Hari om everyone,
A very Happy Navratri...prayers for us all to channel our inner Divya Shakti to go from Empowered to IN-powered.
In this week's class, we started with meditation followed by chanting. We now know the first 5 verses of Bhagavad Gita Chapter 3 (Karma Yoga - right action with the right attitude).
We then played a game to review the characters of Mahabharata, in which a character was given and students had to list as many things as they could about that character. After that, we forged onwards through the Mahabharata story, continuing from where we left off last time. This included the birth of the Pandavas, the childhood of the Pandavas and Kauravas, the burning of the Lac Palace, marriage to Devi Draupadi, the fateful games of dice, 13 years of exile, and the Mahabharata war. We will finish the very end of the story at the beginning of the next class.
The key takeaway from our discussion was how one vice, one bad decision, can lead to severe consequences. Thus, we must have AUTHENTICITY (adambhitvam) to not compromise in any situation and HUMILITY (amanitvam) to ask for help from the wise.
Last week's RAW (Reflection Adventure of the Week) was to research Rishi Vyasa. The author of the Bhagavad Gita and Mahabharata is Rishi Vyasa. Vyasa means compiler (in a visionary way). Also, vyaaptatvaat vyaasaH (all encompassing is Vyaasa). It is said that whatever we can think of, is probably already mentioned in one of his works already! His body of work is that vast and all-encompassing. Rishi Vyasa was very conscious that as time continued, atrophy was manifesting in people's minds. He saw this atrophy not just in the students but also in the teachers, so he took the Veda (which is the knowledge of divinity), volumized it into four, and infused its message into historical texts. Every course we are in and all we know about self-development comes back to Rishi Vyasa. Vyasa is stopping us from vyasana, (sorrow/addiction to worldly pleasures).
Below is your RAW for the next 2 weeks:
dharmo rakShati rakShitaH: those who do not compromise (do not give in to adharma) will feel Divinity within themselves. We sometimes succumb to adharma because we stop finding utility in dharma (being responsible) and start finding utility in adharma (being irresponsible). Think of a time when you compromised. Why did you go from dharma to adharma?
We will leave you with this thought for the week
Offering dedication to our Divine Mother: we will work for Her, and She will take care of us (BG 9.22).
Regards,
Rashmi and Ananya.
