Hari om everyone,
Then we did the next fun segment of the class, our Kyun Kyun (QQ - Quirky Question) of the day: What did the ocean say to the beach?
Here's the synopsis of our class this week. We started the class with meditation and chanting of Chapter 3, Bhagavadgeeta.
We are planning a fun event incorporating cooking as well. Our Swamiji has graciously agreed to be a part of it, if he is in town! We were discussing the logistics and dates for the event. More details in a separate email.
Ans: He didn't say anything! He just 'waved' ;)
We continued our discussion of Chapter 9 of Bhagavadgeeta. What Krishna says to Arjuna here is an open secret. It means, anyone can know what he said, yet, it is a secret as it is not easily understood by everyone!
We saw that the reasons for this are - aavaraNa (covering) and vikShepa (projection) capacity of maayaa (illusion). Seems like a lot of new and confusing words! To understand this better, we discussed one of the most popular vedaantic examples - rajju-sarpa nyaaya. We will be visiting this example many many times. Understanding this is very essential. This is how the conversation went in class.
In an almost dark room I saw something long and I immediately shrieked, because it was a snake! A friend came running with a flash light and in that light, we saw that it was just a rope!! I breathed a sigh of relief!! :)
Me: Now, why did I think of the rope as a snake?
Students: Because it was dark and you couldn't see well.
Me: Great! But why didn't I think it was a pillow or a ball or a flower?
Students: Because, a rope is not like any of those things. It is more like a snake than a pillow, ball or a flower!
Me: Why was I relieved later?
Students: Because, your friend brought a light and you saw that it was just a rope!
Me: Where did the snake that scared me go?
Students: Nowhere! It was not even there to begin with. You just imagined it!! (duh)
(Our students are super smart!!)
Now, explanation: This is exactly what rajju-sarpa nyaaya is!! In Sanskrit, rajju means rope and sarpa means snake. Superimposing a snake on a rope due to my ignorance about the reality of the rope, I get scared of a snake that never was there in the room!! This is rajju-sarpa nyaaya.
We drew parallels now to this example with the knowledge Krishna was talking about -
- darkness in the room = avidyaa (ignorance)
- seeing something other than the real object = maayaa (illusive power of the Lord)
- not seeing the rope as a rope = aavaraNa (covering)
- imagining a snake instead of a rope = vikShepa (projection)
- me being scared = samsaara (entanglement in the world)
- flashlight that throws light on the the object = vidyaa/jnaana (knowledge)
- friend who brought the light = guru (teacher/guide)
- me feeling relieved = jnaani (gaining knowledge and shading my ignorance)
These correlations may seem obvious and like common sense… But in reality, on a daily basis, we fail to see the reality of things and respond accordingly. Due to our mind and its vaasanas, we imagine things and go thorough cycles of pain and pleasure. All the mess, delusion and entanglement is only due to the mind. Understanding the real nature of things is the only way to break this cycle!
This picture explains it all!
So, to be peaceful, please don't 'mind' :)
We discussed these concepts with a few more examples and will continue to do so as well.
From the last few weeks, we have been doing an exercise: During the last five minutes of class, we do a recap.
How do we do it? The students have to say 'one thing' that we have discussed in class that day. Each and everyone will be called randomly and they have to say something no one else has already said! Since they don't want someone else to say what they have in mind, students have their hands eagerly raised and waiting for their turn! So, we would have assimilated most of the important aspects discussed that day, within no time! We are SO PROUD of our super smart students :).
Until next time, we will leave you with these thoughts.
Regards,
Rashmi.
