Dear Parents,
Harih Om!
The following material was taught to your child on Sunday, January 22, 2023, during Balavihar.
- Beginning Prayers
- The first seven verses of Geeta Dhyaanam were taught.
- We continued with Mahabharata Story –In spite of the victory, Yudhisthira was saddened by the colossal destruction of human life and suffering. Many people tried to pacify him, but he remained dejected. Finally, Lord Krishna took him to the wounded Bheesma, who was resting on a bed of arrows created by Arjuna. Bheesma had the boon of "Iccha Mrityu" given by his father and he could choose the time of his death. He was waiting for the auspicious period of Uttarayanam to start to die. While lying on his death bed Bheesma, he taught Yudhisthira about a variety of topics which include but are not limited to how a king should rule, duties etc. The Vishnu Sahasranamam prayer was given by Bheesma to Yudhisthira in reply to his queries, "in this world Who is the one refuge for all? Who is the greatest Divinity in the world? By eulogizing whom can a person reach auspiciousness? By worshipping whom can a person reach auspiciousness? What is, in your opinion, the greatest Dharma among all the Dharmas? By chanting whose name, can a creature proceed beyond the bonds of samsara?" Bheeshma answers by stating that, "mankind will be free from all sorrows by chanting the Vishnu Sahasranamam, which are the thousand names of the all-pervading Supreme Being Vishnu, who is the master of all the worlds, the supreme light, the essence of the universe and who is Brahman. All matter, animate and inanimate reside in Him, and He in turn resides within all matter." Satisfied with what he learnt from Bheesma, Yudhisthira took leave of him and ruled his kingdom for 36 years. Meanwhile Krishna ruled Dwaraka for 36 years after the Kurukshetra war. The Vrishnis, Bhopas and other branches of the Yadavas spent their days in drinking, merriment, and self-indulgence. Once a group of Rishis came to Dwaraka. The loud and drunk Yadavas made fun of the Rishis and dressed a young man as a pregnant woman. They then asked the Rishis if they could predict whether he/she would have a son or daughter. The Rishis saw through the prank and cursed the Yadavas and told them that the person would give birth to a mace which would be the reason for the destruction of the Yadavas. Lo and behold, the very next day the man gave birth to a mace. The frightened Yadavas crushed the mace into a million pieces and threw it into the ocean. The Yadavas continued with their merry ways and forgot about the mace. After some time, the strewn dust from the mace sprouted into a dense crop of rushes. Sometime later the Yadavas went to the beach and spent the day getting drunk. Amongst the Yadavas were, Kritavarma who had fought on the side of the Kauravas and Satyaki who had fought on the side of the Pandavas. Soon the liquor began to work. Satyaki taunted Kritavarma and belittled him for attacking sleeping soldiers during the Kurukshetra war. Kritavarma scoffed at Satyaki for butchering Bhurisravas when he was seated in yoga. Soon the Yadavas were divided, and it was a free for all. Krishna's son Pradyumna too joined the fight, and he too was killed along with Satyaki. Soon Krishna came to scene and plucked the rushes which had grown from the mace. He laid them randomly around the beach and which got transformed into maces. The Yadavas fought viciously, and all were killed. Balarama too entered yoga and passed away. Lord Krishna knew His time on this planet had come to an end. He fell asleep in the forest and a hunter who mistook his toe for an animal, pierced it with an arrow and so Lord Krishna disappeared.
- When the Pandavas heard the news about Lord Krishna, they lost their desire to spend another day on Earth. They crowned Abhimanyu's son Parikshit as the King. The five brothers along with Draupadi went on a pilgrimage visiting all holy places and finally reached the Himalayas. A dog joined them along the way. As they started climbing the mountain path one by one, they (Draupadi, Sahadeva, Nakula, Arjuna & Bheema) fell exhausted and later died. Yudhishthira continued his journey with serenity knowing that he was not too far away from his destination. The dog too continued to accompany him. Finally, when he reached heaven, Indra stood by welcoming him into his chariot. As Yudhisthira got into the chariot, the dog too got into it. Indra insisted that the dog needed to disembark as there was no place in Swarga for dogs. However, Yudhisthira stayed firm and said that he would enter heaven only if the dog was permitted there as well. The dog disappeared and Yama Dharmaraja appeared in the dog's place. Yamraj told him that he was pleased with Yudhisthira (his son) and that he passed the test with flying colors. He blessed him for his 'sama dhristhi' and 'dharma nista'. The dog is representative of Dharma in our life. Dharma is the only constant companion in one's life and we will continue to be tested throughout our life. It is only our Dharmic acts which will accompany us when we leave this planet.
