Bhaja Govindam by Sadhguru

Adi Shankara, when he saw a group of scholars in Varanasi debating the finer points of Panini's grammar, admonished them for wasting their time on meaningless worldly pursuit. He sang the opening verse and the first 12 verses of the Bhaja Govindam to them. His disciples later added another 14 verses addressing other unnecessary distractions that people tend to get caught up in and also teaching what is important if one seeks mukti (realisation).

Sadhguru Jaggi includes three of the verses in some of his meditation cycles. He considers understanding of these principles to be critical in being able to cross the internal barrier and connecting with the divinity within. Having raised their receptivity during the previous stages of their meditation, the last stage is to meditate upon the meaning of these verses. Daily repetition of these meditation cycles helps to reinforce their internalization.

yōgaratō vā bhōgaratō vā

saṅgaratō vā saṅgavihīnaḥ

yasya brahmaṇi ramatē chittaṃ

nandati nandati nandatyēva   

One may take delight in yoga or bhoga,

May have attachment or detachment.

But only he whose mind steadily delights in Brahman

Enjoys bliss, no one else.

satsaṅgatvē nissaṅgatvaṃ

nissaṅgatvē nirmōhatvam

nirmōhatvē niśchalatattvaṃ

niśchalatattvē jīvanmuktiḥ     

From the company of good people comes non-attachment,

From non-attachment comes freedom from delusion,

Freedom from delusion leads to self-settledness.

From self-settledness comes the ultimate liberation.

punarapi jananaṃ punarapi maraṇaṃ

punarapi jananījaṭharē śayanam

iha saṃsārē bahudustārē

kṛpayā'pārē pāhi murārē   

Born again, death again,

Again to stay in the mother's womb!

It is indeed hard to cross this boundless ocean of samsAra.

Oh Murari! Redeem me through Thy mercy.

The first principle is that, whatever one finds fulfillment in doing, finally it is only Unity with Divinity that can truly satisfy the emptiness within.
The second principle is that one can steadily make progress with detachment by finding the right associations and continuing to evolve in the correct direction.

The third principle is that it is very hard to cross the boundary and that one needs divine assistance to successfully make the crossing.

I addressed that last point in a previous Blog Post. We can make a lot of progress on our own. But even the most advanced of yogis finally needs the support of a Guru to get over the threshold and find Unity with Divinity.

If you wish to explore the entire Bhaja Govindam, go here.