1. Bhagavad Gita Chapter 18 - 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 verses, Bhagavān Śrī Kṛṣṇa sings the Gītā in six hundred and twenty verses responding to Arjuna's fifty-seven 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 sannyāsasya mahābāho tattvamicchāmi veditum tyāgasya ca hṛṣīkeśa pṛthak keśiniṣūdana

O mighty armed Kṛṣṇa, I wish to understand what is the essence, tattva of renunciation, tyāga and the renounced order of life, sannyāsa, and the difference between the two, O Hriśikeṣa, O Killer of the demon Keśī.'

The words of a Master are energy.

Arjuna will stop speaking soon. He has just a few words. He is not questioning. He just expresses a few doubts. The arrogance or violence in Arjuna's being has disappeared. He has become like a flower due to the experience of the cosmic vision that Kṛṣṇa showered on him. I cannot even call these words doubts. He just wants to hear the truth from Kṛṣṇa again and again.

Sometimes after listening to the whole discourse, disciples ask me to repeat a joke or a story once more! They have heard it once but want to hear it again. Especially from the master, listening to certain things again and again gives great joy. The words of a Master are energy. These words drill deep into you and transform you. At the time of listening, you may not realize their impact. But they never fail to impact and enrich you. Arjuna asks some of these questions to listen to Kṛṣṇa again.

sannyāsasyā mahā-bāho tattvam icchāmi veditum I tyāgasya ca hṛṣīkeśa pṛthak keśi-niṣūdana II 18.1

Arjuna says, 'O Mighty One, I wish to understand the purpose of renunciation and of the monastic life of Sannyāsa. O Hriśikesa (another name of Kṛṣṇa, one who is in complete control of His senses), please tell me the truth.

As I told you, it is not that Arjuna does not know. He has just heard the whole thing. Still, he wants to listen to it once more. Sometimes we enjoy listening to the same thing over and over. It is not that we do not understand, but it gives us great joy to listen to the same thing again and again! Like that, Arjuna wants to listen to the same truth again and again.

Arjuna wants to know why a person would want to sacrifice everything and what is the process of renunciation.

"I tell my disciples, 'When in doubt treat the beggar as if he were a monk. If you have money to give, what harm is there if you give it to enrich another person?' Some people tell me, 'But Swamiji, they are cheating us!' So what?"

So, giving alms to a Sannyāsi is like taking out insurance. You expect that your merits are getting noted down in a Cosmic record to decide whether you go to hell or heaven. . Make it simple. Give out of your completion. Give unconditionally if you can afford it. Give even if you cannot afford it. that is when giving becomes truly enriching. When you sacrifice what you cannot afford to sacrifice, by the mere act of giving, you become a renunciate, a Sannyāsi. How noble it is!

Arjuna is confused about the act and the actor. What is important is the act. Anyone can be the actor.

Helping children understand that giving should always come from a space of completion. Helping children differentiate between "act" and "actor". Helping children understand the space a Sannyasi carries.

• ❖ Why is Arjuna asking Krishna a few questions here?

• ❖ What makes the words of the Master so powerful?

• ❖ What does Arjuna want to know at the beginning of this chapter?

• ❖ What is the advice Swamiji gives to anyone who has a doubt as to whether the person asking for alms is a beggar or a sannyasi?

• ❖ What is the space we should carry when we give to others?

• ❖ When does giving become truly enriching? Who becomes a Sannyasi?

• 1. Coloured Papers,
• 2. Markers,
• 3. Scissors,
• 4. Glue,
• 5. Pencil,
• 6. Eraser,
• 7. Sparkles

Ask the children to close their eyes and to visualize a true Sannyasi. Then, ask them to give life to their visualization through art.

The act and the space from which the act is performed determines who is Sannyasi.

One food item for each child/teenager (except for the two who will be designated as "beggar" and "sannyasi").

-Choose two children or two acharyas and tell one that he/she is a beggar and the other one that he/she is a sannyasi but do not tell the rest of the class who is who.

-Give the rest of the children one food item to offer.

-Then tell the beggar and the sannyasi to go around asking other children for alms in any way that they want.

-The children get to decide who they want to offer to/what they want to offer. Give them the freedom to act in any way that they want.

-At the end, ask everyone to sit in a circle and ask each child about the decision they made and what giving felt like. Also ask the beggar and the sannyasi what their experience of asking for alms felt like..

the two who will be designated as "beggar" and "sannyasi"). What is important is the act. Anyone can be the actor. When you give out of completion, not expecting anything in return, whether you give to a monk or a beggar makes no difference.

Ask the children/teenagers to describe the state that Arjuna is in at the beginning of this chapter and have them engage in a discussion of how Arjuna's state has transformed from the beginning of the war until this point. Then, ask them to write a short essay to explain the transformation that they have seen occurring in their own inner space / mental set-up / cognitions since the beginning of the course.

Part 2: Bhagavad Gita Chapter 18 - Collection_English_part_2.md

When you give, give out of completion, give unconditionally or don't give at all.

Authored by

THE SUPREME PONTIFF OF HINDUISM BHAGAWAN SRI NITHYANANDA PARAMASHIVAM

śrībhagavānuvāca kāmyānāṁ

karmaṇāṁ nyāsaṁ sannyāsaṁ kavayo viduḥ sarvakarmaphalatyāgaṁ prāhus tyāgaṁ vicakṣaṇāḥ

Bhagavān Kṛṣṇa says, the renouncing of all selfish work based on desire, is what the learned ones call as sannyāsa, the renounced order of life. And renunciating the attachment to fruit or result of one's actions is what the wise ones call as tyāga, renunciation.

When you stop choosing, you will choose everything.

tyājyaṁ doṣavadity eke karma prāhurmanīṣiṇaḥ yajña-dāna-tapaḥkarma na tyājyamiticāpare

Some learned men say that all kinds of result-based activities are faulty and should be given up, but there are yet other sages who maintain that acts of enriching sacrifice [yajña], charity [dāna] and austerity [tapaḥ] should never be given up.

Enriching Sacrifice is the Path of Completion

niścayaṁ śṛṇu me tatra tyāge bharatasattama tyāgo hi puruṣavyāghra trividhaḥ samprakīrtitaḥ

Arjuna, best of Bhāratas, now listen from Me certainly about renunciation or tyāga; O tiger among men, renunciation or tyāga is declared to be of three kinds.

Surrender Both Inner and Outer Space.

yajñadānatapaḥ karma na tyājyaṁ kāryameva tat I yajño dānaṁ tapaścaiva pāvanāni manīṣiṇām

Acts of enriching sacrifice [tyāga], charity [dāna] and austerity [tapaḥ] are not to be given up; they should be performed. Indeed, even the Sages are purified by enriching sacrifice, charity and penance.

Enriching and completion, both should be practiced simultaneously

etānyapi tu karmāṇi saṅgaṁ tyaktvā phalāni ca kartavyānīti me pārtha niścitaṁ matamuttamam O Pārtha

(Arjuna), all these acts of responsibility must also be performed without any expectation of result. That is My final and ultimate opinion.

Only by enriching others does your life get enriched.

Krishna is the ultimate Master. He does not merely teach. He knows it is difficult for people to believe. It takes time to believe. So He gives logic to support His teachings. Again and again, He tries His best to convince Arjuna. Considering the level that He is at, there is no need for Him to come down to the level of Arjuna. He can say, 'This is the truth. If you want you can follow it, otherwise get out!' But He does not do that. He is compassionate. Again and again, He comes down and explains the truths step-by- step.

After all, it is Śrī Kṛṣṇa in the form of the Ultimate who originally created the scriptures and laws. Therefore any explanation from Him should be considered the last word. He says that any process of renunciation should be considered within the context in which it is performed. Renunciation can be of three types: enriching sacrifice, charity and penance; yajña, dāna, tapaḥ. These purify even those who are already evolved and pure.

It must be understood that the purpose of performing yajña, enriching sacrifices is the purification or upliftment or completion of the human being on the spiritual path. They link cosmic energy with individual energy.

In our times, sacrifice refers to any selfless enriching service that enriches others and enriches you. Whatever enriching we do for others out of completion, without expecting anything in return is a sacrifice, an enriching sacrifice or yajña.

Charitable enriching, dāna is giving out of overflowing completion with no expectation in return. Charity is not giving while posing for a picture that will be published in tomorrow's newspaper. That is business.

Those who are truly charitable never allow others to know what they are doing. That is why it is said that your left hand should not know what your right hand is giving. Only then charity achieves its authentic purpose of enriching others. Charity should also involve pain. You can call it charity when you cannot afford to give something away and yet you give it away. Charity must become a penance, tapaḥ and lead to austerity if it is to be real.

Penance, tapaḥ is denying oneself sense pleasures and being complete with the senses. Ultimately, the purpose of all spiritual exercise is to be complete with the mind, body and senses and thereby controlling the mind and senses. Penance, tapaḥ is turning inwards whereas sacrifice, yajña and charity, dāna are focused outwards.

All these enriching activities should be performed without attachment or expectation of results. They should be performed as a matter of responsibility, and this is My final opinion,' says the Master.

Only by enriching others does your life get enriched. Don't be selfish. Understand, responsibility is the fruit. Enriching is sowing the seed for the fruit to happen. Enriching is sharing the fruit to create more fruits. Every person who eats the fruit is responsible for sowing the seed for more fruits to happen.

Kṛṣṇa gives His ultimate opinion. Earlier He explained what others said about renunciation, as either giving up the activity itself or the results of the activity. Now He says that His opinion on renunciation is living without attachment, etāny api tu karmāṇi saṅgaṁ tyaktvā phalāni ca (18.6).

Kṛṣṇa gives His ultimate opinion. Earlier He explained what others said about renunciation, as either giving up the activity itself or the results of the activity. Now He says that His opinion on renunciation is living without attachment, etāny api tu karmāṇi saṅgaṁ tyaktvā phalāni ca (18.6).

The person who surrenders to the flow of life, experiences the inner space and outer space at the same time. He enjoys the inner and the outer space at the same time. Whatever Kṛṣṇa has spoken in these seventeen chapters, He is now giving its gist.

As long as you are struggling, you can struggle either in this direction or that direction. As long as you struggle in material life, you avoid spiritual life. As long as you struggle in spiritual life, you avoid material life. Listen! As long as you struggle with completion, you don't enrich. As long as you struggle with enriching, you are not complete! Both are a struggle.

Kṛṣṇa says, 'Relax from both.' You may think, 'What is this funny instruction He is giving!' You think that if you relax in both you will lose both.

However, the truth is that when you relax in both, you fall into your inner consciousness, your being or your inner space. When you experience this inner space, this inner consciousness, you will suddenly realize that you can explode in all directions. You do not need to choose between horizontal and vertical lines. You can travel on both lines at the same time!

For the first time, Kṛṣṇa gives the ultimate technique for Quantum Spirituality. He is the first quantum scientist of the inner world. He says relax and surrender and you will experience the completion of your inner consciousness.

You will understand that you do not need to choose between the horizontal and vertical lines. You can explode in all 360 degrees. You need not make a choice. You experience choicelessness. Choicelessness does not mean that you do not choose anything. When you stop choosing, you will choose everything.

Enriching and completion, both should be practiced simultaneously. With more and more completion, more and more enriching will happen.

With real surrender you do not exclude anything. You include everything. You experience everything at once.

"Again, when I say surrender, you do not need to surrender to any God or Guru. God or Guru are symbols or representations. Just surrender to your own being, to your own consciousness, to your own inner space. The problem is you do not respect your inner space. That is why in the initial level you need an entity called God or Guru."

• Help students discover and respect their inner space. - Help students understand choicelessness.

• 1. What are the three types of renunciations?
• 2. What does "sacrifice" refer to in our times?
• 3. What is the instruction given by Krishna regarding struggles?
• 4. How should enriching and completion be practiced?
• 5. What happens when we truly surrender?
• 1. Pens, Pencils and Eraser
• 2. Crayons and Markers,
• 3. Seeds,
• 4. Glue,
• 5. Paper

"Understand, responsibility is the fruit. Enriching is sowing the seed for the fruit to happen. Enriching is sharing the fruit to create more fruits. Every person who eats the fruit is responsible for sowing the seed for more fruits to happen." Read the following to the students and ask them to draw the life of a seed and how it creates more and more fruits. Then ask the students to share their thoughts on how they can plant more and more seeds in their own life / how they can enrich others and how enriching others enriches them.

Only by enriching others does your life get enriched.

Without showing the drawing shown on the next page, ask the students to draw a horizontal line that represents the material goals and a vertical line that represents the spiritual goals that they have in their life. Then ask them to write down a few goals on each axis and ask them to point to where their "Being" would be in that drawing. Then ask them to share why they placed their "Being" at that point. After everyone has shared, draw the diagram and explain to them why the Being is placed exactly in the center by using the explanation given in the "inference" section.

"Let me explain what I mean by the word surrender. Then you can understand better. Think of two intersecting lines, axes. The vertical axis is spiritual life. The horizontal axis is material life. The point of intersection is your being. This is the goal you have. You have some goal in your material life and also in your spiritual life. To achieve your goal in your material life, you are continuously struggling and working. You are somewhere on the horizontal axis. To achieve your spiritual goal, you are again working intensely doing yoga, prāṇāyāma, pratyāhāra, etc. You practice spiritual techniques. You are somewhere on the vertical axis. So when you struggle with material goals, you are on the horizontal line whereas when you struggle with spiritual goals, you are on the vertical line.

As long as you are struggling, you can struggle either in this direction or that direction. As long as you struggle in material life, you avoid spiritual life. As long as you struggle in spiritual life, you avoid material life. Listen! As long as you struggle with completion, you don't enrich. As long as you struggle with enriching, you are not complete! Both are a struggle.

Kṛṣṇa says, 'Relax from both.' You may think, 'What is this funny instruction He is giving!' You think that if you relax in both you will lose both. However, the truth is that when you relax in both, you fall into your inner consciousness, your being or your inner space. When you experience this inner space, this inner consciousness, you will suddenly realize that you can explode in all directions. You do not need to choose between horizontal and vertical lines. You can travel on both lines at the same time!"

Ask the students to contemplate and discuss the topic of choicelessness: "Choicelessness does not mean that you do not choose anything. When you stop choosing, you will choose everything". How is it possible to choose everything when we stop choosing?

Surrender to your own being, to your own consciousness, to your own inner space.

Authored by

THE SUPREME PONTIFF OF HINDUISM BHAGAWAN SRI NITHYANANDA PARAMASHIVAM

niyatasya tu sannyāsaḥ karmaṇo nopapadyate mohāttasya parityāgas tāmasaḥ parikīrtitaḥ

Prescribed duties should never be renounced. If one gives up his prescribed duties through the illusion of renunciation, this is said to be in the state of ignorance.

Only when you take responsibility, life happens to your body.

duḥkhamityeva yat karma kāyakleśabhayāttyajet sa kṛtvā rājāsaṁ tyāgaṁ nai'va tyāgaphalaṁ labhet

Anyone who gives up prescribed duties as troublesome, or out of fear, is said to be in the state of aggression, does not benefit from renunciation.

When you feel responsible in your being, for any problem, or anything, you find solution for that problem or that situation.

kāryam ity eva yat karma niyataṁ kriyate'rjuna saṅgaṁ tyaktvā phalaṁ caiva sa tyāgaḥ sāttviko mataḥ

But he who performs what is prescribed, as a matter of duty, without expectation or attachment to the results, his renunciation is of the nature of satva, goodness, O Arjuna.

