1. Bhagavad Gita Chapter 13 - Collection

Your whole life is nothing but the Mahābhārat War. The Mahābharāt should be read again and again to understand the intricacies of life, the complications of life, and the ability to handle life. The true story of this perfectly recorded epic is about two warring clans, Kauravas and Pānḍavas, closely related to one another. Dhṛtarāṣṭra, the blind king of Hastināpur and father of the 100 Kaurava brothers was the brother of Pānḍu, whose children were the five Pānḍava princes.

It is a tale of strife between cousins and ultimately between dhārmic and adhārmic, righteous and unrighteous civilizations.

Since Dhṛtarāṣṭra was blind, Pānḍu was made the king of Hastināpura. Pānḍu was cursed by a sage that he would die if he ever entered into a physical relationship with his wives.

He therefore had no children. Vyāsa says that all the five Pānḍava children were born to their mothers Kuntī and Mādri through the blessing of divine beings. Pānḍu handed over the kingdom and his children to his blind brother.

Kuntī, who is the embodiment of tapas, spiritual penance, had received a boon when she was still a young unmarried adolescent, that she could summon any divine power at will to father a child. Before she married, she tested her boon. The Sun god, Sūrya appeared before her. Karṇa was born to her as a result. In fear of social reprisals, she cast the newborn away in a river. Yudhiṣṭra, Bhīma and Arjuna were born to Kuntī after her marriage by invocation of her powers, and the twins Nakula and Sahadeva were born to Mādri, the second wife of Pānḍu.

Yudhiṣṭra was born to Kuntī as a result of her being blessed by Yama, the god of death, dharma and justice, Bhīma by Vāyu, the god of wind, and Arjuna by Indra, god of all the divine beings. Nakula and Sahadeva, the youngest Pānḍava twins, were born to Mādri, through the Divine Aśvini twins.

Dhṛtarāṣṭra had a hundred sons through his wife Gāndhārī. The eldest of these Kaurava princes was Duryodhana. Duryodhana felt no love for his five Pānḍava cousins. He made many unsuccessful attempts, along with his brother Duśśāsana, to kill the Pānḍava brothers. Kuntī's eldest son Karṇa, whom she had cast away at birth, was found and brought up by a chariot driver in the palace, and by a strange twist of fate, joined hands with Duryodhana.

Dhṛtarāṣṭra gave Yudhiṣṭra one half of the Kuru kingdom on his coming of age, since the Pānḍava prince was the rightful heir to the throne that his father Pānḍu had vacated.

Yudhiṣṭra ruled from his new capital Indraprastha, along with his brothers Bhīma, Arjuna, Nakula and Sahadeva.

Arjuna won the hand of princess Draupadī, daughter of the king of Pāñcāla, in a svayaṁvara, a marital contest in which princes fought for the hand of a fair damsel.

In fulfillment of their mother Kuntī's desire that the brothers share everything equally, Draupadī became the wife of all five Pānḍava brothers. Duryodhana persuaded Yudhiṣṭra to join a gambling session, where his cunning uncle Śakunī defeated the Pānḍava king.

Yudhiṣṭra lost all that he owned—his kingdom, his brothers, his wife and himself, to Duryodhana. Duśśāsana shamed Draupadī in public by trying to disrobe her. The Pānḍava brothers and Draupadī were forced to go into exile for fourteen years, with the condition that in the last year they should live incognito or ajyāta vāsa.

At the end of the fourteen years, the Pānḍava brothers tried to reclaim their kingdom. In this effort they were helped by Śrī Kṛṣṇa, the king of the Yādava clan, who is the eighth divine incarnation of Bhagavān Viṣṇu.

However, Duryodhana refused to yield even a needlepoint of land, and as a result, the Great War, the War of Mahābhārat ensued. In this war, various rulers of the entire nation that is modern Bharat aligned with one or the other of these two clans, the Kauravas or the Pānḍavas.

Kṛṣṇa offered to join with either of the two clans. He says, 'One of you may have Me unarmed. I will not take any part in the battle. The other may have my entire Yādava army.'

When the offer was first made to Duryodhana, he predictably chose the large and well-armed Yādava army, Nārāyaṇī Senā, in preference to the unarmed Kṛṣṇa.

Arjuna joyfully and gratefully chose his dearest friend, his life mentor and his Guru, Kṛṣṇa, Nārāyaṇa, to be his unarmed charioteer!

This whole history is such a beautiful happening. Mahābhārat is actually your life! Every character in the Mahābhārat teaches so much! We don't need to go anywhere for our life success or fulfillment or for anything else that we may desire. We don't need to study any other book to learn the human psychology or the science of living and leaving. Whether we seek righteous living—dharma; or we want to learn business or administration, economy or abundance—artha; or we want to create the best rich lifestyle—kāma; or we want to be a leader and want the enriching life of being enlightened mokṣa, for all these purposes, we don't need anything other than the Mahābharāt!

Study each character. We will not find any more characters in our life than the characters described in the Mahābharāt!

Any character we see in our life is mapped to Mahābharāt's one character. They are either half or full representation of some character.

To know how to handle them and even handle yourself, just see how Śrī Kṛṣṇa handles them and handle them the same way. The Mahābharāt war is a representation of life as it was lived in that age.

Vyāsa, its author is an unbiased historian who recorded the whole history as it happened without trying to apply any makeup. People ask whether the Mahābharāt war happened at all!

If the Mahābharāt was a story and not history, Vyāsa should receive multiple Pulitzer prizes for his highly creative work! The Mahābharāt is the longest literary work in the whole world with hundred thousand Saṃskṛit verses—the longest poem ever written with such delicate harmony of unmatched poetic perfection. It is larger than the Greek epics. Vyāsa had no computer, no tape recorder with speech-to-text capabilities. He dictated and Bhagavān Ganeṣa wrote it down!

• Yudhiṣṭra is embodiment of Integrity the power of words, vāk śakti.
• Bhīma is embodiment of Authenticity the power of thoughts, mano śakti.

Arjuna is embodiment of Responsibility—the power of feeling, prema śakti.

• Sahadeva is embodiment of Enriching the power of living, ātma śakti.

• Nakula is embodiment of causing reality for others.

• 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 selfdestruction. 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.

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.

simplicity, in a peace-loving, diplomatic,

conflict-free way.

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.'

Authored by

THE SUPREME PONTIFF OF HINDUISM BHAGAWAN SRI NITHYANANDA PARAMASHIVAM

arjuna uvāca prakṛtiṁ puruṣaṁ caiva kṣetraṁ kṣetrajñameva ca I etad veditum icchāmi jñānaṁ jñeyaṁ ca keśava

Arjuna says: O Keśava, I wish to know and understand about prakṛti and puruṣa, passive and active energies. The field [kṣetra] and the knower of the field [kṣetrajña], and of knowledge [jñānaṁ] and of the end of knowledge [jñeyaṃ]

All we need to do is understand and create the right cognition about the field and the knower, that is, what we are and what we are not.

śrībhagavānuvāca idam śarīraṁ kaunteya kṣetram ityabhidhīyate etadyo vetti taṁ prāhuḥ kṣetrajña iti tadvidaḥ

Bhagavān Kṛṣṇa replies: This body, O Kaunteya, is called the field, kṣetra. Anyone who knows this body is called the knower of the field, kṣetrajña

A person who knows how to handle his body and mind enjoys the whole thing.

He is totally at ease with himself.

kṣetrajñaṁ cāpi māṁ viddhi sarvakṣetreṣu bhārata kṣetra-kṣetrajñayor jñānaṁ yat taj jñānaṁ mataṁ mama

O Bhārata, know that I am the Knower in all bodies [kṣetrajña], the witness. In my opinion knowledge means the understanding of this body or the field of activity as well as the Knower of this field

A person who carries the right cognition and understands that he is consciousness liberates himself. He is enlightened.

'O Kaunteya (son of Kuntī), O Arjuna, this body is called the field, kṣetra; the person who knows this body is called the knower of the field or kṣetrajña.

Whatever you know is not you. If you know something, it is not you. For instance, you can read this book because it is separate and apart from you. Similarly, if you can know your body, then it is not you. If you can know your mind, then it is not you. If you can know your thoughts, then they are not you. Whatever you know is not you. You are separate from that or above that. That is why you are able to know it. Whether it is the body, thoughts or emotions, whatever you know is not you.

Now we need to separate these two, the field from the knower of the field. Once we separate these two, the body will be complete, blissful and joyful! Consciousness will be liberated. When these two join, that is where the problem starts.

When we understand that something is separate from us, we never feel that we must renounce it. We simply need to renounce the inadequate cognition that we are that particular thing, that's all. We will simply know that there is nothing to renounce just by being aware of the way in which our body or mind works. Neither will we feel tortured by them, nor will we feel like torturing them. The people who are tortured by the body and mind are caught in this world and its troubles.

A person who knows how to handle his body and mind enjoys the whole thing. He is totally at ease with himself. He feels completely relaxed with his body and mind. He intensely enjoys all pleasures and comforts and he never abuses the body.

Enjoying and abusing are two different things. Enjoying is when the mind and the body are in tune with each other. We feel ease, comfort, a deep sense of relaxation and a feeling of being at home with ourselves.

Another category of people tortures the body for the sake of the mind, in the name of penance or tapas. These people are in search of peace and bliss. They go on disrespecting and torturing the body: going without food for months together, standing on one leg, or walking on fire. They continuously abuse the body or mind in one way or the other.

Torturing others happens when we torture ourselves. If we torture ourselves, naturally we will torture others. Please understand that we torture others when we do not feel comfortable and complete within ourselves. Torturing others is directly related to torturing ourselves. If we think that we are the mind, we torture our body; and if we think we are the body, we torture our mind. The person who knows the secrets of the body and mind neither tortures nor abuses them. He knows how to use and enrich them and live blissfully in completion with them. His inner space overflows with bliss, and his outer space enjoys comforts and real pleasures.

Our consciousness is God and there is no separate thing as God. The problem arises when we start carrying an inadequate cognition thinking that we are the body and the mind. A person who carries the right cognition and understands that he is consciousness liberates himself. He is enlightened. He becomes the Buddha. Consciousness is God.

To let students understand that whatever they know is not them. If one carries the right cognition and understands one is consciousness, then one liberates himself and becomes enlightened.

• Why is it that when you know something, that particular thing is not you?
• Why is renunciation unnecessary when we know that something is separate from us?
• Explain the difference between enjoying and abusing the body and mind.
• How is torturing others directly related to torturing ourselves?
• How can a person become enlightened?

• 1. Pencil & Pen,
• 2. Paper
• 3. Crayons

Trace your hand (either left or right) with all the fingers wide spread on the piece of white paper. Measure the length from the tip of the thumb to the tip of the little finger and record the measurement. When doing this activity, take note of your thoughts and write them down too on the piece of white paper. Look at your traced hand. Now you know the size of your hand. Read the thoughts that you have written down. Why did you have these thoughts? INFERENCE

If you can know your body and your thoughts, then they are not you. Whatever you know is not you. You are separate from that or above that. That is why you are able to know it. Whether it is the body, thoughts or emotions, whatever you know is not you.

If possible, have the technology to show a YouTube video. Otherwise have the story ready of the lion cub who grows up thinking it is a goat / sheep.

If possible, have the technology to show a YouTube video. Otherwise have the story ready of the lion cub who grows up thinking it is a goat / sheep

Part 2: Bhagavad Gita Chapter 13 - Collection_English_part_2.md

Our consciousness is God and there is no separate thing as God. However, the problem arises when we start carrying an inadequate cognition thinking that we are the body and the mind. Why is this so?

A person who carries the right cognition and understands that he is consciousness liberates himself. He is enlightened. He becomes the Buddha. Consciousness is God.

Authored by

THE SUPREME PONTIFF OF HINDUISM BHAGAWAN SRI NITHYANANDA PARAMASHIVAM

tat kṣetraṁ yac ca yādṛk ca yadvikāri yataś ca yat sa ca yo yat prabhāvaś ca tat samāsena me sṛṇu

Understand my summary of this field of activity and how it is constituted, what its changes are, how it is produced, who that knower of the field of activities is, and what his influences are

Freedom happens only when we realize that there is no need to chase.

