this world, with this bodily instruments. What AcArya is saying is that “This worldly knowledge alone will not save / rescue you when it comes to the time of departure from this world”

So, get devoted to the higher knowledge and deserve to rise above the world with unique ability of human intellegence!

Wishing one and all a very happy, prosperous, enlightening new year SrI manmatha samvatsara on the first day of spring 21st March; As per modern calculation it is the equinox on which the day and night are equal duration.