Bhaja Govindam Verse- 6

यावत्पवनो निवसति देहे

तावत्पृच्छति कुशलं गेहे ।

गतवति वायौ देहापाये

भार्या बिभ्यति तस्मिन्काये ॥ ६॥

yaavatpavano nivasati dehe
taavatpRichchhati kushalaM gehe .
gatavati vaayau dehaapaaye
bhaaryaa bibhyati tasminkaaye .. (6)

(yaavat.h = so long as; pavanaH = air / breath; nivasati = lives / dwells; dehe = in the body; taavat.h = till then; pR^ichchhati = asks / inquires; kushalaM = welfare; gehe = in the house; gatavati = while gone; vaayau = air (life-breath); dehaapaaye = when life departs the body; bhaaryaa = wife; bibhyati = is afraid; fears; tasminkaaye = tasmin.h + kaye, that body.)

(yaavat.h dehe pavanaH nivasati = As long as breath (prana) resides in the body; taavat.h gehe kushalaM pR^ichchhati = Till that time (people) enquire the welfare; dehaapaaye, vaayau gatavati = when the body falls with the departure of breath; tasmin kaaye bharyaa bibhyati = (even one’s) wife is afraid of that body)

Even wife is afraid of her husband's dead body, the body which gave her pleasure and pain in life; which shared her joys and sorrows: Lo! Now that is past; It is now a lifeless lump: a dead body! This is also a sour fact. As long as the breath of life is there, people come and surround. The departure of prana (jeeva) changes the whole scene. People want to get rid of the dead body as soon as possible. We should understand that the body is useful only to this extent. It is the best instrument we have to make the best out of life: to realize God. But if we think that it is everlasting and give too much attention to mend it, that is a fruitless exercise.

It is to be remembered that the body is undergoing change always. The pretty baby soon grows into a handsome youth. Youth has soon to give way to old age and its accompaniments of disease and weakness and the inevitable end. The body has no value without its master, the soul. It is like the empty cage from which the bird has flown away. Without soul, it is just a corpse, which repels everybody. The Acharya reminds us these harsh realities of life and urges us to give up the yearning for mundane things. Knowing the limitations of the body will help us keep a healthy attitude in life and turn the mind to everlasting principles, rather than concentrating on daily affairs.