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

śrī bhagavan uvāca abhayaṁ sattvasaṁśuddhir jñānayogavyavasthitiḥ dānaṁ damaśca yajñaś ca svādhyāyastapa ārjavam

Bhagavān Kṛṣṇa says: Fearlessness, purification of the being, cultivation of spiritual knowledge, charity and being centered on the being, performance of sacrifices, and accumulation of knowledge, austerity, simplicity

These are qualities that you express when you are focused not on your own self but on others.

ahiṁsā satyam akrodhas tyāgaḥ śāntir apaiśunam dayā bhūteṣv aloluptvaṁ mārdavaṁ hrīracāpalam

Non-violence, truthfulness, freedom from anger, renunciation, tranquility, aversion to fault finding, compassion for all living entities, freedom from covetousness, gentleness, modesty, studied determination

These are enriching qualities that naturally express from completion not compulsion.

tejaḥ kṣamā dhṛtiḥ śaucam adroho nātimānitā bhavanti saṁpadaṁ daivīm abhijātasya bhārata vigor,

More forgiveness, fortitude, cleanliness, freedom from envy, and from the passion of honor, these transcendental qualities, O Son of Bhārata (Arjuna), belong to divine men, endowed with divine nature

Again and again, Masters prove that they are not better beings; they are totally transformed beings.

Kṛṣṇa lists a number of qualities that take us to a higher plane of consciousness; qualities that make us divine.

Now when we listen to these things with the space of 'me', what do we usually do? We start practicing all these virtues. Be clear that if we try to practice all of these qualities, one thing is sure: we will become mad. We will not be able to do

anything because we will be fighting with ourselves. We will be controlling our senses to strengthen our ego. When we try to understand these ideas with our ego, with the space of 'me', we practice them to strengthen the idea of 'me', to improve ourselves and become better beings. Again and again, Masters prove that they are not better beings; they are totally transformed beings. There is a difference between better beings and transformed beings. Kṛṣṇa tells us to be without fear and greed.

He also says to be without anger. He says to be truthful, simple, meek, gentle, non-violent, and to be without expectations and to renounce. These are qualities of the Divine; these are qualities that you express when you are focused not on your own self but on others. These are qualities that arise from the heart and not from the mind. These are qualities that arise from love and not from desire. These are enriching qualities that naturally express from completion not compulsion. When we are complete, free and liberated, we are in sheer enjoyment and we are in heaven. If we focus on enriching others, on 'You', we expand with the power of living. In fact, the more we focus to create the inner space of completion, the more we open up to enrich others. We move from the 'me' to 'You.' As we move inwards, our higher intelligence awakens. Our higher intelligence is nothing but the Divine.

That completion alone makes us God. Completion is God! Completion is Divinity!

As human beings we have the opportunity to expand into this energy, into this higher intelligence. Unfortunately, animals do not have this ability, this consciousness. Humans do. To ignore this gift, this opportunity, this consciousness, is our original sin. The entire meaning of our life is to discover this truth and become divine. That is why, if we die without realizing this truth, we are born again. We go through this cycle of life and death again and again because we do not recognize who we are. As Buddha says, that is the cause of our suffering. When we realize our own Self, our true divine potential, we realize the meaning of our life, and there is no need to be born again. We become liberated

Life is not that unfair with you. Anything happens only when you take the responsibility of inviting it and making it happen. You should know very clearly and see your own hypocrisy. What a funny belief space we create about life and then we go on blaming life! If you create this kind of space, will life respond to you? Ironing out your thinking to the logical flow of your thinking, needs to be done as the first step for awakening the divine qualities. Whatever you are afraid of, sit in a very cool and comfortable way and know very clearly that just because you are thinking, you are not going to have it. Millions of things about which you thought, you didn't have them. You also wanted a private jet, but did you get it? No! So, know very clearly, mere thinking is not going to get you the results.

Only creating the space is going to get you the results. Creating the space means, taking the responsibility and thinking. Accept that there is a possibility for all these fears to come true: your wealth may be stolen, you may have an accident, a near or dear one may die, or you may die

All these possibilities are real. Yes. What can be done? This is life. this is what is called facing reality as it is. So, sit comfortably and tell yourself clearly, 'Now I am going to allow myself to think to the extreme conclusions, the logical conclusions of any thought-trend which I am afraid of. If I am afraid of poverty, let me sit and think about the extreme possibility of poverty.

Anything that stays in your unconscious as a weight and makes you brood over it, bring all of them out and consciously think through them to the logical conclusion. With integrity, fear of thinking will disappear, and once fear of thinking disappears, they cannot cause fear to you. When you lose fear of thinking, thinking loses fear of you. When both of you lose fear of each other, you live happily, blissfully, ever after. Having eternal romance with your thinking is integrity. Integrity takes away the fear component in your thinking. You can think about anything; you will take responsibility for the right thing.

Helping students face the fears that are unconsciously sitting as a weight in them. Helping the students realize that life is fair and that one must bring integrity and take responsibility to make the reality they want happen.

• 1. When do the qualities of the Divine express in us?
• 2. What is the difference between animals and humans?
• 3. What is the first step that needs to be done to awaken the Divine qualities?
• 4. How can you live happily, blissfully, ever after?
• 5. What happens to the fear component when you bring in integrity?

Paper Pens, markers, pencil, eraser, etc.

Tell the students to draw the evolution from animal to human to divine and to write down a description for each

As human beings we have the opportunity to expand into this energy, into this higher intelligence. Unfortunately, animals do not have this ability, this consciousness. Humans do. To ignore this gift, this opportunity, this consciousness, is our original sin. The entire meaning of our life is to discover this truth and become divine.

• Paper
• pen, pencil

First thing you need to do - sit with yourself and list out all the areas of your life that you are afraid of. Whatever you are afraid of, write it down and logically think about it. Allow all of them to surface. Let your mind face the fears. Let your mind speak everything. Think intensely and logically about the fears. Give it half an hour. You may feel afraid, tears may roll and your whole body may shake. Let everything come out. What can be done? If you could do anything, you would have done it. Allow the fear to come up to your conscious layer without being suppressed

Only creating the space is going to get you the results. Creating the space means, taking the responsibility and thinking. Accept that there is a possibility for all these fears to come true: your wealth may be stolen, you may have an accident, a near or dear one may die, or you may die. All these possibilities are real. Yes. What can be done? This is life. This is what is called facing reality as it is.

