Character Sketch
- Śakuni, the maternal uncle of Duryodhana embodies the pattern of self-hatred, which is cunningness personified.
- Droṇa represents all the best knowledge one imbibes and the teachers one encounters, who guide us but are unable to take us through to the ultimate flowering of enlightenment. It is difficult to give them up since one feels grateful to them. This is where the Enlightened Master, the incarnation steps in and guides us.
- Duryodhana, represents one's ego or root-pattern, the most difficult to conquer as it leads one to self destruction. One needs the full help of the Master here. It is subtle work and even the Master's help may not be obvious, since at this point, sometimes the ego makes us deny and disconnect from the Master as well.
- Karṇa is the repository of all good deeds and it is his good deeds that stand in the way of his own Enlightenment. Śrī Kṛṣṇa has to take the load of Karṇa's puṇya, his meritorious deeds, before he could be liberated. The Enlightened Master guides one to drop one's attachment to good deeds arising out of what are perceived to be charitable and compassionate intentions. He also shows us that the quest for and the experience of enlightenment is the ultimate act of compassion that one can offer to the world.
Bhagavan Ṣri Kṛṣṇa, the 8th most powerful purnāvatar of Ṃaha Viśnu, is the embodiment of pure celebration, boundless love, compassion, and completion.
Bhagavan Ṣri Kṛṣṇa is the only incarnation demonstrating and expressing Ṣarva Ṃangalatva all the auspicious qualities and all dimensions of an avatar during His physical happening. The līla Bhagavan Ṣri Krsna is one of sheer innocence and simplicity, in a peace-loving, diplomatic, conflict-free way.
Karṇa is the repository of all good deeds and it is his good deeds that stand in the way of his own Enlightenment. Śrī Kṛṣṇa has to take the load of Karṇa's puṇya, his meritorious deeds, before he could be liberated. The Enlightened Master guides one to drop one's attachment to good deeds arising out of what are perceived to be charitable and compassionate intentions. He also shows us that the quest for and the experience of enlightenment is the ultimate Till now everyone blames Bhagavan Sri Krishna for this Kurukshetra war but that's the greatest sacrifice Bhagavan Sri Krishna did to save the planet Earth. If Kurukshetra was not conducted at that time under the controlled conditions and direct supervision of Bhagavan Sri Krishna, planet Earth would not have survived more than three years.
Character Sketch act of compassion that one can offer to the world. Bhagavan Ṣri Kṛṣṇa, the 8th most powerful purnāvatar of Ṃaha Viśnu, is the embodiment of pure celebration, boundless love, compassion, and completion. Bhagavan Ṣri Kṛṣṇa is the only incarnation demonstrating and expressing Ṣarva Ṃangalatva all the auspicious qualities a nd all dimensions of an avatar during His physical happening. The līla Bhagavan Ṣri Krsna is one of sheer innocence and The wide spread availability of the Astra shastras without Shastra, without the knowledge and vision, was posing a huge threat to the whole of humanity and planet Earth, and for life itself. The greatest achievement of Bhagavan Sri Krishna is destroying all the weapons in one controlled condition and saving planet earth, eliminating the nuclear weapons and the knowledge of these nuclear weapons to save humanity from total annihilation.
conflict-free way.
simplicity, in a peace-loving, diplomatic,
Bhagavad Gītā appears in the heart of Mahābhārat in Bhīṣma Parva, the sixth chapter of its eighteen chapters. Veda Vyāsa, the narrator, in glorifying the Gītā sings, 'the one who drinks the water of Ganges (the sacred river for Hindus) attains liberation, what to speak of the one who drinks the nectar of Gītā?
Gītā is the essential nectar of the Mahābhārat, bhāratamṛta sarvasvam as it is directly spoken by Nārāyaṇa, Bhagavān kṛṣṇa Himself.'
The armies assembled in the vast field of Kurukṣetra, now in the state of Haryana in modern day Bharat. All the kings and princes were related to one another, and were often on opposite sides. Facing the Kaurava army and his friends, relatives and teachers, Arjuna was overcome by remorse and guilt, and wanted to walk away from the battle out of total powerlessness unbecoming an invincible warrior among warriors.
Śrī Kṛṣṇa's dialogue with Arjuna on the battlefield of Kurukṣetra out of His utmost concern and love for him and humanity is the content of Bhagavad Gītā. Of its seven hundred and forty-five (745) verses, Bhagavān Śrī Kṛṣṇa sings the Gītā in six hundred and twenty (620) verses responding to Arjuna's fifty-seven (57) enquiries.