When you take responsibility for everything, you become Sannyāsi.

says that nitya karma or obligatory responsibilities must be followed with discipline and consistency. Not doing these takes us into the state of tamas, inaction born out of ignorance and laziness. Nitya karmas vary from person to person. The duties of a householder are different from those of a monk or a student. Each has clear guidelines in terms of what they should and should not do.

Many times the idea of dropping our responsibilities and taking up a different role is more attractive than growing in completion so that we can perform our own responsibilities well and without attachment. Be very clear, without the right cognition of completion, no role that we take up will work out for us.

Instead of taking up responsibility and expanding you and your life around you, watching television, sleeping or daydreaming seems much more pleasant and easy. We would rather do that than meditate or perform pūjā or whatever is our prescribed duty.

I am defining Sannyāsa.

When you don't take responsibility for anything, you live as slave, śūdra. When you take the responsibility for the money of the society, you become vaiśya. When you take the responsibility for weapon of the society, you become kṣatriya.When you take the responsibility for knowledge of the society, you become brāhmaṇa. When you take responsibility for everything, you become Sannyāsi."

One of the biggest problem we have is — 'let me have the power first, let me have the status first, let me have the position first, then I will take the responsibility.' That does not happen in life.

Take the responsibility to build the state inside you. Then, after you are tested by the Cosmos, it gives you the status. That status can never be taken away.

Responsibility attracts more responsibility. The problem is we are afraid of more responsibility, so we deny even the responsibility that we have in our hand.

But more and more responsibility adds more and more life energy into you.

Kṛṣṇa says that doing what needs to be done because that is what is our responsibility, without attachment to the action and without desire is the ideal condition of satva.

Kṛṣṇa has said this many times in the Gītā. He repeats it again so that the message sinks in our musclememory and bio-memory. Do what must be done. Do what your responsibility is, based on your societal or religious beliefs and codes. However, do it with integrity and authenticity without attachment and expectation of results.

If you don't feel you are responsible for something, you don't even think in that line. If you feel you are responsible for something, only then will you even look into that part of your life. When you feel responsible in your being, for any problem, or anything, you find solution for that problem or that situation.

You don't need to do any action, you don't need to do any thinking. Decide from your being that you will feel responsible for the whole world. You will take actions towards your immediate responsibility as per your prescribed duty , but you will feel responsible for the whole.

Suddenly, you will see all your actions will have authenticity, your thinking will have integrity! Mainly, whatever you are doing, if you take responsibility for the world, even if you are a doctor, you will become a better doctor. If you are a lawyer, you will become a better lawyer. If you are an engineer, you will become a better engineer, If you are a politician, you will become a better politician.

Just with this shift in your cognition, you will be a karma yogi; because innumerable right things will be added to your thinking, to your being, to your action and to your life.

Helping students understand the space of responsibility of a karma yogi. Helping students understand what is "status" and what is "state".

• 1. What is Nithya Karma?
• 2. True or False: Nithya Karmas are the same for everyone.
• 3. Who is a Sannyasi?
• 4. What did Swamiji choose to take responsibility for?
• 4. What does responsibility attract?
• 5. What is the ideal condition of satva?
• 6. What is Krishna continuously telling regarding performing our responsibility?

Part 3: Bhagavad Gita Chapter 18 - Collection_English_part_3.md

Paper, Marker, Pencil, Eraser

Ask the students to draw a portrait of a karma yogi on their paper. Then encourage each child to write down 5 powerful cognitions that a karma yogi carries. Once everyone is done, ask everyone to share the powerful cognitions.

A karma yogi is one who decides from their being: I will feel responsible for the whole world. A karma yogi will take actions towards their immediate responsibility as per their prescribed duty, but will feel responsible for the whole**.**

Materials required: Paper, Pen

As the acharya, write down 10 powerless cognitions. Then, ask the students to sit for a few minutes with their eyes closed and to visualize themselves as a karma yogi/yogini. Then tell the powerless cognitions one by one and ask each student to shift the cognition to a powerful one and to write them down. At the end, ask everyone to share how the power to shift powerless cognitions into powerful ones will help them in their day-to-day life.

If you take responsibility for the world, even if you are a doctor, you will become a better doctor. If you are a lawyer, you will become a better lawyer. If you are an engineer, you will become a better engineer, If you are a politician, you will become a better politician.

Engage the students into a discussion about "state" and "status". You can bring up different questions such as: Is one more important than the other? Do they come simultaneously? How does one know they have achieved "state" or "status"? What happens when we have the state but not the status? What happens when we have the status but not the state?

Surrender to your own being, to your own consciousness, to your own inner space.

Authored by

THE SUPREME PONTIFF OF HINDUISM BHAGAWAN SRI NITHYANANDA PARAMASHIVAM

na dveṣtyakuśalaṁ karma kuśale nā'nuṣajjate tyāgī sattvasamāviṣṭo medhāvī chinnasaṁśayaḥ

Those who neither hate disagreeable work nor are attached to pleasant work are in a state of intelligence, goodness and renunciation, free of all doubts.

na hi dehabhṛtā śakyaṁ tyaktuṁ karmāṇyaśeṣataḥ yastu karma-phala-tyāgī sa tyāgītyabhidhīyate

Human beings cannot give up all activities. Therefore the one who has renounced the fruits of such activity is one who has truly renounced.

Act without expectation and attachment to the result of our action.

aniṣṭamiṣṭaṁ miśraṁ ca trividhaṁ karmaṇaḥ phalam I bhavatyatyāgināṁ pretya na tu sannyāsināṁ kvacit

For one who is not renounced, the three kinds of fruits of action—desirable, undesirable and mixed accrue after death, but not to one who has renounced.

Decide from your being that you will feel responsible for the whole world.

says that a person in the sātvic space of completion, calmness and awareness is undisturbed by external conditions. He is not bothered whether someone appreciates or condemns what he does. He just feels responsibility in his being. He is clear what he should do and he carries on with excitement. Renunciation is in the true spirit of completion and is done out of goodness, only when a person renounces the expectation of result.

It is natural that a human being cannot remain still without doing some work. Man must be doing something, anything, all the time. If not physically, at least mentally he does something. Even in sleep, he dreams. If we close our eyes, we watch our inner television. Mentally we think the whole day, but it is not directed in one direction, we are not useful to ourselves and to others. Please understand, when you lack integrity, when you have incompletions mentally, even if you think, it will not be useful thinking.

Only an Enlightened person truly keeps his body and mind still. So the normal man is never without activity. This being the case, the only way man can be comfortable and at peace with himself is by not having any expectation of the result of his thoughts or words or actions. This can be achieved by every one of us. Kṛṣṇa says that one who is not concerned about the fruits of his action has truly renounced.

Even when an action has been completed and the expected result achieved, as long as one is attached to that action and its result, another desire crops up. Even when one desire is fulfilled, another unfulfilled desire rises. This is a constant, consistent sequence of incompletions. This is what I call karma.

Karma is nothing but unfulfilled, incomplete desires. As long as we have attachment to the action as 'doer', which in turns creates an expectation of reward or punishment, we are caught in the cycle of karma and saṁsāra. Our concern about whether an action or the result is good, bad or a mix of both, follows us as our mental patterns or vāsanā after death.

No one is 'up there' keeping an account of our deeds and misdeeds. Our own spirit does that job. So we can never escape! No amount of propitiation or contribution to 'noble' causes will erase the knowledge from our inner Self of what we have done. When we die, the body perishes but the spirit moves on to another body. That spirit carries its earlier mental patterns, its vāsanā. There is no exception to this rule. Saṁskāras or root patterns are the carriedover incomplete desires and they cause the cycle of saṁsāra, birth, death and rebirth.

We have no unfulfilled desires, karma, saṁskāra or vāsanā left when we renounce attachment to 'doership' and become a mere witness to both the action and the result. This means we act without expectation and attachment to the result of our action. Such a person breaks out of this cycle of saṁsāra.

Helping students understand what is karma and how to break out of the cycle of samsara.

• 1. How can you tell if you have truly renounced? 2.What is karma? 3.What happens to us when we have attachment to the action as "doer"? 4. What causes the cycle of
  • saṁsāra, birth, death and rebirth.
  • 5. How can a person break out of the cycle of saṁsāra?

Paper, Pen, Pencils, Eraser, Markers

Engage in a short discussion about what is the cycle of samsara (you can refer to the explanation given below in the "inference" section) and ask the students to draw a representation of it in any way they want. Once they are done, ask them to share their drawing and to explain in their own words how attachment, desires, action and result are related to one another.

As long as we have attachment to the action as 'doer', which in turns creates an expectation of reward or punishment, we are caught in the cycle of karma and saṁsāra. Our concern about whether an action or the result is good, bad or a mix of both, follows us as our mental patterns or vāsanā after death. However we have no unfulfilled desires, karma, saṁskāra or vāsanā left when we renounce attachment to 'doership' and become a mere witness to both the action and the result. This means we act without expectation and attachment to the result of our action. Such a person breaks out of this cycle of saṁsāra.

Materials required: Have material required to do power manifestation (blindfold, kumkum, bhasma, paper, pen, scale, etc.).

Tell the students to choose any power and to practice manifesting it for the next 11 minutes without being attached to the result. Tell them to simply remain as a witness and to allow Paramashiva to flow through them while chanting Mahavakya. At the end, ask them about their experience. How does being a witness feel? Was part of them hoping for a particular result to occur? Did they feel any emotion (pride, fear, disappointment, frustration, etc)?

End the activity by discussing the importance of completing with our mental patterns of "good", "bad"...

Our concern about whether an action or the result is good, bad or a mix of both, follows us as our mental patterns or vāsanā after death. Saṁskāras or root patterns are the carried-over incomplete desires and they cause the cycle of saṁsāra, birth, death and rebirth.

Ask the students to write a list of all the actions they perform on a dayto-day basis. Then ask each student to share what expectations they have attached to these actions. Finally, ask them to discuss how their expectations impact their state and how they can come out of the cycle of samsara.

Attachment to action and to the results of action creates more desires. When we act without expectation and attachment to the result of our action, we become a mere witness and break out of the cycle of samsara.

Authored by

THE SUPREME PONTIFF OF HINDUISM BHAGAWAN SRI NITHYANANDA PARAMASHIVAM

pañcai'tāni mahābāho kāraṇāni nibodha me I sāṅkhye kṛtānte proktāni siddhaye sarvakarmaṇām

Learn from Me Arjuna, the five causes that bring about the accomplishment of all action, as described in Sāṅkhya philosophy.

The Master again and again tries to show that you are God.

adhiṣṭhānaṁ tathā kartā karaṇaṁ ca pṛthagvidham vividhāśca pṛthakceṣṭā daivaṁ caivātra pañcamam

These are: physical body that is the seat of action; the attributes of nature or guṇa, which is the doer; the eleven organs of perception and action by the life forces and finally the Divine.

The Master stands for the idea that you are the infinite.

śarīra-vāṅ-manobhir yat karma prārabhate naraḥ nyāyyaṁ vā viparītaṁ vā pañcai 'te tasya hetavaḥ

These five factors are responsible for whatever right or wrong actions a man performs by deed, word and thought.

tatraivam sati kartāram ātmānaṁ kevalaṁ tu yaḥ paśyatyakṛtabuddhitvān na sa paśyati durmatiḥ

Those who think they, their spirit, are the doers, are ignorant and do not see things as they are.

Final Surrender Itself is Enlightenment.

lists five factors from Sāṅkhya philosophy responsible for our activities. These are the bodymind system, the operator of the body-mind system (that is the individual), the senses, different efforts causing the activities and finally the ultimate power of God. All activities, right or wrong, good or bad, are caused by these five factors. If however, the individual considers himself to be the doer, his body and mind, he is not aware.

Kṛṣṇa uses the word ātman while saying that one who perceives one's spirit or Self as the agent, the doer, or the performer, does not see and is not aware. Kṛṣṇa draws a distinction between the individual Self and the cosmic energy. He differentiates between ātman and Brahman, mānava and Deva, nara and Nārāyaṇa, self and Parāśakti.

Kṛṣṇa concludes that while philosophical discussion mentions five players in all activities, the ultimate controller is the Divine. We are immersed in our body- mind-spirit system and caught in our sensory perceptions and believe that we are the power behind all that we do. So long as we have this deluded belief, we are rooted in ignorance.

Many times the idea of dropping our responsibilities and taking up a different role is more attractive than growing in completion so that we can perform our own responsibilities well and without attachment. Be very clear, without the right cognition of completion, no role that we take up will work out for us. Instead of taking up responsibility and expanding you and your life around you, watching television, sleeping or daydreaming seems much more pleasant and easy. We would rather do that than meditate or perform pūjā or whatever is our prescribed duty.

Whatever you may understand as yourself, your body-mind-spirit system is the totality of many things. And individually each is responsible for something. In spite of this, you think that 'you' are responsible for the whole thing. That is where the trouble starts. Kṛṣṇa gives the technology for the deeper levels of surrender.

As we saw earlier, there are three levels of surrender. The first is intellectual surrender. This means you accept that the Master's intellect is sharper than your intellect; His intellect is of a higher order than yours. This is intellectual surrender. Next is emotional surrender. This is trusting that the Master's guidance on the emotional plane is more intelligent than your emotions. The third is surrendering the senses, your cognition or the root of cognition itself.

Deeper Level of Surrender — Mind or Master? The Master again and again tries to show that you are God. I keep saying, 'I am not here to prove that I am God. I am here to prove that you are God.

The Master stands for the idea that you are the infinite. He shows you various dimensions of your inner self that you have not explored or experienced. He shows you so many dimensions of your being. The Master stands for your multi- dimensional being. He tries to show you that it is possible. He shows that if it is possible for him, it is possible for you also. But as long as you believe your senses, you think that you are the body and mind.

Final Surrender Itself is Enlightenment In the inner world, the first and last tool you need is complete surrender. Only then can you wake up to the Truth. If Arjuna had trusted only his senses, he would have been at best a good warrior and king. Instead he trusted Kṛṣṇa more than his senses and became enlightened. He experienced the truth of Kṛṣṇa. When Kṛṣṇa said that the crow was green, he saw a green crow. Such was his faith.

When you surrender your senses, the root cognition of yourself, you lose your identification with the body and mind. As long as you believe your senses, you think that you are the body and mind. Only when you believe the master's words more than your senses, do you realize the truth that you are divine. On one hand, your senses say you are the body and mind. On the other hand, the Master tells you that you are divine and in eternal bliss. He tells you that you are the consciousness beyond body and mind.

It is up to you to choose. If you believe the senses, you cannot believe the Master. And if you believe the Master, you cannot believe your senses. Your way of life decides whether you surrender to your senses or your Master. It is for you to decide.

Kṛṣṇa says that only when you surrender at all three levels do you have the ultimate experience. Let me tell you this, surrender itself is Enlightenment. Please do not think Enlightenment will be issued to you after surrendering. No! It is not a paycheck you receive by courier. Surrender itself is Enlightenment. At that moment, you experience the Truth.

When I say surrender, I mean wake up to the truth that you are in the ocean. When you are born, when you think you are an individual or when you become enlightened, you are always in the ocean. Just wake up! Waking up to this ultimate Truth is surrender. Surrender these small ideas about yourself and wake up to reality. As a result, surrender automatically happens in your inner space, your inner Consciousness. Otherwise you just play with the word surrender.

Do not worry, because you have nothing to surrender. By understanding that you have nothing to surrender, you have already surrendered. Whether you surrender or not, this is the truth. Whether you surrender or not, Existence takes care. Automatically life continues and you will relax. that relaxation itself is surrender.

