Who is Govinda?

There has been an ongoing controversy in Indian religious circles. And that controversy is thus. Why would Sripad Shankaracharya recommend in his famous "Moha Mudgara" (also known as the Bhaja Govindam prayers) to worship Govinda? Why didn't Shankara recommend Shiva or Shakti? Or did the great master nonchalantly or randomly choose a form of God to be worshipped and meditated upon? If so he could have easily mentioned to worship (bhaja) any one of a number of incarnations of godhead. But mysteriously he chose Govinda. It's possible but unlikely his reference to Govinda was non-consequential (due to Sankara being one of the greatest spiritual thinkers that India has ever known). Suppose for a moment that Shankara (as a supra intellect) selected a form of God to worship that was deemed to be of greater importance than the Others. It is definitely food for thought.

And what about the sages who subscribe to the doctrine of "merging with the Absolute (Brahman)" as the ultimate spiritual realization? In this regard it may not matter which form of God one subscribes to. Because, according to the impersonal philosophies, these incarnations have manifested from the same Spirit (the One God), and have descended as teachers (gurus), saviors, prophets or incarnations in order to redeem and liberate human kind. This philosophy is accepted amongst the Jews, Muslims, Christians and many Hindu sects. So we can either presuppose that Shankara had a penchant for this particular impersonally manifested form of Godhead (Govinda) or he was trying to make a greater point. Could that point be that actually worshipping Govinda is the goal of true self-realization? Was he intimating that his followers should do some inquiry into the purport and personal form of Govinda?

If one studies the verses of Moha Mudgara one will find that the fundamental nature of God consciousness is contained within the poetry. One may also find that the essence of the path to God consciousness is also contained therein, i.e. - Worship Govinda! If we agree to this supposition and desire to learn more about Govinda, we can either inquire from a person who knows about Him or reference the great Vedic literatures that contain the same information. In this regard there is an ancient literature called the Hymns of Brahma or better known as the "Brahma-Samhita." As transcendental history goes, this famous treatise was recited by the first created being in the universe, Lord Brahma, some countless millennium ago. The text was discovered in the sixteenth century by Sri Chaitanya while on pilgrimage in South India. Within Brahma-Samhita there are many verses that describe Govinda. Text 1 starts directly describing Govinda as "isvarah paramah krsna" or Supreme Godhead and "anandir adir govindah" or having no origin. He is the origin of all - known as Govinda or Krsna. Herein I have included many verses from this Samhita. By reading the following verses, and sincerely meditating on them, the reader will come to their own conclusion about "Who is Govinda?"

Selected verses from the ...

Sri Brahma-Samhita

Text 50:

YAT-PADA-PALLAVA-YUGAM VINIDHAYA KUMBHA-

DVANDVE PRANAMA-SAMAYE SA GANADHIRAJAH

VIGHNAN VIHANTUM ALAM ASYA JAGAT-TRAYASYA

GOVINDAM ADI-PURUSAM TAM AHAM BHAJAMI

I adore the primeval Lord Govinda, whose lotus feet are always held by Ganesha upon the pair of tumuli protruding from His elephant head in order to obtain power for His functions of destoying all the obstacles on the path of progress of the three worlds.

Text 1:

ISVARAH PARAMAH KRSNA

SAC-CID-ANANDA-VIGRAHAH

ANADIR ADIR GOVINDAH

SARVAH-KARANAH-KARANAM

Krsna who is known as Govinda is the Supreme Godhead. He has an eternal blissful spiritual body. He is the origin of all. He has no other origin and He is the prime cause of all causes.

Text 29:

CINTAMANI-PRAKARA-SADMASU KALPA-VRKSA

LAKSAVRTESU SURABHIR ABHIPALAYANTAM

LAKSMI-SAHASRA-SATA-SAMBHRAMA-SEVYAMANAM

GOVINDAM ADI-PURUSAM TAM AHAM BHAJAMI

I worship Govinda, the primeval Lord, the first progenitor who is tending the cows, yielding all desires, in abodes built with spiritual gems, surrounded by millions of purpose trees, always served with great reverence and affection by hundreds of thousands of laksmis or gopis.

Text 30:

VENUM KVANANTAM ARAVINDA-DALAYATAKSAM

BARHAVATAMSAM ASITAMBUDA-SUNDARANGAM

KANDARPA-KOTI-KAMANIYA-VISESA-SOBHAM

GOVINDAM ADI-PURUSAM TAM AHAM BHAJAMI

I worship Govinda, the primeval Lord, who is adept at playing on His flute, with blooming eyes like lotus petals with head decked with peacock's feather, with the figure of beauty tinged with the hue of blue clouds, and His unique lovliness charming millions of Cupids.

