Harih Om Parents,
Following was discussed in the Balavihar class on Dec 15:
- After initial prayers we continued with Bhagavad Gita Dhyana sloka teaching - so far we have learned up to 8 verses –explanation of these verses were given to the kids.
- Swamiji has completed 12 verses of Bhagavad Gita (Chapter 1) chanting – please have your children practice at home.
- Today in class we focused on discussing various Pandava characters in Mahabharata Story, analyzing their life and actions. As stated before Mahabharata story through these various characters is a reflection of various situations that we might face in life and our mental conditionis trying to reflect to us our own situation & mental condition – so that we can learn and grow.
- Kunti : She was the wife of Pandu and the mother of the Pandavas. She was adopted by Kuntibhoja who was childless. She the is sister of Vasudeva and aunt of Sri Krishna. She showed extraordinary courage and inner strength in raising Pandavas despite being a 'single mom'. She was a great devotee of the Lord. It is believed that she once asked the Lord to His surprise '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 in her teens and before marriage due to a boon given by sage Durvasa. Scared of societal and parental repercussions she let go the baby floating him in the river. This son (later known as Karna) was aised by a charioteer and his wife, Radha. Her other sons were all born of celestial beings. Kunti shared the mantra given by Sage Durvasa with Madri (the second wife of 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. All of this perhaps could have been avoided had Kunti told everyone that Karna was her first born. After the war however she dutifully served Dhritharastra and Gandhari.
- 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 Yakshaprasana 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 Madri to be alive. He gave great thought before he acted and whenever he acted he did in a Dhaarmic fashion. In order to avoid large scale war and destruction, he was willing to take just 5 villages from Kauravas. – unfortunately his policy of appeasement did not change the heart of Duryodhana. When the Gandharvas captured Duryodhana, Yudhisthira sent Arjuna and Bhima to rescue him – saying 'we all are still one family.' Such was the generosity of spirit he possessed. After the war was over, one of the first proclamations he made was that everyone was to treat Dhritharastra and Gandhari respectfully. Despite all the cruelties meted out by the Kauravas and also Dhritharastra, the thought for revenge never crossed Yudhisthira's mind. He however did have a weakness for playing dice which lead to lot of problems and suffering for Pandavas.
- Bhima: was second Pandava, had enormous physical strength and had the special blessings of Hamunanji himself. He was chief protector of Pandavas from demons during their stay in forests. He even carried them when they were all tired! Despite his great strength, he always listened to his elder brother – Yudhisthira and followed Dharma. He was chiefly responsible in killing all the children of Dhritharastra 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 war Asvatthama kills all children of Pandavas and Draupadi (Upapandavas) 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, who make him the king before going to heaven.
- "Yaksha Prashnas" :
- 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 has 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 new lessons and grow from those new experiences. Often, many of us feel that God is being unfair and unjust to put us through these difficult situations.
- 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 and every being and action. When we make the effort to introspect and learn this knowledge will shine.
- 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?
- 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.
Thank you!
Devender Akula and
Mekhala Girish ( Grade 8, Sunday A.M. Balavihar Teachers)