Relax into the flow of life and wake up to the truth that you ARE something greater than your body and mind as suggested by your senses. You are led by society to think that you are something. Now wake up to the truth that you are greater than what you can imagine. You are beyond any imagination you can have of yourself. Surrendering will give you a new consciousness. You will not be the same person. One single moment of surrender will transform your whole life. You will be a new being.

Receive this truth of surrender and work on it. Suddenly you will wake up and give birth to yourself as an enlightened being. The moment you understand you belong to the ocean, that you are from it, that you are in it and that you will disappear into it, you will realize that you will never die, because you are the ocean.

As long as you identify with the bubble, you feel insecure. The instinct to survive and the instinct to possess torture you. The moment you realize that you are the ocean, the instinct to survive disappears because there is no death for you. There is nothing to fear, nothing to feel insecure about. Death creates fear as long as you think you are the bubble.

The moment you realize that you are the ocean, there is nothing to possess because everything belongs to you. There is nothing to lose and nothing to acquire. Hence, the instinct to possess disappears. I am not asking you to legally throw away your possessions. You do not need to throw away whatever you have done for your 'I' and 'mine'. You do not need to throw away whatever you have. Just do not internalize them. Within yourself be aware and be complete that you are something greater than anything you can possibly possess.

Kṛṣṇa goes much deeper than these three levels of surrender: surrender of the intellect, surrender of the emotions and surrender of the senses. He gives Arjuna a glimpse of the greatest surrender. He gives Arjuna a glimpse of the ultimate experience itself. Kṛṣṇa already gave Arjuna the experience during Viśvarūpa darśan, the vision of His Cosmic form. Even so, Arjuna was unable to establish himself in that experience due to fear.

Kṛṣṇa is waking Arjuna up from the long slumber called saṁsāra sāgara. This can also be called unconsciousness or tamas. Kṛṣṇa gives him a good shake by giving him the ultimate experience and puts him in that state forever. I was telling you about the three levels of surrender. Kṛṣṇa puts Arjuna into that final level or highest level of surrender.

Helping the students understand ultimate surrender.

• 1. What is the deluded belief that Krishna speaks about here?
• 2. What are the three levels of surrender?
• 3. What does the Master stand for?
• 4. What happens when you surrender your senses?
• 5. What stopped Arjuna from establishing himself into the ultimate experience of surrender?
• 6. What is final surrender?

Part 4: Bhagavad Gita

Start by engaging a brief discussion, asking the children how they understand surrender. Then, ask them to close their eyes and to bring their awareness to their third eye. Ask them to connect to Swamiji and to surrender in whatever way they understand. Then, ask them to draw the Viśvarūpa Darśan in their own unique way.

Krishna gives Arjuna a glimpse of the greatest surrender during Viśvarūpa darśan, the vision of His Cosmic form.

Read the following story to the students: Once a disciple asked his Master, 'Why should I Surrender?' The Master asked, 'How do you know whatever you think you know about yourself?' The disciple replied, 'I know myself through my senses. 'The Master asked, 'Who do you think you are according to your senses?' The disciple said, 'As far as I know, I am the body and mind.' His Master responded, 'You are God, not just body and mind.'

The Master said, 'Only when you surrender your senses, will you realize the truth of what I am saying. The moment you trust me more than your senses, you experience that you are God. You then understand the meaning of Tat Tvam Asi (literally 'You Are That', meaning 'you are divine')

Remind the students that the Master shows you various dimensions of your inner self that you have not explored or experienced. Then ask each student to stand in a row/chain. Tell one student to stand in front of the 'first one in the row, to connect to the Master and to reveal one dimension of themselves. Then tell them to move on to the second person in the row and ask them to reveal another dimension of themselves while connecting to the Master and so on until they reach the last student in row. Ask each student to do the same. At the end, ask students to share whether they were able to cognize themselves beyond what their senses perceive, beyond body and mind.

The Master stands for your multi-dimensional being. As you believe your senses, you think that you are the body and mind.

Engage a discussion about the truth that the Master is not here to prove that He is God, but that He is here to prove that you are God.' Then ask the students to write a short essay about how they have personally experienced it in their own life, whether it is by manifesting powers, feeling inspired by Guru's words, doing something that they never thought they would be capable of doing...

The Master stands for the idea that you are the infinite. He shows you various dimensions of your inner self that you have not explored or experienced. He shows you so many dimensions of your being. The Master stands for your multi- dimensional being. He tries to show you that it is possible. He shows that if it is possible for him, it is possible for you also.

Authored by

THE SUPREME PONTIFF OF HINDUISM BHAGAWAN SRI NITHYANANDA PARAMASHIVAM

yasya nāhaṅkṛto bhāvo buddhir yasya na lipyate hatvā 'pi sa imāl lokān na hanti na nibadhyate

One who is egoless, whose intelligence is not of attachment, though he may kill, is not the slayer and is never bound by his actions.

When we surrender, we learn to include everything.

Kṛṣṇa says that spiritual practice, that is the state of satva, is difficult in the beginning, and it is like poison; however, it becomes life-giving nectar in the end.

Sensual pleasures born out of rajas, on the other hand, seem like nectar in the beginning but become poisonous. In the tamasic state, Kṛṣṇa says, one is deluded as if in sleep, laziness and illusion. Every human is in one state or another.

Of course, one who has reached that level of completion does not think of killing. As long as we have the idea of 'I' and 'mine', we attack or kill. When we exclude, we kill. On the other hand, when we surrender, we learn to include everything

One thing we need to understand. We kill others only when we feel insecure. We do not need courage to make war. We only need cowardice. Only cowards go to war. They are afraid for themselves and kill others. To kill others, we do not need courage. We simply need cowardice.

The person who is courageous never kills others. He is established in non- violence. Only cowards continuously try to hurt others. A courageous person does not try to hurt others. That is the reason Kṛṣṇa makes this bold statement one who is not entangled in ego, even if he kills, does not kill.

Kṛṣṇa emphasizes here: May you be liberated from entanglement. May you liberate yourself from ego, yasya nāhaṅkṛto bhāvo. He does not ask Arjuna to kill. One problem is that people give their own meaning to words. They have their own delusive cognition.

Kṛṣṇa uses killing as an extreme example to make Arjuna think. The focus is on non-attachment arising out of egolessness, which is the space of completion. You need to know, completion done in the space of completion transforms your personality, transforms your being, heals the intense, constant, agitāted violence you carry towards you and others.

When one no longer feels the need to survive, anything that one does is without attachment and without expectation. When a person is in that state, he is truly in completion with Existence. If such a person destroys, it is similar to the destruction caused by Nature, which happens at a different frequency and understanding level as I explained earlier.

Kṛṣṇa makes this statement to drive the point home to Arjuna that it is his responsibility to stand up and fight instead of running away from the battlefield.

Helping children/teenagers understand what is courage. -Helping children/teenagers experience their natural space of completion.

• 1. What do we do when we exclude?
• 2. What happens when we surrender?
• 3. When do people kill others?
• 4. How does a courageous person act?
• 5. What is Krishna emphasizing on?
• 6. Why is Krishna making such an extreme statement to Arjuna?

Paper, Markers, pen, Eraser, Scissors, Glue, etc.

First, remind the children that a truly courageous person is always established in non-violence. Then, ask them to make a card to someone in their life which they find most courageous. Ask them to write down the reason why they feel this way by giving an example of a situation where the person showed courage.

A courageous person never tries to hurt others.

MATERIALS REQUIRED A Big paper on which all the children can draw or write a word. Pens, markers,

Ask each child to close their eyes for 3 minutes while contemplating on the truth: "Kṛṣṇa inspires you to realize the truth of your natural space of completion, not to kill." Tell them to witness whatever comes in their inner space during that short meditation (any image, letter, word, sentence, etc.). Then, at the end of the meditation, ask each child to draw or write what appeared to them on the same big piece of paper (all children draw and write on the same paper).

You can then enjoy the masterpiece together and ask each child to describe their experience (how the word, thought, image appeared, how they feel the big piece of paper looks with everyone's contribution on it, how completion makes them feel, how they would know if they are not in the space of completion, etc).

Completion transforms your personality, transforms your being, heals the intense, constant, agitāted violence you carry towards you and others.

First, engage in a short discussion about the real message that Krishna is giving Arjuna here. Then, read this small story to the children/teenagers and ask them to discuss whether the way that the boy acted and reacted is aligned to what Krishna is teaching Arjuna.

Once there was a little boy in a Zen monastery training to be a monk. One day, when he was cleaning his master's room he accidentally broke his master's favorite teacup. He wanted to confess to his master about the teacup, but was scared that he would punish him.

He approached the Master and asked him, 'Master, isn't it true that everything that was born has to die someday?' The master replied, 'Yes.' The boy then showed him the fragments of the broken cup and said, 'It was time for your teacup to die.

Kṛṣṇa inspires you to realize the truth of your natural space of completion, not to kill.

Authored by

THE SUPREME PONTIFF OF HINDUISM BHAGAWAN SRI NITHYANANDA PARAMASHIVAM

jñānaṁ jñeyaṁ parijñātā trividhā karmacodanā karaṇaṁ karma karteti trividhaḥ karmasaṁgrahaḥ

Knowledge, object of the knowledge and the subject of the knowledge, the knower, are the three factors that stimulate action; the senses, the action and the performer comprise the three components of action.

If we find our own answer for the 'why' we will become spiritually enlightened!

jñānaṁ karma ca kartā ca tridhaiva guṇabhedataḥ procyate guṇa-sañkhyāne yathāvac chṛṇu tānyapi

According to the science of guṇas, there are three types in knowledge, action, and performers of action. Listen as I describe them.

A sattvic person is not focused on himself, he is focused on enriching others.

sarvabhūteṣu yenaikaṁ bhāvamavyayamīkṣate avibhaktaṁ vibhakteṣu taj jñānaṁ viddhi sāttvikam

That knowledge by which one imperishable reality is seen in all Existence, undivided in the divided, is knowledge in the state of goodness.

Once you focus on the present, your space of completion increases manifold and you drop expectations and attachment.

pṛthaktvena tu yajjñānaṁ nānābhāvān pṛthagvidhān vetti sarveṣu bhūteṣu taj jñānaṁ viddhi rājasam

The knowledge by which one sees different realities of various types among all beings as separate from one another; such knowledge is in the mode of aggression.

Only if you are conscious, you can attract the space of completion.

ṛṣṇ

The guṇas are of three kinds: satva, rajas and tamas. Satva is defined as calm, peaceful, spiritual and good, etc. This is generally the attribute of spiritually inclined persons. Rajas is translated as aggressive, passionate and active, etc. This is the primary attribute of kings, warriors and business people. Tamas is lazy, ignorant and passive, etc. Tamas is seen as the inactive component that many of us experience at times. It is the active component of those who live to eat and sleep.

Kṛṣṇa defines a sātvic person as one who sees the collective consciousness, the whole, in parts. He understands that he is not alone and not an island, rather he is linked with everyone and everything in this Universe. He understands his connection with the cosmic energy.

A sattvic person is not focused on himself, he is focused on enriching others. Because he completes with his root patterns, He realizes that his survival and possessions, the 'I' and 'mine', are meaningless. His activities are selfless, without expectation of praise or reward, and without attachment to the process or result. Such a person is not affected by the seeming success or failure of what he undertakes because there is no feeling of 'I' and 'mine' involved in his actions.

It is not that difficult to move into a sātvic state. True, you may not be able to stay there all the time, but once you understand how this state completes you, you try more and more to stay there.

To be in the sātvic state is to understand that past and future are mere illusions. They do not exist. Past is gone, never to return. Why worry? Future is a mirage. All you can do is activate your present moment. That is all you can do. The present moment determines your future. Once you focus on the present, your space of completion increases manifold and you drop expectations and attachment. You just do what is needed. You respond to reality. You respond to the now. You are in satva.

You fall into a rājasic state when you distinguish between 'you' and 'I', between this and that. There is no differentiation. Your mind, the ego, creates this differentiation. Your root thought patterns, saṁskāras overpower your complete cognition and bring up this delusory cognition of differentiating between you and others. A rājasic person does everything expecting a reward. He is selfish, aggressive and impatient. When he does not get what he wants, he is upset. Failure is a blow to his ego.

A rājasic person can never be happy and complete. Please understand, almost all of you are driven by rajas. This is the predominant attribute in modern society. Rich or poor, intelligent or foolish, educated or uneducated, almost everyone compares himself with the next person and wants what the other person has. As long as you are driven by your desires, and not complete with what you have, you are in rajas.

Too much of society has entered into human beings. You all have become social beings, you are no more human beings. You just have a set of manuals – at what age what is expected of you, at what age what are you supposed to do, and where are you supposed to be, how are you supposed to be talking, what are you supposed to be thinking, how are you supposed to be behaving. See, by default society is incomplete. So you are put in that rājasic space. Only if you are conscious, you can attract the space of completion.

Helping the students gain a better understanding of the gunas. -Helping the students understand how to be in the present moment.

• 1. What does a sattvic person focus on?
• 2. How does a sattvic person see the past and the future?
• 3. How does a sattvic person respond to
  • "success" or "failure"?
• 4. What does a rajasic person expect?
• 5. Why can't a rajasic person ever be happy and complete?
• 6. What creates a differentiation?
• 7. How can you attract the space of completion?

Paper, sparkles pen, pencil, marker eraser Scissors Glue, etc.

Ask the children to draw 3 portraits (one for each of the gunas) and to write 3 qualifications for each. Then ask them to share moments in their lives where they have experienced each state and how each state makes them feel about themselves.

A satvic person is not focused on himself, he is focused on enriching others. Because he completes with his root patterns, He realizes that his survival and possessions, the 'I' and 'mine', are meaningless. You fall into a rājasic state when you distinguish between 'you' and 'I', between this and that. A rājasic person can never be happy and complete.

Materials required: Paper, Pen, eraser, (material needed to write a short script)

Ask each student to write a scenario (a situation that has really happened to them) where they put a lot of effort into something but didn't get what they were hoping for (they did not get the praise, prize, result they wanted). Then ask each student to share with the group and ask the other students to describe how a sattvic person would handle the situation. At the end, ask each student to assess their own reactions to situations, do they react more in a sattvic, rajasic or tamasic way. Do they act/react consciously or unconsciously? Encourage them to reflect on how being in a sattvic state completes them and how they can move more and more into a sattvic state.

It is not that difficult to move into a sātvic state. True, you may not be able to stay there all the time, but once you understand how this state completes you, you try more and more to stay there.

Engage a discussion about how society is by default incomplete and how it puts us in the rajasic state. Ask students to share their understanding and to give concrete examples about their own lives. Also ask the students how they feel they can get out of the rajasic state.

A sattvic person understands that he/she is not alone and not an island, rather he/she is linked with everyone and everything in this Universe. He/she understands his/her connection with the cosmic energy.

Authored by

THE SUPREME PONTIFF OF HINDUISM BHAGAWAN SRI NITHYANANDA PARAMASHIVAM

yat tu kṛtsnavad ekasmin kārye saktaṁ ahaitukam
atattvārthavadalpaṁ ca tat tāmasamudāhṛtam
The irrational, baseless, and worthless knowledge by which one clings to one single effect as if it is everything, such knowledge is in the mode of darkness of ignorance.

niyataṁ saṅgarahitam arāgadveṣataḥ kṛtam
aphalaprepsunā karma yat tat sāttvikamucyate
Obligatory duty performed without likes and dislikes and without selfish motives and attachment to the fruit, is in the mode of goodness.