Part 2: Bhagavad Gita Chapter 16 - Collection_English_part_2.md

Ask the students to share moments in their lives when they felt that life was being unfair to them. -Then, share the following truth and engage into a discussion about it: "Life is not that unfair with you. Anything happens only when you take the responsibility of inviting it and making it happen. You should know very clearly and see your own hypocrisy." In the end, ask the students to write a short essay about:

• 1. How those moments where they felt "life is unfair" are times when they did not want to take the responsibility for making what they want happen/Exposing their own hypocrisy.
• 2. How life is fair

Having eternal romance with your thinking is integrity. Integrity takes away the fear component in your thinking. You can think about anything; you will take responsibility for the right thing

Authored by

THE SUPREME PONTIFF OF HINDUISM BHAGAWAN SRI NITHYANANDA PARAMASHIVAM

Pride, arrogance, conceit, anger, harshness or cruelty, and ignorance — these qualities belong to those born with demonic nature, O Pārtha (Arjuna)

The instinct to survive is what is called 'I', and the instinct to possess is what is referred to as 'mine'. The person who understands that both are illusions is a complete person.

daivī sampadvimokṣāya nibandhayāsuri matā mā śucāḥ sampadaṁ daivīm abhijātosi pāṇḍava

The transcendental qualities are conducive to liberation, whereas the demonic qualities make for bondage. Do not worry, Pāṇḍava (Arjuna), you are born with Divine qualities

A person who is ready to look into his mind, to contemplate whether he is living rightly or wrongly, always lives rightly.

dvau bhūtasargau loke'smin daiva āsura eva ca daivo vistaraśaḥ prokta āsuraṁ pārtha me śṛṇu Pārtha

(Arjuna), in this world there are two kinds of created beings, one is divine and the other, demonic. I have explained at length to you the Divine qualities, now understand the demonic qualities also, so that you will understand and live your life blissfully and happily

When one drops the cognition of 'me', one experiences peace and completion; when one starts working based on the cognition of 'You', one experiences tremendous bliss.

pravṛttiṁ ca nivṛttiṁ ca janā na vidurāsurāḥ na śaucaṁ nāpi cācāro na satyaṁ teṣu vidyate

Persons with demonic nature do not know what is bondage and what is liberation; not what is cleanliness; truthful behavior is not in them

Everybody is born ready for divinity

All actions done out of arrogance, out of pride, out of ego, for name and fame, and for power, are demonic in nature. Such actions are performed out of ignorance, and ultimately lead to their own downfall. The instinct to survive is what is called 'I', and the instinct to possess is what is referred to as 'mine'. The person who understands that both are illusions is a complete person. Such a person realizes that the instinct to survive does not help, and no matter what one may have, one still cannot survive forever. The instinct to survive is pure illusion. Suffering is from arrogance, never from sensitivity. A person who is sensitive never suffers. We suffer from words when we stop them, when we resist them, when we make our own meaning out of them. When we do not make meanings out of words, we do not suffer.

Only when we face the instinct to survive and the instinct to possess and experience completion, will we enter the space of fearlessness.

Try this simple experiment: Try living for others' sake out of gratitude for just one week. Try to live with the new root-cognition of 'You'. We live all our life with this 'āsuri sampat,' what Kṛṣṇa calls demonic nature, the inauthentic attitude of 'me, me, me'. When you don't give attention to 'me', you will never be 'in tension'. When you replace your root cognition of 'me' with 'You', a deep inner healing, a deep completion happens in you. Whenever you become a hollow bamboo, you are a flute in the hands of the Divine. Whatever happens through you will be divine; you will imbibe the divine nature.

the root cognition happens in us keeping the 'I' as the center; He gives a simple technique to replace the 'I' with 'You' so that the cognitive shift happens. This same system will be used for the Divine nature. Enrich others with the space of 'You' which will naturally make you express these divine qualities in life. Enriching will be just your lifestyle. You will understand that enriching the 'You' enriches the 'I' back. Enriching others enriches you back. Experientially you will understand that 'you' is one with others, others are one with you. Automatically you will become blissful, free from anger and full of dhārmic (righteous) qualities. Above all, you will feel tremendous fulfillment, what I call the space of completion. Anything you do with the space of 'you' will make you radiate these beautiful, divine qualities.

There are four muktis or levels of liberation: sālokya mukti, sārūpya mukti, sāmīpya mukti and sāyujya mukti. Sālokya means 'same place'; it means we will be allowed to stay in Vaikunṭa, Viṣṇu's abode. We will have a residence in heaven. Sārūpya means we will have the same form as the Lord. For example, we can see Jaya-Vijaya, the gatekeepers of heaven; they have the same ṣankh (conch), cakra (discus), gadā (mace), padma (lotus)—all the accessories of Viṣṇu in the same svarūpa (form). Sāmīpya (being near) is being in the inner circle; the cakra that Viṣṇu is carrying has achieved sāmīpya mukti! Becoming enlightened oneself is sāyujya mukti. Sāmīpya mukti is the best Enlightenment because we can enjoy Him forever! It is like an ant forever enjoying the sugar candy. Sāyujya mukti is like becoming the sugar candy. This is for all the ṛṣis. For devotees, the ultimate state is sāmīpya mukti. Even if they run after the Divine, people with the root cognition of 'I' can never reach the Divine, because the Divine runs away from them.

How we are centered and where our inner space is focused is what makes our life demonic or divine. The person who is ready to look into his mind, the person who is afraid about whether he is living rightly or wrongly, always lives rightly. Only the person who is arrogant is demonic. The person who is demonic never considers whether he does right or wrong. He thinks that he is always right. Lord Kṛṣṇa explains that living with transcendental qualities, that is the right space of 'you', one achieves liberation or Enlightenment nivṛitti. By living with the space of 'I' we create more bondage. The demonic qualities make for bondage, meaning pravṛitti. A person who is divine tries to chisel or correct himself, whereas a person who is demonic tries to correct others. Please understand that when we live with the root cognition of 'You, You, You', we completely forget ourselves; we disappear into Existence. We are in bliss. If you throw away the 'me', that alone liberates you, and if you start working on 'You', you experience tremendous bliss.

When you drop 'me', you experience peace and completion; when you start working with 'You', you experience peace and bliss. This is the straight path to peace and bliss. People of this nature are so deeply immersed in their attachment and aversion that they no longer feel themselves separated from these qualities. They are so much in bondage to their senses that they can no longer know they are in bondage. The problem with most people however, is that their caring is a business transaction. They care when there is something in it for them. Whether the transaction is with mother, father, spouse, son, daughter, relative or friend, there is a 'What's in it for me?' attitude.

When the focus is on 'you,' as in caring for enriching someone with no expectation, with no conditions, we slip into a state of bliss. This state of bliss is our natural state.

When we are in a blissful moment, when we feel blessed by Existence, let us be enriched that moment. That is when we are closest to God. Let that moment be of gratitude, prayer, and meditation. In that moment, remember God existentially, not verbally. Let your whole being feel the vibration and become overwhelmed with the beyond. Don't lose that moment. It is precious. Everybody is born ready for divinity. If we miss it, it is totally our responsibility. We miss it because we never look within.

Encourage the students to look within and try to feel the divine vibrations within. Students must internalize the understanding that when we focus on the wellbeing of others without

expectations and conditions, we relax and our tensions disappear, and we slip into a state of bliss.

• ❑ What kind of actions result from the instinct to survive called 'I'?
• ❑ What kind of actions result from the instinct to possess called 'mine'?
• ❑ Why are the instincts of "I" and "mine" referred to as illusions?
• ❑ Why are you hurt by small and well-meaning criticisms from others?
• ❑ What are the four muktis or levels of liberation?
• ❑ What is sālokya (same place) mukti?
• ❑ What is sārūpya (same form) mukti?
• ❑ What is sāmīpya (being near) mukti?
• ❑ Why is it most preferred by devotees?
• ❑ What is sāyujya (to merge) mukti?

