Dear Parents, Harih Om!
The following was discussed in the Bala Vihar class on Jan. 29, 2023:
1. After initial prayers we continued with Bhagavad Gita Dhyana sloka teaching - so far, we have learned up to 8 verses. The following children chanted some verses from the Dhyana shloka independently: Navneet (verses 1 and 8) Risha (verse 2), Ananya (verses 3 and 4), Shivan (verses 5 and 8), Hrithik (verse 6) and Saiyuj (verse 7)
2. The following verses from Bhagavad Geeta (chapter 3) were taught to the children: verses 17 and 18. Please have your children practice at home.
3. Today in class we focused on further analyzing the character of some of the Pandavas in Mahabharata Story, analyzing their life and actions.
Bhima: was second Pandava, had enormous physical strength and had the special blessings of Hanuman ji himself. He was chief protector of Pandavas from demons during their stay in forests. He even carried all of them including his mother on his shoulders when they were all tired! Despite his great physical appearance and might, he always respectfully listened to his elder brother – Yudhisthira and followed Dharma. He was chiefly responsible in killing all the children of Dhirtarashtra and Gandhari in the war. He was one who can be called a "gentle giant." Despite being huge and powerful, he never resorted to violence unnecessarily.
Arjuna: was the most skillful archer of the brothers. He was the favorite disciple of Dronacharya – he earned this status through hard work, dedication, service and skill. He once saved Dronacharya from a crocodile and was instrumental in capturing Drupada as Gurudakshina to his teacher. His dedication was so great that he even practiced bow and arrow in the dark –to improve his skill! He received Pasupatha astra from Lord Shiva and several special astras from Gods with penance and prowess. With guidance and protection of Lord Krishna he was mainly responsible in defeating Kauravas in the war. Despite his prowess he always listened to his eldest brother and followed Dharma. Both Bhima and Arjuna had some pride in them – one of the blemishes in their character.
Draupadi: was daughter of King Drupada and wife of Pandavas. She was a devoted wife and a great devotee of Lord Krishna. Like all Pandavas she too always followed Dharma. Arjuna won her hand in marriage through a "Swayamvara" during the time the Pandavas were banished to the forest. Inspite of being a Princess, she adjusted to a new lifestyle living in a hut with her husbands and mother in law with humbleness and without any complaints. Her humiliation during the dice game was the main trigger for the ultimate Kurushetra war.
Abhimanyu: he was the valiant son of Arjuna and Subhadra. He was able to penetrate the "Chakravyuha formation" that Dronacharya formed for the army on the 13 th day of the war. Other Pandavas were prevented from entering into this formation by King Jayadratha. Abhimanyu, who was only 16 years old, fought bravely against the Kaurava warriors all alone, and none of them could defeat him initially. Later Karna attacked him from behind and breaks his bow; after that the Kuru warriors attack him all at one time and kill him in a very unjust manner.
Parikshit: was the son of Abhimanyu and Uttara. After the war Asvatthama kills all children of Pandavas and Draupadi while they were asleep. Asvatthama then sends Brahmasironama asthram to kill the unborn son into the womb of Uttara. Lord Krishna saves the unborn boy. Parikshit continues the lineage of Pandavas and he is crowned king of Hastinapura by them before they begin their journey to the Himalayas.
4. "Yaksha Prashnas" :
a) The world is veiled by what? The world is veiled by ignorance. We see the world according to our own Vasanas. If we are happy, we see the world as a beautiful place. If we are unhappy, we tend to see the world as a place which is not fair and cruel and unjust. We must understand that God is all pervading and that He is in everything. If we are put through difficult circumstances, it is because God wants us to learn and grow from those new experiences.
b) Why does knowledge not shine? Knowledge does not shine because of "Tamas" or Inertia. Knowledge does not shine or come through because we are lazy and do not introspect about the purpose of life. We need to see the Divine in each being and action. When we make the effort to introspect and learn this knowledge will shine.
c) Why does one abandon friends? One abandons friends because of greed. A friend is one whom we share our thoughts, feelings, and worries. If a person decides his friend is not "good enough" for him and abandons him what kind of person is that?
d) Why does one not go to heaven? One does not go to heaven because of attachment. Our mind gets attracted to an object because there is a vasana in our mind for it. This attraction for the object and the vasana driven mind causes lots of complications. Because once the object has been acquired, the mind creates new demands and desires. So the demands of the mind are unending. Instead, we should create a desire in our mind to remember the Divine because He is the ideal. The more we create a desire to know the Lord, we become more and more perfect like our Ideal.