ṛṣibhir bahudhā gītaṁ chandobhir vividhaiḥ pṛthak brahma-sūtra padaiś caiva hetumadbhir viniścitaiḥ

That knowledge of the field of activities and of the knower of activities is described by various sages with chants in the scriptures. It is presented with all reasoning as to cause and effect

Thousands of years of research done by millions of inner scientists, Ṛṣis, in millions of inner science laboratories have led to the same truth: The true nature of man is pure consciousness and man is the knower or witness of the field the body-mind.

mahā-bhūtānyahaṅkāro buddhir avyaktam eva ca indriyāṇi daśaikaṁ ca pañca cendriya gocarāḥ

The field of activities and its interactions are said to be: the five elements of nature, ego, intelligence, the mind, the formless, the ten senses of perception and action, as well as the five objects of senses

When we cognize that we are beyond body and mind, we will feel no need to resist when somebody tries to enslave us. We know that we can never be slaves

icchādveṣaḥ sukhaṁ duḥkhaṁ saṅghātaścetanā dhṛtiḥ etatkṣetraṁ samāsena savikāram udāhṛtam

desire, hatred, happiness, distress, the aggregate, the life symptoms, and convictions

Conscience is given to us by society. Consciousness is given to us by God.

Introduction The true nature of man is pure consciousness, kṣetrajña, and man is the knower or witness of the field, kṣetra, the body-mind. We have forgotten that we have taken this body and mind for a purpose and that is to live our desires, saṁskāras.

We have forgotten that we have only rented this body-mind costume for this birth and wegradually associate ourselves with it! After a while, this costume becomes more important and dear to us than anything else. Once the costume begins to wear out, we start to worry.

This is what happens when we wrongly associate ourselves with the body and mind, instead of associating with the consciousness that runs it. We confuse kṣetrajña with kṣetra. Naturally, all the problems that arise at the body-mind level start to affect us. The activities that happen to thebody-mind appear to be having a direct influence on our lives.

Kṛṣṇa talks about the five great elements, the false ego, the intelligence or the mind that makes decisions and all ten senses. Please understand, He says, 'ten senses, indriyāṇi daśakaṁ ca'. We think we have five senses. No. We have five karmendriya and five jñānendriya. Karmendriya are the senses or organs responsible for actions such as talking, walking etc and they are the mouth, hands and feet, organs of excretion and reproduction. Jñānendriya are our five senses that receive knowledge such as smell, taste, sight, touch, and hearing and they are the nose, tongue, eyes, skin and ear. So, all the ten senses, plus attachment, aversion, joy, sorrow, the body, mutual attraction and the consciousness contribute to the field of activities.

Actually the word 'consciousness' cannot be used. When our consciousness becomes rigid, it becomes conscience. There's a difference between conscience and consciousness.

For example, we do something based upon what we think is right or wrong according to our conscience. If we give these same teachings to the next generation, it will not work because something else may be right or wrong for them. When we force them to follow the same thing that we did, we are giving it as just a morality, as just a conscience. We are giving them a law without the spirit. On the other hand, when we give our next generation an understanding about life, we give them consciousness.

Understand, a person with only conscience always suffers. He can never be happy, whether he enjoys or renounces. If he enjoys, he suffers from guilt. If he renounces, he feels the lack of it. He suffers either way. Never give conscience to the next generation. Always give them an understanding about life, what I call consciousness. Let them experience and explore.

Conscience is given to us by society. Consciousness is given to us by God. Conscience is social conditioning. Consciousness is our very nature.

Conscience naturally makes our whole life into a ritual. We should know why we are doing and what we are doing before doing anything. Only then will we do it intensely with integrity and authenticity. If we do not know the context and logic behind what we are doing, we will neither integrate ourselves completely into doing it nor take the responsibility to authentically dedicate ourselves to it.

Kṛṣṇa says that the rigid sense of conscience, all the rules that form the kṣetra, are also the field. They are matter. They are not energy. They are not your being. They are not you. Whatever is mentioned here is not you. Listen! We should understand we are liberated the moment we know what we are not. We are liberated even if we live with what is not us. Even if we live with our body-mind, if we know that we are not the body and the mind, then we are not their slaves!

Nothing can enslave us once we understand and cognize that we are not body and mind. We can never become a slave to anything. Even slavery cannot enslave us. Slavery can enslave us as long as we are not ready to cooperate with slavery. This is a subtle point. So, please listen! When we cognize that we are beyond body and mind, we will feel no need to resist when somebody tries to enslave us. We know that we can never be slaves.

Only that which goes against our will can enslave us. Here we are in a totally different space, a totally different consciousness, the space of completion and nothing can go against our will. And we will never have a will that would make us feel like a slave. We will be flowing with the river, flowing with the current. We will disappear into the Divine. So slavery cannot happen to us. Our consciousness is beyond any form of slavery.

In ancient times, man was only subjected to physical slavery. In the present day, man is subjected to psychological slavery. Understand, we are the psychological slaves of countless things. Once we understand that we are not the body-mind, that we are beyond it, we will be totally free from physical and psychological slavery. Please understand, the moment you place your happiness in the hands of something or someone, you have become their slave. They can exploit

you.

One more thing is that even the thought of wanting freedom can exploit us if we allow it. Many times we chase freedom in the name of spiritual seeking. Freedom happens only when we realize that there is no need to chase. We must drop the idea of wanting freedom and just trust the freedom. We will then experience it. Otherwise, craving for freedom can enslave us instead of enriching us. We realize the futility of this struggle and experience freedom only when we become aware that we are already free. The minute we stop resisting whatever we have, we start flowing. We stop giving someone or something the power to control our happiness. Nothing will enslave us. Everything will enrich us. We will experience the consciousness of completion and freedom.

To let students understand the difference between Conscience and Consciousness: Conscience is social conditioning and Consciousness is our very nature. Our consciousness is beyond any form of slavery.

• What are the ten senses?
• Why does a person with only conscience always suffer?
• Why does conscience make our life into a ritual?
• How is it that nothing can enslave us once we understand and cognize that we are not body and mind?
• How can wanting freedom exploit us?
• What happens the minute we stop resisting whatever we have?

• 1. Colour Pencils
• 2. Paper
• 3. Crayons

Fold a piece of A4 white paper into half.On the left hand side, use your other hand that you do not use for writing to draw an apple and colour it. (Use your left hand if you are right-handed and vice versa.) On the right-hand side, use your normal hand to draw another apple and colour it.

Students will be able to feel that they are uncomfortable when using the other hand to draw and colour, but when they use their usual hand to do the same task, they are able to draw and colour the apple with ease. Using the other hand to draw is like our Conscience. We follow the rules but it is not us. We cannot express ourselves freely and feel trapped. However, when we use our normal hand to draw and colour, it is like our Consciousness. We are able to do it with ease and the pencil in our hand just flows naturally because we are being ourselves. When we live our life using our Consciousness, life flows beautifully and we experience completion and freedom.

• 1. Chalk or masking tape
• 2. A book
• 3. Paper
• 4. Pen
• 5. Playdoug

Ask the students to use the chalk to draw or use masking tape to tape out a circle with diameter 1m on the floor and then sit inside. Tell the students that for the next 10mins, they are allowed to do what they want inside the circle with the materials provided, for example, read the book, draw or write on the paper, make something out of the playdough, but they are not allowed to go out of the circle.

After 10 mins, announce to them that they are free to step out of the circle if they want to, irregardless of whether they finish their chosen activity or not. See how many students remain in the circle and how many students come out of the circle.

Ask them how they feel when they are told to sit inside the circle for 10 mins, and after they know they are free to move out if they want.

The circle enslaves the students, and they crave to get out of the circle. This struggle could adversely affect their creativity. However, once they know they are free to move out of the circle, they are able to relax and creativity flows naturally.They are able to experience freedom when they know they are already free.

What do the students understand by this statement: "Nothing can enslave us once we understand and cognize that we are not body and mind." Help them come to the realisation that: Once we understand that we are consciousness, we attain complete freedom.

Conscience is given to us by society. Consciousness is given to us by God. Conscience is social conditioning. Consciousness is our very nature.

Authored by

THE SUPREME PONTIFF OF HINDUISM BHAGAWAN SRI NITHYANANDA PARAMASHIVAM

amānitvam adambhitvam ahimsā kṣāntir ārjavam ācāryopāsanaṁ śaucaṁ sthairyam ātma-vinigrahaḥ

Humility, absence of pride, nonviolence, tolerance, simplicity, service to an enlightened spiritual Master, cleanliness, steadiness and self-control

When the consciousness happens in us, we start radiating these qualities. These qualities simply happen in us.

indriyārtheṣu vairāgyam anahaṁkāra eva ca janma-mṛtyujarā-vyādhi- duḥkhadoṣānudarśanam

renunciation of the objects of sense gratification; absence of ego, the perception of the pain of the cycle of birth and death, old age and disease

renunciation of the objects of sense gratification; absence of ego, the perception of the pain of the cycle of birth and death, old age and disease

asaktir anabhiṣvaṅgaḥ putra-dāra-gṛhādiṣu I nityaṁ ca sama-cittatvam iṣṭāniṣṭopapattiṣu

nonattachment to children, wife, home and the rest and even mindedness amid pleasant and unpleasant events

If we work on our being, we will flower and automatically radiate the right energy, the right consciousness!

mayi cānanya-yogena bhaktir avyabhicāriṇī I vivikta-deśa-sevitvam aratirjana saṁsadi

constant and unalloyed devotion to Me, resorting to solitary places, detachment from the general mass of people

When we allow the cosmic intelligence to operate, we spontaneously express the beautiful qualities that Kṛṣṇa enumerates.

adhyātma-jñāna-nityatvaṁ tattvajñānārtha-darśanam etaj-jñānam iti proktam ajñānaṁ yad atonyathā

accepting the importance of self realization, and philosophical search for the absolute truth All these I thus declare to be knowledge and anything contrary to these is ignorance

The moment we understand that we are more powerful than the body-mind, we are liberated from the body and the mind.

Humility, non-violence, tolerance, simplicity, approaching the enlightened spiritual master, cleanliness, steadfastness, self-control, renunciation of the objects of sense gratification, absence of all egos, perception of all the evils of birth and death, old age and diseases, detachment, freedom from all entanglements, even- mindedness amidst pleasant and unpleasant events, constant devotion, aspiring to live in a spiritual way, giving importance to the ultimate truth, and detachment. All these I declare to be knowledge and besides these, whatever there may be, is ignorance.

We cannot really practice these qualities. All we can do is help the consciousness to happen in us so that we start radiating these qualities. These qualities simply happen in us.

By way of comparison, let us say we want to remove the dirt from a muddy water tank. If we put our hands into the tank and try to take away the mud, what happens? We make it muddier, that's all. All the dirt that is settled below will come up to the surface. Instead, if we sprinkle a handful of lime powder inside the tank, it will absorb the dirt and we can have clean water in the tank. Our mind is also like a muddy tank. If we try to suppress it and fight with it, we will create more incompletion. Instead just add a little meditation process of completion which is like the lime powder, and relax. Just put in your awareness to complete and relax.

Automatically the impurities will settle down. The moment we become aware and complete, and the witnessing consciousness starts operating, the whole thing settles down. The witnessing consciousness is the lime powder that purifies our being Rāmakṛṣṇa says that if the straight line of integrity connects your mouth and mind, you will be liberated. We cheat ourselves if we engage in an activity because it is appreciated by society and not because we feel it from within. This constant mismatch of internal and external, of what we feel deep within and what we do is inauthenticity, it creates problems.

Instead of creating consciousness, we start creating the activity. Instead of working on our being, we work on our doing. Our doing is in no way going to help us. Only our being is going to help us. So work on the being and not on the doing. A person who works on his doing may continuously chisel, chisel and chisel his doing; however, his being will face the same old struggle, suppression, suffering, and fighting. Instead, if we work on our being, we will flower and automatically radiate the right energy, the right consciousness!

If we practice these qualities just because Kṛṣṇa say that we should, the qualities will never really develop in us. They will remain skin deep. When true nonviolence happens, our very being will radiate love, no matter what. Even if an enemy were to stand in front of us, no other emotion but love would remain in us, and that is what Kṛṣṇa really wants.

Divine love does not consider whether a person is a friend or enemy. If we are centered in our being, qualities of love and non-violence happen. All the things that Kṛṣṇa has mentioned in these five verses are an outcome of the flowering of that consciousness, and not things to be practiced. If we practice them to please somebody else, we would become slaves to the people around us.