Cylindrical wood pieces of 7-8 inch length Decorative ribbons, colourful clothes Sewing needle, thread Paint, brush Beads, cotton/fillers, strong cotton thread

The teacher gets help from a carpenter/ handyman for sawing the wood blocks into the figurine shape, and to carve eyes,nose and mouth, as shown below. First, get the student to draw facial features on the wooden head with a pencil. Then paint the face and let it dry.

Meanwhile cut and stitch colourful clothes to make arms, shoes, headgear, blouse and long skirts (called Ghagra-choli) for female puppets or Top and dhoti (called Dhoti-kurta) for male puppets. Fill the clothes with cotton/fillers so that the puppet body looks puffed up. Embellish and jewel the puppet.

Finally attach strong strings to the neck, shoulders, hands, legs and head of the puppet. The strings are either looped with different fingers of the puppeteer or tied to a stick (equal distances apart) which the puppeteer holds to operate the puppets. Your beautiful puppets are now ready to perform.

The art of puppetry helps us create a space in us where we think and act as somebody else. Forgetting the "I" and "mine" gives rise to a new consciousness in you.

Let me tell you a lovely history about a great Kṛṣṇa devotee named Tara�…giṇi. The history goes that within twelve hours of Kṛṣṇa's birth, He was handed over to Yaśodā. He took birth at midnight, and before sunrise, He was brought to Yaśodā. This was because of a prophecy that Kamsa, His uncle, would come to kill Him at sunrise. Yaśodā brought Him up until He left his home, Vriṇdāvan. Despite her bringing Him up, when Yaśodā asked Him to sing or play the flute, He would not Play. However, when Tara�…giṇi, a devotee of Kṛṣṇa from a lower caste asked Kṛṣṇa to play, He would play for her. She would stand in a corner and would not come in front of Him. She would quietly enjoy His presence and music from a distance.

One day Kṛṣṇa forgot the flute and went away. He pretended to have forgotten the flute. Tara�…giṇi noticed the flute and with love and care, kept it in her home to hand over to Kṛṣṇa. The next day Kṛṣṇa said, 'Someone has taken My flute.' He pretended to search for it. He learned that Tara�…giṇi had the flute and went to her house. Since He was from a higher caste, He needed a reason to go to the area of the lower community people. Yaśodā would ask Him why he had gone there. She would punish Him, since

higher caste people did not go to that area. Kṛṣṇa went to the area which was full of mud, dirty roads, and a hut with a thousand holes in

it!

Kṛṣṇa entered the house and asked for His flute. Tara�…giṇi was totally shaken to see Kṛṣṇa in her house. She was overwhelmed; she was unable to speak. She ran and brought the flute to Him. Kṛṣṇa continued His divine act, līlā, asking if He should play the flute. And who can refuse when Kṛṣṇa asks? She replied, 'My Lord, even Gods and Ṛṣis come down to listen to Your music, how can I say no?' He sat on the steps, and started playing; she sat in a corner filled with ecstasy. Yaśodā arrived at that moment. She felt terribly upset because He had never played the flute for her. She said, 'I take care of you; I give you food and look after you completely. You never play for me. Yet you come and play here for this urchin girl!'

Since Yaśodā disturbed him, Kṛṣṇa stopped playing. The tune that Kṛṣṇa played to Tara�…giṇi is known as punnagavarali, 'the broken tune'. Kṛṣṇa told Yaśodā, 'You served Me, no doubt, but with the space of 'I'. Tara�…giṇi is devoted to Me; you are devoted to yourself. As long as I am your Kṛṣṇa, you take care of Me; that means you are devoted to yourself, you are centered on yourself and not on Me. That is why you are unable to digest five minutes of separation.' Kṛṣṇa continued, 'You have come all the way here; you are not even giving five minutes of My space to her. Tara�…giṇi never asked Me to come to her house. She never expected that I would play for her. She is totally dedicated, with only the space of 'you'.'

He then turned to Yaśodā and said, 'Because you served with the cognition of 'me, me, me', may you not have any temple on planet Earth.'

Despite all her service, since it was centered on 'me', Yaśodā was unable to achieve Enlightenment. On the other hand, Tara�…giṇi, being born of a lower community, was never even close to Kṛṣṇa. She was not allowed to serve Him; however, because she lived with the enriching space of 'you, you, you', Kṛṣṇa went to her home, blessed her with eternal closeness to Him, and gave her liberation. Many stories illustrate how the 'I' drives the Divine away, and the 'you' attracts the Divine

• 1. Let us discuss the pros and cons of having the 'I' instinct or the 'What's in it for me?' attitude The instinct to survive is what is called 'I', and the instinct to possess is what is referred to as 'mine'. Only when we face the instinct to survive and the instinct to possess and experience completion, will we enter the space of selflessness and bliss.

Authored by

THE SUPREME PONTIFF OF HINDUISM BHAGAWAN SRI NITHYANANDA PARAMASHIVAM

asatyamapratiṣṭhaṁ te jagad āhura nīśvaram aparaspara-saṁbhūtaṁ kim anyat kāmahaitukam

People with such qualities think there is no ultimate energy or intelligence that is running this planet earth, that is running the universe, and that this whole creation is produced out of lust and desire, and is unreal

The energy that is within us, the energy that drives us is the same energy that drives this Universe

etāṁ dṛṣṭimavaṣṭabhya naṣṭātmāno'lpabuddhayaḥ prabhavanty ugra-karmāṇaḥ kṣayāya jagato'hitāḥ

Following this material view of creation, these degraded souls with small intellect, lost in themselves and committing cruel deeds are engaged in the destruction of the world

There is a pure energy and intelligence that is the Source, the thread of the whole Universe

The energy that is within us, the energy that drives us is the same energy that drives this Universe, this solar system and planet Earth.

This energy is intelligence, the highest intelligence. Kṛṣṇa says that when we are unable to recognize this energy, we are demonic. We do not believe everything operates out of this energy; instead we believe we make things happen with our greed, lust and desires. We just need to be so self-centered that even our God is at our disposal. Then we are demonic. Such a belief is different from the concept of believing that you are God and that God resides in you. This belief arises from deep awareness and completion instead of dark ignorance and is totally selfless. Once you become God, the rest of the world is part of you and you are part of that world. There is no longer the duality of 'I' and 'You'.

Only when we understand that this Universe is intelligence, and that it responds to our thoughts and actions, will we live in the space of completion, and start really living. Listen. There is a pure energy and intelligence that is the Source, the thread of the whole Universe. When a person is living within the limits of the intellect and 'me', he cannot experience the Whole. Please be clear that lust cannot be the reason. Intelligence, the divine energy is the cause and effect of this whole Universe; the cause and effect is the Divine that is responsible for the Universe. However, when we think it is lust or that we are responsible, we live with the idea of 'me, me, me'.