Text 31:

ALOLA-CANDRAKA-LASAD-VANAMALYA-VAMSI-

RATNANGADAM PRANAYA-KELI-KALA-VILASAM

SYAMAM TRI-BHANGA-LATITAM NIYATA-PRAKASAM

GOVINDAM ADI-PURUSAM TAM AHAM BHAJAMI

I worship Govinda, the primeval Lord, round whose neck is swinging a garland of flowers beautified with the moon-locket, whose two hands are adorned with the flute and jeweled ornaments, who always revels in the pastimes of love, whose graceful threefold-bending form of Syamasundara is eternally manifest.

Text 32:

ANGANI YASYA SAKALENDRIYA-VRTTI-MANTI

PASYANTI PANTI KALAYANTI CIRAM JAGANTI

ANANDA-CINMAYA-SAD-UJJVALA=VIGRAHASYA

GOVINDAM ADI-PURUSAM TAM AHAM BHAJAMI

I worship Govinda, the primeval Lord, whose transcendental form is full of bliss, truth, substantiality and is thus full of the most dazzling splendor. Each of the limbs of that transcendental figure possesses in Himself, the full-fledged functions of all the organs, and eternally sees, maintains and manifests the infinite universes, both spiritual and mundane.

Text 33:

ADVAITAM ACYUTAM ANANDIM ANANTA-RUPAM

ADYAM PURANA-PURUSAM NAVA-YAUVANAM CA

VEDESU DURLABHAM ADURLABHAM ATMA-BHAKTAU

GOVINDAM ADI-PURUSAM TAM AHAM BHAJAMI

I worship Govinda, the primeval Lord, who is inaccessible to the Vedas, but obtainable by pure unalloyed devotion of the soul, who is without a second, who is not subject to decay, is without a beginning, whose form is endless, who is the beginning, and the eternal purusa; yet He is a person possessing the beauty of blooming youth.

Text 34:

PANTHAS TU KOTI-SATA-VATSARA-SAMPRAGAMYO

VAYOR ATHAPI MANSO MUNI-PUNGAVANAM

S0 PY ASTI YAT-PRAPADA-SIMNY AVICINTA-TATTVE

GOVINDAM ADI-PURUSAM TAM AHAM BHAJAMI

I worship Govinda, the primeval Lord, only the tip of the toe of whose lotus feet is approached by the yogis who aspire after the transcendental and betake themselves to pranayama by drilling the respiration; or by the jnanis who try to find out the nondifferentiated Brahman by the process of elimination of the mundane, extending over thousands of millions of years.

Text 36:

YAD-BHAVA-BHAVITA-DHIYO MANUJAS TATHAIVA

SAMPRAPYA RUPA-MAHIMASANA-YANA-BHUSAH

SUKTAIR YAM EVA NIGAMA-PRATHITAIH STUVANTI

GOVINDAM ADI-PURUSAM TAM AHAM BHAJAMI

I adore the same Govinda, the primeval Lord, in whose praise men, who are imbued with devotion, sing the mantra-suktas told by the vedas, by gaining their appropriate beauty, greatness, thrones, conveyances and ornaments.

Text 37:

ANANDA-CINMAYA-RASA-PRATIBHAVITABHIS

TABHIR YA EVA NIJA-RUPATAYA KALABHIH

GOLOKA EVA NIVASATY AKHILATMA-BHUTO

GOVINDAM ADI-PURUSAM TAM AHAM BHAJAMI

I worship Govinda, the primeval Lord, residing in His own realm, Goloka, with Radha, resembling His own spiritual figure, the embodiment of the ecstatic potency possessed of the sixty-four artistic activities, in the company of Her confidants (sakhis), embodiments of the extensions of Her bodily form, permeated and vitalized by His ever-blissful spiritual rasa.

Text 38:

PREMANJANA-CCHURITA-BHAKTI-VILOCANENA

SANTAH SADAIVA HRDAYESU VILOKAYANTI

YAM SYAMASUNDARAM ACINTYA-GUNA-SVARUPAM

GOVINDAM ADI-PURUSAM TAM AHAM BHAJAMI

I adore the primeval Lord Govinda who is Syamsundara, Krsna Himself with inconceivable innumerable attributes, whom the pure devotees see in their heart of hearts with the eye of devotion tinged with the salve of love.

Text 39:

RAMADI-MURTISU KALA-NIYAMENA TISTHAN

NANVATARAM AKAROD BHUVANESU KINTU

KRSNAH SVAYAM SAMABHAVAT PARAMAH PUMAN YO

GOVINDAM ADI-PURUSAM TAM AHAM BHAJAMI

I worship Govinda, the primeval Lord, who manifested Himself personally as Krsna and the different avataras in the world in the form of Rama, Nrsimha, Vamama, tec., as His subjective portions.