Normally we believe others' opinions about us. We accept their scale as a standard for measuring ourselves. Then we get into trouble. This is what I call 'guilt'. Guilt is reviewing our past decisions with updated intelligence. If we use our present intelligence to review our past decisions, we create guilt and suffering. Understand, we are updated every second. We are not the same as what we were a few hours ago. Our intelligence is continuously updated. So naturally when we look back and analyze what happened in the past we feel certain things could have been avoided

The problem is that we think we run the show. We take everything upon our shoulders and allow emotions like guilt and worry to come in. If we remember that the Universe is pure Intelligence that knows how to take care of our lives, we will simply relax. Also, when we allow the cosmic intelligence to operate, we spontaneously express the beautiful qualities that Kṛṣṇa enumerates. The same cannot be achieved by doing anything.

Kṛṣṇa first talks about humility or amānitvaṁ. Humility can never be achieved by effort. If it is attempted through effort, it looks ugly. Humility happens when we feel that every being is unique. It does not come by thinking that everyone is equal. There are no equals! If we deeply understand that every being is unique, we automatically respect everyone. Every being has something that he contributes to Existence, to life.

When we understand that every being is a unique creation of the Universe, that the same divinity that is in us is in them also, we automatically radiate humility and the absence of pride. All these qualities that are supposed to be radiated by a seeker should simply happen from within. This is what Kṛṣṇa explains.

Another important thing: How should we approach an Enlightened spiritual Master or ācāryopāsana? He talks about this in another verse also—tad viddhi praṇipātena paripraśnena sevayā (4.34). It means that we should approach the Master with questions and request him to answer the questions.

Especially in Vedānta, the Vedic system, the Master plays a major role. Why? Unless we see someone continuously living in the consciousness and continuously expressing that consciousness, our unconscious refuses to believe it is possible.

When we see a living Enlightened Master, our emotions also automatically start experiencing it. Our unconscious, which continuously questions, becomes silent when we see a living Master. With books we learn through verbal language; with a Master we learn through his body language. He is a living example that proves the truth can become a reality for us in our life.

Three things happen when we meet an Enlightened Master: First, we see in front of our own eyes that it is possible to live in eternal bliss or in bliss consciousness all 24 hours of the day. The assurance and inspiration to achieve that state is there. We understand the possibility. Next we ask, 'All right, it is possible for the Master. But is it possible for me?' That assurance is also given when we reach the Master. The Master instills the confidence in us by showing us, 'If I can achieve, why not you?'

To let students understand that the consciousness needs to be awaken to radiate the qualities of humility, non-violence, tolerance, simplicity, approaching the enlightened spiritual master, cleanliness, steadfastness, self-control, renunciation of the objects of sense gratification, absence of all egos, perception of all the evils of birth and death, old age and diseases, detachment, freedom from all entanglements, evenmindedness amidst pleasant and unpleasant events, constant devotion, aspiring to live in a spiritual way, giving importance to the ultimate truth, and detachment.

• Why is our mind like a muddy tank?
• How can we cleanse our mind?
• What is the difference between working on the doing and working on the being?
• What happens when we understand that every being is a unique creation of the Universe?
• What are the three things that happen when we meet an Enlightened Master?

Part 3: Bhagavad Gita Chapter 13 - Collection_English_part_3.md

• 1. Colour Pencils
• 2. Paper
• 3. Crayons

Draw and colour a fully bloomed lotus flower in a pond.

If we are able to work on our being despite our outer disturbances, we will be able to flower and radiate the right consciousness, just like the lotus flower which blooms beautifully despite growing in muddy soil and water.

• 1. 20 green beans
• 2. A small container
• 3. Cotton wool
• 4. Water

Step 1: Put the cotton wool into the small container and pour some water to damp the cotton wool.

Step 2: Place the 20 green beans on the damp cotton wool. Spread them out to avoid overcrowding.

Step 3: Place it in a shady place to let it germinate. Once they have sprouted they can be planted.

We must not be afraid to allow our seed of consciousness to sprout in order to attain Enlightenment.

Humility can never be achieved by effort. Why is this so? We are unique. When we allow the cosmic intelligence to operate, we spontaneously express the beautiful qualities that Kṛṣṇa enumerates. The same cannot be achieved by doing anything.

If we work on our being, we will flower and automatically radiate the right energy, the right consciousness!

Authored by

THE SUPREME PONTIFF OF HINDUISM BHAGAWAN SRI NITHYANANDA PARAMASHIVAM

jñeyaṁ yat tat pravakṣyāmi yaj jñātvāmṛtam aśnute anādi matparaṁ brahma na sat tan nāsad ucyate

I shall fully give you the understanding about the knowable with which one can taste eternal bliss or the being or the consciousness that has no beginning. A life beyond the cause and effect and the material world

Our Consciousness is eternal. It will continue to manifest itself and return to the Source and it will always exist

sarvataḥ pāṇipādaṁ tat sarvato 'kṣiśiromukham sarvataḥ śrutimalloke sarvamāvṛtya tiṣṭhati

With hands and feet everywhere, with eyes, heads and mouths everywhere, with ears everywhere, He exists in the worlds, enveloping all. The Paramātman (supreme spirit) is all pervading

the Universal Energy connects every being.There is no difference in this space of consciousness between you and me. Here, all are various forms of God, all are manifestations of the same divinity.

sarvendriya-guṇābhāsaṁ sarvendriyavivarjitam asaktaṁ sarva-bhṛccaiva nirguṇaṁ guṇabhoktṛ ca

The Paramātman is the original source of all the senses. Yet, He is beyond all the senses. He is unattached. Although the consciousness is the maintainer of all the living beings, yet He transcends the modes of the nature and at the same time He is the master of the modes of our material nature

We depend on Him, who is the Cosmic intelligence, for anything to happen. At the same time, without getting involved, the Universal energy is a witness to all activities and all life forms.

bahir antaśca bhūtānām acaraṁ carameva ca sūkṣmatvāt tad avijñeyaṁ dūrasthaṁ cāntike ca tat

The supreme truth exists both within and without, it is present in everything mobile or immobile. It is not knowable through the senses as it is very subtle. Though far, yet it is the nearest

The supreme truth is inside and outside all living entities. It is moving and nonmoving on account of being subtle. It is near and far. Everything is included in this space.

Our mind associates a time and space with every incident or event. The mind can only think chronologically. It is like an inner reference chart and all incidents are placed in this chart of time and space. Modern science asks questions like, 'How did this happen? What was there before this? What came after this? What triggered this?' When they asked about the creation of this Universe, they explained it with the Big Bang theory.

They said that a tiny mass of fire exploded and gave rise to our Universe. What they could not answer was, 'What existed before that?' Kṛṣṇa says that this universal energy, the ultimate consciousness, always existed. It manifested in various forms as planets, as humans and so on, but it is eternal. It will continue to manifest itself and return to the Source and it will always exist.

The concept of time and space that we have is based on our mind and senses. Whatever we perceive is a projection of our mind. He measures time in terms of kṣaṇa. Kṣaṇa is the time between two thoughts. It is the space between two thoughts. Buddha referred to this time and space as śūṇya. Ādī Śaṅkarācārya referred to it as pūrṇa. It is the no-mind zone, the mindful zone, the space of completion in which we touch base with ourselves. It is the present moment, in which we come face to face with the divinity within, by which we recognize the Cosmic energy that is our essential nature.

When we are caught in chasing one material pleasure after another we have so much stress, tension and worry bombarding our heads very second. Our kṣaṇa is very small because of the high number of thoughts inside us. This is why we get a suffocated, panicking feeling. We constantly feel time is running out. We are greedy for more and more experiences before this body dies and we are afraid that we might lose whatever we have come to possess. We feel this way because we associate ourselves with the kṣetra, the temporary body and mind. The body and mind are made up of the five elements and they return to their source once they have served their purpose.

On the other hand, an enlightened Master knows he is kṣetrajña. He knows that he is not the body-mind system. He has realized that he is the ultimate consciousness. He has no urgency to run in the rat race because he knows that life goes on, even if this body perishes. He has become a witness to the mind. Any thought that springs up will be only an actionoriented authentic thought, never an unproductive thought. He expresses the power of words, vāk śakti. The moment the thought happens, it immediately expresses itself as an action. No thoughts accumulate inside him. He experiences eternity because of this thoughtless zone that he stays in. This is the beginninglessness of the consciousness that Kṛṣṇa explains here.

When we are in front of an Enlightened Master, one who is in a no-mind state of completion, the number of thoughts in us also comes down and our kṣaṇa becomes longer. The gaps between thoughts increase. So without even trying, we become calmer, more peaceful, and more aware! The knowable that Kṛṣṇa explains is beyond any changes. It is eternal because it does not follow the laws of creation and destruction like other objects around us. It has always been there and will always continue to exist. Whatever physical matter we see around us follows a particular cause-effect relationship. However, our deepest core is untouched by these changes.

Every thought inside us affects the functioning of the whole Cosmos. Whether we want to accept it or not, we do not operate as separate islands. Thoughts that are present in the space that we live in affect our mental setup, that is the way we think and operate.

This positivity and negativity, creation and destruction, are all properties of the changing world around us, of the kṣetra that we live in. The minute we

know that we are not this changing kṣetra but the eternal and unmoving kṣetrajñya (the consciousness that runs the kṣetra), we are liberated.

Kṛṣṇa calls this eternal bliss jñeya, knowable. When the knowing happens, the knowable (jñeya), knower (jñātā), and the knowledge (jñāna) merge. In this experience, the knower, known, and knowledge become one. No separate experience, experiencer or object of experience eexists. It is called triputi, where no difference between the three entities exists.

Kṛṣṇa explains that His eternal nature, the eternal Self, is not bound by time. Now He says that He exists everywhere, sarvam āvṛtya tiṣṭhati and He is not bound by space. Normally we understand the presence or absence of an object or person in terms of physical attributes. We function in our lives based upon what we see, smell, touch, taste and hear. If our pañca indriya, five senses, cannot sense anything, we think nothing exists.

One important and surprising thing is that an Enlightened Master is more present in his absence than in his physical presence. This means that his energy never dies nor does it know any barriers. When you are in the energy field of an enlightened Master who is no longer in his body, as in a jīva samādhi, the final resting place of the Master's body, without even making an effort, you become calmer and experience that space of peace within. Many great temples such as Tirupati, Tiruvannamalai, Mantralaya and Pazhani in Bharat are built around the final resting places of Enlightened Masters. That is why these places serve as powerful energy centers today, drawing millions of people every year. Although physically the Master is no longer in the body, we feel his presence. Why? Because he is not bound in space by the body. The cosmic energy that he manifests transcends space and time. Only we know physical barriers.

Here, Kṛṣṇa uses the phrase, 'Hands and feet everywhere, sarvataḥ pāṇi- pādaṁ, eyes, heads, faces, ears everywhere, sarvato akṣiśiromukham (13.14).' What does He mean

by this? This diagram shows the seven energy bodies or layers that we have in us. The outermost layer is the physical layer, with which we associate ourselves all the time. We know this body as having a pair of eyes, hands, legs, one nose, head, etc. Now let us take a few points on that layer.

Let us call them ' you' , 'me' , ' your neighbor' , 'Kṛṣṇa' , 'Buddha' etc. So, at the gross layer, you are different from your neighbor; your neighbor is different from me and different from the various forms of God. You can see each point being distinct from the others. We are so rooted in this physical gross layer and so we see many barriers between us and everything around us, because everything appears to be different from the other in this layer.

Now, for each point, if we follow the corresponding points in the inner layers, as we go deeper and deeper, we suddenly realize that we all merge in the nirvanic layer. It is here that the Universal Energy connects every being. There is no difference in this space between you and me. This is the space of consciousness that Kṛṣṇa talks about. Here, Kṛṣṇa and Buddha are no different. All are various forms of God, all are manifestations of the same divinity.

The supreme truth is inside and outside all living entities. It is moving and non-moving on account of being subtle. It is near and far. Kṛṣṇa uses all these terms and concepts such as moving and non-moving, near and far, inside and outside because these are the only terms we can understand. He is giving us an idea to tell us that Supreme Consciousness is beyond these concepts and terms that we know.

There are three spaces we can live in: The space that is covered by the body, the space that is covered by the mind, and the space that cannot be covered by body and mind. The first is ghaṭākāśa, or the space enclosed by this physical body. Most of us live in this space nearly all the time. The next is cidākāśa, the space that you are aware and conscious of. Right now, if you are aware of this hall it is your cidākāśa. This is the space of the thoughts and mind. The third is mahākāśa. This is the whole space, cosmos, everything put together.

