Hari om everyone,
Here's the synopsis of our class this weekend. The class started with meditation.
Our class has been practicing Geeta chanting diligently from the very first class of Bala Vihar. Today, we were going to present it on the stage. So, we practiced it thoroughly.
The Kyun Kyun (QQ - Quirky Question) of the day was - Imagine, I was dangling from the edge of a tree branch arching over a river. The river is infested with poisonous snakes. Rats are gnawing away at the very branch that I'm holding onto. An elephant is trying to uproot the entire tree itself. Bees have built a hive, up above in the tree. A few drops of sweet honey are dripping down. I am enjoying the sweetness of the drops that come my way. But the bees from the hive are stinging me too... How do I save myself from this precarious situation?!!
We didn't get any positive answers :). Then we drew the attention towards the first word of the question - 'Imagine'. So, to get out of this imaginary trouble, all I have to do is - Stop imagining! 😃
In the world too, all the troubles we perceive and presume as ours, are only imaginary! All of it belongs to the kShetra (the composite of the elements we learnt about in the last class).
The scriptures tell us that NaaraayaNa, the Lord, the indweller of us all, has his hand held out to bail us out of all the perils. The below picture is a beautiful depiction of the same!
Would Narayana help anyone and everyone? God helps he who helps himself... Meaning, anyone who SEEKS His help will be helped by Him. For that, we need chitta shuddhi (purity of mind). For that, we need to develop values.
In chapter 13, Krishna talks about 20 values that we need to inculcate in order to attain purity of mind. With a purer mind, seeking eternal happiness is much easier.
We discussed humility; straightforwardness; non-violence; respecting teachers; etc.
We have a presumed idea about these words but many times, we don't contemplate their intensity! For example, we say we need to be humble. Does that mean we become so subservient that we become a doormat? Not at all!!
We asked a question, 'Who all helped you get to Bala Vihar today?'
Some said, my mom, my dad, I drove myself, etc.
But we kept asking, 'who else?' And there was no answer.
We pointed out, 'Think about all the people that contributed towards making your clothes, your food, the people who made water pipes so you could get hot water to shower, who made your car, even the gas that your car runs on!' The list goes on...
When we think about how many people have assisted us in making our lives so comfortable, our arrogance about all the privileges we have will disappear! We won't have airs about ourselves or look down upon others. This is what true humility is. Then we will speak kindly and treat everyone with empathy.
We discussed a few more concepts and quickly wrapped up with 'Unique Statement Review'.
We headed out to the temple auditorium to present Geeta chanting. Below is the video to reminisce their wonderful work and Swamiji's blessings. They were awesome! Now, it is time to register for the Geeta chanting competition on Apr 20th.
We will take leave with this thought to ponder upon.
See you next week.
Regards,
Rashmi and Sirisha.
Rashmi and Sirisha.