Śrī Kṛṣṇa persuades Arjuna to give-up his powerlessness unfitting an Ārya—the spiritually evolved one who understands human life and urges him to raise himself again as Parantapa—the conqueror of enemy, and take up arms and vanquish his enemies. They are already dead,' says Śrī Kṛṣṇa, 'All those who are facing you have been already killed by Me. Go ahead and do what you have to do. That is your responsibility. Do not worry about the outcome. Leave that to Me.'
utsannakula dharmāṇāṃ manuṣyāṇāṃ janārdana narake 'niyataṃ vāso bhavatītyanuśuśruma
O Janārdana, we hear that those who have lost family traditions dwell in hell for an indefinite period of time
Gītā is about surrendering the past and the future incompletions to the present and experiencing completion.
aho bata mahat pāpaṃ kartuṃ vyavasitā vayaṃ yad rājya sukha lobhena hantuṃ svajanam udyatāḥ
Alas, we are prepared to commit greatly sinful acts of killing our kinsmen, driven by the desire to enjoy royal Happiness
Eternal happiness that constantly flows as bliss is always within.
yadi mām apratīkāram aśastraṃ śastrapāṇayaḥ dhārtarāṣṭrā raṇe hanyuḥ tan me kṣemataraṃ bhavet
It would be better if the sons of Dhṛtarāṣṭra, armed with weapons, killed me in battle while I am unarmed and Unresisting f you imbibe even a little of Bhagavad Gītā, if you drink even a drop of Gaṅgā water, if you think even once about that great Master Śrī Kṛṣṇa, you will never have to face death.
sañjaya uvāca evam uktvārjunaḥ saṃkhye rathopastha upāviśat I visṛ jya saśaraṃ cāpaṃ śokasaṃvignamānasaḥ
Sañjaya said: Arjuna, whose mind was agitated by grief on the battle field, having spoken thus, cast aside his bow along with the arrow and sat down at the rear portion of the chariot
The essence of the Gītā is living in the space of completion in the present moment.
Arjuna was ready to give up. He was all set to run away from the battlefield and escape from the reality of his duty. He had convinced himself through his own illusory arguments that what he had embarked upon was pure evil and therefore he wanted no part of it. He said, 'I am ready to lay down my arms. Let Duryodhana and his men kill me.' Arjuna's desperation arose from his dilemma, which was becoming more extreme by the minute.
Arjuna was an intelligent man accustomed to the light of clarity but was now in darkness. He was torn between his duty as a ksatriya prince and the scriptural codes of morality. Arjuna's distress was complete. He sat down, unable to bear the weight of his emotions. He put down his bow and arrows, which signified that he was out of the battle.
Arjuna's delusion was complete. He was as far away from reality and intelligent action as he could possibly get. The greatest warrior of his time, the greatest of men, was in the depths of despair due to his inner turmoil. The conflict between his upbringing and value systems, his samskaras and what he was about to do by waging war against his kinsmen had reduced him to a pitiable wreck who now abandoned his weapons and collapsed inside his chariot. At this point,
Arjuna was no example of a true ksatriya. Arjuna was now a true example of mankind. He was being human. He was experiencing the deep conflict between the unconscious patterns that were driving him and the reality of what he ought to do. The darkness that surrounded Arjuna at this stage was māyā, the illusion that prevents all human beings from perceiving the truth of Reality that pervades all our experiences.
Ya ma iti maya, that which is not real but appears as absolute is maya. Maya is not unreal in the sense that it does not exist. Maya truly exists as reality. It veils, it covers Reality, the ultimate Truth. Had Arjuna been Krsna, had Arjuna been enlightened, he would not have been tormented by the play of his maya.
Had Arjuna been a Duryodhana or even a Bhima whose individual consciousness was not awakened, he would have accepted the maya without question and again not been tormented by it. But, Arjuna is intelligent. He is partially awakened, a seeker. He is in the presence of the greatest of all masters. He is struggling to rid himself of his maya and seeks clarity.
It is Arjuna's ego that created the maya in him. His own along with his conviction that he should preserve his lineage - all these factors created the illusion in him that he was something other than who he was. These created the doubt in him that he should do something other than what he was there to do.
All of us come into this world with no identity. As we grow we collect labels describing ourselves. We become so associated with the labels and their accessories that we forget who we really are. Our life is then about seeking fulfillment in the wrong places. We search for happiness in the external world because that is where we have been taught to look for fulfillment. We have not learned how to look within and experience it. Eternal happiness that constantly flows as bliss is always within you and not in material possessions, relationships or selfish philanthropy. It is a state of no-mind that you experience within yourself.
To help the child understand the battle scene and the dilemma Arjuna was facing by having to destroy his kinsmen
- 1. What is the meaning of being a ksatriya as described in this chapter?
- 2. What do you understand by maya?
- 3. Why is Arjuna feeling desperate to leave the battlefield?
MATERIALS NEEDED:
- White sheet
- 2. Pencil (or) Sketch pen
- 3. Blindfolds
PROCEDURE:
Give each child the materials needed. Encourage the children to draw any picture blind folded. Children then can see the picture which they have drawn and talk about it.
Inference:
Connect to the concept that guilt makes us blind so that we cannot see the real picture Explain to the children when we are in guilt we will not make correct decisions, we cannot see the real picture.
Material Needed:
Somebeads or small stones in a clothbag
Procedure:
Ask the children to sit in a circle and explain to the children that one childhas to take a fewbeads without showing others with their fist closed and must ask others whether they arehaving even, or oddbeads/stones. They can also avoid taking anybeads andhave an empty fist and ask the other children whether theyhave odd, even or none. Each child will take turns and play thisgame.
Inference:
The goal is to make the children understand about the concept ofguilt. A child when showing an empty closed fist sometimes, cannothidebecause their face will show as they maylaugh orkeep very quiet. Connect it to the concept if we do something whichleads toguilt we cannothide it.