The ghaṭākāśa is made up of the five elements that are: earth, water, fire, air and ether. These elements become subtler as we move up, from earth, to water, to fire, to air, to ether. None of the first four reflect consciousness. Ether, the subtlest element, connects with consciousness. It reflects consciousness. And that is the reason why we are alive. The problem is, we think consciousness is bound by ghaṭākāśa. We think it is limited to this body.That is why we make this body the reference when we view the outer world. We think this body is the 'I' that sees the rest of the world. You see, all science had this as its basic foundation: we are separate entities defined by physical boundaries. Enlightened Masters who have moved beyond ghaṭākāśa into mahākāśa understand that all this division of space is due to our ignorance.

Space can never be divided. Yet we divide it into boundaries and associate terms: within, inside, outside, near, far, etc. because of our limited understanding. This is the cause for our suffering. First of all, we divide the space because of our ignorance. Second, we try to possess the space that we think is in our control. And third, we fear that the space might be taken from us. All fears, including the fear of death, happen because we constantly try to protect the space covered by our body and mind.

To understand that the universal energy, the ultimate consciousness, always existed. It manifested in various forms as planets, as humans and so on, but it is eternal. It will continue to manifest itself and return to the Source and it will always

exist.

• What is kṣaṇa?
• Explain why we feel suffocated?
• In what situations would the kṣaṇa become very small?
• Where does the Master exist?
• Why is it that when we are in front of an Enlightened Master, we become calmer?
• What are the three spaces we can live in?
• What are the seven energy bodies?
• What is the cause of our suffering?
• What is the understanding we need to be liberated of this suffering?

• 1. Colourful papers
• 2. Scissors
• 3. Glue or other adhesive
• 4. Markers
• 5. Pen
• 6. Pencil
• 7. Eraser

Pair up the students and ask them to create a short presentation to explain the different energy bodies and how we all merge in the nirvanic layer. Ask them to create a nice visual. They can cut different shapes circles in glue them on top of one another or come up with another way to represent the diagram.

The outermost layer is the physical layer, with which we associate ourselves all the time. We know this body as having a pair of eyes, hands, legs, one nose, head, etc. Now let us take a few points on that layer. Let us call them ' you' , 'me' , ' your neighbor' , 'Kṛṣṇa' , 'Buddha' etc. So, at the gross layer, you are different from your neighbor; your neighbor is different from me and different from the various forms of God. You can see each point being distinct from the others. We are so rooted in this physical gross layer and so we see many barriers between us and everything around us, because everything appears to be different from the other in this layer. Now, for each point, if we follow the corresponding points in the inner layers, as we go deeper and deeper, we suddenly realize that we all merge in the nirvanic layer

• 1. THE SUPREME PONTIFF OF HINDUISM BHAGAWAN SRI NITHYANANDA PARAMASHIVAM's guided meditation
• 2. A Gadget

Simply follow the meditation and ask students to write a short paragraph about their experience which they can share at the end.

Please listen! Every thought inside us affects the functioning of the whole Cosmos. Whether we want to accept it or not, we do not operate as separate islands. Thoughts that are present in the space that we live in affect our mental setup, that is the way we think and operate.

"A hunter in a forest came across a clearing where there were many birds. He took a twig and tied a rope at the center of the twig. Then he took the two ends of the rope and tied them firmly to a pole on each side. Now the twig was hanging by the rope. He sprinkled a few grains around the setup. He was a clever hunter. Happily, he went away for a nap. After some time, a bird was attracted by the grains and sat on the twig. The minute it sat on one side of the twig, the whole twig turned upside down due to the bird's weight. The bird now saw the whole world upside down and became frightened. It thought it was trapped! It clasped to the twig harder than ever and prayed to God to be set free. After an hour, the hunter returned leisurely and caught hold of the bird. After that, you know what happened.

Ask the students to share their understanding of the story. How they relate it to their own lives. You can ask them questions such as:

• What does "clutching" mean?
• Why do we believe our mind?
• Why are we afraid to let go?

Vaakyartha sadhas

Then you can share the following:

This is what we do in our lives. The bird did not realize that it was always free! All it needed to do was let go of the twig and fly away. We do the same thing. We grasp and clutch onto our past. We clutch onto the pains and joys and keep missing the space of completion. We miss eternity. We miss our Consciousness inside. You must relax. You must realize that you are already on the summit. You are beyond the ups and downs. But no, we don't want to believe it. Our mind tells us, 'No. What is he saying? I have important things to do in life. How can I relax?' We love our tensions and problems too much. We like to clutch onto our lives. We do not want to let go because we think this is all there is. We do not realize that if we relax, we can fly.

The supreme truth is inside and outside all living entities. It is moving and nonmoving on account of being subtle. It is near and far. Kṛṣṇa uses all these terms and concepts such as moving and non-moving, near and far, inside and outside because these are the only terms we can understand. He is giving us an idea to tell us that Supreme Consciousness is beyond these concepts and terms that we know.

Authored by

THE SUPREME PONTIFF OF HINDUISM BHAGAWAN SRI NITHYANANDA PARAMASHIVAM

avibhaktaṁ ca bhūteṣu vibhaktamiva ca sthitam bhūtabhartṛ ca tajjñeyaṁ grasiṣṇu prabhaviṣṇu ca

Though appearing fragmented it is indivisible whole. Though He is the maintainer of every living entity, it is to be understood that He consumes and creates all

If we understand this simple tattva (principle) of life — that we came from the same Source and we return to it — we will realize that we are connected to something much greater than our individual self.

jyotiṣām api tajjyotis tamasaḥ paramucyate jñānaṁ jñeyaṁ jñānagamyaṁ hṛdi sarvasya viṣṭhitam

He is the source of light in all luminous objects. He is beyond the darkness of matter and is formless. He is knowledge, He is the object of knowledge, and He is the goal of knowledge. He is situated in everyone's heart

An Enlightened Master uses the lamp of consciousness to see the truth as it is, without any filters.

avibhaktaṁ ca bhūteṣu vibhaktaṁ iva ca sthitam I bhūta-bhartṛ ca taj jñeyaṁ grasiṣṇu prabhaviṣṇu ca II 13.17

Although the supreme spirit appears to be divided as the Cosmic and individual entities, it is never divided, avibhaktaṁ ca bhūteṣu. It is the basis of generation, maintenance and destruction of life. When we pour water into containers of different shapes and sizes, it takes on their shapes. If we carefully examine their contents, all of them contain the same water. Similarly, the world of many forms and shapes, so many species of plants and animals, appears as though there is so much variety. Underlying them all is the same energy. The prāṇa śakti, life force, running in each of them is the same.

If we understand this simple tattva (principle) of life—that we came from the same Source and we return to it—we will realize that we are connected to something much greater than our individual self.

The Universal consciousness manifests in numerous ways and is also responsible for destruction. When the same Universal energy is unmanifest, unexpressed, it exists in potential form. This is referred to as puruṣa in the scriptures. When this energy manifests itself in this world, taking various names, forms, and shapes, it expresses itself as prakṛti. Prakṛti is the creative expression of puruṣa.

The life force that caused us to be born also maintains us. Every little thing happening within us is carried out by the same intelligence that brought us into this world. Similarly, the same intelligence accompanies us when we leave the body

The water of the ocean is the puruṣa and the waves that dance and play are prakṛti. The water appears to be divided in the form of waves of many shapes and sizes. In reality it is one mass of the same water. Similarly, Kṛṣṇa reminds Arjuna that the supreme spirit appears to be divided into puruṣa and prakṛti because of the different creations and expressions of prakṛti. However, He is beyond all this and exists undivided. At their core, all are creations of the universal energy.

Kṛṣṇa says, 'He is the Supreme Self, or witnessing consciousness that is the source of all light in all luminous objects. He is knowledge, He is the object of knowledge, and He is the goal of knowledge. He is situated in everyone's heart.'

THE SOURCE OF LIGHT

jyotiṣām api taj jyotis tamasaḥ param ucyate I jñanaṁ jñeyaṁ jñana-gamyaṁ hṛdi sarvasya viṣṭhitam II 13.18

The sources of light as we understand them are the sun, moon, lightning, fire or artificial means like electricity. All these produce light, which makes life possible. An object that is around us becomes visible because of the light energy. The cakṣu, the energy behind vision, can perceive that object when the surroundings are lit up. The light energy from the sun is responsible for the birth and growth of all living beings. All beings on planet Earth depend on the sun for their survival.

What gives these sources of light the energy to run? What drives them? The Universal consciousness gives energy to all sources of light. Kṛṣṇa calls this Self the 'Source of light—jyotiṣam api taj jyotis'. The sources of light—the sun, the moon and lightning derive their energy from that self-luminous Self. That is why there is a common adjective given to the Self as 'effulgent' or 'luminous'.

In a deeper sense, when the Self is referred to as luminous, it is not what we normally understand. The Self is pure intelligence and this knowledge dispels ignorance. An Enlightened Master sees everything with clarity. He sees truth as it is. You see, when you are in a dark room you are ignorant of what is present in that room. When the lights are switched on, you become aware of things around you.

An Enlightened Master uses the lamp of consciousness to see the truth as it is, without any filters. Using this lamp, he experiences his surroundings in totality, in completion with the whole. This lamp is not like any other lamp; it cuts the layers of ignorance, however deep they may be. That is why the Master sees 360 degrees around him. He does not filter what he sees like we do. Please understand, the filtering that we do is the cause of our problems, our incompletions. We do not see whatever exists as it exists. We distort it to suit our inadequate, limited ideas, that are born out of our root thought patterns.

Part 4: Bhagavad Gita Chapter 13 - Collection_English_part_4.md

The ego is like darkness; it has no positive existence. Just as darkness is the absence of light, the ego is the absence of awareness. To struggle to kill the ego is like struggling to push darkness out of the room. To expel the darkness, what you need to do is to forget about dealing with the darkness. Focus your energy on light instead.

Bring a small lamp into the room and the darkness will leave on its own! This lamp of Consciousness is available to all of us. It lies within us. Forget all about the ego. Instead, focus on bringing the lamp into your being. When your entire Consciousness has become a flame, the ego is no more.

Helping the students understand how an Enlightened Master uses the lamp of consciousness to see the truth as it is. Helping students understand how to bring the light of awareness in their inner space to dispel the darkness of ignorance.

• .What is prāṇa śakti?
• What is the simple tattva we need to understand?
• What is cakṣu?
• Define puruṣa and prakṛti.
• How does an Enlightened Master see truth?
• How can the Master see 360 degrees?
• What is the cause of our incompletions?
• How can we dispel darkness?
• When does the ego disappear?

• 1. Popsicle Craft Sticks (16 per lantern)
• 2. Tracing Paper
• 3. Metallic Washi Tape
• 4. Color Markers
• 5. Glue or Hot Glue

Note:if an adult is there to do it

• 6. Pencil
• 7. LED Tealight Candle

- 2. Cut 4 square pieces of tracing paper.
- 3. Trace and color THE SUPREME PONTIFF OF HINDUISM BHAGAWAN SRI NITHYANANDA PARAMASHIVAM's portrait on one of the tracing papers.
- 4. Glue the tracing papers to the wood stick squares.

5.Glue the sides together using a hot glue gun. You can also use regular white glue - It just takes a little extra time to dry.

6. Decorate the lantern edges with washi tape. Place an LED tealight candle inside it and you are all set to decorate your house for the festival season.

An Enlightened Master uses the lamp of consciousness to see the truth as it is, without any filters. Using this lamp, he experiences his surroundings in totality, in completion with the whole. This lamp is not like any other lamp; it cuts the layers of ignorance, however deep they may be. That is why the Master sees 360 degrees around him. He does not filter what he sees like we do. Please understand, the filtering that we do is the cause of our problems, our incompletions. We do not see whatever exists as it exists. We distort it to suit our inadequate, limited ideas, that are born out of our root thought patterns

• 1. Thick eyeband / blindfold (cannot see through it and no light can enter)
• 2. Paper
• 3. Pencil
• 4. Pen
• 5. Eraser
• 6. Timer
• 7. Mahavakya audio

• Ask the students to pair up, one of each pair will be "Nithya" and the other "Ananda" .

• The Nithya group will tie the eyeband around their eyes and Ananda group will ensure it is placed properly.

• The Ananda group draw any shape on a sheet of paper.

• The Nithya group brings awareness to Ajna chakra, third eye, and connects to THE SUPREME PONTIFF OF HINDUISM BHAGAWAN SRI NITHYANANDA PARAMASHIVAM, Paramashiva.