Owning is different and possessing is different.

```sanskrit
yat tu kāmepsunā karma sāhaṁkāreṇa vā punaḥ
kriyate bahulāyāsaṁ tad rājasamudāhṛtam
Action performed with ego, with selfish motives, and with too much effort, is in the mode of aggression.

Satva is living in a reality world of owning and also letting others own.

```sanskrit
anubandhaṁ kṣayaṁ hiṁsām anapekṣya ca pauruṣam
mohād ārabhyate karma yat tat tāmasamucyate
Action that is undertaken because of delusion, disregarding consequences, loss, injury to others, as well as one's own ability, is in the mode of ignorance.

Kṛṣṇa defines a sātvic person as one who sees the collective consciousness, the whole, in parts.

The pure space, satva seems to be a little heavy, little too much of joy! You feel you can't afford it. It is like you don't want to own the whole ocean, you want to own only the beach. Because only in the beach you can put a fence and ensure that others can't enter into it. Ocean you can own, but not possess. Please understand, owning is different and possessing is different.

All of us can own the whole world; that is not a problem at all. But we can't possess it, that is where the problem starts. Owning is different and possessing is different. The whole village owns the village temple, but you possess your house. We not only own our house, we possess it and make sure that others don't enter.

We don't want to own the ocean, we want to possess the ocean. When we want to possess, we know that we can't possess the ocean. Not only we can't deny entry to other human beings, we can't deny entry to other animals. There are millions of animals below.

When we want to possess that is where the problem starts. Rajas corrodes you. It eats up your soul. There is no boundary to possessing, no end to greed and no limit to fear. These are the driving forces of rajas. Rajas is about trying to attain what you don't have, trying to eliminate and possess what you want to have, not being complete with what you have, not being complete about where you are and not being complete and happy when you are in the present moment. You are either constantly in the future, imagining what you would like to be and what you would like to possess, or you are in the past thinking about how you could have done better. Rajas is living in a fantasy world of possessing. Satva is living in a reality world of owning and also letting others own.

You are either constantly in the future, imagining what you would like to be and what you would like to possess, or you are in the past thinking about how you could have done better. Rajas is living in a fantasy world of possessing. Satva is living in a reality world of owning and also letting others own.

-Helping students understand the difference between owning and possessing. -Helping the students understand the difference between Satva and Rajas.

True or False: Owning and possessing mean the same thing. When do our problems start? What are

the driving forces of rajas? How does rajas approach the past, the present and the future? In what kind of world does rajas live in? In what kind of world does satva live in?

Paper, pen, pencil, markers, eraser, etc.

Ask the students to draw 3 characters named "possession", "greed" and "fear". Once children are done drawing, tell the names of the characters one by one and ask the students to enact them through body language, sounds, etc. Let them enact each character for 1 minute. At the end, ask the children what enacting these 3 characters created inside of them/What thoughts/cognitions came up.

When we want to possess that is where the problem starts. Rajas corrodes you. It eats up your soul. There is no boundary to possessing, no end to greed and no limit to fear. These are the driving forces of rajas.

Paper, pens, pencils, eraser, ruler

Ask the students to draw two timelines (one for rajas, one for sattva) and to identify the past, the present and the future on each. Then ask the students to take the rajas timeline and to write down things that they wish they will possess in the future and things about the past that they regret or wish they had done better. Then ask them to discuss how thinking about what they don't have makes them feel, what cognitions come up inside them.

Paper, pens, pencils, eraser, ruler

Also ask them to discuss how thinking about things they wished they had done better in the past makes them feel. At the end of the discussion, ask the students to take the sattva timeline and to write down only what is happening right now in this moment. Ask them to share how being in the present makes them feel and what cognitions arise in them

Rajas is about trying to attain what you don't have, trying to eliminate and possess what you want to have, not being complete with what you have, not being complete about where you are and not being complete and happy when you are in the present moment. You are either constantly in the future, imagining what you would like to be and what you would like to possess, or you are in the past thinking about how you could have done better.

Guide the students into a discussion about the difference between "owning" and "possessing". Ask them different questions such as: How it is possible to own and to let others own at the same time? What emotions/cognitions get triggered in us when we feel something or someone as our possession? How can we know if we are owning or possessing?

Rajas is living in a fantasy world of possessing. Satva is living in a reality world of owning and also letting others own.

Authored by

THE SUPREME PONTIFF OF HINDUISM BHAGAWAN SRI NITHYANANDA PARAMASHIVAM

muktasaṅgo'nahaṁvādī dhṛtyutsāhasamanvitaḥ
siddhyasiddhyor nirvikāraḥ kartā sāttvika ucyate
The performer who is free from attachment, nonegotistic, endowed with resolve and enthusiasm, and unperturbed in success or failure is called sātvika

Never your effort towards freedom is going to give you freedom. It is only the knowledge about the freedom that will give you freedom.

```sanskrit
rāgī karmaphalaprepsur lubdho hiṁsātmako 'śuciḥ
harṣaśokānvitaḥ kartā rājasaḥ parikīrtitaḥ
The performer who is impassioned, who desires the fruits of work, who is greedy, violent, impure, and affected by joy and sorrow, is called aggressive.

To own, you don't need to eliminate others.

```sanskrit
ayuktaḥ prākṛtaḥ stabdhaḥ śaṭho naiṣkṛtiko 'lasaḥ
viṣādī dīrghasūtrī ca kartā tāmasa ucyate
The performer who is undisciplined, vulgar, stubborn, wicked, malicious, lazy, depressed, and procrastinating is called ignorant or tamasic.

Respond to the now.

Only if you eliminate others, you feel that you are victorious, which is not right. This is a basic wrong understanding. Please get it! I want you to know a very important fact. Never, ever will you be free by your efforts to be free. Freedom will happen to you only by the right knowledge about freedom, never by your efforts towards freedom. Never your effort towards freedom is going to give you freedom. It is only the knowledge about the freedom that will give you freedom.

So, the basic mistake that eliminating others is the only way you can possess or own is wrong! To own, you don't need to eliminate others. But because of this pattern, just because you want to eliminate others, you are ready to settle down with a few acres of beach. You are ready to forego the whole ocean! It is exactly with the same patterns, it is only with these patterns you define your identity. Without patterns, it is like you in the ocean.

Tamas does not just mean inactivity, laziness and procrastination. Yes, it is all that; however, it also includes mindless action performed without realizing that one is part of a whole. The ego is so enlarged that it believes it is the whole. It believes nothing else of significance exists; others are of no consequence.

Helping students understand the space of responsibility of a karma yogi. Helping students understand what is "status" and what is "state".

- ❖ What pattern is Krishna explaining here?
- ❖ What does this pattern make us do?
- ❖ How can one be made to become a religious terrorist?
- ❖ What are the similarities between religious terrorists and religious zealots?
- ❖ How is the ego of one who is in the state of tamas?

2 sheets of paper per student markers, crayons, erasers glue, seashells, sand, etc.

Ask the students to draw two pictures. One being a few acres on the beach that they possess (ask them to draw a fence around them) and the second being the whole ocean. Make sure that they draw themselves in both drawings (inside the fence on the first one and inside the ocean on the second one). In the end, ask the students which drawing makes them feel more free and ask them to discuss what about the drawing is making them experience freedom.

So, the basic mistake that eliminating others is the only way you can possess or own is wrong! To own, you don't need to eliminate others. But because of this pattern, just because you want to eliminate others, you are ready to settle down with a few acres of beach. You are ready to forego the whole ocean! It is exactly with the same patterns, it is only with these patterns you define your identity. Without patterns, it is like you in the ocean.

• Create a big square on the ground with some tape and ask a student to stand inside of it. Tell the student that the square is their land and that he/she possesses it. Then ask the other students to try to invade the property/to take possession of it by putting one foot inside the square. To make sure the invaders go away, the student who is inside the square must touch the invaders' shoulder who then needs to move back 10 steps before trying again to invade.
• Let it happen for 10 minutes while ensuring that the whole activity is done calmly and let the students take turns inside the land.
  • In the end, ask the students to share their experience.
  • How did the student who was told that he possesses the land felt every time he saw someone else's foot inside the square?
    • Did they feel like they needed to eliminate others in order to be victorious?
  • Make the students understand that this cognition of "I need to eliminate others to be victorious" is wrong understanding.

If you want to own, you can own the whole world. See, unfortunately, only if you eliminate others, you feel that you are victorious, which is not right. This is a basic wrong understanding.

Guide the students into a discussion about freedom. Is it possible to achieve freedom through our own efforts? Then tell the students to visualise themselves as the leader of the country and that they have to give an important speech to motivate the population about the topic of freedom. Give students 21 minutes to write down a speech and have them present it in front of others

Never, ever will you be free by your efforts to be free. Freedom will happen to you only by the right knowledge about freedom, never by your efforts towards freedom.

Authored by

THE SUPREME PONTIFF OF HINDUISM BHAGAWAN SRI NITHYANANDA PARAMASHIVAM

buddherbhedaṁ dhṛteś cai 'va guṇatastrividhaṁ śṛṇu procyamānamaśeṣeṇa pṛthaktvena dhanañjaya

Now hear Me explain, fully and separately, the threefold division of intellect and resolve, based on modes of material Nature, O Dhanañjaya.

Each journey must be enjoyed being in the space of completion.

pravṛttiṁ ca nivṛttiṁ ca kāryakārye bhayābhaye bandhaṁ mokṣaṁ ca yā vetti buddhiḥ sā pārtha sāttvikī

O Arjuna, that intellect is in the mode of goodness which understands the path of work and the path of renunciation, right and wrong action, fear and fearlessness, bondage and liberation.

Completion is power!

yayā dharmamadharmaṁ ca kāryaṁ cākāryam eva ca ayathāvat prajānāti buddhiḥ sā pārtha rājasī

That intellect is in the mode of passion that cannot distinguish between principles of right conduct and wrong doing, and right and wrong action, O Pārtha (Arjuna).

adharmaṁ dharmamiti yā manyate tamasā 'vṛtā

sarvārthānviparītāṁśca buddhiḥ sā pārtha tāmasī

That intellect is in the mode of ignorance that accepts unrighteousness as righteousness and thinks everything to be that which it is not, O Pārtha.

A human being has everything in him to become the ultimate reality, the divine reality

Dharma, artha, kāma and mokṣa are the four puruṣārtha. These can be translated as righteousness, wealth, desire or lust and liberation. These are the four-fold meanings of life. I prefer not to call them the purposes of life. There is no purpose to life. Once we fix a purpose to life, it becomes a goalpost and attachments and expectations result.

Life is a path without a destination. Once we assume there is a destination, we hurry. The future becomes a stressinducing factor. Let us say we travel from New York to Washington. Once we fix Washington as our destination, the next issue is, 'When will we reach there?' From then on, we are constantly tormented by, 'When will we reach there?' It is a different matter that we may have nothing to do in Washington once we arrive, and therefore there is no need to hurry! In the process we do not enjoy the journey. The journey becomes an irritation that we must cross in order to reach our destination.

In life, do not fix a destination. Each journey must be enjoyed being in the space of completion. The path and the journey are what life is. Life is completion. I tell you, have the space of completion for yourself. That will attract all the right experiences. Completion is power! Completion is Life! Enjoy the people you meet, the experiences you have and what you pick up on the way, without being greedy to acquire more. The journey, the path, becomes so enjoyable that whatever destination you reach is the right destination.

People who attach a purpose to life are disturbed. Philosophers who have no other work create false purposes to life. Philosophers exist to confuse people whereas mystics solve problems and provide guidance to awaken intelligence. When we let life lead us, when we let life enrich us, when we take life as it comes, we enjoy every moment. We truly live with completion in the present, like a God. We realize and manifest our potential, possibility and reality! As of now, man is only a possibility. A human being has everything in him to become the ultimate reality, the divine reality.

Helping students understand the importance of being in a space of completion. Helping students realize how they can move from being a possibility to becoming the divine reality.

• ❖ What do we do when we assume there is a destination?
• ❖ How can we attract all the right experiences?
• ❖ What happens to people who attach a purpose to life?
• ❖ How can we enjoy every moment of life?
• ❖ How does a God live life?
• ❖ What happens to us when we live that way?

Paper markers, pencils, eraser, etc.

Ask students to draw their life in the present only. Ask them to draw, represent, write down only what is happening in this moment. Then discuss how living in the present awakens our intelligence and our energy.

Life is a path without a destination. Once we assume there is a destination, we hurry. The future becomes a stress-inducing factor. In the process we do not enjoy the journey. The journey becomes an irritation that we must cross in order to reach our destination. When we let life lead us, when we let life enrich us, when we take life as it comes, we enjoy every moment. We truly live with completion in the present, like a God. We realize and manifest our potential, possibility and reality!

Part 6: Bhagavad Gita Chapter 18

Timewatch paper pencil, eraser

Set a goal. Tell the students that they have 1 minute to go up to each person around them and gather information about their name, their Ishta Devata and when they first connected to Swamiji. Then ask the students to take a few minutes to write down how the experience was like, do they feel enriched by the interaction, do they think the people they spoke to feel enriched, etc.

Now tell students to go up to the same people and to engage in a conversation with them for 1 minute without having any specific goal. Then ask students to write down how they feel after the conversation and to ask people whom they spoke to how they felt during both interactions (which one was more enriching for them and why, etc.). As a group, discuss what happens when we do not fix a destination in life..

Enjoy the people you meet, the experiences you have and what you pick up on the way, without being greedy to acquire more. The journey, the path, becomes so enjoyable that whatever destination you reach is the right destination. Completion gets you all the best things of life! Completion is the basic need of life.

Ask students to share whether they have associated a purpose to life, whether it came from them or from what they have heard people around them. Also ask them to discuss how focusing on purpose impacts their ability to live the present moment. Then, ask each student to sit in silence with their eyes closed for 11 minutes and to drop whatever purpose they carry at Swamiji's feet. At the end of the meditation, ask them to write a short essay about:

What the process of dropping purpose felt like. Did it create relief, insecurity, uncertainty, bliss…

How they can move from a possibility to become the ultimate reality, the divine reality.

Surrender to your own being, to your own consciousness, to your own inner space.

Authored by

THE SUPREME PONTIFF OF HINDUISM BHAGAWAN SRI NITHYANANDA PARAMASHIVAM

dhṛtyā yayā dhārayate manaḥprāṇendriya-kriyāḥ yogenāvyabhicāriṇyā dhṛtiḥ sā pārtha sāttvikī

Consistent and continuous determination in controlling the mind, breath and senses for uniting with the Divine is goodness, Pārtha.

Constantly give life to the four dharmas of authenticity, integrity, responsibility and enriching.

yayā tu dharma kāmārthān

dhṛtyā dhārayate 'rjuna prasaṅgena phalākāṅkṣī dhṛtiḥ sā pārtha rājasī

Craving for results of action while clinging to goals of proper conduct, pleasure and wealth is the state of passion, Arjuna.

Mokṣa or liberation is the ultimate meaning to life.

yayā svapnaṁ bhayaṁ śokaṁ viṣādaṁ madameva ca na vimuñcati durmedhā dhṛtiḥ sā pārtha tāmasī

Ignorant resolve which cannot go beyond dreaming, fear, grief, despair and delusion—such is in darkness, Pārtha.

The meaning of human life is you experiencing completion, and working, radiating, showering others also with the same space of completion.

says that nitya karma or obligatory responsibilities must be followed with discipline and consistency. Not doing these takes us into the state of tamas, inaction born out of ignorance and laziness. Nitya karmas vary from person to person. The duties of a householder are different from those of a monk or a student. Each has clear guidelines in terms of what they should and should not do.

