Shankaracharya does not begin with metaphysics. He does not begin with subtle Vedantic arguments. He begins with urgency. He begins with a slap to the intellect. Bhaja Govindam — Sloka 1 (Sanskrit) भज गोविन्दं भज गोविन्दं गोविन्दं भज मूढमते । सम्प्राप्ते सन्निहिते काले नहि नहि रक्षति डुकृञ्करणे ॥ Transliteration Bhaja Govindaṃ bhaja Govindaṃ Govindaṃ bhaja mūḍhamate Samprāpte sannihite kāle Nahi nahi rakṣati ḍukṛñkaraṇe Word-by-Word Meaning • Bhaja — worship, seek refuge in • Govindam — Govinda (the Divine Reality) • Mūḍha-mate — O foolish-minded one • Samprāpte kāle — when the final time arrives • Nahi rakṣati — will not save • Ḍukṛñkaraṇe — grammar rules, scholarly technicalities Full Meaning Worship Govinda, worship Govinda, worship Govinda, O foolish intellect! When death approaches, grammar rules will not save you. Commentary: Why Does Shankara Attack Grammar? This verse became famous because Shankara mocks: ḍukṛñkaraṇe — a technical rule of Sanskrit grammar. Why would one of India's greatest scholars mock scholarship? Because grammar here is symbolic. It represents: • intellectual mastery • academic pride • dry scholarship • knowledge without realization Shankara is not rejecting learning. He is rejecting the illusion that learning alone equals liberation. At the moment of death: • your debates cannot help • your credentials cannot help • your grammar cannot help Only the state of your consciousness remains. The Scholar Who Never Surrenders Shankara warns: A person can spend life analyzing: • Vedanta categories • Sanskrit sutras • metaphysical doctrines Yet never actually inquire: Who am I? They polish the mirror endlessly… but never look into it.