Hari Om! Parents,
The last few classes have been devoted to study of Chapter 8 – The Yoga of Imperishable Brahman. Below is the summary.
· Arjuna starts with 7 questions based on Lord Krishna's concluding explanation in Chapter 7 where He says the one who knows Me as the components of matter and consciousness (Brahman, Karma, Adhibhuta, Adhyatma, Adhiyagna, Adhidaiva) will think of Me at the time of death and reach Me. Krishna explains each term here:
o Brahman – pure Consciousness that is imperishable
o Adhyatma – Consciousness aspect that enlivens all bodies.
o Karma – Action. Our Karma is the reason for future creation - to allow for exhaustion of our individual and collective impressions. We should engage in creative karma that brings utility to society
o Adhibhuta – Lord's expression in everything that is inert
o Adhidaiva – The power within a particular faculty (hearing of the ear, seeing ability in the eye, heat in the fire)
o Adhiyajna – The interaction between us and the world is a subjective yajna. Lord is Adhiyagna where he alone is the one vital principle of life that dominates this entire field of knowledge (perception, feeling, thought)
· Arjuna then worries about how he can ensure remembering the Lord at the time of his death when his faculties may not be under his control. Krishna explains, "As you think, so you become."
o Practice by invoking the Lord in your daily activities
o Develop devotion with daily prayers for expressing gratitude
o Work hard in the service of the world with a steady spirit of devotion by filling our heart with love and gratitude
o Practice meditation to take the mind to single-pointedness, also Japa, Om chanting, mindfulness are good tools to practice single pointedness
o Single pointedness + yagna spirit results in subjective gain of our personality
· Why should we think of the Lord at the time of death?
o To achieve liberation (no rebirth) i.e. moksha
o Charity, rituals, pilgrimages and good deeds are limited by time, place and resources, so their result is also limited. It cannot take us to moksha.
o Only the self-knowledge can lead us to liberation
· We also discussed the logic behind Karma theory and the Theory of Rebirth in detail making it clear that unlike the belief system in Abrahamic religions, Hinduism does not accept luck as a factor in where, when and how we come to experience this Universe. It is a result of our own actions.
· In the last class we divided the students into 5 teams and played jeopardy as a revision of Chapters 1-8 of the Gita
We are happy to say that children were able to answer correctly 22/25 questions. (Full disclosure: we allowed them to refer to their notes J) Feel free to test your knowledge by clicking the link below. You too can refer to previous class summaries!
Bhagavad Gita 1-8 Jeopardy Template
|
· Class Debate: Hinduism is Montheistic, but Polytheism is a prevalent practice in Hinduism. Is this contradictory practice good or bad?
o There was a spirited discussion between the for and against teams listing the pros and cons
o We concluded with the understanding that Polytheism is a crutch to reach the formless, attribute less Brahman – just as we cannot start with Calculus in Kindergarten
o As students of Gita, they cannot lose sight of the core goal of liberation, but should feel free to utilize the various practices that the Lord has prescribed to help us reach the goal
In the next class we begin Chapter 9 – The Royal Secret. Hope to see everyone on Friday!
Pranam,
Aruna and Sirisha