Constantly give life to the four dharmas of authenticity, integrity, responsibility and enriching. When you protect dharma, it protects you. When you are integrated to it, it is integrated to you. When you are authentic with it, it is authentic with you. When you take responsibility for it, it takes responsibility for you. When you enrich dharma, it enriches you. Only then it is possible that your energy is awakened. Only then is your energy awakened. Artha is the stuff that we pick up on our path and journey, the material things that we need to sustain ourselves.

Kāma is the pleasure of the senses we experience and enjoy on this journey. These are rightful acquisitions and pleasurable experiences. Do not feel disturbed by the need for these. But do not become caught up in them and forget to move on the path with completion and enjoy the journey to the fullest.

Mokṣa or liberation is the ultimate meaning to life. The meaning of human life is you experiencing completion, and working, radiating, showering others also with the same space of completion. This is the culmination of the liberation from expectation, desires, greed and fear, and liberation from attachment to desires. This understanding that experiencing completion with non-attachment and absence of expectation leads to liberation can fill us with bliss.

Here Kṛṣṇa gives the essence of how we should lead our lives to make it meaningful with completion. He says that goodness or satva is the state of completion in which there is clarity about right and wrong, and whatever we do with our body, mind and senses is done with a view to liberate ourselves from attachment and desires in order to realize that we are Divine.

Helping students understand the four meanings of life (Puruṣārtha). Helping students understand that the meaning of life is completion

• 1. What does Dharma mean?
• 2. What are the four principles of dharma?
• 3. How can our energy be awakened?
• 4. What is Artha?
• 5. What is Kāma?
• 6. What is the ultimate meaning of life?
• 7. How can we make our life meaningful?

A very big colourful cardboard, scissors, markers, glue, ruler, different coloured papers, etc.

The acharya separates the cardboard in 4 equal rectangles (one for each meaning of life) and asks the students to fill it with words, symbols, sentences, pictures etc. At the end, contemplate on the masterpiece created and see if anything else can be added.

Here Kṛṣṇa gives the essence of how we should lead our lives to make it meaningful with completion.

small journal for each child pen, pencil, eraser, markers, etc.

Tell the students that they have 5-10 minutes to come up with a plan of action. In the next 21 minutes, they must complete four actions (one action for each principle) and log them in their journal along with how they felt, what they cognized while performing and the reactions they received if the actions involved interacting with others. Ask the students to perform the four actions (different each time) for the next week and to log them in their journal. Follow up with them after 1 week and ask them to share about their experience of living in alignment with dharmic principles.

Constantly give life to the four dharmas of authenticity, integrity, responsibility and enriching. When you protect dharma, it protects you. When you are integrated to it, it is integrated to you. When you are authentic with it, it is authentic with you. When you take responsibility for it, it takes responsibility for you. When you enrich dharma, it enriches you. Only then it is possible that your energy is awakened. Only then is your energy awakened.

Tell the students that they are now responsible to make others understand the four meanings of life. Have them pair up and create a short presentation about the four meanings of life that they will then present in front of everyone. Ask them to include concrete examples of day-to-day life for each. After everyone is done presenting, ask the students to write a short essay about how completion makes life meaningful.

Here Kṛṣṇa says that goodness or satva is the state of completion in which there is clarity about right and wrong, and whatever we do with our body, mind and senses is done with a view to liberate ourselves from attachment and desires in order to realize that we are Divine.

Authored by

THE SUPREME PONTIFF OF HINDUISM BHAGAWAN SRI NITHYANANDA PARAMASHIVAM

sukhaṁ tvidānīṁ trividhaṁ śṛṇu me bharatarṣabha abhyāsād ramate yatra duḥkhāntaṁ ca nigacchati

And now hear from Me, O Arjuna, about three kinds of pleasure. The pleasure that one enjoys from spiritual practice results in cessation of all sorrows.

yat tad agre viṣaṁ iva pariṇāme 'mṛtopamam tat sukhaṁ sāttvikaṁ proktaṁ ātma-buddhi-prasādajam

The pleasure that appears as poison in the beginning, but is like nectar in the end, comes by the grace of Selfknowledge and is in the mode of goodness.

The biggest asset a man can acquire is the space of completion.

viṣayendriya-saṁyogadyat tad agre 'mṛtopamam pariṇāme visam iva tat sukhaṁ rājasaṁ smṛtam

Sensual pleasures that appear as nectar in the beginning, but become poison in the end, are in the mode of passion.

yadagre cānubandhe ca sukhaṁ mohanamātmanaḥ nidrālasyapramādotthaṁ tat tāmasamudāhṛtam

Pleasure that is delusion from beginning to end and born out of sleep, laziness and illusion is said to be of the nature of ignorance.

na tad asti pṛthivyāṁ vā divi deveṣu vā punaḥ sattvaṁ prakṛti-jair-muktaṁ yad ebhiḥ syāt tribhirguṇaiḥ

No one, either here or among the celestials in the higher planetary systems, is free from these three states of material nature.

Kṛṣṇa says that spiritual practice, that is the state of satva, is difficult in the beginning, and it is like poison; however, it becomes life-giving nectar in the end.

Sensual pleasures born out of rajas, on the other hand, seem like nectar in the beginning but become poisonous. In the tamasic state, Kṛṣṇa says, one is deluded as if in sleep, laziness and illusion. Every human is in one state or another.

Not merely humans, even the celestials who are supposedly more evolved are in the same mode. No one can escape the effect of the guṇas, the attributes of Nature. Please understand, the biggest asset a man can acquire is the space of completion. I am so happy I am getting that wealth for my Gurukul kids. The biggest asset for any man, the best thing a human being can have in his life is completion, the space of completion.

We are behind our sensory pleasures now. When we are in the rājasic mode, only sensory pleasures of the body matter. In the tamasic mode, we don't even know we are in deep ignorance. The sensory organs are powerful. They are our windows to the external world. They are trained to run away from pain and chase pleasure.

Bodily pleasure gives mental pleasure and therefore emotional satisfaction. Once we experience the mental pleasure, we constantly rewind and replay that pleasure. Our past drives our future. Attachments and expectations drive our actions.

We try to keep on experiencing pain and pleasure alternately. Either way it is only an illusion. If you lead your life with completion, you won't get caught in the illusions of attachment and expectations driving your actions. Kaṭhopaniṣad says, 'The good and the pleasant approach man. The wise examines both and discriminates between them. The wise prefers the good to the pleasant. But the foolish man chooses the pleasant through love of bodily pleasure.

If you are given the option of 'right or pleasant', 'right thing, good thing or very pleasant, convenient and happy thing', always choose the 'right thing', not the 'pleasant' one, not the convenient one.'

When you choose the pleasant, your destruction is inevitable. Your Space of Completion is Kṛṣṇa Look for the right, not for light. Your whole life is nothing but Mahābhārat.

The Kauravas' birth, what is it? One child, Duryodhana is born who is unconscious, dead, aborted. So, that was broken into hundred pieces. This means what? When you are born, you are unconscious and you are broken into hundreds of root-patterns, and all hundred grow as demons. It means that all your root-patterns are growing as demons! When you are tired of being a demon, you also encourage some good qualities in you just for a change. Please understand, there is nobody who is hundred percent demon, because being hundred percent demon makes you feel bored.

Otherwise, why should Rāvaṇa do Śiva Puja? You cannot be hundred percent demon or hundred percent saint till you become enlightened. Till you become an enlightened soul, both sides will be there because you need choice. Life is all about just jumping from one side to another. Choice! Choice! Choice!

A few good patterns which you develop in you just as a choice, as an alternative, those few good patterns are the Pānḍavas. The space of completion which you have inside you, which cannot be destroyed by any root pattern is Kṛṣṇa.

Your whole life is a Mahābhārat. Then, when your weight becomes too much for your own body, when Bhū Devī, the Earth Goddess, is unable to hold the weight, Kṛṣṇa comes and reduces the bhūbhāra, the weight of the Earth. It means that when your incompletions become too much even for yourself, Kṛṣṇa comes and destroys all your incompletions.

Kṛṣṇa describes the tāmasic person with great insight. He does not use the word poison in describing the state of such a person. A tāmasic person is like a drug addict, He says. At least a rājasic person enjoys the experience now and suffers later. A tāmasic person has no enjoyment. He suffers without knowing that he is suffering. His delusion is so deep. That is why he passes his suffering on to others. That is how ignorant people who rise to become leaders act.

• ❖ What does Krishna tell about spiritual practice here?
• ❖ Who can escape the effect of the gunas?
• ❖ What is the greatest asset a man can have?
• ❖ What happens to us until we become enlightened?
• ❖ Who does Krishna compare the few good patterns inside of us to?
• ❖ What happens when your weight/incompletions become too heavy for your own body?
• ❖ What does Krishna compare a tamasic person to?

Helping students distinguish between what is right and what is pleasant. -Helping students understand how the demonic side comes from unconsciousness and rootpatterns. -Helping students understand and recognize the tamasic state.

• Paper
• Marker
• Pencil
• Eraser

After spending a few minutes explaining about how root-patterns operate and grow, tell children to visually represent how root-patterns grow as demons. Then, ask them to bring awareness to moments in their life where they have encouraged their demonic side and moments where they have chosen the other side by giving 1 real-life example for each.

When you are born, you are unconscious and you are broken into hundreds of rootpatterns, and all hundred grow as demons. It means that all your root- patterns are growing as demons! When you are tired of being a demon, you also encourage some good qualities in you just for a change. You cannot be hundred percent demon or hundred percent saint till you become enlightened. Till you become an enlightened soul, both sides will be there because you need choice. Life is all about just jumping from one side to another.

❖ Hindu festive clothes, Peacock feathers, flutes (what Krishna would be wearing or holding)

Today, tell the students that they will be dressing as Kṛṣṇa. Then, tell them to walk around imbibing the space of Kṛṣṇa, the space of completion. Tell them to perform every action as Kṛṣṇa would for the next 21 minutes. Every breath is Kṛṣṇa's breath, every word is Kṛṣṇa's word, every action is Kṛṣṇa's action. At the end of 21 minutes, ask the children to come back and to share about their experience of being Kṛṣṇa.

Did they feel the space of completion within themselves during those 21 minutes? Ask them how they can know whether they are in a space of completion or not while doing day-to-day activities.

The space of completion which you have inside you, which cannot be destroyed by any root pattern is Kṛṣṇa.

Part 7: Bhagavad Gita Chapter 18

Did they feel the space of completion within themselves during those 21 minutes? Ask them how they can know whether they are in a space of completion or not while doing day-to-day activities.

The space of completion which you have inside you, which cannot be destroyed by any root pattern is Kṛṣṇa.

Ask students to engage in a discussion about how to discriminate between right and pleasant. Then, ask them to write a short essay about the following two points:

• Identify areas in their lives where they have chosen what is pleasant over what is right and vice-versa and encourage them to share about their experience in both cases.
• What kind of suffering tamasic people go through and how it makes them dangerous for others.

Kṛṣṇa says that spiritual practice, that is the state of satva, is difficult in the beginning, and it is like poison; however, it becomes life-giving nectar in the end.

Authored by

THE SUPREME PONTIFF OF HINDUISM BHAGAWAN SRI NITHYANANDA PARAMASHIVAM

sukhaṁ tvidānīṁ trividhaṁ śṛṇu me bharatarṣabha abhyāsād ramate yatra duḥkhāntaṁ ca nigacchati

And now hear from Me, O Arjuna, about three kinds of pleasure. The pleasure that one enjoys from spiritual practice results in cessation of all sorrows.

yat tad agre viṣaṁ iva pariṇāme 'mṛtopamam tat sukhaṁ sāttvikaṁ proktaṁ ātma-buddhi-prasādajam

The pleasure that appears as poison in the beginning, but is like nectar in the end, comes by the grace of Selfknowledge and is in the mode of goodness.

