Bhaja Govindam – Sloka 25: Śatrau Mitre Putre Bandhau

Why do we divide the world into friend and enemy, our own and others?

In this episode of Hari Kavi Explains, we reflect on the twenty-fifth sloka of Bhaja Govindam, where Jagadguru Adi Shankaracharya asks us to move beyond the divisions created by the mind.

Whether we encounter an enemy, a friend, a child, or a relative, we often become caught in cycles of attachment, disagreement, reconciliation, and conflict. Shankaracharya encourages us to look deeper than these changing relationships and recognize the same Ātman, the true Self, present in all beings.

The verse does not ask us to abandon relationships or ignore differences in everyday life. Rather, it invites us to overcome b ...