C) Reasons for the Kauravas losing the war: Though the Kaurava army was much larger in might than the Pandava army and had great warriors like Bhisma, Kripacharya etc. the question arises why they lost the war? The reasons for this are two-fold:
1. Pandavas fought on the side of Dharma and therefore had the help of the Lord
2. All the Kings and Generals who fought on the side of the Kauravas did so not out of loyalty to Duryodhana but at the urging of Drona and Bhisma. Bhisma and Drona were divided in their own hearts because they had love for the Pandavas but their bodies fought for the Kauravas owing to the allegiance of their kingdoms to the throne of Hastinapura. If one does not have the courage of conviction, then even the most powerful and courageous commanders of army cannot win the war.
The next question which arises is that why did Drona and Bheesma side with the Kauravas? In the Mahabharata, we see how helpless even great people become when the situation is grave. In spite of the Kauravas constantly resorting to wrong tactics and unfair means, Bheesma never corrected them or advised them to mend their ways. All this is connected to the vow Bheesma took so that his father King Shantanu could marry Satyavati. He vowed to be celibate and also vowed his allegiance to the throne of Hastinapura. One should think what use loyalty would be to an unrighteous king. Bheesma should have known when to follow a vow according to word and when to follow it in spirit. Though Bheesma was an upright person, he gave too much importance to the spoken word without considering the impact it would have. So, in essence, Bheesma in the end was halfheartedly loyal to the Kauravas and secondly, he unconsciously supported the "Adhaarmic" side because he was more concerned with the notion of individual honor.
Advice of Lord Krishna: Fortunately, the Pandavas had Lord Krishna on their side to interpret vows in a proper way. For example, once Arjuna vowed to kill anyone who insulted him, his valor or his Gandiva bow. During the Mahabharata war after a long and difficult day of fighting, Yudhisthira got angry at Arjuna and said what was the use of his Gandiva bow when they had suffered so many losses. Arjuna true to his vow was ready to chop off Yudhisthira's head. It was Lord Krishna who asked Arjuna to cool down and he said cursing his elder brother was equivalent to killing him. In other words, abusing, insulting an elder is as good as killing them. Arjuna realized his temper had gotten the better of him and bowed down to Yudhisthira and asked for his forgiveness.
When the society overall is good, but a few individuals put themselves above Dharma, they bring destruction to themselves. When the society is bad, and one person stands up for Dharma, he or she becomes great. The cause of righteousness is of the greatest value and should be put above everything in every situation.
E) Yaksha Prashnas:
a.by giving up what does one become dear? By giving up arrogance one becomes dear. If we consider the qualities, we admire in our friend or friends: most of think of humility as a desirable trait in a friend. Do we really admire friends who boast about the size of their home, their talents, or capabilities? When we give up our boastful nature, we become dear to people.
b.by giving up what does one become free of grief? By giving up anger one becomes free of grief. In life we desire many things. When an obstacle comes between the object of desire and the mind, we get feelings of anger in our mind. Because we think that by acquiring these material goods, we will get happiness! Because we are deluded, and not clear about our understanding about what is permanent and what is impermanent, this produces sadness, grief, and anger. We need to understand that there is something higher than our own ego and problems in life come due to false identifications.
c.by giving up what does one become prosperous? by giving up lust one becomes prosperous. Should be not draw a line and say this is enough? If I am rich, I want to get richer! If I am a millionaire, I now want to become a billionaire! There is no end to desires created by the mind. I become prosperous when I become grateful for all the gifts Bhagavan has given me. If I yearn for more, than I am actually poor!
d.by giving up what does one become happy? by giving up greed one becomes happy. If I understand and know that every creation in this world is that of the Lord, then I can learn to let go and will not be greedy or envious of others. One should let go and enjoy all the gifts the Lord has given us.
Thank you!
Inchara, Rekha and Mekhala (grade 8 Sunday AM Balavihar teachers)