The biggest asset a man can acquire is the space of completion.

```sanskrit
viṣayendriya-saṁyogadyat tad agre 'mṛtopamam pariṇāme visam iva tat sukhaṁ rājasaṁ smṛtam

Sensual pleasures that appear as nectar in the beginning, but become poison in the end, are in the mode of passion.

yadagre cānubandhe ca sukhaṁ mohanamātmanaḥ nidrālasyapramādotthaṁ tat tāmasamudāhṛtam

Pleasure that is delusion from beginning to end and born out of sleep, laziness and illusion is said to be of the nature of ignorance.

na tad asti pṛthivyāṁ vā divi deveṣu vā punaḥ sattvaṁ prakṛti-jair-muktaṁ yad ebhiḥ syāt tribhirguṇaiḥ

No one, either here or among the celestials in the higher planetary systems, is free from these three states of material nature.

Kṛṣṇa says that spiritual practice, that is the state of satva, is difficult in the beginning, and it is like poison; however, it becomes life-giving nectar in the end.

Sensual pleasures born out of rajas, on the other hand, seem like nectar in the beginning but become poisonous. In the tamasic state, Kṛṣṇa says, one is deluded as if in sleep, laziness and illusion. Every human is in one state or another.

Not merely humans, even the celestials who are supposedly more evolved are in the same mode. No one can escape the effect of the guṇas, the attributes of Nature. Please understand, the biggest asset a man can acquire is the space of completion. I am so happy I am getting that wealth for my Gurukul kids. The biggest asset for any man, the best thing a human being can have in his life is completion, the space of completion.

We are behind our sensory pleasures now. When we are in the rājasic mode, only sensory pleasures of the body matter. In the tamasic mode, we don't even know we are in deep ignorance. The sensory organs are powerful. They are our windows to the external world. They are trained to run away from pain and chase pleasure.

Bodily pleasure gives mental pleasure and therefore emotional satisfaction. Once we experience the mental pleasure, we constantly rewind and replay that pleasure. Our past drives our future. Attachments and expectations drive our actions.

We try to keep on experiencing pain and pleasure alternately. Either way it is only an illusion. If you lead your life with completion, you won't get caught in the illusions of attachment and expectations driving your actions. Kaṭhopaniṣad says, 'The good and the pleasant approach man. The wise examines both and discriminates between them. The wise prefers the good to the pleasant. But the foolish man chooses the pleasant through love of bodily pleasure.

If you are given the option of 'right or pleasant', 'right thing, good thing or very pleasant, convenient and happy thing', always choose the 'right thing', not the 'pleasant' one, not the convenient one.'

When you choose the pleasant, your destruction is inevitable. Your Space of Completion is Kṛṣṇa Look for the right, not for light. Your whole life is nothing but Mahābhārat.

The Kauravas' birth, what is it? One child, Duryodhana is born who is unconscious, dead, aborted. So, that was broken into hundred pieces. This means what? When you are born, you are unconscious and you are broken into hundreds of root-patterns, and all hundred grow as demons. It means that all your root-patterns are growing as demons! When you are tired of being a demon, you also encourage some good qualities in you just for a change. Please understand, there is nobody who is hundred percent demon, because being hundred percent demon makes you feel bored.

Otherwise, why should Rāvaṇa do Śiva Puja? You cannot be hundred percent demon or hundred percent saint till you become enlightened. Till you become an enlightened soul, both sides will be there because you need choice. Life is all about just jumping from one side to another. Choice! Choice! Choice!

A few good patterns which you develop in you just as a choice, as an alternative, those few good patterns are the Pānḍavas. The space of completion which you have inside you, which cannot be destroyed by any root pattern is Kṛṣṇa.

Your whole life is a Mahābhārat. Then, when your weight becomes too much for your own body, when Bhū Devī, the Earth Goddess, is unable to hold the weight, Kṛṣṇa comes and reduces the bhūbhāra, the weight of the Earth. It means that when your incompletions become too much even for yourself, Kṛṣṇa comes and destroys all your incompletions.

Kṛṣṇa describes the tāmasic person with great insight. He does not use the word poison in describing the state of such a person. A tāmasic person is like a drug addict, He says. At least a rājasic person enjoys the experience now and suffers later. A tāmasic person has no enjoyment. He suffers without knowing that he is suffering. His delusion is so deep. That is why he passes his suffering on to others. That is how ignorant people who rise to become leaders act.

• ❖ What does Krishna tell about spiritual practice here?
• ❖ Who can escape the effect of the gunas?
• ❖ What is the greatest asset a man can have?
• ❖ What happens to us until we become enlightened?
• ❖ Who does Krishna compare the few good patterns inside of us to?
• ❖ What happens when your weight/incompletions become too heavy for your own body?
• ❖ What does Krishna compare a tamasic person to?

Helping students distinguish between what is right and what is pleasant. -Helping students understand how the demonic side comes from unconsciousness and rootpatterns. -Helping students understand and recognize the tamasic state.

• Paper
• Marker
• Pencil
• Eraser

After spending a few minutes explaining about how root-patterns operate and grow, tell children to visually represent how root-patterns grow as demons. Then, ask them to bring awareness to moments in their life where they have encouraged their demonic side and moments where they have chosen the other side by giving 1 real-life example for each.

When you are born, you are unconscious and you are broken into hundreds of rootpatterns, and all hundred grow as demons. It means that all your root- patterns are growing as demons! When you are tired of being a demon, you also encourage some good qualities in you just for a change. You cannot be hundred percent demon or hundred percent saint till you become enlightened. Till you become an enlightened soul, both sides will be there because you need choice. Life is all about just jumping from one side to another.

❖ Hindu festive clothes, Peacock feathers, flutes (what Krishna would be wearing or holding)

Today, tell the students that they will be dressing as Kṛṣṇa. Then, tell them to walk around imbibing the space of Kṛṣṇa, the space of completion. Tell them to perform every action as Kṛṣṇa would for the next 21 minutes. Every breath is Kṛṣṇa's breath, every word is Kṛṣṇa's word, every action is Kṛṣṇa's action. At the end of 21 minutes, ask the children to come back and to share about their experience of being Kṛṣṇa.

Did they feel the space of completion within themselves during those 21 minutes? Ask them how they can know whether they are in a space of completion or not while doing day-to-day activities.

The space of completion which you have inside you, which cannot be destroyed by any root pattern is Kṛṣṇa.

Ask students to engage in a discussion about how to discriminate between right and pleasant. Then, ask them to write a short essay about the following two points:

• 1. Identify areas in their lives where they have chosen what is pleasant over what is right and vice-versa and encourage them to share about their experience in both cases.
• 2. What kind of suffering tamasic people go through and how it makes them dangerous for others.

Kṛṣṇa says that spiritual practice, that is the state of satva, is difficult in the beginning, and it is like poison; however, it becomes life-giving nectar in the end.

Authored by

THE SUPREME PONTIFF OF HINDUISM BHAGAWAN SRI NITHYANANDA PARAMASHIVAM

brāhmaṇa-kṣatriya-viśāṁ śūdrāṇāṁ ca parantapa karmāṇi pravibhaktāni svabhāva-prabhavair-guṇaiḥ

Brāhmaṇas, kṣatriyas, vaiśyas and śūdras are divided in the work they do based on their nature, Parantapa (Arjuna).

It is better to do one's assigned work imperfectly rather than do another's work perfectly

śamo damastapaḥ śaucaṁ kṣāntirārjavameva ca jñānaṁ vijñānam āstikyaṁ brahmakarma svabhāvajaṁ

The nature of Brāhmaṇa is characterized by their calmness, discipline, austerity, tolerance, honesty, knowledge, wisdom and belief in God.

śauryaṁ tejo dhṛtir dākṣyaṁ yuddhe cāpyapalāyanam dānamīśvarabhāvaś ca kṣātraṁ karma svabhāvajami

Kṣatriya are characterized by their qualities of heroism, vigor, firmness, dexterity, steadfastness in battle, leadership and generosity.

kṛṣi gaurakṣya vāṇijyaṁ vaiśya-karma svabhāvajam paricaryātmakaṁ karma śūdrasyā api śvabhāvajam

Those who are good at cultivation, cattle rearing, and trade are known as Vaiśya. Those who are very good in service are classed as śūdra.

The selection and training was scientific and done impartially. It enriched society well since everyone was living and expressing themselves according to their aptitudes, their peak possibility and their unique path towards liberation.

So-called scholars have interpreted this verse in a very inappropriate way compared to the other verses of the Gītā. The uneducated have also used this verse in order to condemn the Vedic culture.

First of all, one must understand how the caste system originated, as well as realize how it became corrupted. In the Vedic culture, under the Gurukul tradition, young children were left in the care of the Master. This is how Arjuna grew up with Aśvattama, Drona's son. No caste was considered inferior or superior to another.

No caste was hereditary. The selection and training was scientific and done impartially. It enriched society well since everyone was living and expressing themselves according to their aptitudes, their peak possibility and their unique path towards liberation.

This is why Kṛṣṇa says it is better to do one's assigned work imperfectly rather than do another's work perfectly. It is possible that one can perform elements of another's work well. A brāhmaṇa, being a scholar, may excel as a vaiśya in commercial calculations;

He will have neither the heart nor the head to be a businessman. In this Gurukul system, along with the Master, the child also was allowed to select his vocation. The child could express its passion and decide.

Over time, this classification of selection and training became corrupted. Those who were brāhmaṇa wanted their children to be brāhmaṇa and so on. The varṇa or caste system that had originally been a selection and training system in education led to the stratification of society based upon birth.

Before we condemn the caste system, realize that every society has stratification. Wherever equality has been forced on society, it has been a failure. Each person is unique and when similar people form groups, there will be stratification and classification. In Vedic Bharat this classification was based upon talents and intelligence. In modern society it is based on money and power. Which is better?

v

Helping students understand the way the Vedic classification system functioned

• ❖ In the Gurukul tradition, who was taking care of young children?
• ❖ How was selection and training done?
• ❖ What has happened to societies in which equality has been forced upon?
• ❖ What was the classification based on in Vedic Bharat?
• ❖ How did this classification enrich society?
• ❖ What is the classification based on in modern society?

Part 8: Bhagavad Gita Chapter 18

• 1. Paper
• 2. Scissors
• 3. Glue Marker
  • 4. Pencil
  • 5. Eraser

Ask each student to make a collage that represents their uniqueness, what they enjoy doing the most, their passion. At the end, share the art pieces and discuss what makes one unique.

Each person is unique and when similar people form groups, there will be stratification and classification. In Vedic Bharat this classification was based upon talents and intelligence.

❖ The collage each child made in "art of the day"

Tell the students that they must come together and create their own functional society based on each individual's talents and passions. They can look at everyone's collage to determine what role would best fit for each individual. Together, clearly define everyone's role and how it will benefit the whole. Ensure that everyone feels complete and enthusiastic about their contribution to society

No caste was considered inferior or superior to another. No caste was hereditary. The selection and training was scientific and done impartially. It enriched society well since everyone was living and expressing themselves according to their aptitudes, their peak possibility and their unique path towards liberation.

Guide the students into a discussion about Kṛṣṇa's words: "It is better to do one's assigned work imperfectly rather than do another's work perfectly".

Encourage them to cover the three following points:

• 1. Which option would you choose and why?
• 2. Why would someone prefer doing another's work perfectly rather than one's assigned work imperfectly?
• 3. What is perfection based on your understanding?

In this Gurukul system, along with the Master, the child also was allowed to select their vocation. The child could express its passion and decide.

Authored by

THE SUPREME PONTIFF OF HINDUISM BHAGAWAN SRI NITHYANANDA PARAMASHIVAM

sve sve karmaṇy abhirataḥ saṁsiddhiṁ labhate naraḥ svakarmanirataḥ siddhiṁ yathā vindati tacchṛṇu

One can attain the highest perfection by devotion to one's natural work. Listen to Me how one attains perfection while engaged in one's natural work.

Be proud of your culture, your tradition.

yataḥ pravṛttirbhūtānāṁ yena sarvamidaṁ tatam svakarmaṇā tamabhyarcya siddhiṁ vindati mānavaḥ

One attains perfection by worshipping the supreme Being from whom all beings originate and by whom all this universe is pervaded through performance of one's natural duty for Him.

Without brāhmaṇas, the vedic tradition would have died long ago.

śreyān svadharmo viguṇaḥ paradharmāt svanuṣṭhitāt svabhāva-niyataṁ karma kurvannāpnoti kilbiṣam

It is better to engage in one's rightful conduct [svadharma], even though one may not perform it to perfection, rather than to accept another's conduct and perform it perfectly. Responsibility prescribed according to one's nature, are never affected by sinful reactions.

The dīkśitars even today, and similarly in other places, take their traditional job of preserving Vedic wisdom so seriously that they will not travel out of their town limits. They have made this sacrifice for generations and for thousands of years so that this knowledge could be preserved for posterity.

We cannot evolve unless there is a fundamental change in our thinking.

sahajaṁ karma kaunteya sadoṣamapi na tyajet sarvārambhā hi doṣeṇa dhūmenā gnirivā vṛtāḥ

Every work has some defect, just as fire is covered by smoke. One should not give up the work that is born of his own nature, even if such work is full of fault, O Kaunteya (Arjuna).

Without the brāhmaṇa being the keepers of knowledge, our Vedic treasures would have disappeared thousands of years ago. Do you know that there is a group of scholars in Chidambaram, the dīkśitars even today, and similarly in other places, who take their traditional job of preserving Vedic wisdom so seriously that they will not travel out of their town limits? They have made this sacrifice for generations and for thousands of years so that this knowledge could be preserved for posterity. We make fun of them, revile them and denounce the system.

The people who denounce the system do it for power and money, not for any selfless reasons. They recommend no alternative means of preserving traditional knowledge.

"I am not a brāhmaṇa. Brāhmaṇas have come to me and hinted at their discomfort at being termed brāhmaṇas. They are well-educated people.

I tell them, 'Be proud of your culture, your tradition. Without brāhmaṇas, the vedic tradition would have died long ago.' This praise is for those brāhmaṇas who have remained true to their scholarship. Those who have succumbed to the lure of wealth have no right to be called brāhmaṇas.

This is where the varṇa system has failed. From a scientific and efficient work system, it has deteriorated into a power broking system. We need to fix that. Those who are true to their tradition are poor and disrespected. Only those who use their scholarly skills to become kṣatriyas and vaiśyas have gained power, money and respect. It is better they continue to be where they are respected and happy!

The problem with society and the societal structure is that they become exclusive; good societies should be inclusive. Today in the West as well as in other places including Bharat, if we have money or power, we are respected. Does anyone rebel against that? No! How can we call a society advanced or progressive when its main criterion for respect is money?"

"By that logic, I would have been denounced had I been born in any country other than Bharat. For nearly ten years I was homeless! For nine years I traveled the length and breadth of Bharat without carrying money. I never bought train tickets and never paid for meals or lodging. People welcomed me and offered me transport, shelter and food. In the West I would have been locked up in a jail or a shelter!"

When you see a homeless person approaching your car in the USA, you instinctively raise your windows and lock your doors. You are so afraid. In Bharat, is anyone afraid of a beggar coming and standing in front of them? Why? There is acceptance. People in the West say that acceptance is weakness, not violence. How strange societal values have become! You respect a person only when you are afraid of him..

We cannot evolve unless there is a fundamental change in our thinking. We have come to a stage where negative qualities are the hallmark of respectability. Violence and aggression never win. Acceptance and compassion do.

v

Encouraging children to preserve traditional knowledge. Helping the students realize the importance of a fundamental change in our thinking so that we can evolve as a Humanity.

• ❖ Who are Brāhmaṇas? Why did dīkśitars not travel out of their town's limits?
• ❖ What is the problem with society and the societal structure?
• ❖ What is the intention of people denouncing the system?
• ❖ Describe the difference in mentality between the West and Bharat.
• ❖ Why is Swamiji telling that He would have been denounced had He been born in any country other than Bharat?