• Both chant Mahavakya for 2 minutes

• •

• At the end of the round, the Nithya partner removes the eyeband and tells Ananda partner what THE SUPREME PONTIFF OF HINDUISM BHAGAWAN SRI NITHYANANDA PARAMASHIVAM showed in your third eye. Verify that the answers match and switch turns

• Do 2 rounds of shapes, then 2 rounds of writing letters and numbers, then 2 rounds of drawing.

• At the end, ask the students to share about their experience of darkness and light during blindfold reading.

What gives these sources of light the energy to run? What drives them? The Universal consciousness gives energy to all sources of light. Kṛṣṇa calls this Self the 'Source of light — jyotiṣam api taj jyotis'. The sources of light — the sun, the moon and lightning derive their energy from that self-luminous Self. That is why there is a common adjective given to the Self as 'effulgent' or 'luminous'. In a deeper sense, when the Self is referred to as luminous, it is not what we normally understand. The Self is pure intelligence and this knowledge dispels ignorance. An Enlightened Master sees everything with clarity. He sees truth as it is. You see, when you are in a dark room you are ignorant of what is present in that room. When the lights are switched on, you become aware of things around you.

The ego is like darkness; it has no positive existence. Just as darkness is the absence of light, the ego is the absence of awareness. To struggle to kill the ego is like struggling to push darkness out of the room. To expel the darkness, what you need to do is to forget about dealing with the darkness. Focus your energy on light instead.

Forget all about the ego. Instead, focus on bringing the lamp into your being. When your entire Consciousness has become a flame, the ego is no more.

Authored by

THE SUPREME PONTIFF OF HINDUISM BHAGAWAN SRI NITHYANANDA PARAMASHIVAM

iti kṣetraṁ tathā jñānaṁ jñeyaṁ co 'ktaṁ samāsataḥ madbhakta etadvijñāya madbhāvāyopapadyate

Thus the field of activities, knowledge and the knowable has been summarily described by Me. It is only when we can understand the true nature of our supreme Self and the material world with which we have created false identities that we can go beyond this and attain the supreme Self itself

The understanding of the kṣetra, the illusory world created by our minds, is important in helping us to differentiate between reality and non-reality

prakṛtiṁ puruṣaṁ caiva viddhyanādī ubhāvapi vikārāṁś ca guṇāṁś caiva viddhi prakṛti saṁbhavān

Prakṛti or the field and its attributes and the puruṣa or the knower or the supreme consciousness are both without beginning. All the transformations of nature that we see are produced by the field or prakṛti

It is only in the uncorrupted and pure inner space of completion that God manifests and the Divine consciousness is perceived.

kārya-kāraṇa-kartṛtve hetuḥ prakṛtirucyate puruṣaḥ sukhaduḥkhānāṁ bhoktṛtve heturucyate

In the production of the body and the senses, prakṛti is said to be the cause; In the experience of pleasure and pain, puruṣa is said to be the cause

The understanding that this world is nothing but a projection of the mind, the understanding that this is not our real identity, will put us into reality

Kṛṣṇa delivers the Bhagavad Gītā to Arjuna standing in a chariot on the battlefield of kurukṣetra. If you look a little deeper, this is a beautiful picture of each of us. Kṛṣṇa represents the Self, the charioteer, knower of the field, kṣetrajña, the one who runs the show. If the charioteer does not know how to take charge, the horses start to pull the chariot in different directions.

These horses symbolize the senses and the mind pulling us to different places as they please, thus leaving us in a state of confusion in everything that we do. If we are not ready to control the horses, the horses will control us. This is what happens in our lives. Due to our lack of understanding about how to drive the chariot, we conveniently give the horses the authority

The very understanding about the kṣetra, meaning the material things around us, teaches us how to control them. The minute we understand the kṣetra, the body-mind, we realize we are not the kṣetra! If we are the kṣetra, then how can we understand it? You see, we can read this book because we are not the book. There is a separation between the book and us. In the same way, only when we understand the kṣetra, do we understand that we are not the kṣetra. This understanding that we are not the kṣetra brings with it the understanding that we are the kṣetrajña. When we realize that we are the kṣetrajña, we have transcended the kṣetra.

Actually, there is no such thing as kṣetra. It is a projection of the mind, just like a dream. You see, when we go to bed we know that we are so-and-so. We know our whole identity with solid clarity when we go to sleep. We know that even if we have dreams, they are not real. We will wake up the next day and continue our life.

But the minute we drift into the dream state, we start to think that the dream is real. The more we get into the dream, the more our identity completely changes to suit the role in the dream. What happens in the dream may not be related to what we do in real life. Yet we start to believe it all. If a lion in the dream attacks us, we feel fear and worry and we may even sweat as though it is really happening to us!

In the same way, we think this life is real. If I tell you now that the life that you are leading is nothing but a creation of your mind, will you believe me? No! You are so immersed in this dream that you think is real.

See, when we wake up from a dream, why do we suddenly understand that it was not real? It is because suddenly we perceive a separation between the dream and us. The understanding that it was merely a dream, puts us into reality. Similarly, the understanding that this world is nothing but a projection of the mind, the understanding that this is not our real identity, will put us into reality

Let us say we dream of winning some award in front of thousands of people. The mind is so powerful that it can create the entire picture including every detail of the auditorium, all the thousand people sitting and clapping, the speeches, everything that we would normally see in an auditorium. The mind is so powerful to be able to give life to the scene around us and not just to our identity in the dream. This is what the mind does in the so-called real world also. The only difference is that we wake up easily from our night dreams. However, we do not know how to wake up from this bigger day dream that we now think is reality.

Only an enlightened Master who has experienced the truth can awaken us to reality. Out of their compassion, these masters descend on planet Earth to tell us that everything we see around us is a projection of our minds.

The understanding of the kṣetra, the illusory world created by our minds, is important in helping us to differentiate between reality and non-reality. Kṛṣṇa says that we need to understand what kṣetra and kṣetrajña to realize the truth. Until then we blindly believe that the projection of our mind, the drama, is reality. We have created our own drama and are acting in it. By and by, we forget that we created the drama. We forget that we are not the roles or characters we enact on stage. We start judging and reacting to everything about it.

If a child is constantly reminded about the divinity within right from birth, it grows up to be a jīvan mukta, liberated while still in the body. This is how children were brought up in the vedic tradition. That is why the level of consciousness was so high.

When we fall into the present moment, we fall into eternity and that eternity is a combination of past, present and future. There is no distinction. In this state we become the witness of all time and space-related happenings. We become the witnessing consciousness. We become the knower and we witness the field or kṣetra with complete detachment. We realize that everything in the outer world is a drama or a dream, and anything that we attempt to do in our lives is housekeeping in this dream.

Any effort that we make is another act in this dream. The whole idea is to not become entangled or emotionally attached to the housekeeping in this dream. The idea is to enjoy it and watch it by becoming one with our true self.

Witness the consciousness that is witnessing. When you watch, detach from the thoughts, sit back, relax and watch. Do not try to create nourish or destroy the thoughts. The ultimate consciousn- ess that witnesses is beyond Brahma (Creator), Viṣṇu (Sustainer) or Śiva (Rejuvenator). When we learn to welcome thoughts and allow them to complete, they merely come and go.

It is like watching clouds in the sky. Even if there is a thought saying that you are witnessing, watch that thought also. Watch the witnessing until that thought also disappears. Go beyond and beyond, deep into your being. Go beyond the thought that you are witnessing. Please listen. As long as you think in your mind that you are witnessing, you are not witnessing. When the thought that you are witnessing exists, you are not witnessing. You are now caught in the thought, 'I am witnessing.' Drop that!

This last thought that you are witnessing is like a bridge between you and God, between you and the thoughtless space. Initially, when you try to witness your actions and your thoughts, it is natural to think that you are watching. Let it be. Having this thought is better than having a hundred incomplete thoughts bombarding your inner space. But go beyond. Do not stop there. Witness the thought that you are witnessing. Then the pure, uncorrupted and untouched complete inner space happens in you. It is only in the uncorrupted and pure inner space of completion that God manifests and the Divine consciousness is perceived. Understand, Completion is God.

To understand that we are kṣetrajña not kṣetra, the Self not the body-mind That just like we know our identity when we wake from sleep, so we can wake from life as a dream To understand the technique of

witnessing

• What is prāṇa śakti?
• What is the simple tattva we need to understand?
• What is cakṣu?
• Define puruṣa and prakṛti.
• How does an Enlightened Master see truth?
• How can the Master see 360 degrees?
• What is the cause of our incompletions?
• How can we dispel darkness?
• When does the ego disappear?

• 1. Paper
• 2. Colour Pens

Kṛṣṇa describes kṣetra in many different ways. These are some ways:

• Ø the material things around us
• Ø the body-mind
• Ø the illusory world created by our minds
• Ø the field (symbolized by the battlefield of Kurukṣetra)

• Ø the Self the charioteer

• Ø the knower of the field

• Ø the one who runs the show

• Encourage the children to draw how they understand kṣetra and that we are kṣetrajña not kṣetra.

Kṛṣṇa says that we need to understand kṣetra and kṣetrajña to realize the truth. Until then we blindly believe that the projection of our mind, the drama, is reality. We have created our own drama and are acting in it.

• 1. String
• 2. Scissors

• Have the children reenact how Kṛṣṇa and Arjuna drive onto the battlefield, hold the Bhagavad Gita then drive off again.

• Many of the children can be the horses. Have them stand in front of the child playing Arjuna, then cut pieces of string long enough that a child who is a horse can hold one end and the child representing Kṛṣṇa holds the other end. Each horse can decide what they symbolize, maybe one of the senses, or the mind, or something from the material world like a car.

• The "horses" always hold on to their end of the string but are allowed to move freely in any direction until Kṛṣṇa says "I am Kṛṣṇa". Then all the "horses'' must obey Kṛṣṇa completely but for only about 5 seconds. The teacher may need to count out the seconds. After the 5 seconds of obedience is up then they can start moving around freely again. Throughout this activity, the "horses" and Kṛṣṇa keep holding onto their end of the string. Only if all horses are moving forward can the children being Arjuna and Kṛṣṇa move forward.

- Arjuna walks behind Kṛṣṇa. In the interest of time Kṛṣṇa and Arjuna say only 1 or 2 sloka each when they are in the middle of the battlefield, then Kṛṣṇa gets the horses" to turn the chariot and pull it back to where they came from.
- Repeat the enactment and this time the child who was the most difficult horse to manage has to be Kṛṣṇa.
- To make the reenactment more interesting, Kṛṣṇa can only say "I am Kṛṣṇa" for example 2-3 seconds after the "horses" are allowed to move freely. Just like how it can take us a few moments to realise we are kṣetrajña.

Kṛṣṇa delivers this discourse of the Bhagavad Gītā to Arjuna standing in a chariot on the battlefield of kurukṣetra. If you look a little deeper, this is a beautiful picture of each of us. Kṛṣṇa represents the Self, the charioteer, knower of the field, kṣetrajña, the one who runs the show. If the charioteer does not know how to take charge, the horses start to pull the chariot in different directions.

Hold Kaakyarths Sadhas on "life is a dream". Stimulate the discussion with questions such as What does it mean to be separate from kṣetra? How does understanding that we are separate help us to wake up?

The minute we realize this world is not real, we create a distance between the suffering and us. Only an enlightened Master who has experienced the truth can awaken us to reality. Out of their compassion, these masters descend on planet Earth to tell us that everything we see around us is a projection of our minds.

Authored by

THE SUPREME PONTIFF OF HINDUISM BHAGAWAN SRI NITHYANANDA PARAMASHIVAM

puruṣaḥ prakṛtistho hi bhuṅkte prakṛti-jān-guṇān kāraṇaṁ guṇasaṇgosya sadasadyonijanmasu

The living entity in the material nature follows the way of life, enjoying the moods of nature. Due to association with the material nature it meets the good or evil among various species

Every being is moving towards the Divine, whether or not the being is aware of it.

upadraṣṭānumantā ca bhartā bhoktā maheśvaraḥ paramātmeti cāpyukto dehe'sminpuruṣaḥ paraḥ

Yet, in this body there is a transcendental energy. He who is divine, who exists as a owner or the witness, supporter, enjoyer and the pure witnessing consciousness, is known as the Paramātman

If we put ourselves into the fire of witnessing consciousness, we become purified

ya evaṁ vetti puruṣaṁ prakṛtiṁ ca guṇaiḥ saha sarvathā vartamānopi na sa bhūyobhijāyate

One who understands this philosophy concerning material nature, the living entity and the interaction of the modes of nature is sure to attain liberation. He will not take birth here again, regardless of his present position

The understanding that we are beyond all petty things like fighting for name, fame, money or power liberates us from them. A cognitive shift happens that transforms and frees us from the bondage of material things. And when it happens, it is a quantum jump in the level of consciousness. It does not happen gradually. It is spontaneous enlightenment. It is like pressing a switch and the whole room is lit up in one shot.

