Hari OM!
Today we reviewed a few key shlokas from Chapter 9 and listened to chanting of Bhagavad Gita chapter 5 verses.
Lord Krishna says he will accept a leaf, a flower, a fruit, or water that is offered with devotion. The children reviewed this shloka in groups and interpreted as anything offered to God should be done with sincerity. When asked who is God, which is a difficult question, there were only a couple of answers. Here God could be taken to mean mother, father, or teacher - in short, anyone we respect and love. We should offer something when we go to meet people we care about. There is no need for expensive gifts but thought should be put into it and we should be sincere in our efforts. We reviewed the story of Kusela aka Sudama that the children listened to with rapt attention.
Lord Krishna says whatever you do, do it as an offering to me. The children took this shloka, which is about action, as an extension of the previous shloka, which is about physical things. This shloka could be taken as the summary of Chapter 9, or the "royal secret" as the chapter is called. In any action we do, even a mundane one as greeting someone, if we do it with the attitude that the other person is God, we will be the best we can be. This one attitude alone will make us successful and stress free in life.
To illustrate a point, the children were offered a choice - pick either a $20 bill or a dollar bill. Without a doubt, everyone picked the twenty dollar bill. We used this to explain happiness one gets from things (icecream) and actions (spending time with friends, listening to music, playing a game, etc) as short-lived (similar to a $1 bill) whereas if we follow the advice of Lord Krishna, we would get everlasting happiness in life (akin to a $20 bill). While no one will opt for a dollar bill when they could take a $20 bill, almost everyone goes after temporary happiness in this world. We are planning to elaborate on this contradiction in the context of Maya in the coming classes.
Lord Krishna says he will accept a leaf, a flower, a fruit, or water that is offered with devotion. The children reviewed this shloka in groups and interpreted as anything offered to God should be done with sincerity. When asked who is God, which is a difficult question, there were only a couple of answers. Here God could be taken to mean mother, father, or teacher - in short, anyone we respect and love. We should offer something when we go to meet people we care about. There is no need for expensive gifts but thought should be put into it and we should be sincere in our efforts. We reviewed the story of Kusela aka Sudama that the children listened to with rapt attention.
Lord Krishna says whatever you do, do it as an offering to me. The children took this shloka, which is about action, as an extension of the previous shloka, which is about physical things. This shloka could be taken as the summary of Chapter 9, or the "royal secret" as the chapter is called. In any action we do, even a mundane one as greeting someone, if we do it with the attitude that the other person is God, we will be the best we can be. This one attitude alone will make us successful and stress free in life.
To illustrate a point, the children were offered a choice - pick either a $20 bill or a dollar bill. Without a doubt, everyone picked the twenty dollar bill. We used this to explain happiness one gets from things (icecream) and actions (spending time with friends, listening to music, playing a game, etc) as short-lived (similar to a $1 bill) whereas if we follow the advice of Lord Krishna, we would get everlasting happiness in life (akin to a $20 bill). While no one will opt for a dollar bill when they could take a $20 bill, almost everyone goes after temporary happiness in this world. We are planning to elaborate on this contradiction in the context of Maya in the coming classes.
Regards,
Siva and Sankar