1. Big blank poster (it can be any color) 2. Pictures from Internet representing the Vedic culture 3. Scissors 4. Glue 5. Markers

❖ Tell the children that they are the keepers of ancient Vedic knowledge and treasures

❖ Tell them to select pictures they feel represent their culture best ❖ Cut out the pictures and arrange them on the poster. Stick them on. ❖ Encourage them to add words that name and describe what they chose.

❖ Once they are done, ask them to share about the symbolism of each item they have chosen to preserve and protect.

❖ Ask them to share how they feel they can protect traditional knowledge-the treasures of the Vedic tradition

Without the brāhmaṇa being the keepers of knowledge, our Vedic treasures would have disappeared thousands of years ago. Do you know that there is a group of scholars in Chidambaram, the dīkśitars even today, and similarly in other places, who take their traditional job of preserving Vedic wisdom so seriously that they will not travel out of their town limits? They have made this sacrifice for generations and for thousands of years so that this knowledge could be preserved for posterity.

❖ A big poster, Coloured paper, Glue or other adhesive Markers

Ask the kids to draw a big brain on your poster and cut it out Ask students to cut 11 bubbles out of the coloured papers Read out powerless negative statements and ask children to change the mindset by writing powerful cognitions that embody acceptance and compassion

My ideas are worthless I always make wrong decisions I know better but nobody ever listens I don't enjoy being part of this group I don't want to change the way I do things I am scared that if I share my thoughts out loud, others are going to laugh at me I don't want to deal with this person They don't know how to do this task properly

I am wasting my time by trying to make her understand

I wish I didn't have to complete this task I feel so angry, I feel like breaking something

Ask the children to stick their positive mindset bubbles in the brain poster Discuss the importance of entertaining accepting and compassionate thought currents.

We cannot evolve unless there is a fundamental change in our thinking. We have come to a stage where negative qualities are the hallmark of respectability. Violence and aggression never win. Acceptance and compassion do.

#1: We cannot evolve unless there is a fundamental change in our thinking. We have come to a stage where negative qualities are the hallmark of respectability.

• ❖ How can we bring a fundamental change in our thinking as an individual?
• ❖ How can we bring a fundamental change in our thinking as a society?
• ❖ Give examples of negative qualities that have become a hallmark of respectability.
• ❖ How did we get to this point where negative qualities are the hallmark of respectability?

#2: How can we call a society advanced or progressive when its main criterion for respect is money?

You can ask students questions such as:

Describe what you see as an advanced or progressive society.

What happens when a society is centered around money?

Why are people so interested in money? What happens when we focus on what is perishable?

What are things that are imperishable? What do you respect most in your life?

CONCLUSION Violence and aggression never win. Acceptance and compassion do.

Authored by

THE SUPREME PONTIFF OF HINDUISM BHAGAWAN SRI NITHYANANDA PARAMASHIVAM

brahmabhūtaḥ prasannātmā na śocati na kāṅkṣati samaḥ sarveṣu bhūteṣu madbhaktiṁ labhate parāṁ

Absorbed in the supreme Being, the serene one neither grieves nor desires. Becoming impartial to all beings, one obtains My highest devotional love.

The entire purpose of Gītā is to enrich you to complete with your root patterns and drop the ego!

bhaktyā mām abhijānāti yāvān yaścāsmi tattvataḥ tato māṁ tattvato jñātvā viśate tad-anantaram

By devotion one truly understands what and who I am in essence. Having known Me in essence, one immediately merges with Me.

bhakti (devotion) and jñāna (knowledge) are not separate. Where there is devotion, there is knowledge and where there is true knowledge, there is devotion.

sarvakarmāṇy api sadā kurvāṇo madvyapāśrayaḥ mat-prasādād avāpnoti śāśvataṁ padamavyayam

My devotee occupied in everyday life still reaches under My protection the imperishable ultimate abode through my mercy, through devotion to Me.

When you surrender, a space is created that allows the power of coincidence, the power of extraordinary possibilities to happen.

cetasā sarvakarmāṇi mayi sannyasya matparaḥ buddhiyogam upāśritya maccittaḥ satataṁ bhava

While being engaged in activities just depend upon Me, and being fully conscious of Me, work always under My protection.

maccittaḥ sarvadurgāṇi matprasādāt tariṣyasi atha cet tvam ahaṁkārān na śroṣyasi vinaṅkṣyasi

When your mind and inner-space become fixed on Me, you shall overcome all difficulties by My grace. But if you do not listen to Me due to ego, you shall perish.

Developing the state of nonattachment, being equally disposed to all beings, being unconcerned by success and failure, fully absorbed in Godhood, one becomes His devotee. In that state alone does one understand the essence of Kṛṣṇa. Once one understands this, one merges into Kṛṣṇa consciousness. When one is in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, the devotee, even if he is engaged in worldly activities, is protected by the grace and compassion of Kṛṣṇa. Without any difficulty such a devotee reaches the ultimate reality.

You think that the survival instinct is essential in order to exist. You will realize the futility of the survival instinct only when you surrender. After that, you will automatically realize that you can live without the instinct to survive or the instinct to possess. You will realize that you can live in the material world without these instincts ruling you. This is what Kṛṣṇa means when He says that He will protect you. His energy takes care. When you surrender, a space is created that allows the power of coincidence, the power of extraordinary possibilities to happen. Automatically things fall into place. Automatically you are taken care of by the energy of Śrī Kṛṣṇa.

Part 9: Bhagavad Gita Chapter 18

When you believe that you are intelligent enough to use your mind and go your own way, you are asking for trouble. Kṛṣṇa says you will perish if you follow your mind and senses instead of listening to Him.

We must understand two things. The first is about listening to one's mind and the second is about not listening to the Master. Vedic chants end with the word namaḥ. What does this mean? It means 'I surrender to You.' Each time you utter a vedic prayer, you say, 'I surrender to You, my Lord.' Is there another system of prayer that so thoroughly destroys your ego?

So, just because you do not surrender to a Master or a favorite deity, because one is human and the other is stone, do you think you are the Master, free and independent? You surrender to someone else for money, power or lust. One of these will surely happen. How much more sensible it is to follow and surrender to someone out of intelligence, because that person is more aware and complete, and can guide you on the path to completion?

Why are we reluctant to surrender to another person? It is because we have been captured by our mind and senses. We are in a jail and we are captive. We fear losing the identity that our mind and senses have created for us. We fear letting go of that identity. Our mind fights against shifting our allegiance from that ego and identity to someone else.

Realize that you are a slave to your senses and not the master of your destiny as you imagine. Be aware that your pains and sorrows arise from the mistaken belief that you are the master of your destiny. Once you realize this, you will look for an alternative.

Every word of Gītā, every word of Kṛṣṇa, is energy. That is the knowledge that you need to imbibe and experience. This is what the 'knowing, tattvato jñātva' that Kṛṣṇa refers to. Once you 'know' this energy, you reach this energy. You become Kṛṣṇa. You are not only devoted to Kṛṣṇa, you become Kṛṣṇa.

There are two paths. One way is to 'know' the truth so clearly and completely that there is absolutely no doubt about your trust in the Master. There is no doubt that you are the same consciousness as the Master. Once you know this, there is no duality, there is the space of advaita, non-duality. You and the Master are the same. This is the height of devotion.

The other way is the deep surrender that happens within, the unbridled love that arises within you and through which you merge with the Master. Along with the merger, comes the knowledge that you are no different. Seemingly, knowledge comes from devotion; jñāna comes from bhakti. The truth is that both happen simultaneously.

Duality happens when you are open to that Cosmic energy but you still feel separate. You are like the ocean drop that knows it is part of the ocean but sees itself as separate. To reach this stage, you need to be open. When you are closed, you do not even accept that there is this huge ocean of which you are a part. You are ignorant. Duality or dvaita is the first step

Next, you become available. Not only do you know that there is this huge energy around you, but you become aware that you are part of it. You are a part of the Whole. You realize that as a drop, you are a part of the ocean. This is qualified duality, viśiṣṭādvaita. Then you suddenly realize and know that you are the ocean. There is no difference or barrier between you and the energy. You are the energy. You are God. This is non-duality, advaita. You just are. From being open, to being available, you just are.When you 'know' Kṛṣṇa, there is nothing else to know. Then, you become Kṛṣṇa..

v

Helping the students experience surrendering. Helping the students experience Kṛṣṇa consciousness.

• ❖ What happens to the devotee who is in Krishna consciousness?

• ❖ What is the purpose of the Gita?

• ❖ What is the relation between bhakti (devotion) and jñāna (knowledge)?

• ❖ What does "namaḥ" mean in Vedic chants?

• ❖ When does duality happen?

• ❖ What is "qualified duality"?

• ❖ What is non-duality, advaita?

• 1. Paper 2. Cardboard 3. Markers 4. Glue 5. Scissors 6. Sparkles 7. Eraser, etc.

• ❖ Read the 2 sentences written in the inference section below and ask each student to select one verse from the Gita. ❖ Ask them to write it down beautifully and to decorate the paper. They can hang it in their room and contemplate on it continuously.

All you need to do is understand one verse of Gītā, one statement of Kṛṣṇa, in its entirety. That is enough to enlighten you.

❖ Swamiji's Murti or a Deity or any object.

Ask the students to observe what happens in their inner space as they surrender to Swamiji's Murti, to a Deity or any object they feel connected to. Then, encourage them to share their experience of surrendering. Once everyone has shared, the acharya will play the role of someone who does not want to surrender to anybody (you can use the reasons Swamiji told). Tell the students that you don't want to turn into a slave, etc. The students have to help you shift your cognition about surrendering.

Realize that you are a slave to your senses and not the master of your destiny as you imagine. Be aware that your pains and sorrows arise from the mistaken belief that you are the master of your destiny. Once you realize this, you will look for an alternative.

Ask the students to discuss about: "When you 'know' Kṛṣṇa, there is nothing else to know. Then, you become Kṛṣṇa". Ask them to share how they can become Kṛṣṇa.

There is no difference or barrier between you and the energy. You are the energy. You are God. This is nonduality, advaita. You just are. From being open, to being available, you just are. When you 'know' Kṛṣṇa, there is nothing else to know. Then, you become Kṛṣṇa.

Authored by

THE SUPREME PONTIFF OF HINDUISM BHAGAWAN SRI NITHYANANDA PARAMASHIVAM

yad ahaṁkāram āśritya na yotsya iti manyase mithyaiṣa vyavasāyas te prakṛtis tvāṁ niyokṣyati

If due to ego you think: 'I shall not fight,' your resolve is useless, and your own nature will compel you.

To those who come as sincere seekers, connected to me at the being level, my disciples and devotees, I say 'I will take care.

svabhāvajena kaunteya nibaddhaḥ svena karmaṇa kartuṁ necchasi yan mohāt kariṣyasyavaśo 'pi tat

O Kaunteya, you are controlled by your own natural conditioning. Therefore, you shall do even against your will, what you do not wish to do out of delusion.

When you are in the present moment, you renounce attachment to fantasies about the future.

īśvaraḥ sarvabhūtānāṁ hṛddeśe 'rjuna tiṣṭhati bhrāmayan sarvabhūtāni yantrārūḍhāni māyayā

The Supreme Lord resides in everyone's heart, O Arjuna, and is directing the activities of all living entities who are acting as machines under the illusion of the material world.

Kṛṣṇa is situated in everyone's heart.

Whether you like it or not, Arjuna,' He says, 'you will fight. In seeming intelligence, your ego tells you that you should not fight. You are under the illusion of your superficial knowledge that it is not right to wage war against friends, relatives and teachers. But you forget that your nature and your conditioning as a warrior drive you. You are a puppet in the hands of Existence, prakṛtis tvāṁ niyokṣyati. You will fight.'

These are extraordinary words. Whether we like it or not, whatever our intelligence may be, and whatever our will may be, Kṛṣṇa says we will be driven by our root patterns, saṁskāras. The Divine power drives the machine that is the kārmic cycle. There is no escape. Nothing can be clearer. The law of nature drives us to fulfill our unfulfilled desires. Our past conditioning invokes these desires. Even though they may be in our unconscious, inaccessible to us, they determine what we do. The Master sees this even if we cannot. That is why Kṛṣṇa makes this bold statement.

The mind creates and stores the root patterns, saṁskāras. You can refuse to bow down to your mind and refuse to accept these saṁskāras that control you. All meditation techniques bring you into the space of completion, being in the present moment. When you are in the present moment, you renounce attachment to fantasies about the future. You detach yourself from the results of your action. This alone leads you into liberation from the bondage of saṁskāra.

Surrender to the Master, surrender to the Universe, is the ultimate technique to do completion and rid oneself of all bondages karma, vāsanā and saṁskāra, of the past, present and future.

This is what Kṛṣṇa, the greatest Master of all, the Parama Guru, the Jagat Guru, has repeated throughout the Gītā. He does not ask you to surrender to Him out of His ego. He asks you to surrender to Him out of His deep compassion. What can you give Him that He does not have?

Where else would you want to go since only He can grant everything you want? More importantly, only He can grant you what you need to free you from your suffering forever. Who else can do this for you? No one. Don't lose hope. There is no need to do that. Kṛṣṇa is situated in everyone's heart. All you need is trust in Him.

v

-Helping students understand how root patterns drive our lives. -Helping students experience the present moment.

• ❖ What drives us to fulfill our unfulfilled desires?

• ❖ What creates the root patterns, the saṁskāras?

• ❖ How do meditation techniques help you?

• ❖ What is the ultimate technique to rid ourselves of all bondages?

• ❖ What happens when we are in the present moment?

• ❖ What can you give Kṛṣṇa that He does not have?

• ❖ Where is Kṛṣṇa situated?

• 1. Paper
• 2. Pen
• 3. pencils
• 4. markers
• 5. eraser, etc..

• ❖ Ask children to draw or write everything that makes them feel stuck, whether it is related to past, present or future. Then ask them to share with others.

Surrender to the Master, surrender to the Universe, is the ultimate technique to do completion and rid oneself of all bondages—karma, vāsanā and saṁskāra, of the past, present and future.

All meditation techniques bring you into the space of completion, being in the present moment. When you are in the present moment, you renounce attachment to fantasies about the future. You detach yourself from the results of your action. This alone leads you into liberation from the bondage of saṁskāra.

Guide the students into a discussion about what Kṛṣṇa is telling: "We will be driven by our root patterns. The Divine power drives the machine that is the kārmic cycle. There is no escape." Help the students see how their root patterns have driven their lives and ask them to share what they feel is the best way to be liberated from bondage.

He does not ask you to surrender to Him out of His ego. He asks you to surrender to Him out of His deep compassion.

Authored by

THE SUPREME PONTIFF OF HINDUISM BHAGAWAN SRI NITHYANANDA PARAMASHIVAM

iti te jñānamākhyātaṁ guhyād guhyataraṁ mayā vimṛśyai tadaśeṣeṇa yathecchasi tathā kuru

I have explained the knowledge that is the secret of secrets. After fully reflecting on this, do as you wish.

Spirituality is the creation of enlightened Masters who live in the energy of the Divine with total completion.

sarva-guhyatamaṁ bhūyaḥ śṛṇu me paramaṁ vacaḥ iṣṭo 'si me dṛḍhamiti tato vakṣyāmi te hitam

Because you are My dear friend, I express this truth to you. This is the most confidential of all knowledge. Hear this from Me. It is for your benefit.

I shall be your savior, says Kṛṣṇa.

manmanā bhava madbhakto madyājī māṁ namaskuru māmevaiṣyasi satyaṁ te pratijāne priyo 'si me

Always think of Me and become My devotee. Worship Me and offer your homage unto Me. Thus you will certainly attain to Me. This I promise you because you are My very dear friend.

He is available to us all the time, whenever we call Him.

sarvadharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja ahaṁ tvāṁ sarvapāpebhyo mokṣayiṣyāmi mā śucaḥ

Abandon all principles and concepts of right conduct and simply surrender unto Me. I shall deliver you from all sinful reaction. Have no worry.

He is always available to everybody on planet Earth.

ṛṣṇ

What powerful words! Only the Divine can speak these words of absolute authority. Now He comes to the ultimate teaching. This is the essence of all His teachings, the quintessence of Bhagavad Gītā. He wakes up Arjuna with this verse and puts him into Kṛṣṇa consciousness, the Eternal consciousness or Enlightenment. Kṛṣṇa showers Himself on Arjuna, waking him up to the experience of the Whole.