Yudhisthira entered heaven and was stunned to see Duryodhana enjoying the heavenly pleasures seated on an ornate throne. He was horrified and said that he did not want to spend time with Duryodhana, the man who had limited vision and who had insulted Draupadi. The sight of Duryodhana in heaven greatly disturbed him. Sage Narada reprimanded Yudhisthira and told him that Duryodhana had earned a place in heaven based on his merits based on Kshatriya Dharma. And that in heaven, Yudhisthira should not have such feelings of animosity and hatred towards his cousin. To which Yudhisthira replied that if Duryodhana, a person who did not know right from wrong and who fed hatred and enmity had attained a place in the Swarga for warriors, then he (Yudhisthira) needed to be led to that better place in heaven where is brothers and Draupadi who were all steadfast in Dharma were located. The attendant then led Yudhisthira to the place where his family were. The path was strewn with bones and there were decomposing human bodies. He was led through a dark passage, and he waded through blood and gore. Yudhisthira was confused and asked the attendant how far he needed to go. To which the attendant replied that if he wished he could turn back. As if reading his mind, familiar voices rose around him. They were the voices of his brothers and his family members. "Oh! Dharmaputra please do not go away. Your presence is a relief for us." Yudhisthira was bewildered! Hearing the voices of pain belonging to his family he felt he was deranged. He was angry and confused that his beloved family members who always followed their duty were in such a filthy place. He turned and told the attendant that he would stay with his family. When he announced this, suddenly amid the putrid odor a fragrant breeze blew. His father, Yama (the God of Dharma) appeared before him and smiled at him. He told him that he had continually tested him and that he had passed all the tests with flying colors. Suddenly, what appeared to be hell transformed into heaven. He was thrilled to see his brothers including Karna, his wife, his mother and all friends in heavenly planes while Duryodhana and other wicked people were in a demonic plane/hell. Yudhisthira attained peace by giving up his attachments and stayed in heaven. Thus, ends the great Mahabharata epic which is also known as Jaya. Jaya means victory or success. If we listen to the Mahabharata with devotion and shraddha then one can achieve success or Jaya in all of life's endeavors.
We then analyzed the important characters amongst the Pandavas and Kauravas and analyzing their life and actions. The children were asked to give their take on this topic, and many responded with enthusiasm.
While analyzing their actions – we see all of them had shades of good and bad; some with better than bad and vice versa. Mahabharata story paints a canvas of all possible human actions, emotions, thoughts & attitudes. The Mahabharata reflects our own situations & mental conditions which is describe through the actions of these various characters – so that we can learn and grow.
a) Bheesma : is one of the central characters in Mahabharata story. His actual name was Devavrata – but due to the terrible oath he took he was blessed with the name of Bheesma. He had in depth knowledge of Shastras and Dharma. His life is an epitome of righteousness; he is revered as one of the greatest devotees of the Lord. As a Kshatriya prowess as a warrior was unparalleled – he defeated his own Guru Parasurama at a young age! In the Kurukshetra battlefield, no one could defeat him. In spite of fighting on behalf of the Kauravas, he himself told Yudhisthira the secret by which he can be defeated. After the war laying on the arrow bed, with blessing of Lord Krishna, he taught Yudhisthira - Raja dharma, Varna dharma, rules of right conduct and much more, which form the Santi and Anushasana parvas (very voluminous portion) of the Mahabharata. Some consider these teachings as the heart of Mahabharata story.
Yudhisthira was finally able to come out of his sorrow and guilt after Bheesma's teaching. Despite all these great virtues, Bhishma's life was not without faults. It is believed that each of the arrows on the "bed of arrows" he lay on represented the various wrongs he had done during his life. Due to his loyalty to the Hastinapur throne he had to take the side of adharma during the Kurukshetra war. In addition, he was silent witness when Pandavas and Draupadi were humiliated during the dice game.
b) Dhritharastra: his name means 'one who holds on to the nation'. Based on the rules of the land, he was not eligible to be the king as he was blind. He therefore had to hand over his kingdom to his brother Pandu. For this reason, he always held a grudge against his brother Pandu and the Pandavas. But after death of Pandu, he became the king. However, he never wanted to give the throne back to Yudhisthira, the eldest son of Pandu. Dhirtarashtra always wanted his own son, Duryodhana to be the king. He was very deceitful and caused a lot of problems for the Pandavas. Dhirtarashtra was a character with a wavering and unsteady mind. His mind constantly swung like a pendulum alternating between two extremes. When he listened to Vidura, he would acquiesce and agree that it would be right to hand over part of the kingdom to the Pandavas. However, when he listened to Duryodhana or his ministers he would be swayed in the other direction. He outwardly pretended to be fond of his nephews, the Pandavas. But inwardly, he was a person seething with jealousy and anger. He knew about the plans of Duryodhana to kill the Pandavas by making them go to Ekachakra and live in the Wax Palace. He halfheartedly gave the Pandavas a barren portion of the kingdom as their share; As an elder of the Kuru dynasty, he "watched" silently and indifferently when Pandavas and Draupadi were humiliated during the game of dice. His atrocities were numerous. Duryodhana 'seems only to be the outer manifestation' of his greed, jealous and blind attachment. Although, he would get advice from elders to follow the righteous path – his blind love for his son and extreme attachment to the throne made him unable to lead a righteous life. He was probably the highest-ranking person who could have prevented the war yet he failed to do so. His excuse was that he could not be fully effective in preventing the war because he was blind. His virtues were that he always used to like to listen to "Dharma" and "Neeti" from Vidura. In fact, it is said that he even had listened to Vedanta teachings from Lord Brahmaji's son, called, Sanatsujatiyam. This probably gave him enough punya to have the vision of the Cosmic form of the Lord!
