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.'
sañjaya uvācha taṁ tathā kṛipayāviṣhṭama śhrupūrṇākulekṣhaṇam viṣhīdantamidaṁ vākyam uvācha madhusūdanaḥ ॥ २-१॥
Sañjaya said:
As Arjuna's eyes overflowed with tears of pity and despair, Madhusudana (Kṛṣṇa) spoke to him thus
The first principle is Integrated Listening first allow someone to speak fully
śrībhagavānuvāca kutastvā kaśmalamidaṁ viṣame samupasthitam anārya-juṣṭam asvargyam akīrti-karam arjuna
Bhagavān Kṛṣṇa says: Where from has this impurity, dejection descended on you at this critical time, Arjuna! You behave unlike a noble man and this will keep you away from realization
Lead yourself toward your Realization
klaibyaṁ mā sma gamaḥ pārtha naitat tvayyupapadyate kṣhudraṁ hṛidaya-daurbalyaṁ tyaktvottiṣhṭha parantapa
Do not yield to fear, Pārtha! It does not befit you Drop this powerlessness of heart and stand up O Parantapa, destroyer of enemy
Life always demands your expansion, because expansion is the natural law of life.
In Vedānta, the first principle is Śṛavana—Integrated Listening; the second principle is Manana— Intranalyzing, meaning analyzing the truth for the sake of internalizing it not for rejecting it; and the third principle is Nididhyāsana—Living and radiating the truth!
Right listening means allowing the words to enter your inner space automatically; letting them cognize, without you constantly interfering with your incompletions, is Listening.
Arjuna was distraught with pity and despair. His pity was for his opposition that consisted of his svajanam, kinsmen, elders, teachers, relatives and friends. He despaired at the thought of what would happen if he did have to kill them. Kṛṣṇa listened to him carefully, completely.
Kṛṣṇa wanted to give Arjuna time to open his mind, heart and being to Him, Arjuna's friend, guide and master, so that His answers would penetrate Arjuna's very being. Kṛṣṇa asks Arjuna directly, 'How did such impurities, such incompletions come upon you? They are not for a man like you. They will not lead you to higher planes but only defame you.' Kṛṣṇa addresses Arjuna's deep fear and powerlessness straightaway without any philosophy, and asks him to give up his foolish weakness and get up and fight—tyaktvottiṣṭha parantapa. He does not offer any consolation, just a straightforward scolding to awaken him!
Arjuna's root thought pattern originates from fear and worry. His maṇipūraka cakra (navel center) and svādiṣṭhāna cakra (being center), energy centers that get locked due to worry and fear, are now completely locked! Because of his fear pattern, he has deep seated incompletions, stress and worry.
Arjuna is confronted with all the four fears: fear that he may lose whatever he possesses, that he may be maimed in the war, that he may lose his near and dear ones, and fourth, that he may lose his very life. These fears have in turn led to his powerlessness of heart. Understand, all your fears, all your anxieties, all your patterns are directed only in one line—fear of your possibilities
Listen! Your bigness frightens you. You always believe that you are suffocated by your smallness. NO! You are suffocated by your bigness!
Whenever bigness is demanded of you, whenever you feel you are being 'forced' to expand, you shrink even further into your comfort zone. Arjuna's tiredness, his weakness, his powerlessness all these are nothing but the resistance he has to seeing his own bigness!
Listen! The more you engage with life, the greater the expansion that will be demanded of you. Whenever you are feeling weak, tired, and powerless, the first thing you should do is this: immediately take on ten responsibilities and commit to fulfill them within an impossibly short time! Shake your inner space so powerfully with that commitment that there will be no way for weakness and tiredness to grow inside you.
Continuously human beings resist expansion. Incarnations happen on the planet to remind human beings about their possibilities, to expand human consciousness.
The constant, repetitive reference to Bhagavān in the Gītā is to emphasize this point that Kṛṣṇa is not just the mere charioteer of Arjuna, Pārthasārathi, or Keśava, destroyer of the demon Keśin or Madhusūdana, destroyer of the demon Madhu, but that He is Parabrahma Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Energy, who is formless and nameless. This is also to reinforce the satya, truth that you too, like Arjuna, are God and no less.
Helping each child realize the power of listening. Helping each child understand that life is all about embracing expansion. Helping each child go beyond fear and worry. Helping each child reconnect to one's own divinity.
- ❖ What is right listening?
- ❖ What are the 3 principles in Vedānta?
- ❖ What had Kṛṣṇa wanted to give Arjuna?
- ❖ What locks the Svādiṣṭhāna Chakra?
- ❖ What locks the Maṇipūraka Chakra?
- ❖ What do all our fears come down to?
- ❖ What suffocates you?
- ❖ 8.What happens when we engage with life?
- ❖ What is the message that Kṛṣṇa shares throughout the Gītā?
- ❖ Who is God?
MATERIALS NEEDED:
- 1. Maṇipūraka Chakra picture
- 2. Chart paper
- 3. Variety of shapes of colored paper
- 4. Glue
PROCEDURE
Encourage the children to create their own collage with the paper shapes, to represent the Maṇipūraka Chakra.
INFERENCE
All our worries are nothing but a collection of words in the languages that we know and they cause so much confusion and misinterpretation in us.
Conclusion: Bringing awareness to the Maṇipūraka Chakra to embrace life and expand
MATERIALS NEEDED:
- 1. A rope
- 2. Blindfolds
PROCEDURE:
The children will make a team. Only one member will be the leader and is shown an obstacle course and the manner in which it has to be approached. All members of the team are then blindfolded. The team members are roped together with the leader taking the team through the course.
INFERENCE:
To get the team through, communication and organizational skills are essential.
CONCLUSION:
Leadership requires good listening
Vidhya is identifying the thought currents in which you are stuck and reinventing yourself from it. Discuss a situation where you are stuck and reinventing yourself. Pen down all the situations in your life that you are stuck in due to fear of making a mistake. Write down the thought currents in which you are stuck and need to reinvent. Complete with all those thought currents and write down how you are going to take responsibility for it and get into action.