Kṛṣṇa says firmly that when we believe that we are the cause of this Universe, this Existence, we are so deluded and locked in our own little identities, with small intelligence, we destroy the world and ourselves as well. Our ancient sages, the great ṛṣis, were not fools. They did not retire to forests because they had nowhere else to go. Many were great kings, rulers of this planet, and they voluntarily left behind all that they had, so that they could understand where they came from. It was not enough for them to read and listen to the experiences of others; they chose to experience the truth themselves. In the process, they realized themselves and became liberated. As many others over thousands of years have discovered, they discovered that they were part of this cosmic Existence.

They realized and experienced that they too were Gods. They found that the same energy that operated in this Universe operated within them. They experienced that every living being on earth came from the same Source, and is the same Source.

When we are not in the present, we are in a state of low intelligence; we become demons. Low intelligence leads to cruel deeds. When we have no awareness of who we are, we do not care about anyone else. All this can be changed. All that is needed is the cognitive shift from the demon to the Divine, from 'I' to 'You'. The environment we live in, the oxygen we breathe, the water we drink, the soil that gives the food we eat, all this is energy. This is what we call pañca bhūta in Saṁskṛit, the five elemental energies that sustain us. When these are destroyed by our low intelligence, out of our selfishness, the world around us collapses.

When we believe that we are the cause of this Universe, we are locked in our own little identities, we do cruel and selfish acts and destroy the world and ourselves. When we understand that the divine energy is the cause and effect of this whole Universe, we experience the whole world as part of us. There is no longer the duality of 'I' and 'You'. Both merge into the non-duality of "either 'I' or 'You'; it does not matter".

• 1. What operates the universe?
• 2. A higher intelligence or human beings?
• 3. Why do "me" centric people end up doing cruel deeds that destroy the world?
• 4. Why is "you" centric cognition necessary to liberate oneself?
• 5. What are the pañca bhūta or the five elemental energies that sustain us?
• 6. What is the message of "Advaita" or non-duality?

o Chalk o Pin

Each child Gets a piece of chalk … any size is possible, however younger children have an easier time with a thicker piece of chalk. Scrape away unwanted portions of blackboard chalk with a pin, Work slowly, exerting very little pressure so that chalk will not crumble. Don't feel as if you need to make sculptures of images that are on this page … try anything … even flowers, animals, or whatever you want to make. Here are some examples.

Human creativity is inspired by the universe. Human creativity requires the raw materials provided by the universe as its building block

A group of scientists thought they could do anything everything. They challenged God, 'Now you are unnecessary. Whatever you do, we can do. We can even clone human beings. What do you say? Now we can also develop whatever you have created on earth. Our department has developed everything.' God was surprised to see all the scientists' creations—the sizes of the bananas, and other fruits they had created, and so forth! The scientists then challenged God to a competition. 'Come face us. We will do whatever you do. We are better than you; you can go and rest. We don't need you anymore.' God agreed to face the scientists. God created a plant, and immediately the scientists created the same plant in a better way. One by one, they created the same thing God created. Suddenly, God took a little dust and created a man.

The scientists said, 'This is not a big deal, now that we have the ability to clone.' They took some dust and were about to create a man. God said 'Stop. Bring your own dust and create. Don't use My dust!' Whatever we may achieve, wherever science may go, the Divine is alive. God exists and Cosmic intelligence runs this whole Universe. We cannot create dust! It has to be God's dust!

The basic building block responsible for all of creation is the supreme cosmic intelligence. The divine energy is the cause and effect of this whole Universe.

• 1. The topic of discussion is "A cognitive shift from "me" to "you" is necessary to experience the truth "Aham Brahmasmi" (I am God). When we believe that we are the cause of this Universe, we are locked in our own little identities, we do cruel and selfish acts and destroy the world and ourselves. When we understand that the divine energy is the cause and effect of this whole Universe, we experience the whole world as part of us. There is no longer the duality of 'I' and 'You'. Both merge into non-duality of "either 'I' or 'You'; it does not matter"

Part 3: Bhagavad Gita Chapter 16

Authored by

THE SUPREME PONTIFF OF HINDUISM BHAGAWAN SRI NITHYANANDA PARAMASHIVAM

kāmamāśritya duṣpūraṁ dambhamānamadānvitāḥ mohādgṛhītvā 'sadgrāhān pravartante'śucivratāḥ

Filled with insatiable desires, hypocrisy, pride, and arrogance; holding wrong views due to delusion, they act with impure motives and for impermanent objectives

Human consciousness can rise to the intuitive level, in which awareness results in high action. This is the potential of the Divine inherent in all of us

cintāmaparimeyāṁ ca pralayāntāmupāśritāḥ kāmopabhogaparamā etāvaditi niścitāḥ

Obsessed with endless anxiety lasting until death, considering sense gratification their highest aim, and convinced that sense pleasure is everything

Once we know how to lead our life without fantasies with responsibility, the fear of death disappears.

āśāpāśaśatairbaddhāḥ kāmakrodhaparāyaṇāḥ īhante kāmabhogārtham anyāyenā'rthasañcayān

bound by hundreds of ties of desire and enslaved and filled with anger, they strive to obtain wealth by unlawful means to fulfill sensual pleasures

If we intensely experience these events born out of desires and perceived by our senses, we find that neither the peaks thrill us nor the valleys sadden us. We don't need to suppress or ignore these emotions; we can experience them fully without differentiation and move on.

Times have changed since the days of the Vedic educational system where, from childhood, one was guided toward self-completion. Modern day education is based upon logic, science and rules, and is short on self-completion and dharma, righteousness. When we are caught in the material world, focused on 'I' and 'me', we are stuck in the mūlādhāra and svādiṣṭhāna cakras. Greed and fear rule us and we are forever in the bondage of attachment and aversion. Whatever we do is with selfish and impure motives, and results in consequences that are mostly illusionary. In the earlier verse, Kṛṣṇa explained how a person with demonic nature could destroy this world. Here, He shows how such a person can destroy himself. Out of pride, arrogance and hypocrisy, such a person moves in a path directed by purely selfish and material objectives, and derives results that produce suffering

When we focus on matter, we tend to lose sight of the energy inherent in matter. When we focus on the form, we cannot see the formless that enables the form. What is permanent in both cases is the formless energy that drives the form and matter. Science has moved a long way from the Newtonian model based on matter and form. This model is no longer relevant. From the days of Einstein, when matter and energy were linked inextricably, the concept has changed. Today all sciences accept that matter and energy not only co-exist, but also that the same object or event can be perceived or experienced by the observer as matter or energy or both.

So, we are back to the Hindu master Ādī Śa�…karācarya's theory that the observer determines what is being observed. We may think this is fanciful. However, this is an accepted theory in the most advanced form of Quantum Physics today. Elementary subatomic particles, when observed in identical conditions with identical tools, appear differently to different observers. As yet there is no explanation for this phenomenon. Our ancient Sages, Ṛṣis explained that this happens based on our deep root cognitions, which colors our perceptions. When science is sufficiently advanced, it will accept this truth. Once we know how to lead our life without fantasies with responsibility, the fear of death disappears. Then suffering and misery dissolve automatically.