c)Gandhari: Wife of King Dhirtarashtra: she was a faithful wife, served her husband dutifully. Yet one wonders if she could have better served him by being 'his eyes'; instead of getting blind folded. She did give good advice to her sons and told them not to be jealous of the ability of the Pandavas. She even told them to avoid the company of her brother Shakuni and advised them fighting against the Pandavas. In fact, when Duryodhana came to her to seek her blessings before the war, she refused to do so. But she too was blinded by her love and attachment towards Duryodhana and had a deep desire for him to become King.When she heard Kunti had given birth to the first son, who will eventually become the heir, she got very angry and jealous and tried to destroy her womb by hitting on her stomach. It was Veda Vyasa who saved the 'garbham' and 101 children were later born to Gandhari. She also watched silently the humiliation of Pandavas and Draupadi, till she started seeing bad omens portending the destruction of her own children. She was therefore an opportunist. At end of the war when all her sons had been killed, she blamed Lord Krishna for her sorrow and cursed Him and the Yadava clan! Dhritarashtra and Gandhari characters are examples of how parents should not be! In addition, one sees through these characters how their intellect was deluded with extreme love and attachment for their child.
d)Duryodhana: his ambition and greed were egged on by Dhirtarashtra silent approval. Again, his intellect was clouded, and he was not able to follow the good advice given by the elders. It is believed that he confessed that he knew what the right thing was to do but did not have the determination to follow through and that he also knew what was wrong but could not prevent himself from following it! It is quite clear to any impartial observer of Mahabharata story that his army/ warriors would be no match for Pandavas in the war. Arjuna had repeatedly proven to be a better warrior than Karna on several occasions. Yet, Duryodhana had blind faith in Karna's ability to kill Arjuna. One person's megalomania and delusion lead to the destruction of an entire clan! We see reflections of Duryodhana's personality even in modern world –example: Mussolini, Hitler etc. where one person's ideology leads to so much destruction and suffering. One of Duryodhana's positive attributes was that he was a devoted friend to Karna. And for this friendship he was more than willing to do anything. Again, one can argue that the foundation of this friendship was based on selfish motives. He however did perform many yagnas.
e)Duhshashana: brother of Duryodhana. He was an unusual, strange character. He had deep and unabiding love for his elder brother, Duryodhana. But that love should not be blind and make us do bad things. Loyalty is meaningful only when it is for noble cause. He blindly followed whatever Duryodhana asked him to do – leading to his demise in the war.
f) Shakuni: who was Gandhari's brother, had a grudge against the Kuru dynasty as his sister was asked in marriage for a blind king, Dhirtarashtra. He could not oppose Kurus as they were stronger, so he secretly vowed that he would ultimately cause destruction of the Kuru dynasty. He succeeded in that by continually poisoning Duryodhana's mind and arranging and defeating Pandavas in a deceitful dice game. This eventually led to the war.
g) Dronacharya: was the teacher for Pandavas and Kauravas. Very learned in sastras and dharma; was righteous and disciplined. His yoga practice was so powerful that he was able to sit in meditation in battlefield and give up his life! He was a Brahmin by birth but followed his passion for learning various arts, at a gurukul, along with friend Drupada. Later in life the impoverished Drona went to ask for financial help from his friend Drupada, who was by then a King. However, Drupada pretended not to recognize him and insulted Dronacharya. Drona vowed to seek revenge for this act and carried a grudge against the King. He devised a plan whereby he became the teacher of the Pandavas and Kauravas. At the end of their training, he in the form of seeking Gurudakshina from Arjuna was able to avenge his insult. Drupada was defeated, captured in the war, humiliated, and later released. Thus, he pursued his profession in Hastinapur for the sole purpose of seeking revenge and to further his personal agenda. He silently stood and watched when during the game of dice, the Pandavas and Draupadi were humiliated. Unlike Vidura and Vikarna, he did not voice his horror and disgust at the treatment being meted out on the Pandavas because it was in perfect agreement with his plans. As a Brahmana, there was no need for him to participate in any warfare, yet he took part in many wars. He degraded himself as a paid tutor and ultimately had a sad demise in the Mahabharata war. His life almost gives us a vivid picture of the Lord's teaching - that by following 'paradharma' one gets destroyed.
