Dear Parents!
Harih Om!
The following material was taught to your child on January 10th, 2021
A) Geeta chanting verses 15 and 16
B) Geeta Dhyanam: upto verse 6
The following was discussed pertaining to Mahabharatha:
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 Bhisma side with the Kauravas? In the Mahabharatha, we see how helpless even great people become when the situation is grave. Inspite of the Kauravas constantly resorting to wrong tactics and unfair means, Bhisma never corrected them or advised them to mend their ways. All this is connected to the vow Bhisma took so that his father King Shanatanu 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. Bhisma should have known when to follow a vow according to word and when to follow it in spirit. Though Bhisma was an upright person, he gave too much importance to the spoken word without considering the impact it would have. So, in essence, Bhisma in the end was half heartedly 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 Mahabharatha 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:
1. The world is veiled by what: the world is veiled by ignorance. Ignorance that divinity is within and we need not seek happiness in material goods. The world is not independent entity. If I wear rose colored glasses the world appears rosy! I see the various situations and people in the world according to my vasanas. Instead of realizing that God pervades everything, we miss Him and instead see the world.
2.Why does knowledge not shine? Knowledge does not shine due to "Tamas" or inertia. When we are lazy knowledge does not shine. If I do not make the effort to do the math problems assigned by the teacher, I will not shine in math! Knowledge is wealth. Let us learn to be wealthy!
3.Why does one abandon friends? One abandons friends because of greed. If we feel the classmates who are rich and can provide us with better contacts, it is possible we may abandon our childhood friends. We may ignore them and not make time for them or take them for granted! This is because of greed: greed to be important, greed to gain popularity etc.
4. Why does one not go to heaven? Because of attachment to possessions and beings. If we renounce attachment we will go to heaven. This attachment prevents us from doing good deeds and being a good person. Because of vasana, a mind is attracted to an object. The relation between the object of desire and the vasana driven mind is called attachment. The more we think of an object that we desire, the more the attachment. When the object of desire has been obtained, the affection ends. Total detachment is not possible because as long there is a mind it must attach itself to something. The problem is we attach our mind to the unreal. When we attach the mind to the Real, detachment from the unreal decreases. The best way to do this is to remember an Ideal and constantly remember that Ideal.
Thank you!
Sitaram Kutchibhotla and
Mekhala Girish (Grade 8 Sunday A.M. teachers)
