Hari om everyone,
We started the class with meditation and chanting. We chanted Aaditya hRudayam and the first half of bhagavadgeeta ch. 1. As we say, we don't learn bhagavadgeeta just for the competition. We learn and practice beyond that. We are very happy with the progress in their pronunciations and inflexions as well!
Last week's Brain Teaser: What is it that if I have, I cannot share..., if I share, I cannot have? Hmmm..., what can it be?!
We forgot to discuss the answer in class. But this time, we will not be giving the answer via email. We will discuss in class next week. Think about it and be ready with the answer :)
We continued our discussion on chapter 12, bhakti yoga. In this chapter, Arjuna had a question - "Krishna, you said we can worship you in manifest or unmanifest form. Please tell me which is the best way to worship you. I will simply follow that!!"
Arjuna, just like us, wanted a readymade, easy, straightforward answer so that he could blindly follow and not be accountable for the choice he made! :) It would be on Krishna to decide and tell him which path to follow!
But does the Lord make it so simple? Absolutely not! :) He explained to Arjuna the requirements for each of the paths.
To worship the manifest form of the Lord, one should - fix his mind on the Lord, have self-control, have complete faith.
To worship the unmanifest form of the Lord, one should - restrain all senses, be equanimous, aim for the welfare of all beings.
Asking which path is better is like asking, "I am extremely hungry. Will my hunger be satiated if I eat with hand or with a spoon?" :))... Exactly! Satiating the hunger is dependent on the availability of food, not the tool to eat it with, right?! Whether we eat with a spoon or without a spoon, feeding the stomach is more important. Similarly, whether we worship the Lord with a form or without form, the devotion and purity of mind are much more essential.
So, Lord Krishna said, "no matter which path you chose, it is important for you to have certain attributes! These qualities are absolutely essential, whichever way YOU prefer to worship the Supreme!"
A few of the essential qualities we discussed today were - no jealousy, no arrogance, kindness, compassion towards all beings, mind fixed in good thoughts, neither agitate the world nor be agitated by the world (calm demeanor), etc.
We then questioned - Are these attribute required for us now? How are these attributes applicable to our day-to-day lives? Isn't it enough if we study well, get great scores, go to top-notch colleges with perfect GPAs, make a good career and lots of money...? We would have gained lots of knowledge and specific skills in our field of expertise...! What more do we need?
To answer these questions, we saw a beautiful video with a simple demonstration. Check out the video attached below.
So, just like in the video, a right attitude is absolutely essential no matter where we go, what we become or how well we turn out in life! Arrogance never pays. In fact, this point was established very well in the movie we saw last class - Dr. Strange. What stops our learning are: Arrogance and Fear! It is up to us how we build our character and inculcate these valuable traits in our lives. A value become valuable when we value it!! They mere words otherwise!
We discussed a few real-life examples that they may face when they go out into the world, to better understand how and where attitude matters. We all agreed that it is a very valuable trait that each and every one of us has to develop for our own good!
Until next time, happy contemplating! Don't forget seeing the video.