Even though the Kaurava army had so many great warriors they were defeated as each one had their individual weakness, attachments, and ambitions – and they were not able to raise above them and work in a united fashion and defeat the Pandavas.
1. "Yaksha Prashnas":
- What is the highest Dharma? Nonviolence is the greatest Dharma. Everybody in this world has the right to lead of peaceful and harmonious life. We should not tread on anybody's rights. In Gandhiji's words, "an eye for an eye make the whole world blind."
- Which Dharma leads to results? Vedic Dharma leads to results. If we follow Dharma prescribed in the Vedas, we will lead a fulfilling and happy life. We have been given this body to serve others and to do good to others.
- Controlling what one does not grieve? Controlling our mind, one does not grieve. We should be an intelligent witness to all that is happening around us. We should let ourselves live this life joyfully and live through our "Prarabhdhas" and not question "why me?" when we are going through challenges and difficulties in our life.
- Friendship with whom does not decay? Friendship with a person of upright character and values does not decay. People who are straightforward, sincere, and compassionate are the people with whom our friendship will never decay.
We continued with our discussions and character analysis of some of the Pandavas:
2. Kunti : She was the wife of Pandu and the mother of the Pandavas. She was adopted by Kuntibhoja who was childless. She was the sister of Vasudeva and aunt of Lord Krishna. After the death of her husband, King Pandu, she showed exemplary courage and raised the Pandavas with the support of her relatives. She was a great devotee of the Lord. It is believed that she once prayed the Lord 'to give her more suffering in her life' – so that she would remember Him all the time! Karna, her eldest son was born to her when she was not married and was in her teenage years. This was due to her using a boon given to her by sage Durvasa for serving the Rishi during his stay in Hastinapura. She invoked Surya Bhagavan while chanting the mantra given by Sage Durvasa and lo and behold became pregnant! Scared of societal and parental repercussions she let go of the baby floating him in the river. This son (later known as Karna) was raised by a charioteer, Adhiratha and his wife, Radha. For this reason, Karna is also known as Radheya. Her other sons were all born of celestial beings. Kunti shared the mantra given by Sage Durvasa with Maadri (the second wife of King Pandu) and invoked these celestial beings and as a result the Pandavas were born . With time, enmity and jealousy developed between Karna and Arjuna. Duryodhana waged the war with Pandavas mainly depending on Karna's prowess and friendship. The war resulted in such a large-scale destruction and many close relatives and cousins, uncles etc. were unnecessarily killed. It is possible that some of this death and destruction could have been avoided had Kunti told everyone that Karna was her son. For most of her adult life, Kunti had to bear the burden of guilt for letting her eldest born afloat and never developed the courage to tell the world that Karna was her first born. After the war however she dutifully served Dhritharastra and Gandhari.
3. Yudhisthira: he was the eldest of Pandavas, was also called Dharmaraja – because in thought, word and deed he followed Dharma. There are numerous situations which show his greatness – For instance, when his brothers lay in 'coma' during the Yaksha Prasana episode, he was asked by the Yaksha to choose one brother to live – he choose Nakula without any hesitation. He could have chosen Arjuna or Bhima – who could have helped him in a bigger way in the war. But he wanted at least one son of Maadri to be alive. He gave great thought before he acted and whenever he acted, he did in a Dharmic fashion. To avoid large scale war and destruction, he was willing to take just 5 villages from Kauravas. Unfortunately, his policy of compromise was not enough to change Duryodhana's heart. When the Gandharvas captured Duryodhana, Yudhisthira sent Arjuna and Bhima to rescue him – saying 'we all are still one family.' Such was the generosity possessed by Yudhishthira. After the war was over, one of the first proclamations he made was that everyone was to treat Dhirtirashtra and Gandhari respectfully. Despite all the cruelties meted out by the Kauravas and by King Dhirtarashtra upon the Pandavas, the thought of revenge never crossed Yudhishthira's mind. Unfortunately, he had one vice. The weakness for playing dice lead to his downfall and to a lot of problems and suffering for Pandavas.
4. Monthly Program: The 8th graders are slated to put up a play or some program related to their curriculum at the end of March. We discussed with the children some ideas that could be incorporated in that program which is related to Dharma and Mahabharata. We think we have 2-3 good ideas and plan to expand on those and allocate parts to the children.
Thank you!
Inchara, Rekha, and Mekhala (Grade 8 Sunday AM Bala Vihar Teachers)