Introduction Here Kṛṣṇa gives us a technique. As of now, we are like 18-carat gold, copper and gold mixed together. When we repeatedly put the 18-carat gold into the fire of witnessing consciousness, eventually it becomes 22-carat gold. If we continue to put that gold into the fire, the 22-carat gold becomes pure 24-carat gold. In the same way, if we put ourselves into the fire of witnessing consciousness, we become purified to a certain extent. Again and again, if we constantly put ourselves into this fire of witnessing consciousness, our inner space eventually becomes completely pure, like 24-carat gold.

The essence of all religions and all spirituality, the whole thing is contained in this single verse that Kṛṣṇa presents here. Kṛṣṇa presents the master key that opens all locks. Witnessing the body and the mind, witnessing your being. Witnessing is the master key

If we can enter the witnessing technique and experience the witnessing space of completion for at least a few minutes, we will get a taste of it. However much we hear about witnessing, however much we talk about witnessing or however much we analyze the art of witnessing, unless we experience it ourselves, it is of no use. You must test it on yourself.

You must test it with your being. Reading or listening will not transform you. Reading or listening is like reading the menu and leaving the restaurant without tasting the food on the menu! If you listen to what I say without testing, it is like going away from a restaurant without eating. So now since we have read the menu card, it is time to taste the preparation.

Kṛṣṇa goes one step further. All along He told us how to cleanse our inner space and how to realize the Divine consciousness within. Now, in the last verse He says that one who does so attains liberation, regardless of his present position, sarvathā vartamāno 'pi na sa bhūyo 'bhijāyate (13.24).

Every being is moving towards the Divine, whether or not the being is aware of it. We take on this body to fulfill certain desires. If we truly put our energies into dissolving these desires, we have no reason to take another birth to fulfill these desires. The incompletion happens when we start to lead somebody else's life and forget we are here to live our desires and not others' desires. We constantly borrow other people's desires and accumulate them in us.

Then, before we start realizing our true nature, it becomes time to leave this body. We take with us the entire baggage of unfulfilled desires and take another body again. The universe again and again tries to help us dissolve our desires so that we become free of them. But we resist by not feeling responsible for what happens within and around us.

Kṛṣṇa says that an understanding of kṣetra or prakṛti straightaway liberates us. We are caught up in pursuing sense pleasures and accumulating desires as long as we associate ourselves with this body. The minute we understand that we are beyond the body and mind, we suddenly realize, 'What stupidity to run in this rat race!

Part 5: Bhagavad Gita Chapter 13 - Collection_English_part_5.md

Understand, your cognition is changeable, transformable is the first cognition you need. Whenever people realize that they are beyond the bondages of body and mind, that their cognition is changeable, spontaneous Enlightenment happens. When people who go on doing completion, with their body and mind, along with the basic root-pattern that their cognition is not changeable; then finally, at one point, they break and understand that cognition is changeable, they become enlightened. That is called Enlightenment process, gradual Enlightenment. People who immediately understand that cognition is changeable and awaken, are people who have become spontaneously enlightened, they have instant Enlightenment.

You go on believing that because you are seeing from the time of your birth, seeing is hardware of you like the eyes. You don't separate eyes and seeing, you don't separate ears and hearing, you don't separate tongue and tasting. You don't separate kṣetra and kṣetrajñya, the one watching the kṣetra. You think that if it is there, it is there, which is not the truth. Cognition is changeable. Cognition is transformable. With this clarity that the cognition is transformable, now decide and be liberated.

Completion does not mean blindly accepting everything that happens in your life, in the kṣetra. It simply means not resisting life as it happens to us. The root of all our incompletions is the idea we carry — Life should not be this way.

That is why we spend our whole life asking, 'Why, why, why? Why is life so bad? Why did this happen to me? Why do bad things happen to good people?'

Spontaneous completion or instant completion means simply dropping the wrong understanding that is creating conflict for you in a particular situation.

To understand the witnessing technique and the technique for spontaneous completion Help children understand that our cognition is transformable

• What is the fire of witnessing consciousness?
• What is "like reading the menu and leaving the restaurant without tasting the food"?
• Why do we take another birth?
• Why is it important to immediately understand that cognition is changeable?
• Should we blindly accept everything that happens in our life, in the kṣetra?
• What is the right cognition to have when facing a crisis or conflict in life?

• 1. A piece of A4 white paper
• 2. Pencil or coloured pencils/markers

Draw the process of how gold is put in fire and comes out more pure.

As of now, we are like 18-carat gold, copper and gold mixed together. Again and again, if we constantly put ourselves into this fire of witnessing consciousness, our inner space eventually becomes completely pure, like 24-carat gold.

Have the children sit in a circle. The acharya reads out the example cognitions given below, and the children respond with examples of a transformed cognition. Help the children come up with at least 3 alternative cognitions. Encourage them to listen well to the alternative cognitions that others are giving.

• Sweets are the best
• If I have an iPhone I will be happy
• My friend will like me more if I am rich
• Being an adult means you have to order people around
• Walking is boring
• The darkness at night frightens me
• I hate getting up early in the morning
• In the end I always get what I want

Understand, your cognition is changeable, transformable is the first cognition you need. People who immediately understand that cognition is changeable and awaken, are people who have become spontaneously enlightened, they have instant Enlightenment.

Hold Vaakyartha Sadhas on the difference between asking

• Why, why, why? Why is life so bad? Why did this happen to me? Why do bad things happen to good people?Why is life this way? And asking This is life, so now what? Do I want to accept it and move on? Do I want to reject it and move on? Or do I change it the way I want? Encourage children to discuss the difference it would make to their every-day experiences such as preparing for an exam, getting scolded, a friend telling them they don't want to be friends anymore, etc.

When you act out of completion, you are empowered to resolve any conflict that happens inside you or outside you.

Authored by

THE SUPREME PONTIFF OF HINDUISM BHAGAWAN SRI NITHYANANDA PARAMASHIVAM

dhyānenātmani paśyanti kecidātmānamātmanā anye sāṅkhyena yogena karmayogena cāpare

Some perceive the Paramātman in their inner psyche through mind and intellect that have been purified by meditation or by metaphysical knowledge or by karma yoga

Just surrender the fruits of your actions to Him, the Universal Consciousness.

anye tvevamajānantaḥ śrutvānyebhya upāsate te 'pi 'cātitaranty eva mṛtyuṁ śrutiparāyaṇāḥ

There are those who, although not conversant in spiritual knowledge, begin to worship the supreme personality upon hearing about Him from others. Through the process of hearing about the supreme Self, they also transcend the path of birth and death

Even if the person is totally new to spirituality, he can follow a spiritual path. Only a cognitive shift must happen.

yāvatsañjāyate kiñcit sattvaṁ sthāvarajaṅgamam kṣetra-kṣetrajñasaṁyogāt tadviddhi bharatarṣabha

Bhārata, know that whatever that is movable or immovable is born, It comes into existence by combination of kṣetra and kṣetrajña

For existence to happen, both the subtle and gross forms must be there.

Each disciple can have his own path. This is what Kṛṣṇa says. We can attain the ultimate consciousness through different paths. Kṛṣṇa tells Arjuna about the paths. He gives alternatives: meditation, yoga, chanting mantra, learning and acquiring knowledge and surrendering to the Cosmos.

Listen. You should know which path is good for you. Lots of people take up a spiritual path without knowing what it is. You can have a starting point but you should find out if you are on the right path. You should not blindly follow someone because someone you know is following that guru or that path.

There are different paths to realize the truth. However, we must understand what our path is. This is where a true Enlightened Master can enrich you. He knows exactly what the path is for you. He corrects you when you are on the wrong path.

At the end of the verse, Kṛṣṇa gives a wonderful technique. He gives the ultimate technique, the technique of surrendering. He says, 'Surrender the outcome of your actions to Me.' This is the most effective technique. He talks about it throughout the Gītā.

Just surrender the fruits of your actions to Him, the Universal Consciousness. Most often, we take responsibility for the outcome of our actions. That is when our tensions and problems start. Just surrender everything to the Cosmic energy of Kṛṣṇa. Once we do, we will feel liberated. We will feel free. This is the easiest path to reach the truth.

Listen. A person need not have any spiritual knowledge to start on a particular path. There is no prerequisite. Even if the person is totally new to spirituality, he can follow a spiritual path. Only a cognitive shift must happen.

Please listen! Just because someone has spiritual knowledge, it does not mean that he is actually a seeker. Actually, all they have is intellectual knowledge, not spiritual knowledge. When they speak, they do not speak out of experience. That is the difference between an Enlightened Master and a normal person. When an enlightened master speaks about spirituality, he speaks from his experience of the truth. When a normal person speaks, it is his ego that is speaking.

That is what Kṛṣṇa says. You do not need prior knowledge about spirituality to embark on a path. Even if someone simply tells you about it and you start following a path, it is enough. But be very clear, you should know what you are doing. Don't do anything blindly. In the previous verse, we have talked about it. We should understand what our path is. That's all.

Whatever you see is a combination of matter and energy. The whole Universe is seen as kṣetra and kṣetrajña, māyā and ātman, prakṛti and puruṣa, matter and energy, body-mind and consciousness. Existence as we see it cannot be with only one of them. If we believe that what we see is simply matter, we are in illusion or māyā.

Kṣetra is the body that we associate ourselves with and kṣetrajña is the consciousness. What we see as a human body is a combination of both. If there is no consciousness, the body is useless. The matter that we call a body comes to life because of consciousness. Both must be there.

Prakṛti is the manifest and puruṣa is the unmanifest. Kṣetra is like prakṛti. It is the manifested, that which we can see. Along with what you see, there is something behind its existence. It is puruṣa or the unmanifest, the energy behind the matter, which we do not normally see.

We have seen in the earlier verses that all the millions of stars, planets and other celestial bodies exist in perfect harmony. How are they moving in such order? Look at our solar system. All the planets move in perfect paths. If we think they are rocks, dust or ice, if we think they are simply matter, how is such an order maintained in the Universe? They are not solely matter. There is something behind the existence of that matter.

There is so much chaos; yet there is a beautiful order in that chaos. Order is present because of kṣetrajña. If it were solely matter or kṣetra, there would not be any intelligence. There is intelligence in that matter. That intelligence or consciousness creates this existence. So the combination of kṣetra and kṣetrajña is necessary.

Modern science has shown that matter and energy are the same. They are interchangeable. The outer-world scientists proved this recently. However, the inner-world scientists proved it thousands of years ago. Matter and energy coexist to create existence. We should understand that kṣetra and kṣetrajña are not separate entities when we analyze them at a deeper level. Kṣetra and kṣetrajña are comprised of the same thing.

Kṣetra is the gross form of the energy that also makes up the subtle form of the kṣetrajña. For existence to happen, both the subtle and gross forms must be there.

How we look at things around us defines our lifestyle. We again and again look at things as only matter. When we see only this gross level, fear and greed creep into us. We then want to get more and more of this matter. We live a materialistic life when we think that all we see is solely matter. When we live at the kṣetra level, we live in an illusion or māyā. We want to possess the matter.

But when we realize that it is energy also, we think, 'How can I possess energy? Is it possible to possess it?' No. We can't hold energy in a bag. When this realization happens, we recognize the futility of running after different things that we think are only matter.

Helping the students understand the importance of knowing one's path and how Guru is here to help one find their path.

• How can an Enlightened Master enrich you on your path?
• When did inner-world scientists prove that matter and energy coexist to create existence?
• What happens when we live at the kṣetra level?
• Why is the combination of kṣetra and kṣetrajña necessary?
• When can we recognize the futility of running after different things that we think only matter?