The nature of the unconscious mind is to react to the senses. We may think we respond consciously. But almost all the time our reactions are instinctive, decided by vāsanās and saṁskāras, conflicting patterns and root patterns, rather than by conscious application of our rational mind. This is what Kṛṣṇa refers to as the nature of a demonic person. Instinct is the nature of animals, and because it is their nature, it works well for them. They flow with nature. nstinct is not the nature of humans. Human consciousness can rise to the intuitive level, in which awareness results in high action. This is the potential of the Divine inherent in all of us. Instead of rising to the intuitive level, the super conscious level, most people find it easier to descend into the instinctive or unconscious level.

The problem is that we do not know how to fulfill desires. We go through peaks of emotions goaded by our desires and then slip into valleys of depression and guilt.

Our emotions are not authentic because they do not touch our inner core. If we intensely experience these events born out of desires and perceived by our senses, we find that neither the peaks thrill us nor the valleys sadden us. We don't need to suppress or ignore these emotions; we can experience them fully without differentiation and move on. We rush towards pleasure and away from pain. We are so eager to fulfill our desires that we go to any length to amass wealth and do any deed, however questionable it may seem. As Kṛṣṇa says, this goes on until we die. If we expect that we will suddenly be filled with thoughts of the Divine at death, even though our whole life we chased only pleasures, this is another foolish fantasy. If we live as a demon, focused on 'me', we

cannot suddenly take the leap to 'You' at the point of death.

Inspire the Students to engage in spiritual pursuits throughout one's life and to engage in enriching others to do the same, so that humanity can raise itself to an intuitive and super consciousness level.

• 1. What is the main difference between the Vedic education system and the modern education system?
• 2. Why does pursuit of only material objects in life lead to suffering?
• 3. Why are fantasies dangerous?
• 4. What is the difference between instinct and intuition?

Plastic face mould Newspaper pieces, thick paper Scissors Glue Water in a bowl Acrylic paint Pencil, markers

You may use the plastic face form mould as is, or glue paper cuttings to the mask to add features like headgear, ears etc. Apply papier mâché, to cover the full mask with at least three layers of paper and glue. Let it dry.

When the mask becomes hard and dry remove it from the mould. Paint the full face mask in a base white colour so that the newspaper print does not show. Let the base coat dry. Then with a marker pen draw the facial features and paint the face with colours of your choice.

Like a mask on the wearer, the superconscious intelligence underlies all of matter. When we focus on matter, we tend to lose sight of the energy inherent in matter. When we focus on the form, we cannot see the formless that enables the form. The only thing true and permanent in the form is the underlying formless!

Let us compare, brainstorm, research and discuss, four theories on laws of nature. A basic introduction on each of the theories is given below to get your research and thought processes started

This comprises three interrelated theories: Newton's first law = object will not change its motion unless a force acts on it; Newton's second law = force equals mass times acceleration; and Newton's third law = for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction. Newton's theory is a discarded theory today as it fails to fully explain physical phenomena like partial reflection, refraction, diffraction, polarization, interference, changing speed of light in changing medium, and particle emission that does

not change mass.

This comprises of two interrelated theories: Special Relativity Theory = "matter and energy are interchangeable"; General Relativity Theory = "space and time are linked for objects that are moving at a consistent speed in a straight line". The basic idea is captured in a simple equation E = mc2, where E is energy; m is mass; and c is speed of light. many scientists feel Einstein's theory is incomplete, as it fails to fully explain the physical phenomena of modified gravity in dark matter (particles invisible to light but endowed with gravity), in black holes and in the motion of stars and gas in spiraling galaxies and galaxy clusters.

This states that the observer determines what is being observed. Elementary subatomic particles, when observed in identical conditions with identical tools, appear differently to different observers based on their deep root cognitions, which colors their perceptions.

This states that by the very act of watching, the observer affects the observed reality. Modern scientists are now beginning to understand the particle and wave nature of matter. Submicron particles also behave as waves. When behaving as waves, they can simultaneously pass through several openings in a barrier and then meet again at the other side of the barrier. This "meeting" is known as interference. When an "observer" is watching, if the level of the observation went up, the interference weakened. When the observation slackened, the interference increased.

When science is sufficiently advanced, it will accept this truth that all creation is one cosmic intelligence, the workings of which defies all logical theories. All our sincere seeking whether in the physical science or in the inner sciences, ultimately points towards the existence of one whole of which we are a part.

• 1. Topic of discussion is "We can easily fill ourselves with thoughts of the Divine at death, even though our whole life we chased only pleasures, and thus get liberated". Do you agree and why? If we live as a demon, focused on 'me', we cannot suddenly take the leap to 'You' at the point of death. Only a person whose consciousness has flowered during his/her lifetime, will be able to go through the death process, unperturbed at the loss of his/her material possession, body, mind and identity, and able to be the superconscious wave, that is not anxious to take on another body.

Authored by

THE SUPREME PONTIFF OF HINDUISM BHAGAWAN SRI NITHYANANDA PARAMASHIVAM

idamadya mayā labdham imaṁ prāpsye manoratham idamastīdamapi me bhaviṣyati punardhanam

They think: This has been gained by me today; I shall fulfill this desire; I have this much wealth and will have more wealth in the future

Existence is waiting to shower us with all that we need.

asau mayā hataḥ śatrur haniṣye cāparānapi īśvaro'hamahaṁ bhogī siddho'haṁ balavānsukhī

That enemy has been slain by me, and I shall slay others also. I am the Lord. I am the enjoyer. I am successful, powerful, and happy

Once we move from the 'me' focused demonic state into the 'you' based Divine state, we no longer need to worry about creating wealth, developing a power base, establishing relationships or whatever else we have focused attention upon all our lives. Existence takes care of all this

āḍhyo'bhijanavānasmi ko'nyo'sti sadṛśo mayā yakṣye dāsyāmi modiṣya ity ajñānavimohitāh

I am rich and born in a noble family. Who is equal to me? I shall perform sacrifice, I shall give charity, and I shall rejoice. Thus deluded by ignorance

Existence takes care of us

aneka-citta-vibhrāntā mohajālasamāvṛtāḥ prasaktāḥ kāmabhogeṣu patanti narake'śucau Thus confused by various anxieties and caught in a net of illusions, one becomes too deeply attached to sensory pleasures and falls into hell

Once we move from the 'me' focused demonic state into the 'you' based Divine state, existence takes care of our needs.

Śa�…kara defines āhāra or food, in one of his commentaries, to mean all sensory inputs, whereas traditionally āhāra is translated as food. Every sensory organ has its own āhāra, inputs, upon which it feeds. Based on these inputs, the eye, ear, tongue, nose and skin develop their desires and convey these desires to the body-mind system. Control of these senses and the desires that they weave is what Sage Patañjali prescribed as pratyāhāra, one of the eight methods of his Aṣṭāṇga Yoga. Pratyāhāra is not suppression or starving the senses. The average human is led by his senses; he does not lead his senses. His karmendriya, the organs of action that are responsible for movements are driven by these desires without the need for input from the conscious mind. Instinctively, they avoid pain and welcome pleasure.

