Apr 27, 2025 - JCHYK Gr. 10-12 (Sunday AM)

Hari om everyone, 

Here's a quick synopsis of the sharing the highlights from the past class. 

We started the class with meditation, and Gita chanting, Chapter 5.  

Quirky Question (QQ) of the Day: "I speak without a mouth and hear without ears. I have no body, but I come alive with wind. Who am I?"

The classroom buzzed with guesses—"a bird," "a tree," "a whisper"—each student leaning into their imagination and justifying their answers to some extent.  But they didn't suffice all the factors we were looking for. And then came the answer: An Echo.

But then, that wasn't just a riddle—it was a doorway into something deeper.

We began to draw the connection. "An echo," we explained, "has no true, independent existence. It doesn't originate sound—it only reflects it. It comes alive due to external conditions. Similarly, in Chapter 4 of the Bhagavad Gita—Jnana Karma Sanyasa Yoga—Krishna teaches that actions too, when illuminated by knowledge, are not truly born of an individual 'doer.' They arise from the interplay of the gunas, the qualities of nature."

We paused, letting that settle in.

"Just like the echo that repeats a voice but cannot claim to be the source, the wise person sees their actions as reflections—not of ego, but of the divine will. They act without attachment, without pride. They renounce the fruits of action—not through inaction, but through clarity."

A student chuckled, "So the echo thinks it's giving a speech?"

We said, "Exactly! Just like how the ignorant think they are the originators of their deeds. Krishna clears that up real quick."

From there, the conversation shifted naturally to something we had explored a few weeks before: the power of words.

We revisited the simple yet profound experiment with the two plants—one nurtured with kind, loving words, the other subjected to criticism and negativity. Over time, the plant that received love thrived, while the other withered—not because of water or sunlight, but because of sound, intention, vibration.

Then came the mention of Dr. Masaru Emoto's experiments with water. How spoken words—loving or hateful—could actually alter the crystalline structure of water. Beautiful, snowflake-like patterns formed from kind words like "love" and "gratitude," while jagged, chaotic shapes emerged from words like "hate" or "fool."

It gave us chills to realize: We are echoes too. Echoes shaped by what we absorb. Our thoughts, our speech, even our habits—can reflect our inner harmony or inner chaos.

From there, the discussion flowed naturally into karma, intention, and the idea of non-doership. Students debated the ethics of responsibility—"If God's the doer, are we off the hook?"—and we gently redirected: "You're still responsible for your actions. But wisdom dissolves the need to obsess over outcomes or inflate the ego."

As the class wound down, another insight was offered: "Even habits like shaking your leg or biting your nails—those are echoes too. Echoes of anxiety, distraction. And just like an echo, they aren't the real you. Stillness reveals the source."

The session ended not with answers, but with silence—the kind that echoes with meaning long after the words have faded.

We finished the class with Unique Statement Review before we went to the main hall for aarati and pledge. 

Until next time, here's something to ponder

Regards,
Rashmi.

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