Dear Parents,
Harih Om! The following material was taught to your child on Sunday, October 27th:
I. We initially focused on analyzing actions of certain characters:
- Santanu's desire was cause the for him marrying Satyavati, at the expense of Bheesma – which ultimately contributed to downfall of Hastinapur.
Lesson learned (LL) – need to keep our desires under control. - Bheesma's vow: signified his sacrifice for his father, he was blessed with "Icchya Mrutyu" a boon that meant that Bheesma could choose the time of his death in addition to other blessings.
LL – one should serve their parents. - Gandhari's vow : She blindfolded herself since her husband Dhritharastra was blind; this decision was taken emotionally. If either of them saw the wrongdoings of the Kauravas, they could have corrected them and guided them better.
LL - Don't take decisions without thinking through the consequences, and don't make decisions based on emotions alone. - Kunti's boon : As a young girl, she had served Sage Durvasa and in return she was granted a boon by the Sage. The boon given to her was that she could have a child by just visualizing any man as her child's father. Out of frivolity and curiosity of youth she tested Sage Durvasa's boon imagining Surya to be her child's father and lo and behold gave birth to Karna out of wedlock. He was abandoned and set afloat in a river and was adopted by a Charioteer and his wife. Later, Karna became a key figure leading to Mahabharata war.
LL – one need's to have faith in Sage's / Rishi's words; if you commit a mistake own up to it and be ready to face the consequences – even though you may be punished in the short term, your conscience will be clear long term. This will lead to better quality of life.
II. Continuation of Mahabharata story:
The Wax Palace: Duryodhana hated the Pandavas for their popularity, he hated Bhima's strength, he hated Arjuna's dexterity. He complained about them bitterly to his father Dhirtarashtra. He said that he was worried that Yudhisthira owing to his popularity would be crowned as king of Hastinapura and that soon the Kauravas and their progeny would be but "poor relatives" of the Pandavas. With Shakuni's minister in tow, Duryodhana managed to convince the weak minded Dhirtarashtra to go along with his crooked plan. In the presence of the Pandavas they extolled praise about the beauty of the city of Varanavata that hosted an annual festival in honor of Lord Shiva. Dhirtarashtra speaking in a loving and affectionate manner told the Pandavas that the people of Varanavata were eagerly awaiting their arrival and convinced them to go and spend a few months in that place. Duryodhana plotted with Karna and Shakuni to "kill" Kunti and her five sons at Varanavata. They sent for a minister named Purochana who in turn was sent to Varanavata several months in advance to build a beautiful palace for the Pandavas. Unbeknownst to the Pandavas, combustible material like hay, wax, oil, jute etc. was used in the construction of the Palace. In addition, inviting seats and beds were specially placed in the most combustible areas. The idea was to set fire to the palace when the Pandavas were asleep. The affection and honor at the farewell bestowed upon the Pandavas would remove any suspicion that Kauravas had anything to do with the "accidental burning of the Wax Palace."
As they were taking leave of the elders, Vidura warned Yudhisthira that, " only a wise man who can read the intentions of an astute enemy can escape from harm." He also told him that while a forest fire can burn every tree down, the fire cannot however hurt a rat that hides in a hole.
The Pandavas reached Varanavata and were welcomed by the people. They stayed with some friends until the palace specially meant for them was ready. Finally the day arrived. The Pandavas moved into the palace. It was named "Sivam" which ironically meant prosperity. In the the meantime, the Pandavas had had time to ponder about Vidura's cryptic message. They examined the palace and found that it was indeed made of combustible material. They pretended to enjoy the amenities of the palace but in the meantime had an expert miner dig an underground tunnel leading to the forest. At night the Pandavas kept vigil but by day they used to go hunting under the pretext of sport while familiarizing themselves with the forest paths. Finally after some months, Kunti Devi arranged for a sumptuous feast for the Palace guards. As soon as the guards fell asleep, the Pandavas set fire to the Palace and escaped through the underground tunnel. The saddened people of Varanavrata sent the "shocking" news about the Pandavas death to Hastinapura. Duryodhana pretended to be grief stricken but he was delirious with joy inside.
The Pandavas in the meantime suffered many difficulties. They met Vyasa on the way who consoled Kunti that "no virtuous person is strong enough to live in virtue at all times, nor is any sinner bad enough to exist in one welter of sin. Life is but a tangled web. Each and everyone has to bear the consequences of their actions."
While the Pandavas were living in the guise of Brahmanas in Ekachakrapura, news about the Swayamvara of Draupadi, daughter of King Drupada of Panchala reached them. The Pandavas decided to go to Panchala and try and win Draupadi's hand in marriage. The candidate who would win Draupadi's hand had to lift the bow, string it and shoot a steel arrow through the central aperture of revolving disk at a target placed at a height. Many brave and qualified princes tried but to no avail. When Arjuna approached the bow, he meditated on God and with ease lifted, strung the bow and without any hesitation shot five arrows in succession through the revolving target. Draupadi was elated and approached him and placed garland around his neck. While the other contenders complained to Drupada about Svayamvara not being prevalent amongst Brahmanas, the Pandavas quickly left the hall to reveal the good news to Kunti. Dhristadyumna followed the Pandavas and Draupadi unseen and was delighted to discover their true identities. The wedding of the Pandavas with Draupadi was celebrated by Drupada with great pomp and festivities.