We fantasize about accumulating wealth. Unfortunately for us, the purpose of gaining wealth is rarely to enjoy it. If that was the reason, all we need to do is to gain some wealth and then spend it on enjoyment. In most cases, the joy of acquisition becomes the drive for the person rather than the joy of using the wealth. It has nothing to do with what one can do with the wealth. It has to do with how much more we have than all the other people that we know. We are driven by comparison and envy. We are not merely fulfilling our needs, we are actually fulfilling other people's wants and desires. From childhood, we are taught to grab. Nothing we have is enough. Nothing fulfills us. Until death, we are driven by greed.

Existence is waiting to shower us with all that we need. The problem is that we never stop to understand what we need. All the time we are caught in the web of our sensory fantasies, and we run after what others own; we let our senses lead us. Once we move from the 'me' focused demonic state into the 'you' based Divine state, we no longer need to worry about creating wealth, developing a power base, establishing relationships or whatever else we have focused attention upon all our lives. Existence takes care of all this. Existence takes care of us. If instead, we are focused on our own self, 'me,' be sure, we are moving in a downward spiral that Kṛṣṇa says takes us into hell.

Students to contemplate on what their real needs are and learn to differentiate them from wants that are inspired by outer influences. They develop a healthy attitude towards money. The importance of wealth as a supportive energy in enabling one to achieve one's life purposes must not be undermined. Wealth must not be accumulated for the sake of competition nor associated with ideas of self worth and security.

• 1. Why is it important to be conscious about the inputs we give to our five senses?
• 2. What is pratyāhāra, one of the eight methods of his Aṣṭāṇga Yoga?
• 1. What are our real needs that require money?
• 2. What are our wants that are inspired by outer influences?
• 3. Will we be truly happy if we dedicate our life solely for awakening the supreme consciousness in ourselves and others?
• 4. Does the Universe take care of the needs of the people, who dedicate their life to raising human consciousness towards enlightenment?

Electronic device with internet, access to social media networking sites 1 large poster-sized piece of paper Paper - small sheet (A4) per child Colour pens

The Mithila painting is one of the dying traditions of Bharat that originated in the State of Bihar. It is a form of folk painting made on paper, cloth, readymade garments, movable objects using natural vegetable dyes and is mainly done by the village women of Mithila. Mithila paintings often depict the life and leelas of Krishna. This folk art is nearing extinction. Search the internet for your favourite Mithila painting. see the example on the next page Take a colour print or try your hand at making a copy. Your contribution will go into assembling the group collage. Share the painting and collage on your social media groups to generate awareness about this art form.

Our focus must be on what we can do with our wealth and material blessings. How we can optimally utilize our blessing for the upliftment of ourselves and others.

Two friends met in the street. One of them looked sad and almost on the verge of tears. The other one asked, 'What happened? Why do you look so sad?' He replied, 'My uncle passed away three weeks ago. He left me fifty thousand dollars.' His friend said, 'That's not

Bad.' He continued, 'Two weeks ago my cousin died and he left me ninety thousand dollars.' His friend cried, 'This is great!' He went on, 'Last week my grandfather died. He left me a million.' His friend asked, 'Then why are you so sad? He replied, 'Because this week, nobody died.'

Let's try to answer the following questions:

• 1. What are the pitfalls in fantasizing about wealth?
• 2. What is wrong with being driven to accumulate wealth, so that one can have more wealth in comparison to others?
• 3. Is wealth needed to fulfil one's worldly objectives?
• 4. Does having wealth increase one's freedom of action and effectiveness in life?

Wealth is a supportive energy that helps nourish and sustain human beings on the earthly plane and enables them to fulfill their life purpose.

• 1. Let us discuss the topic "I must starve my senses and suppress my desires, in order to silence my mind and find peace within." Do you agree? Why? or Why not The sensory inputs we give to ourselves, shape our desires. Our desires subconsciously drive our actions and life choices. Ensuring purity of sensory inputs helps cultivate an inner space that is conducive to spiritual growth.

Authored by

THE SUPREME PONTIFF OF HINDUISM BHAGAWAN SRI NITHYANANDA PARAMASHIVAM

ātmasaṁbhāvitāḥ stabdhā dhana-mānamadānvitāḥ yajante nāma-yajñais te dambhenā' vidhipūrvakam

Self-complacent and always conceited, deluded by wealth and false pride, they perform superficial sacrifices in name only, without following the vedic rules or regulations

The courage to move from 'me' to 'You' is the courage to trust, love and surrender. When that happens there is nothing else but Him. We become Kṛṣṇa.

ahaṁkāraṁ balaṁ darpaṁ kāmaṁ krodhaṁ ca saṁśritāḥ mām-ātmaparadeheṣu pradviṣanto'bhyasūyakāḥ

The demonic person, consumed by ego, power, pride, lust and anger, becomes envious of the supreme personality of godhead, who is situated in his own body and in the bodies of others, and blasphemes against Him

Kṛṣṇa is compassion Incarnate. Anyone who surrenders to Him is liberated.

tānahaṁ dviṣataḥ krūrān saṁsāreṣu narādhamān kṣipāmy ajasram aśubhān āsurīṣveva yoniṣu

Those who are envious (of Him) and cruel, who are the lowest among men, I repeatedly cast into the ocean of material existence, into various lowly, demonic forms of life

When we surrender to Kṛṣṇa, our surrender must be total.

āsurīṁ yonimapannā mūḍhā janmani janmani māmaprāpyaiva kaunteya tato yāntyadhamāṁ gatim

These foolish beings attain repeated birth amongst the species of demoniac life. Without ever achieving Me, O Kaunteya (Son of Kuntī), they sink into the most abominable existence

Become a servant of love. You then become a master of humanity.

Kṛṣṇa is compassion Incarnate. Anyone who surrenders to Him is liberated. The problem is that we only pretend to surrender. What we have are mere words with no integrity and no authenticity. Our thoughts do not match our words, and our words do not match our actions. People ask whether they are controlled by destiny or free will. I tell them that no destiny binds them; they are free to exercise their will. The Bṛhadāraṇyaka Upaniṣad puts it so well: As are your thoughts, so is your will; as is your will, so your action, as are your actions, so is your destiny. Destiny is nothing but the end result of how we exercise our free will.

The problem is, we have no will; in the morning we want to do one thing, by noon it is something different, by night it is totally different. So, if our will keeps changing, how can it ever be converted into action?

Create the Space of Surrender. When we surrender to Kṛṣṇa, our surrender must be total. We must take the responsibility to fulfill the space of surrender. There can be nothing between Him and us. Then, He surely liberates us. Because then we are already liberated, we are in Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Here, He talks about people who feel no need to surrender to Him. They are so full of ego, that they feel He is their competitor. He says He will cast them into the material world. In this material world, they can

follow their senses, sense objects and what they consider to be sensual pleasures till death. As I said before, it is our decision. Even Kṛṣṇa is helpless to change it, because He has given us the power to decide. He has handed over the decision to us; to decide whether we want to be 'me' or 'You' focused: demonic or divine.