• 1. Black and white cardstock paper (12-inch by 12-inch size)
• 2. Acrylic paint in several colors
• 3. Shaving cream
• 4. 3 foil containers
• 5. Rubber spatula
• 6. Toothpicks
• 7. Squeegee
• 8. Gold glitter glue
• 9. Sponge brush or paint brush
• 10. Glue stick
• 11. Cups and bowls of different sizes to trace the circles

• 1. Start by cutting different sized circle shapes from your white cardstock paper. You can use different sized cups, bowls and containers to trace your circles.
• 2. Squirt shaving cream into the foil containers, enough to fill the bottom of the pans. Use your rubber spatula to spread the shaving cream out evenly and make it as smooth as you can. The kids will have fun doing this part, just make sure you do the final once over.
• 3. Squirt various colors of acrylic paint onto the shaving cream. It seems to work best If you squirt the paint in lines of various directions. Use a toothpick to create lines up and down, side to side and diagonally. You want to end up with a marbled look in the paint as this is the design you will be transferring to your planets for your preschool space craft.
• 4. Press the circle down into the paint and lightly rub all over the circle to get the shaving cream to stick to the entire circle. Carefully remove the circle from the paint and let it sit for 1-2 minutes. Use your squeegee to remove the excess shaving cream from your circle.
• 5. Adding your marbled planets to black cardstock will help give the impression that these planets are in space. After the painted circles are dry, simply glue the planets onto black cardstock paper.
• 6. Using a brush, paint some gold glitter glue all around the planets, just on the black part of the paper. The glue adds a bit of shine and the glitter makes it looks like little stars.

There is so much chaos; yet there is a beautiful order in that chaos. Order is present because of kṣetrajña. If it were solely matter or kṣetra, there would not be any intelligence. There is intelligence in that matter. That intelligence or consciousness creates this existence. So the combination of kṣetra and kṣetrajña is necessary.

• 1. Paper
• 2. Pen
• 3. Eraser
• 4. Pencil

Read the following story and ask the students to engage in a discussion. You can ask them question such as:

• 1. How can someone who was a robber realize the truth and surrender to God so quickly?
• 2. How can cognitive shifts happen?
• 3. What is a cognitive shift you have had recently?
• 4. How important is spiritual knowledge on the path of Living Enlightenment?

"One day the sage Nārada was passing through that jungle. Nārada is cosmically known for his devotion to Viṣṇu. All Nārada had was a small stringed instrument that he played while constantly singing the praises of Viṣṇu.

When Vālmikī saw him, he stopped him and said, 'Give me everything you have, otherwise I will kill you!'

Nārada told him, 'I don't have anything with me except this small instrument and God's name. So I can't give you anything.'

Vālmikī thought he was bluffing. He asked Nārada, 'How can you not have anything?

Nārada smiled and asked, 'What do you do with all these things that you rob from others?

Vālmikī told him, 'These are for my family, my children, my wife and my parents.'

Nārada asked, 'You do all this for your children, wife and parents. Do you think they will stay with you forever?'

Vālmikī told Nārada, 'Yes, of course, they will be with me. I get them wealth and food. They will always be with me.

Nārada once again asked him, 'Are you sure they will always be there for you?'

Vālmikī became irritated. He replied, 'Can't you understand? I am sure that they will always be there for me.

Actually Nārada was only keeping Vālmikī engaged in a conversation and made him look at life from a different cognition. Finally Nārada asked, 'Okay, you have lots of trust that your family will always support you; they will always be there for you. Will they be there when you die? If you ask them to die with you, will they agree?'

Vālmikī confidently answered, 'I am sure at least one of them will come if I ask them. I am robbing people only to support them. They are surviving because I get them this wealth. I am sure if I ask, they will die with me.'

Nārada said, 'Okay, if you think they will do that for you, go and ask them and come back to me. If any one of them agrees, you can kill me. I will not go anywhere. I will stay here.

Vālmikī agreed and went home. He asked his wife first if she would die with him. His wife said, 'Dear, it is true that I am your other half, but I don't think it is fair to ask me to die with you. When it comes to your death, it is your death only.'

Vālmikī was shocked. Anyway, he thought his children would surely go with him, as they loved him very much.

They said, 'Father, we are young. We haven't seen the world yet. You have seen everything but we haven't. How can we die with you?'

Vālmikī became depressed. His wife and children were saying they wouldn't be there with him when he died. He then thought his parents would surely go with him as they had taken care of him and had raised him. So he went up to them and to his surprise, they said, 'Why should we die with you? We are enjoying our life with our grandchildren.'

This shocked him. He went back to Nārada and told him what had happened. Nārada listened and told him, 'The only person who can be with you always is God.

Vālmikī did not have any knowledge about spirituality. He was a robber. That one statement by Nārada made all the difference. He started looking inward after that, and became enlightened.

A person need not have any spiritual knowledge to start on a particular path. There is no prerequisite. Even if the person is totally new to spirituality, he can follow a spiritual path. Only a cognitive shift must happen.

You can ask students questions such as:

• What different paths have you tried?
• How can you know that you have found your path?
• How can Guru show us if we are following the wrong path?
• Why does finding our path matter?

There are different paths to realize the truth. However, we must understand what our path is. This is where a true Enlightened Master can enrich you. He knows exactly what the path is for you. He corrects you when you are on the wrong path.

We

Are

Him

Authored by

THE SUPREME PONTIFF OF HINDUISM BHAGAWAN SRI NITHYANANDA PARAMASHIVAM

samaṁ sarveṣu bhūteṣu tiṣṭhantaṁ parameśvaram vinaśyatsvavinaśyantaṁ yaḥ paśyati sa paśyati

One who sees the supreme Spirit accompanying the individual soul in all bodies, who understands that neither the individual soul nor the supreme Spirit is ever destroyed, actually sees

In reality, we are all one.

samaṁ paśyanhi sarvatra samavasthitamīsvaram na hinastyātmanā 'tmanaṁ tato yāti parāṁ gatim

When one does not get degraded or influenced by the mind and when he can see the Supreme Spirit in all living and non-living things, One reaches the transcendental destination.

We are all Brahman. God is everywhere. Divine energy fills and overflows in all places.

prakṛtyaiva ca karmāṇi kriyamāṇāni sarvaśaḥ yaḥ paśyati tathātmānam akartāraṁ sa paśyati

One who can see that all activities are performed by the body, which is created of material nature, sees that the Self does nothing, actually sees

Our soul is always in a state of bliss. It is always ecstatic.

yadā bhūta-pṛthag-bhāvam ekasthamanupaśyati tata eva ca vistāraṁ brahma saṁpadyate tadā

When a person can see the supreme Self in all living entities then he will cease to see the separateness among the living entities. He will see that the whole universe is an expansion and expression of the same truth

Everything Is The Supreme Spirit, Parameśvara.

Part 6: Bhagavad Gita Chapter 13 - Collection_English_part_6.md

The Existence that we see is not comprised of individual entities. We think that we are separate from others around us. In reality, we are all one. The same Supreme Self, Parameśvara that Kṛṣṇa speaks about is present in all of us and in everything we see around us.

In THE SUPREME PONTIFF OF HINDUISM BHAGAWAN SRI NITHYANANDA PARAMASHIVAM's Own Words: As I tell everyone, 'I am not here to prove that I am God, I am here to prove that you are God.'

We create a barrier between God and us. We are not ready to believe that what we call God is inside us also. We happily accept someone else standing in front of us as God; however, we cannot accept that the same God is inside us.

Yes, we are all Brahman. God is everywhere. Divine energy fills and overflows in all places. The only problem is we do not see this. We only see one thing at a time. We see God as someone different and powerful. We create a big gap between God and us.

We feel relieved because we have full faith in the Supreme Spirit, Param Īśvara. We have full confidence that the Supreme Spirit will take care of us. We believe in the supreme spirit but we do not believe that the soul that we see in us is also the supreme spirit! We are not able to internalize this truth.

The only thing that lives forever is the soul. We should understand that. Everything else must die one day. When we realize this truth, when we understand that only the soul can remain forever, our whole race to get more and more becomes worthless. We realize, 'What is the use of running after things that we know are not going to be with us forever?

When this is realized, we see the truth.

The mind is the only obstacle on the path to reach the ultimate goal. In the previous verse, Kṛṣṇa tells us how we can see the truth. Here Kṛṣṇa talks about the hurdle that we must cross. He says that when we are not degraded or influenced by the mind, we can see the supreme spirit in everything. Only when we can do that, can we reach the final destination

The reason for the incompletions is that the mind, which should be under the control of man, has become a structure that controls man. If a servant behaves like a master, what will happen? An immature servant becoming a master is like catching a monkey and putting it on the throne. If we can keep the mind aside for a while, we see the truth as it is. Our mind cannot accept that the Supreme Soul is in everything around us. Our soul inside us knows that the Supreme Soul is everywhere. But our mind creates a strong sheath around it. Our mind takes control over us. It harbors past memories (saṁskāras) and creates an illusion that leads to wrong cognition.

We are safe as long as we can separate the Self from the body and watch as the body reacts to materialistic things. As long as we know that the soul is supreme and the body is a means to fulfill our worldly desires, we are safe. We are on the right path of completion. However, when we place the body over the soul, the incompletion starts.

We must understand why we assume this human body form and come to planet Earth. This birth that we have taken is to fulfill the carried-over desires of our previous births. These desires are called prārabdha karma. Our soul has taken this body to fulfill our prārabdha karma. When we die, our last thought decides our next birth. Our soul chooses the body that can fulfill the desires of our last birth. This is the truth. Understand that we assume a body to fulfill the desires carried over from our previous life. However, what happens is that we create new desires in this life as well. We use our body to experience the sense pleasures and we create more and more desires. Because of this, we fall into the cycle of birth and death. Once we realize that our soul takes this body to complete a mission that it left unfinished in our previous birth, our attitude towards our whole body will change.

Our body is the temple of our soul. We should respect our body. We should look at our body with gratitude, not greed. We should thank our body, prakṛti for holding our spirit, our soul, ātma. Then, we will see a different dimension of our body.

Actually our soul is always in a state of bliss. It is always ecstatic. Our body is an embodiment of bliss. Whatever material things we think we need, whatever material comforts we think we enjoy, they are needed and enjoyed only by our body. Our soul does not need any of them.

Kṛṣṇa gives us a technique here. He says, when we watch our body enjoying the sense pleasures, when we watch only our body being associated with the external material comforts and not our soul, we see the truth. Just witness the body. Be aware of your body. Observe the body when it reacts to external things. You will notice a sense of separation from the body. You will see what your body is. You will see that your soul has nothing to do with the pleasures you are enjoying.

When you do this, you witness your body and mind as if you are an outsider. It is like watching a movie. When you watch a movie, you watch what happens on the screen. In the same way, when you watch your body and mind, you understand what Kṛṣṇa says. Only when you witness that the body experiences material pleasures and it is the body that does everything and the soul does not need anything, you see the truth.

Kṛṣṇa gives the great truth of advaita in this verse. He talks about collective consciousness. He says when we see the Supreme Soul in all living beings, we no longer see the separateness. We see everything as one single entity. We see the whole Universe as one single body, as one entity expressing the same truth of oneness.

We are all connected. Each and every living entity is connected to the other. Your thoughts affect the thoughts of the person sitting beside you. Whether or not you believe it, this is the truth.

consciousness is like an onion. What do you see in an onion? There are layers over layers of skin. When you peel the onion layer by layer, what is there inside? Nothing! You are just like that onion. You think the onion is solid. Only when you peel, you see that there is nothing inside it. In the same manner, if you peel all the individual body-mind layers, you experience that you are the collective consciousness. Once you remove all the layers, you see that every entity around you has the same consciousness. Everything is the same.

From the beginning, from your birth, society starts creating new layers on you. In the process, the innocent, childlike nature that sees the Self in everything is slowly lost in us. As a child you do lots of things through which you connect to the Self. You do not know you are different from soil or earth. That is why you play with mud. But what do parents do? They scold you. 'Don't do this. Don't do that.' They say, 'You will get dirty. Your clothes will become dirty.'

We continuously impose societal conditions on the child. The child does not know what is dirty or what is clean. The child sees the soil just the same as the floor. He does not see any difference. He connects to the same energy when he plays on the dusty road or inside a clean house. Adults condition children to see the difference, the duality.

When we remove these conditionings caused by our body-mind association, we see that everything is pure consciousness. Only then we see that we are all the same. Only then we experience the space of non-duality, Advaita. That is what Kṛṣṇa says here. When we see that the Supreme Soul resides in each of us, we see that all of us are connected to each other. When we see this, we see the truth of living Advaita. We see that the whole Universe is the expansion of the same consciousness—tata eva ca vistāraṁ brahma sampadyate tadā (13.31). The whole Universe is the expression of the same truth.