The Wax Palace: Duryodhana hated the Pandavas for their popularity, he hated Bhima's strength, he hated Arjuna's dexterity. He complained about them bitterly to his father Dhirtarashtra. He said that he was worried that Yudhisthira owing to his popularity would be crowned as king of Hastinapura and that soon the Kauravas and their progeny would be but "poor relatives" of the Pandavas. With Shakuni's minister in tow, Duryodhana managed to convince the weak minded Dhirtarashtra to go along with his crooked plan. In the presence of the Pandavas they extolled praise about the beauty of the city of Varanavata that hosted an annual festival in honor of Lord Shiva. Dhirtarashtra speaking in a loving and affectionate manner told the Pandavas that the people of Varanavata were eagerly awaiting their arrival and convinced them to go and spend a few months in that place. Duryodhana plotted with Karna and Shakuni to "kill" Kunti and her five sons at Varanavata. They sent for a minister named Purochana who in turn was sent to Varanavata several months in advance to build a beautiful palace for the Pandavas. Unbeknownst to the Pandavas, combustible material like hay, wax, oil, jute etc. was used in the construction of the Palace. In addition, inviting seats and beds were specially placed in the most combustible areas. The idea was to set fire to the palace when the Pandavas were asleep. The affection and honor at the farewell bestowed upon the Pandavas would remove any suspicion that Kauravas had anything to do with the "accidental burning of the Wax Palace."
As they were taking leave of the elders, Vidura warned Yudhisthira that, " only a wise man who can read the intentions of an astute enemy can escape from harm." He also told him that while a forest fire can burn every tree down, the fire cannot however hurt a rat that hides in a hole.
The Pandavas reached Varanavata and were welcomed by the people. They stayed with some friends until the palace specially meant for them was ready. Finally the day arrived. The Pandavas moved into the palace. It was named "Sivam" which ironically meant prosperity. In the the meantime, the Pandavas had had time to ponder about Vidura's cryptic message. They examined the palace and found that it was indeed made of combustible material. They pretended to enjoy the amenities of the palace but in the meantime had an expert miner dig an underground tunnel leading to the forest. At night the Pandavas kept vigil but by day they used to go hunting under the pretext of sport while familiarizing themselves with the forest paths. Finally after some months, Kunti Devi arranged for a sumptuous feast for the Palace guards. As soon as the guards fell asleep, the Pandavas set fire to the Palace and escaped through the underground tunnel. The saddened people of Varanavrata sent the "shocking" news about the Pandavas death to Hastinapura. Duryodhana pretended to be grief stricken but he was delirious with joy inside.
The Pandavas in the meantime suffered many difficulties. They met Vyasa on the way who consoled Kunti that "no virtuous person is strong enough to live in virtue at all times, nor is any sinner bad enough to exist in one welter of sin. Life is but a tangled web. Each and everyone has to bear the consequences of their actions."
While the Pandavas were living in the guise of Brahmanas in Ekachakrapura, news about the Swayamvara of Draupadi, daughter of King Drupada of Panchala reached them. The Pandavas decided to go to Panchala and try and win Draupadi's hand in marriage. The candidate who would win Draupadi's hand had to lift the bow, string it and shoot a steel arrow through the central aperture of revolving disk at a target placed at a height. Many brave and qualified princes tried but to no avail. When Arjuna approached the bow, he meditated on God and with ease lifted, strung the bow and without any hesitation shot five arrows in succession through the revolving target. Draupadi was elated and approached him and placed garland around his neck. While the other contenders complained to Drupada about Svayamvara not being prevalent amongst Brahmanas, the Pandavas quickly left the hall to reveal the good news to Kunti. Dhristadyumna followed the Pandavas and Draupadi unseen and was delighted to discover their true identities. The wedding of the Pandavas with Draupadi was celebrated by Drupada with great pomp and festivities.
III. When Duryodana discovered that the Pandavas were alive, he was forced to give them a barren piece of land called Indraprastha. It was made fertile by their hard work; eventually establishing a vast and prosperous kingdom. They performed Rajasuya yagna, which was done with lot of pomp & show. Seeing their wealth, prosperity and the incredible Maya Sabha ,Duryodhana got very jealous. In addition he got humiliated in the Maya Sabha. So he wanted to seek revenge – he planned with his uncle Sakuni to defeat the Pandavas in a game of dice. Dhritharastra invited Pandavas to Hastinapura for the game of dice. Because Sakuni had magical power over the dice he won all the way. Yudhisthira lost everything in a very short time – his kingdom, his brothers and himself become slaves of Duryodhana. In fact he finally bet Draupadi and "lost" her as well. Draupadi was subject to humiliation by Duryodhana and Dushasana – when the latter tried to disrobe her. But she prayed to Lord Krishna who protected her! This went on despite Vidura's vehement opposition. The elders Bheesma, Drona, Kripa all were but silent spectators to this horrifying incident.
IV. These are some of the very controversial situations in Mahabharata – we had a good discussion trying to understand actions of Yudhisthira and others – which we will continue next week and analyze further.
V. Kids lead aarthi and pledge after the class in the assembly hall – and they did an awesome job! Make sure you congratulate them!
VI. We also started learning Bhagavad Gita chanting under Swami Shantanandaji's guidance – first two verses of first chapter were taught. In addition Geeta Dhyana Sloka is also being practiced – we did 3 verses so far.
Hope everyone had a wonderful Diwali with family & friends.
Pranams,
Devender Akula
and
Mekhala Girish
(8th Grade Sunday AM BV teachers)