'

Saying again and again, 'I believe in what Kṛṣṇa says,' has no meaning. It does not help. Faith does not mean belief. Belief is not trust. Belief is a pseudo-trust, imposed, cultivated out of fear. It is not something that has grown from within us. Rather, it is something that has been implanted by others: society, religion, the state. Believers remain stupid; they never grow in intelligence. And society does not want people to be intelligent. The 'yes' of a man who cannot say 'no' is always powerless. First a man must learn to say 'no,' only then does his 'yes' have meaning. Faith is different from belief. With faith we grow. We grow in love to a Master and to God. Most of us look to God as a person to pray to, to worship.

We feel God is a third person. He is not us. Prayer and worship become important pathways to reach this form. The moment we drop the idea of a person, prayer disappears; instead, meditation becomes significant. Meditation is going inwards. So, it is more difficult for many who are educated rationally. That's why meditation never became the central core of religion in the West. In the East all the great masters founded their teachings on meditation. They taught followers to turn inwards. They taught them to be God, not to worship God. Meditation leads us to surrender. Meditation is the process of creation of the space of completion. Completion is the knowledge that we are one with the Universe. It is then about 'you' instead of 'me'. The feeling of 'you' and the absence of 'me' dissolve the idea of 'I' as identity. This is the foundation of surrender.

Become a servant of love. You then become a master of humanity. One begins as a servant. However, one ends as a master. In this world, you often begin as a master and you end up as a servant. That is the law of the external world. In the inner world there is a totally different law. You begin as a servant and you can end up as a master. You surrender to love, you surrender and love and you shall certainly conquer the world.

Buddha has said: In the outer world everything is sweet in the beginning and bitter in the end; in the inner world, everything is bitter in the beginning and sweet in the end. Only the end matters. When you start loving those around you, you start loving yourself more. Strangely, you start thinking less about yourself. In your defeat, you win others. This is what surrender is about: It is asking for your defeat.

Let me repeat: Surrender, renunciation of the self, or sannyāsa is a defeat, a defeat of the ego. God is realized the moment the ego is dissolved. Surrender is the search for the Divine principle. Call it God, truth, freedom, or nirvāṇa. They mean the same thing. The search is for something that is missing in life. We are alive but unaware of what life is about. We exist, but we are completely oblivious to the fact of who we are.

This is what Kṛṣṇa talks about in this chapter. The courage to move from 'me' to 'You' is the courage to trust, love and surrender. When that happens there is nothing else but Him. We become Kṛṣṇa. When we are one with the Universe, one with Kṛṣṇa, there is nothing else we need to look up to. There is nothing else to look for. We have reached eternal bliss — Nityānanda.

Teach the students to internalize that it is important to move from 'me' to 'You'. With trust, love and surrender our ego gets dissolved and we become one with the Universe.

Part 4: Bhagavad Gita Chapter 16

• 1. Are we controlled by destiny or free will?
• 2. Can creating a space by visualizing it in the present make the visualization a reality?
• 3. How does self doubt stop our visualization from becoming a reality?
• 4. What is belief and how is it different from faith?
• 5. Why is meditation central to all eastern religions?
• 6. What is surrender?

Popsicle sticks (per child) Glue Scissors Paper Clamp/paper clips (to hold structures together while they dry)

Use your creativity to create a miniature boat. Feel free to create variations of the design shown below

Our little boat of life is caught in a whirlpool inside the ocean of life and death. Round and round we go deeper and deeper into this world of illusions. We must pray to Krishna to take on the role of our boatman, who would steer our life boat out of this whirlpool and take it to the seashore on the other side.

Meditate upon the Power of Visualization. Close your eyes and sit in a comfortable position. Let us create the space within to make something into reality. Let us visualize that what we desire has already happened. Several thoughts in the form of doubts regarding the impossibility of the desire or doubt about your ability to create such a state, depression of past failures or complete distrust, may arise within you. Bringing your past hangover into the present is incompletion. Complete with all these thoughts and incompletions. Stay firm on your resolve to create the space within by bringing your future possibility into the present is Space. For Example. If we wish to get rid of back pain, and we keep saying, 'Let this back pain go,' it will never go. Every time we utter the words back pain, our mind latches more firmly onto the past hangover of pain. If we want to get rid of pain, we must complete with all self-doubts and create the space for health by visualizing that we are feeling healthy now.

Creating the space by visualizing it in the present, helps make things happen in reality. However self-contradiction, self-doubt, self-hatred and impossibilities disrupts the realization of the visualization. Complete with all these incompletions by bringing your future possibility into the present and deciding that you will not challenge the power of the space, but you will take the responsibility to fulfill that space

• 1. The topic of discussion is "Destiny is nothing but the end result of how we exercise our free will". Destiny does not bind anyone; they are free to exercise their will. As are your thoughts, so is your will; as is your will, so your action, as are your actions, so is your destiny. Destiny is nothing but the end result of how we exercise our free will. However a constantly changing will fails to convert into result producing actions. When people are persistent in their will to surrender their ego at the feet of the divine and turn inwards towards universal love and oneness; they are liberated by Krishna

Authored by

THE SUPREME PONTIFF OF HINDUISM BHAGAWAN SRI NITHYANANDA PARAMASHIVAM

trividhaṁ narakasyedaṁ dvāraṁ nāśanamātmanaḥ kāmaḥ krodhastathā lobhas tasmādetattrayaṁ tyajet

There are three gates leading to this hell: lust, anger and greed. As they lead to the degradation of the soul, these three are to be abandoned

When we shed these we are liberated

etairvimuktaḥ kaunteya tamodvāraistribhirnaraḥ ācaratyātmanaḥ śreyas tato yāti parāṁ gatim

Those who have escaped these three gates of hell, O Kaunteya, behave in a manner beneficial to the (evolution of the) soul, and thus (gradually) attain the supreme destination

Anger must be evolved into Authentic Action, Lust into Caring and Compassion and Greed into Contentment and Abundance through the process of completion with all these negative emotions.

yaḥ śāstravidhimutsṛjya vartate kāmakārataḥ na sa siddhimavāpnoti na sukhaṁ na parāṁ gatim

But he who discards scriptural injunctions and acts according to his base impulses attains neither perfection, nor happiness, nor the supreme destination

These emotions are negative or demonic if they are experienced in the context of "me" and with the intention of self-gratification; they only lead to further delusion. However, when the context is changed to "you" and with the intention of enrichment of the other person; they evolve into positive energies that lead us closer to the supreme destination.

tasmācchāstraṁ pramāṇaṁ te kāryākāryavyavasthitau jñātvā śāstravidhānoktaṁ karma kartumihārhasi

By the regulations of the scriptures, one should understand what is duty and what is not duty. After being versed in scriptural injunctions, one should act accordingly

The scriptures teach that you are not separate from the whole; but an intrinsic part of the great harmony of Existence. The Scriptures help deeply embed higher cognitions about your existence into your heart, and love for god, for the self and for others flowers within you

As long as we are bound by anger, lust and greed, we are in bondage; we are in suffering. We live in it day after day and suffer. Kāma, krodha and lobha: lust, anger and greed when we shed these we are liberated. When these three combine, they create moha, or delusion. At one level these emotions are desires. Desires are energy. Lust is what drives us into reproduction and it is essential for the survival of species. Greed is the extreme expression of our survival needs. Anger is often the driving force to get things done. They achieve positive results, too. However, Kṛṣṇa refers to the expression of these emotions in the context of self-gratification. He refers to the gratification of base impulses. The baseness of the impulse is related to the intention, the context.