Text 40:

YASYA PRABHA PRABHAVATO JAGAD-ANDA-KOTI-

KOTISU ASESA-VASUDHADI VIBHUTI-BHINNAM

TAD BRAHMA NISKALAM ANANTAM ASESA-BHUTAM

GOVINDAM ADI-PURUSAM TAM AHAM BHAJAMI

I worship Govinda, the primeval Lord, whose effulgence is the source of the nondifferenciated Brahman mentioned in the Upanisads, being differentiated from the infinity of glories of the mundane universe appears as the indivisible, infinite, limitless truth.

Text 41:

MAYA HI YASYA JAGAD-ANDA-SATANI SUTE

TRAIGUNYA-TAD-VISAYA-VEDA-VITAYAMAMA

SATTVAVALAMBI-PARA-SATTVAM VISUDDHA-SATTVAM

GOVINDAM ADI-PURUSAM TAM AHAM BHAJAMI

I worship Govinda, the primeval Lord, who is the absolute substantive principle being the ultimate entity in the form of the support of all existence, whose external potency embodies the threefold mundane qualities (satva, rajas and tamas) and diffuses the Vedic knowledge regarding the mundane world.

Text 42:

ANANA-CINMAY-RASATMATAYA MANAHSU

YAH PRANINAM PRATIPHALAN SMARATAM UPETYA

LILAYITENA BHUVANANI JAYATY AJASRAM

GOVINDAM ADI-PURUSAM TAM AHAM BHAJAMI

I worship Govinda, the primeval Lord, whose glory ever triumphantly dominates the mundane world by the activity of His own pastimes, being reflected in the mind of recollecting souls as the transcendental entity of ever-blissful cognitive rasa.

Text 43:

GOLOKA-NAMNI NIJA-DHAMNI TALE CA TASYA

DEVI-MAHESA-HARI-DHAMASU TESU TESU

TE TE PRABHAVA-NICAYA VIHITAS CA YENA

GOVINDAM ADI-PURUSAM TAM AHAM BHAJAMI

Lowest of all is located Devi-dhama (mundane world), next above is Mahesa-dhama (abode of Shiva),above Mahesa-dhama is placed Hari-dhama (abode of Hari) and above them all is located in Krsna's own realm named Goloka. I adore the primeval Lord Govinda, who has alloted their respectful authorities to the rulers of those graded realms.

Text 44:

SRSTI-STHITI-PRALAYA-SADHANA-SAKTIR EKA

CHAYEVA YASYA BHUVANANI BIBHARI DURGA

ICCHANURUPAM API YASYA CA CESTATE SA

GOVINDAM ADI-PURUSAM TAM AHAM BHAJAMI

The external potency Maya who is of the nature of the shadow the cit potency, is worshipped by all people as Durga, the creating, preserving and destroying agency of this mundance world. I adore the primeval Lord Govinda in accordance with whose will Durga conducts herself.

Text 45:

KSIRAM YATHA DADHI VIKARA-VISESA-YOGAT

SANJAYATE NA HI TATAH PRTHAG ASTI HETOH

YAH SAMBHUTAM API TATAH SAMUPAITI KARYAD

GOVINDAM ADI-PURUSAM TAM AHAM BHAJAMI

Just as milk is transformed into curd by the actions of acids, but yet the effect curd is neither the same as, nor different from, its cause (milk), so I adore the primeval Lord Govinda of whom the state of Sambhu is a transformation for the performance of the work of destruction.

Text 46:

DIPARCIR EVA HI DASANTARAM ABHYUPTEYA

DIPAYATE VIVRTA-HETU-SAMANA-DHARMA

YAS TADRG EVA HI CA VISNUTAYA VIBHATI

GOVINDAM ADI-PURUSAM TAM AHAM BHAJAMI

The light of one candle being communicated to other candles, although it burns separately in them, is the same in its quality. I adore the primeval Lord Govinda who exibits Himself equally in the same mobile manner in His various manifestations.

Text 47:

YAH KARANARNAVA-JALE BHAJATI SMA-YOGA

NIDRAM ANANTA-JAGAT-ANDA-SA-ROMA-KUPAH

ADHARA-SAKTIM-AVALAMBYA PARAM SVA-MURTIM

GOVINDAM ADI-PURUSAM TAM AHAM BHAJAMI

I adore the primeval Lord Govinda who assuming His own great subjective form, who bears the name of Sesa, replete with the all-accomodating potency, and reposing in the Causal Ocean with the inifinity of the worlds in the pores of His hair, enjoys creative sleep (yoganidra).

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