Hari om everyone,
Happy New Year to you all. Here's a synopsis of the first class of the new year.
We started the class with meditation and chanting chapter 5 of the Geeta. Since we have finished learning, we will continue practicing chanting every class.
Our Quirky Question (QQ) of the day was: "You are all good at so many different topics like Physics, car mechanics, logic, etc. Maybe you guys can help me... Imagine, I was driving on rt. 27 and drove off the road and went straight into the Raritan canal...! I don't know swimming also.., I am panicking now... What should I do? How can you help me?
We had many intellectual answers—Wait till the water fills up the car and open the door afterward; be sure to unbuckle yourself; remove the headrest and use the sharp rods to break the window; escape through the sunroof if the car has one, drive off a cliff instead...! 
I said: What if I say, you didn't even hear the question right?!
They: Could you repeat the question then?
"Imagine..., I drove off into a canal"
They: Ohhhh...,
"Yep! Just stop imagining! I'm not going anywhere"
Before starting the lesson of the day, we saw this video which we will connect later with the lesson and the Quirky question.
How to make cotton candy - Bytesize Science
How to make cotton candy - Bytesize Science
We have finished listening to the story of Mahabharata so far. Now, we get back to the beginning of the war. The first chapter is called Arjuna Vishaada Yoga, meaning Arjuna is distraught.
Dhritaraashtra asked Sanjaya to narrate to him what was happening on the battlefield. He asked, "What are my sons and those Paandavas doing on the battlefield?" This is the root cause of all trouble! Mine and yours.
We discussed Arjuna's emotional turmoil and how it mirrors our struggles in real life:
- Facing trouble with hesitation and distress.
- Becoming delusional and emotional.
- Ranting and justifying decisions to quit.
- Praising ourselves for choosing the "easy way out."
This parallel helps us relate the Geeta to our daily lives—making it not just a story, but our story.
This makes Bhagavadgeeta instantly relevant to us!! We are the subject of discussion in this class!
We connected the Quirky Question and the video: We imagine the troubles in our life like in the quirky question and just like in the video, we fluff up our little hassles into a huge ball of cotton candy! We must remember to splash some water on that huge imaginary cloud of problems we create for ourselves and resolve them quickly with right thinking.
One of our students asked, "Why were the Kauravas born so evil and the Paandavas born so good?"
Answer: "No one is born either good or bad. We are all born with vaasanas (inherent tendencies). How we put them to use is up to us! Nature has to be nurtured as well. Dhritarashra was born blind and Gandhaari decided to be blind. Together, as parents, they turned a blind eye to all the vices of Duryodhana and his brothers. Shakuni fed whatever he wanted to their heads. On the other hand, Kunti brought them up with deep values and a sense of dharma. So, if your parents are disciplining you, be happy that they are not letting you be like Duryodhana! They have your best interest at heart!!"
With the story of the 2 wolves, we understood how the black and the white wolf are good and evil in ourselves. We also learned that 'the one we feed, prevails'!
We wrapped up the class with Unique Statement Review and dispersed for aarati and pledge.
Here's what Krishna did and something we can contemplate -
See you next week.
Regards,
Rashmi.
http://sanskritpearls.blogspot.com/
On Facebook,
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Rashmi.
http://sanskritpearls.blogspot.com/
On Facebook,
http://www.facebook.com/SanskritPearls
