GCC 10 – Outthinking Uncertainty (Bhaja Govindam)
With the blessings of Puyja Gurudev, Guruji, Swamiji, family and friends, I was fortunate enough to be able to go to my 5th consecutive Global CHYK Camp (GCC) in 2017. That in itself is a reflection of how gripping these camps truly are. From my first camp in 2013 where we studied Kathopanishad, to my 5th in 2017 where we studied Bhaja Govindam, there has not been one dull moment. Our scriptures describe that the final goal for any spiritual seeker is Moksha, and I can honestly tell you that these camps are the closest experience I have ever gotten to the taste of that immortal nectar. Whether it is taking in the serene environment of being at the foot of giant mountain tops that seem to be at your doorstep, to the likeminded CHYKS from all over the world, to our loving and compassionate Acharyas, to finally, the presence of our beloved Master, Pujya Swami Swaroopananda, there is not a step in this camp where you are ever away from utter bliss. And this is all just describing the environment. Where do I even begin when it comes to the Knowledge?
Bhaja Govindam is written by one of the greatest protectors and Gurus of Sanatan Dharma, Adi Shankaracharya. Before going to the camp, it was a text I had heard a lot about, but to be quite frank, knew pretty much nothing about. All I remembered and knew about it was the beautiful and melodious tune that we used to hear growing up and being taught in Balavihar. So the excitement was beyond measure when I knew I was finally getting the chance to learn about the depths of Knowledge and jewels of wisdom it contained, and that too, from our very own Swamiji.
The theme of the camp was “Outthink Uncertainty”. Pujya Swamiji always has a way with making the title of camps perfectly reflect what exactly the text will contain and teach us. Going to camp, I had quite an overwhelming year at University and was really struggling about where I was going with my future prospects. There were a lot of self-doubts and insecurities within my personality that I was not willing to deal with properly. Swamiji’s first lecture itself exposed me completely. In His vivid and poetic ways, He used a metaphor of a dead rat unable to be found in our room to describe that we all have a dead, decaying rat within our personalities that is stinking up our entire being. Unless it is found and removed, the stink will never go. This rat was described to be “Moha” or delusion. The opening lecture itself taught us that delusion causes us to fall under the trap of the uncertainties in life, and anytime we fall into this trap, our lives feel like they are filled with the horrible stink of a dying rat when the solution is as simple as finding it and removing it.
From here, the tone of the camp was set; it was going to be very reflective so that you could delve deep into your personality, find this decaying rat and remove it. The next 6 days were a journey through the inner-most parts of our personalities. Be it the yatras/activities, group discussions etc., everything at the camp was a reflection of our own inner journeys. For many of us, myself included, the stink within our personality was exposed. But this is the beautiful part about Bhaja Govindam. Not only is it a slap across the face of the spiritual seeker to wake up into the nature of Reality and get away from the nature of Maya, but it offers the solutions too. This is the beauty of our Gurus. They do not leave us hanging, feeling low and dejected about the nature of life being constant change and therefore leading to suffering. They offer us the very means to get to the state of permanent happiness.
What I personally loved about this text is that it pointed out how important it is to discriminate between means to the goal and the goal itself. As seekers, we can often get trapped in the means, mistaking them to be the goal and thus our spiritual progress stagnates. We begin to treat money/wealth as a goal, relationships as a goal, fame as a goal, pleasures as a goal and we tend to forget that the nature of all these things is constant change. They go as quickly as they come. Therefore, Bhaja Govindam points out to us not to condemn wealth, pleasures etc., but rather condemn the greed for them which causes us to be attached and see them as goals rather than means. Wealth, pleasure, relationships themselves are not condemned but it is the attitude we have towards these things which are told to be carefully watched over.
This inspired me because it blew away the ideas that to be spiritual means to live away from the material world. Rather, this text helps see the way we can be spiritual whilst living in the material world. So rather than thinking “why am I at university and what has this got to do with my spiritual growth”, I now understand that the very degree I’m pursuing is a means to achieving certain kinds of disciplines to help me grow both materially and spiritually. There is no longer a separation or divide seen between the material means and the spiritual goal.
Shankara emphasises that as long as we have Govinda as our highest vision/goal, all these material things which are filled with uncertainties can never affect us. As humans, change and uncertainty are things that cause us fear and anxiety and so He makes us enquire into the irony of seeking permanent happiness from impermanent things. The ultimate pointer is that once Govinda is sought, all becomes One and the impermanence and uncertainties of life can never disturb us. The text really made me realise how stupidly big I was making my tiny problems. Now I look back at my year and laugh at the very problems and uncertainties that were bogging me down. Such is the power of this Knowledge; that in the space of being surrounded by it for just one week, I was able to overcome uncertainties that were bothering me all year.
Being from NZ and growing up in a western world, I feel that these kinds of camps are very important to show us the power and value of our roots. It is therefore with great emphasis that I recommend whoever reads this to come along and experience the effects of this Knowledge yourself. Hope to see you there this year!
By Vaidik Raj, CHYK New Zealand.