As long as these are expressed with the cognition of 'me,' they are base and demonic impulses. There are no liberating features. Lust can be transformed when it is expressed in an unselfish and unattached way. Lust will then totally disappear. Compassion and caring will be in its place. Lust is one aspect of the broad spectrum of desires. Unending desire is greed. When a desire is truly fulfilled, it leaves us. Karma is unfulfilled desires that goad us into action. We can never fulfill our desires because many of these desires are not truly ours. We borrow these desires from other people. There is never contentment. Each desire is the seed of suffering. You must complete with your lust, anger, greed, conflicting desires, and identify your true desires, the prārabdha karma, with which you are born into this world. When you imbibe the science of creating the space to have the energy to fulfill them. Your karma dissolves.

Above all, all the non-mechanical parts of your brain are awakened. Many powers which you have inside and you don't know, are awakened. The 'I' blossoms into 'you' effortlessly.

At this stage, we shed anger as well. Anger and guilt are byproducts of desires. What we cannot acquire makes us angry. Anger produces guilt. Being angry towards a person is fruitless. Much of the negativity expressed towards others comes back to us. It depletes our energy. Anger or even guilt is also often an expression of one's inability to do something. It is a self-centered emotion born of one's weakness, powerlessness. Suppression of anger does not help. It can actually lead to chronic diseases like cancer.

When we learn to complete with the emotion of anger instead of controlling it, it becomes energy instead of a disability.

Anger needs to be completed with and transformed into the positive energy of authentic action. What Kṛṣṇa asks us to do is to complete with the negative emotions like lust, greed and anger and create the space, with responsibility, to transform them into positive energies. He tells us that these are gateways to hell so long as we use them from the root cognition of 'me.' When we do completion and transform these emotions into energy, by creating the space of 'you', these same emotions become gateways to heaven, gateway to bliss.

Bliss is never an achievement on our part. Whatsoever we do to achieve bliss is doomed to fail. Bliss always comes from the beyond as a gift. We must be passively receptive to it. We are not to be aggressively active for it, just be receptive like a womb. We must be feminine to receive bliss. We must become pregnant with God. When ego or 'I' disappears, anger, greed and lust also disappear. What is left is bliss

God is not a person but the impersonal presence. The very life or Existence is God and the living energy is God. And to trust in it means to stop struggling against it. Struggling against it creates misery; it is trying to go upstream. Trust means surrender, going with the stream. And going with the stream is bliss. All misery is because of the ego and its struggle, its resistance. Trust means that resistance has been dropped. You don't think of yourself as separate from the Whole; you are just an intrinsic part of the great harmony of Existence. Then bliss is natural. The way to bliss is through the heart and through devotion. The real transformation happens when your energy moves from the head to the heart. When you reach the heart, you reach the core of your consciousness.

Listen, remember the most important thing! God loves us: He has not given up on us, He is not indifferent to us and He is continuously concerned about us, He cares. The deeper this idea enters your heart, the better, because when you feel more loved by God, you will be able to have love for God, and you will have love for others. That's how we are able to love: if we are loved, we can love. If we are not loved, we don't know how to love; we don't know what love is. God is our substance, our very being. He is not something outside us; He is our innermost core. We do not need to seek and search for Him. Only this has to be remembered: we have forgotten it. God is not lost; only we have forgotten who we are

Don't be identified with the body. Don't be identified with your mind, country, race or religion. Don't be identified with anything. Don't think, 'I am this' or 'I am that'. Remember, neither 'this' nor 'that'. That is one of the secret teachings of the mystics: neti-neti, neither 'this' nor 'that'. If you can avoid both polarities, day and night, life and death, body and mind, then slowly a third energy arises in you, a third force arises in you. That is consciousness. That's your reality. That is freedom—freedom from fear, anxiety, misery, freedom from the world, freedom from the wheel of life and death. Then you are a witness, watching, a mirror reflecting but not getting caught in any reflection. When you are a witness, the 'me' and 'mine' drop. What remains is identification with your energy, with your state, not your status. In that state, you are one with all. You are in the space of Living Advaita, oneness. You become Divine.

Teach the students to not associate themselves with any identities associated with their status in the world, their body or their mind. instead they must become associated with their energy, their state of consciousness. encourage The Students to learn to be in a stance of receptiveness within their being at all times, so that they can forever enjoy their divine presence that permeates everything at all times.

• 1. What are the three gateways to hell Kama, Krodha, Lobha?
• 2. What is Greed?
• 3. Name one positive and one negative result associated with Greed?
• 4. How can Greed be transformed into Contentment?
• 5. What is Anger?
• 6. Name one positive and one negative result associated with Anger?
• 1. How can Anger be transformed into Authentic Action?

Paper Pencil Acrylic paints Fine Art Brush Colour Palette

All artistic depictions of Krishna show a peacock feather adorning his head. Let us draw a peacock feather on a paper with our pencils. Now try creating your own perfect colour pallet for painting the feather. Mix various acrylic paints in the basic colours with gold and/or silver paint to make colours. The colours could be called Pearl Blue, Turquoise Blue, Olive Green, Pearl Metallic Green, Chrome Yellow, Golden Yellow, Bronze, and Pearl Metallic Gold. Paint your feather with these unique colours to give your painting a realistic finish.

The very life or Existence is Krishna and the living energy is Krishna. Krishna loves us. He cares about us. Krishna is our substance, our very being. Krishna is not something outside us. He is our innermost core. Let us celebrate Krishna in our inner and outer world!

Paper and pen

Contemplate on who you really are. Don't be identified with your mind, country, race or religion. Don't think, 'I am this' or 'I am that'. Remember, you are neither 'this' nor 'that'. Pen down all your thoughts as you brainstorm your true identity.

If you can see through the illusion of the ego, body and the mind you will become aware of your existential reality - your consciousness. You will be freed from all human miseries and from the wheel of life and death. Then you will live life as a witness, watching, a mirror reflecting but not getting caught in any reflection. The 'me' and 'mine' will drop. What remains is identification with your energy, with your state, not your status. In that state, you are one with all. You are Divine!

Anger is a by-product of desires. What we cannot acquire makes us angry. Being angry towards a person is fruitless. Much of the negativity expressed towards others comes back to us. It depletes our energy. Anger is also often an expression of one's inability to do something. It is a selfcentered emotion born of one's weakness, powerlessness. Suppression of anger leads to chronic diseases like cancer. When we learn to complete with the emotion of anger instead of controlling it, it becomes energy instead of a disability. Anger needs to be completed with and transformed into the positive energy of authentic action.