Bhaja Govindam - Sloka 7

7.

Balas-tavat – When one is a kid

Krida-sakta – he happily spends it in the games / plays

Tarunas-tavat – when one is a young boy (Youth)

Taruni-sakta – he happily spends it in the involvement of young girls

Vrddahas-tavat – when one is old

Chinta-sakta – he spends it worrying about different things (of past and future)

Pare - Ultimate

Brahmani – Brahman (Self)

Ko api na – no one is

saktha – involved

When one is a kid he happily spends his time in the plays / games, and when one is young he happily spends it in involvement of young girls, and when in the old he spends it (not so happily) worrying about the thing of the past and the future, alas, no one is involved or attached or thinks about the Ultimate Self.

A persons age can be defined as Child, Youth and Adult (as in psychology). This is the general form of classification. At each point of these different periods of age a person spends his time in the futile experiences of the world. Without understanding the ephemeral state of the world. At each point of these different periods of age, one wastes his precious time knowingly or unknowingly in the pursuits of the world.

When one is just a kid, one cannot control the thoughts he is so accustomed to through different past births. And since, the discriminative power has not taken shape in him, it is difficult to find fault for the doings at this age. And the smiritis too give exceptions for the sins performed at this juvenile age.

But when one crosses this age of childwood, and enter the youth. He has a powerful / well shaped discriminative power. Which can recognize, atleast generally, the right from the wrong. But, even at this right age, one spend it only in the pursuit of the sensual pleasures of the world. Here taruni (young girl) is just a pointer to the other attraction of different senses.

And, when he becomes an Adult, the age many have set aside for the inquiry into the Self. When, one is young and healthy, if he is involved in the search for the Truth, the others scold him saying, these (inquiry into the Self) to be things for the post retirement age. But, when finally that age arrives, one is so engrossed in the world, it becomes difficult for him to relieve himself from it. The thoughts of worring about the past actions or the future course of life will torment him. This is the least, even if one is interested in the Truth at that age, the body which he has abused over the past years will take a toll, and will hinder in the ability to perform the desired things necessary.

So, Acharya, end the stanza with a note of pity, alas, no one is interested in the True Self, in the right time.

Age can also be classified into another three types, Vayo, Tapa and Jnana (age, penance and Knowledge). A person who is old by age is counted as a kid with respect to the others. And a person who may be very young of age but is ripe with knowledge is the one who is respected the most.

With this note of dejection, Acharya attracts our attention to the discrimination and the dispassion, one should cultivate. And in the next final stanza on this subject he summarizes the methor to rightly achieve this dispassion and discrimination.