Helping the students experience themselves as God. Encouraging the students to contemplate on the great truth of Advaita

• What is the obstacle on the path of reaching the ultimate goal?
• When can we reach the final destination?
• In what state is our soul in?
• What do we understand when we witness our body and mind?
• Why do we slowly lose our childlike nature?
• What happens when we remove the conditionings caused by our body-mind association?

• 1. Paper
• 2. Black sharpie
• 3. Markers
• 4. Glue
• 5. Scissors
• 6. Pictures of different Gods and Goddesses

• Trace your silhouette with a black sharpie on a big paper
• Add heads, eyes and arms so that you have a total of 25 heads, 75 eyes and 50 arms like Paramashiva.
• Inside your silhouette, write words and glue images that describe or represent your true nature.
• Ask the children to visualize themselves as Paramashiva and ask them to share their experience about what it feels like to have so many arms, heads and eyes.

We create a barrier between God and us. We are not ready to believe that what we call God is inside us also. We happily accept someone else standing in front of us as God; however, we cannot accept that the same God is inside us.

• 1. Pen
• 2. Pencil
• 3. Eraser
• 4. Paper
• 5. Clothes and accessories PROCEDURE:
• Ask students to write a list of all their family conditionings
• Ask students to write a list of all their societal conditionings
• Then, ask the students to add a layer (piece of clothing or accessory) for each of the conditionings that they have listed.
• Ask them to share their experience about how it feels to be covered in so many layers.

• From the beginning, from your birth, society starts creating new layers on you. In the process, the innocent, childlike nature that sees the Self in everything is slowly lost in us. As a child you do lots of things through which you connect to the Self. You do not know you are different from soil or earth. That is why you play with mud. But what do parents do? They scold you. 'Don't do this. Don't do that.' They say, 'You will get dirty. Your clothes will become dirty.

Kṛṣṇa gives the great truth of advaita in this verse. He talks about collective consciousness. He says when we see the Supreme Soul in all living beings, we no longer see the separateness. We see everything as one single entity. We see the whole Universe as one single body, as one entity expressing the same truth of oneness. You can ask students questions such as:

• Why is it so hard to believe that we are God?
• How do you understand Advaita?
• How do we experience ourselves, the world and life when we are in Advaita? What are the effects of conditionings on us?
• Is it possible to raise a child without conditioning?
• How can we remove conditionings?

When we see that the Supreme Soul resides in each of us, we see that all of us are connected to each other. When we see this, we see the truth of living Advaita. We see that the whole Universe is the expansion of the same consciousness—tata eva ca vistāraṁ brahma sampadyate tadā (13.31). The whole Universe is the expression of the same truth.

Authored by

THE SUPREME PONTIFF OF HINDUISM BHAGAWAN SRI NITHYANANDA PARAMASHIVAM

iti kṣetraṁ tathā jñānaṁ jñeyaṁ co 'ktaṁ samāsataḥ madbhakta etadvijñāya madbhāvāyopapadyate

Thus the field of activities, knowledge and the knowable has been summarily described by Me. It is only when we can understand the true nature of our supreme Self and the material world with which we have created false identities that we can go beyond this and attain the supreme Self itself

The understanding of the kṣetra, the illusory world created by our minds, is important in helping us to differentiate between reality and non-reality

anāditvānnirguṇa tvāt paramātmāyamavyayaḥ śarīrastho'pi kaunteya na karoti na lipyate

Those with the vision of eternity can see that the soul is transcendental, eternal, and beyond the modes of nature. Despite contact with the material body, O Arjuna, the soul neither does anything nor is attached

The soul is free from all entanglements. It is eternal and transcendental.

yathā sarvagataṁ saukṣmyād ākāśaṁ nopalipyate sarvatrāvasthito dehe tathātmā nopalipyate

The sky, due to its subtle nature, does not mix with anything, although it is all-pervading. Similarly, the soul, situated in Brahman, does not mix with the body, though situated in that body

Just as the sun illuminates our whole world, one Supreme Self—Paramātma, that is one kṣetrajña, illuminates all beings in the Universe, whether they are animate or inanimate.

kṣetrakṣetrajñayor evam antaraṁ jñāna-cakṣuṣā bhūta-prakṛtimokṣaṁ ca ye viduryānti te param

Those, who see with the eyes of knowledge the difference between the body-mind, kṣetra and the knower of the body-mind, kṣetrajña, can understand the process. Are liberated from the bondages of the material nature and attain the Paramātman

There are no two separate entities called soul and Supreme Soul. There is only soul. There is only one. Everything in this Universe has the Supreme Soul.

Kṛṣṇa again and again talks about the true nature of the Self. He tells Arjuna that the soul is free from all entanglements. It is eternal and transcendental. Kṛṣṇa says that though the soul has come into contact with the material body, it still is free.

Kṛṣṇa says that just as the sun illuminates our whole world, one Supreme Self— Paramātma, that is one kṣetrajña, illuminates all beings in the Universe, whether they are animate or inanimate. He says everything has the same consciousness.

Kṛṣṇa gives more and more examples. The sun sheds light on the surrounding planets. The darkness on the planets is removed by the sun's light. In the same way, the Supreme Self, kṣetrajña, lights up all beings in the Universe. The ultimate consciousness lights up the entire Universe. All beings of the Universe have this consciousness.

Kṣetri is the Self. This Self illumines all the kṣetra, all the bodies. Not just our body or kṣetra is illumined but all the kṣetra are illumined. The consciousness present in each of us is the hologram of the supreme Self. So there is no separation between the consciousness present in our body and the consciousness present in a plant or a rock. Everything is the same energy.

The sun lights up everything that is around. There is no partiality. It does not discriminate. Whatever comes its way, it removes the darkness from it. In the same way, the supreme Self present in us illuminates everything in the Universe. Our ignorance separates the soul from the Supreme Soul.

Actually to even use two different words—soul and Supreme Soul, ātma and parmātma—is not correct. There are no two separate entities called soul and Supreme Soul. There is only soul. There is only one. Everything in this Universe has the Supreme Soul. Our mind draws boundaries.

Our mind knows that if it opens the lid, the soul and the Supreme Soul will become one. Our mind knows that the soul in this body and the Supreme Soul are one and the same; there is no difference between the two. So our mind fears that if it opens the lid, our whole identity will be lost and we will become the same as everyone else. Our mind does not want this to happen.

Here Kṛṣṇa ends by saying, 'If we can witness as pure consciousness, we will be liberated from the bondages of the body-mind and achieve the eternal consciousness.' Kṛṣṇa gives a technique to realize the eternal consciousness.

Becoming the witness of the kṣetra is the only way to keep us away from the bondages of the body-mind. We must witness as the kṣetrajña, consciousness. When we do that we will see the separation of the Self from the body and mind.

When we witness these movements happening in our system, we separate ourselves from the body-mind system. When we watch them like clouds in the sky, when we watch them like a movie on a screen, without getting attached, we see the truth.

The Cosmos functions with a mutual law, dharma of —'don't give onto others what should not be given to you. If you don't give to others what should not be given to you, what should not be given to you, will not be given to you by others.' It is a cosmic law of life.

Please internalize! When you don't have fear of thinking, thinking will not give fear to you. Both of you, you and your thinking, you and your body and mind, come to a peace agreement—'till today, we had war. Let us stop the war. Let us come to an agreement. I will not be afraid of you and you don't be afraid of me.' This agreement is what I call as Integrity. You not having fear of thinking and thinking not having fear of you, this agreement is Integrity.

Witness the mind like a friend with integrity. Let whatever is inside come out with friendliness. There's nothing wrong. Neither support nor suppress. If we support, we will go after the garbage. If we suppress, we will end up analyzing the garbage and pushing it aside. Neither approach is going to work. Just witness and be complete.

Witnessing acts like fire. All the thoughts are burned away and what remains is the pure space of completion. Understand, neither suppressing nor supporting your thoughts will work. Only witnessing with integrity works.

When we go deep into our being, into our space of completion, the witnessing consciousness automatically creates intelligence. Understand that we don't need to be in that space all twenty-four hours of each day. Even if we get a few glimpses, that is enough. That energy will guide our whole life. If we understand the silence that happens to us when we are witnessing, even for a few seconds, we will taste it and start acting on it. Only out of these few moments does the energy of great creation and achievement happen.

When we do completion, creation simply happens. Enriching will just be our lifestyle. When we are in the space of completion, we will simply create and enrich everyone. All great things are achieved from the consciousness and intuition that is beyond the body-mind. They are products of the witnessing consciousness. This is true not only in the field of science but in arts, spirituality or any field.

When we are beyond the body and mind, we bring the maximum powers out of our being. We start expressing the power of words through integrity, the power of thinking through authenticity, and ultimately the powers of feeling and living through responsibility and enriching.

The ultimate expression of our being happens when we are Whole. Whenever we are whole, we are holy. Understand that witnessing consciousness or being in the space of completion is the only path to Wholeness or Holiness.

Helping the students understand the true nature of the Soul, always free. Guiding the students in the Svapūrṇatva Kriya - Selfcompletion Process - where they witness all movements with

friendliness.

• .What is the true nature of the self
• How is the Supreme Self similar to the Sun?
• What attitude should we have when we witness the mind?
• What power manifests through integrity?
• What power manifests through authenticity?
• What powers manifest through responsibility and enriching?

• 1. Watercolour paper
• 2. Watercolours
• 3. Watercolour crayons (optional)
• 4. Cup of water
• 5. Kitchen paper
• 6. Watercolour brush
• 7. Old towel (to protect the floor) Lotus flower picture (optional as student can create their own version of a lotus).

• Tell the students to draw their own version of a lotus plant and to illustrate how the water droplets simply fall on the leaves without getting attached.
• Ask the students to contemplate and share on how the soul is similar to those droplets of water. Then, you can read the "inference" to the students for deeper understanding of the true nature of the Soul.

The soul actually does nothing. It does not entangle itself in the web of greed and fear. It is the mind that continuously adds new desires to the list and keeps the body running after them. Internally, the soul is always free. It has no bondage.

It is like the lotus plant in a lake. Water droplets that fall on the lotus leaves do not get attached to the leaves. They simply roll off and merge with the water again.

In the same way, the soul that rests inside this body is completely free from worldly joys and sorrows. It is like the drops of water. The soul, Ātma can simply merge into the Supreme Soul, Paramātma. Only the body is related to the worldly happenings. The soul is not involved at all.

Read out the technique as explained by Swamiji:

• Let me explain the technique. The technique may take at least ten minutes.

• You are going to witness your body movements, breath movements and mind movements: movements of your body, movements of your breath and movements of your mind. You may ask what kind of body movements do we have?

• Understand that by inhaling and exhaling, your belly will be moving continuously up and down. There will be a slight movement of your belly during your breathing. Witness that movement.

• Next, watch the flow of your breath during inhaling and exhaling, without any attempt to control it.

• Third, watch your mind. Thoughts will be going on. Please do not judge your thoughts as right or wrong. Don't be afraid of your thinking. For a few minutes, sit comfortably next to your mind, like a close friend.You can place a mirror in front of you and cognize that the person in the mirror is your incomplete half, your mind who is your close friend. Let it tell you whatever it wants to. Let it

• Speak out loud whatever it wants. Without speaking, your thinking will not have its clarity, depth and strength. Allow your mind to talk, talk and talk and make it as part of you by befriending it.

• Witness all these with no attachment. Do not stop, control or go behind anything. This is the self-completion process (svapūrṇatva kriya) with your mind.

Part 7: Bhagavad Gita Chapter 13 - Collection_English_part_7.md

• We continuously fight with our body and mind. We cannot get rid of the body and mind by constantly fighting with them. We can only go beyond them through friendliness. Only if we feel deeply friendly towards them, will we be able to go beyond body and mind. If we have a negative emotion of fear or greed towards the body-mind, we will naturally abuse and only have a violent relationship with it. Be complete with the body and the mind

The ultimate expression of our being happens when we are Whole. Ask the students to express their understandings and to then write a short essay about it.

You can ask students questions such as:

• What does "being whole" mean?
• What makes us feel "hole/not whole"?
• How can we become whole?
• How can witnessing consciousness create intelligence?
• What is one's ultimate expression?

Whenever we are whole, we are holy. Understand that witnessing consciousness or being in the space of completion is the only path to Wholeness or Holiness.