He says, 'Give up everything, whatever you know as dharma, the rules and regulations of the outer life and of the inner life. Drop everything that you know and surrender unto Me. I shall liberate you from everything. Do not fear.' Kṛṣṇa gives him abhaya, complete protection.

He liberates Arjuna with these words. He gives the ultimate experience to Arjuna. With this verse, Kṛṣṇa makes Arjuna drop everything and liberates him.

He gives him a conscious experience of the ocean. He asks Arjuna to drop his ideas about being a separate bubble, relax and realize the truth. Even the idea of the ocean or of God are simply our ideas. Kṛṣṇa makes Arjuna drop those ideas and makes him explode into Kṛṣṇa consciousness, the eternal consciousness. Now Kṛṣṇa enters into the actual experience.

Kṛṣṇa liberates Arjuna and gives him the ultimate experience permanently. We cannot call him Arjuna any longer because he has become Kṛṣṇa. He has achieved Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Now only Kṛṣṇa exists. As long as Kṛṣṇa and Arjuna existed, there were two entities. But now that they have become one, neither exists. There is no name for it. It is only energy.

Forget about dharma, the codes of conduct laid down by religions, and turn to Me. I shall be your savior, says Kṛṣṇa.

Misquote and misuse these words. You will do yourself the greatest disservice. The Divine does not care whether you are good or evil. The Divine does not care whether you are a saint or sinner. A saint and a sinner, a celibate monk and a prostitute have equal chances of reaching the Divine. This is the truth.

When you come close to the Divine, the energy transforms you. Negativities will be dissolved. Root patterns will be completed. They will be burnt and you will be pure as you were at birth.

Religion is the creation of men. Spirituality is the creation of enlightened Masters who live in the energy of the Divine with total completion. Kṛṣṇa, Śiva, Buddha, Mahāvira and Jesus are Enlightened Masters. They related to no religion. The followers who interpreted them to the best or worst of their understanding created religions. The followers established dharma, the codes of righteous conduct. No God or Master is interested in coming down to tell you how you should behave. They tell you to be in the space of completion and that will put you on the right path to live advaita, the space of non-duality.

Thus, Kṛṣṇa says with absolute conviction and authority: Forget all codes of conduct, give up all religions and come to Me with completion. This is your enlightenment.

Śrī Kṛṣṇa is triguṇa rahita: beyond the attributes of nature and kārmic influence. Merging with Him, surrendering to Him takes you beyond all kārmic bondages. If you understand this verse and act accordingly, you will be liberated.That is Kṛṣṇa's promise.

v

Helping students experience intense prayer. Helping students merge with Śrī Kṛṣṇa.

• ❖ What is Kṛṣṇa telling Arjuna here?
• ❖ What is Kṛṣṇa giving Arjuna when He says, 'Give up everything, whatever you know as dharma, the rules and regulations of the outer life and of the inner life. Drop everything that you know and surrender unto Me. I shall liberate you from everything. Do not fear.'?
• ❖ .What happens when you come close to the Divine?
• ❖ What does "Śrī Kṛṣṇa is triguṇa rahita" mean?
• ❖ To whom is Śrī Kṛṣṇa available?

1. Clay Bowl of water 2. Paper to wipe your hands 3. Small plate each for the finished clay 4. Video of Swamiji making Ganesha:

• ❖ Ensure children are using the clay on a surface that can easily be cleaned. Tell the children they will be giving life to deities, starting with Ganesha (Swamiji told to always start with Ganesha).

❖ Tell children to connect to their Ananda Ganda and to consciously visualize Ganesha. Then tell them to give life form to Ganesha through the clay.

❖ Then tell the students to go through the same conscious process but this time, to give life to Kṛṣṇa through the clay. Play Swamiji's video of Swamiji making Ganesha while the children are giving life to deities.

Kṛṣṇa liberates Arjuna and gives him the ultimate experience permanently. We cannot call him Arjuna any longer because he has become Kṛṣṇa. He has achieved Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Now only Kṛṣṇa exists. As long as Kṛṣṇa and Arjuna existed, there were two entities. But now that they have become one, neither exists. There is no name for it. It is only energy.

❖ No material needed.

Give the following instructions to the students (taken from the chapter): Take a few moments now to pray to Parabrahma Kṛṣṇa, the universal Kṛṣṇa, who showered enlightenment on Arjuna and gave him the ultimate experience. Pray that He may shower the same experience on us or give us a glimpse of the ultimate Truth. Take a few moments to pray.

Please close your eyes and pray intensely to Him.

The deities in the temples are called arcāvatār. That means 'incarnation of the Divine'. He is available to us all the time, whenever we call Him. Close your eyes and pray intensely to Him to shower us with the same experience He showered on Arjuna.

Do not think that He is unavailable now. He is always available to everybody on planet Earth. He may not have the body, but He is available in the form of energy.

Start a discussion about: Who are enlightened Masters, how do they live, how can surrendering to Śrī Kṛṣṇa take you beyond all kārmic bondages?

Then ask the student to write a short essay about a dimension of Kṛṣṇa's life that they strongly connect to and what it has taught them. Once they are done writing, ask them to present in front of others.

Śrī Kṛṣṇa is triguṇa rahita: beyond the attributes of nature and kārmic influence. Merging with Him, surrendering to Him takes you beyond all kārmic bondages.

Authored by

THE SUPREME PONTIFF OF HINDUISM BHAGAWAN SRI NITHYANANDA PARAMASHIVAM

idaṁ te nā 'tapaskāya nā 'bhaktāya kadācana na cā 'śuśrūṣave vācyaṁ na ca māṁ yo 'bhyasūyati

This knowledge should never be spoken by you to one who is devoid of austerity, who is without devotion, who does not desire to listen, or who speaks ill of Me.

He will come again and again to restore the balance, liberate the good and destroy the evil.

ya idaṁ paramaṁ guhyaṁ madbhakteṣv abhidhāsyati bhaktiṁ mayi parāṁ kṛtvā māmevaiṣyaty asaṁśayaḥ

One who communicates the supreme secret to the devotees performs the highest devotional service to Me, and at the end he will without doubt, come back to Me.

Those who have understood the formless form that resides in Me know that I am part of them.

na ca tasmānmanuṣyeṣu kaścin me priya kṛttamaḥ bhavitā na ca me tasmād anyaḥ priyataro bhuvi

No other person shall do a more pleasing service to Me, and no one on the earth shall be more dear to Me.

He blesses the whole Universe with His grace and compassion.

adhyeṣyate ca ya imaṁ dharmyaṁ saṁvādamāvayoḥ jñānayajñena tenāham iṣṭaḥ syāmiti me matiḥ

I declare that One who studies this sacred dialogue worships Me by sacrifice of his intelligence.

Kṛṣṇa's blessings are upon us also.

śraddhāvānanasūyaś ca śṛṇuyādapi yo naraḥ so 'pi muktaḥ śubhāṁl lokān prāpnuyāt puṇyakarmaṇām

One who listens with faith and without envy becomes free from sinful reactions and attains to the planets where those of merit dwell.

Until the end He is the teacher. He is full of compassion. His concern is only for Arjuna and the rest of humanity.

kaccid etac chrutaṁ pārtha tvayaikāgreṇa cetasā kaccid ajñānasaṁmohaḥ pranaṣṭaste dhanañjaya

O Pārtha, did you listen to this with single-minded attention? Has your delusion born of ignorance been completely destroyed, Dhanañjaya?

Whoever studies this sacred conversation will achieve His eternal consciousness.

Only one who is in deep devotion to Me should read this. I have conveyed here that which is most beneficial, the secret of how to live and how to reach Me. One who understands this and drops his mind with his focus entirely upon Me, shall reach Me without a doubt. This is Kṛṣṇa's promise.

He blesses the whole Universe with His grace and compassion. He showered His blessing on Arjuna and made him merge with Him. The same consciousness is being showered on the whole Universe.

He declares that whoever studies this sacred conversation will achieve His eternal consciousness. He blesses us with His grace and assures us that we can achieve Him through this jñāna yajña, sacrifice of intellect. That is, by offering ourselves into that knowledge, by completely purifying ourselves in that knowledge, we can achieve Him. We can disappear into Him. When we put anything into the fire, it disappears. In the same way, when we immerse ourselves in the study of Gītā, we will not remain as we are. We will disappear into Him. Only He remains, only He exists.

The whole experience of the Truth has descended on Arjuna. Kṛṣṇa's blessings are upon us also. Let us pray to the ultimate consciousness to put us into that same energy. Relax into that energy. May the grace and compassion of Kṛṣṇa that was showered on Arjuna, be showered on us. Earlier Kṛṣṇa said that He would appear again and again whenever He is needed to restore equilibrium between good and bad.

He is the only great Master who has the courage to say, 'I am not the last Master, it is not that there will be no one after Me.' Instead He says, 'I shall appear again and again, sambhavāmi yuge yuge.

Kṛṣṇa will not reappear in His Vāsudeva Kṛṣṇa form with peacock feathers and a flute! That is the mistake we make in our assumption. His energy will reappear. He will reappear in the form of enlightened Masters and Incarnations, time and again. He will come again and again to restore the balance, liberate the good and destroy the evil.

This is the last time Śrī Kṛṣṇa speaks in the Bhagavad Gītā. He asks, 'Arjuna, have you listened to Me with attention? Has your delusion disappeared?' Until the end He is the teacher. He is full of compassion. His concern is only for Arjuna and the rest of humanity. 'Have you understood?' He asks. 'Have your doubts disappeared? Do you need anything more?'

This is the greatness of Masters. Nothing concerns them except the deliverance of their disciples. That is why they have come here. Otherwise why should they waste their time on planet Earth? They can be immersed in the blissful energy that they are part of without disturbance.

My disciples understand when I tell them that the only time I feel anything like sadness is when a disciple leaves me. It saddens me because he is losing a great opportunity. His spirit brought him to me for completion. If the body-mind does not cooperate, the spirit must live again and again until it gets the opportunity to be liberated. Each cycle of birth that the spirit undertakes, it suffers and regrets not having taken that

final step..

This is Śrī Kṛṣṇa's promise: Listen to Me, understand Me and come to Me; then you are a part of Me.

v

-Helping students experience deep devotion.

• ❖ What secret has Śrī Kṛṣṇa revealed?
• ❖ What has happened to Arjuna here?
• ❖ How does Śrī Kṛṣṇa express His concern for Arjuna and the rest of humanity?
• ❖ What is the greatness of Masters?
• ❖ When is the only time Swamiji tells He feels anything like sadness?
• ❖ Why does Swamiji feel this at that time?

• 1. Papers
• 2. pens
• 3. pencils
• 4. eraser
• 5. ruler
• 6. markers, etc.

• ❖ Ask the students to create a short Chitra Katha (comic) of themselves having a conversation with Śrī Kṛṣṇa about the revelation that they feel is the greatest secret. Tell the children to make sure to illustrate and narrate the change in cognition/the superconscious breakthrough that occurred inside of them.

Only one who is in deep devotion to Me should read this. I have conveyed here that which is most beneficial, the secret of how to live and how to reach Me. One who understands this and drops his mind with his focus entirely upon Me, shall reach Me without a doubt.

• ❖ Swamiji's Murti or books, Deities, photographs of enlightened Masters, etc.

For a few minutes, ask the students to connect to each book, deity, photograph one by one in a space of deep surrender, devotion and reverence, humbly requesting - Please grace us. Please grace us. Then, from that space of deep devotion, ask the students to create a short poem or song to offer to Swamiji, Śrī Kṛṣṇa, Enlightened Masters, etc.

That is, by offering ourselves into that knowledge, by completely purifying ourselves in that knowledge, by completely purifying ourselves in that knowledge, we can achieve Him. We can disappear into Him. When we put anything into the fire, it disappears. In the same way, when we immerse ourselves in the study of Gītā, we will not remain as we are. We will disappear into Him. Only He remains, only He exists.

Part 11: Bhagavad Gita Chapter 18

Engage a discussion about Śrī Kṛṣṇa's words: 'I shall appear again and again, sambhavāmi yuge yuge.'You can ask questions such as: How will Śrī Kṛṣṇa reappear again and again? Why is He telling us that? How can we recognize Him? etc.

CONCLUSION This is Śrī Kṛṣṇa's promise: Listen to Me, understand Me and come to Me; then you are a part of Me.

Authored by

THE SUPREME PONTIFF OF HINDUISM BHAGAWAN SRI NITHYANANDA PARAMASHIVAM

Arjuna uvāca naṣṭo mohaḥ smṛtirlabdhā tvat-prasādān mayā'cyuta sthito 'smi gata-sandehaḥ kariṣye vacanaṁ tava

Arjuna says: O dear Acyuta (infallible lord), my illusion is now gone. I have regained my memory by Your Grace, and I am now firm and free from doubt, and ready to act as per your instructions.

Surrender is nothing but a clear, conscious decision to be complete.

sañjaya uvāca ityahaṁ vāsudevasya pārthasya ca mahātmanaḥ saṁvādam imam aśrauṣam adbhutaṁ romaharṣaṇam

Sañjaya said: Thus have I heard the conversation of two great souls, Kṛṣṇa and Arjuna. And so wonderful is that message that my hair stands on end.

vyasā-prasādāc chrutavān etad guhyam ahaṁ param yogaṁ yogeśvarāt kṛṣnāt sākṣāt kathayataḥ svayam By the mercy of Vyāsa, I have heard these most confidential words directly from Kṛṣṇa, the master of all mysticism, who was speaking personally to Arjuna

Surrender everything at the feet of God who runs this world.

rājan saṁsmṛtya-saṁsmṛtya saṁvādam imam adbhutam keśavārjunayoḥ puṇyaṁ hṛṣyāmi ca muhur-muhuḥ

O King, as I repeatedly recall this wondrous and holy dialogue between Keśava (Kṛṣṇa) and Arjuna, I take pleasure, being thrilled at every moment.

tacca saṁsmṛtya-saṁsmṛtya rūpam atyadbhutaṁ hareḥ vismayo me mahān rājan hṛṣyāmi ca punaḥ-punaḥ

O King, when I remember the wonderful form of Lord Kṛṣṇa, I am struck with even greater wonder, and I rejoice again and again.

Surrender itself has the power to transform and complete you.

yatra yogeśvaraḥ kṛṣṇo yatra pārtho dhanurdharaḥ tatra śrīrvijayo bhūtir dhruvā nītirmatirmama

Wherever there is Yogeśvara Kṛṣṇa, the Master of all mystics, and wherever there is Pārtha, the supreme carrier of bow and arrow, there will certainly be opulence, victory, extraordinary power, and morality. That is my opinion.

In these last verses Arjuna and Sañjaya take over. Arjuna bows down to the JagadGuru, Master of Cosmos, and says, 'All my doubts are gone and by Your grace, my memory is regained, O Acyuta; I understand. I am ready. I shall obey whatever you say and I shall fight.

The rest is history. Under the guidance of Arjuna, the Kaurava army is annihilated. All the Kaurava brothers, all the great teachers and all the great warriors perish. The Pānḍava brothers win and Yudhiṣṭira conducts the rājasūya and other fire sacrifices to signify his ascendance to the throne.

It is also history that in due course all the Pānḍava brothers die, as does the great Master Kṛṣṇa. He gives up His mortal form. This is the story of life. As long as you are in any form, the form will perish. The energy lives on. That is what Kṛṣṇa taught in these chapters and verses. Sacrifice your form and gain the formless.

Now Sañjaya comes back into the picture. Neither Kṛṣṇa nor Arjuna can speak since both of them are in a different mood. Arjuna has disappeared and Kṛṣṇa is in ecstasy. Both are in no mood to speak.

Whenever we read, teach or listen to Bhagavad Gītā, Kṛṣṇa and Arjuna are present. They are present in their formless form. Make no mistake, they are here. They have been here throughout these eighteen days. You are the fortunate listeners and readers of this mystic dialogue between the two great souls, the Master and the disciple. You are blessed with wealth, health and success in whatever you undertake. Go with this Kṛṣṇa consciousness and you will be in Nityānanda, eternal bliss

A confused Arjuna asks Kṛṣṇa. 'What is the way? Tell me the final way, the final method, the ultimate technique. 'Finally, Kṛṣṇa says very beautifully, 'This is the last technique, the ultimate technique: Dropping all the dharma, dropping all the confusions, surrendering at My feet. I will take care and give you liberation.

In every Master's life, the final teaching is surrender. What is the meaning of surrender?

As soon as we hear the word 'surrender,' we think: Oh, this is the easiest technique. For surrendering, we don't need to do anything. In any other method or meditation, we must do something. If it is a pūjā or a fire ritual, we need to do something. For every technique, we must do something. For surrender, we don't need to do anything.' Hence everyone feels surrendering means doing nothing.

Deeper Meanings of Surrender There are three levels of surrender: First: Surrendering the I. Second: Surrendering the Mine. Third: Surrendering the I and Mine, both. Let me explain step-by-step.

Surrendering the 'I' is surrendering the ego, the mind, the root thought patterns, the mental setup. This is surrendering your conditions, your cognitions.

When you really, intensely offer your mental setup, or root thought patterns at the feet of the Master or God, it gets totally disintegrated. The mind in itself is a pattern, a habit. Your 'I' is a set of habits. Your ego is a set of conditions.

If somebody criticizes you, you immediately choose to react. You become disturbed. After that, you criticize him in return or you rebuke him. If somebody praises you, you choose to be flattered. You give him a good smile and feel great. Even this choice is your root thought pattern. It is your mental cognition. When you surrender the 'I', your root thought patterns, to the Divine, you can't choose. When you really surrender, even if somebody criticizes you, you can't choose to be offended or feel disturbed. Whenever you bring in your root thought patterns, you react in accordance with your mental patterns. When this is still the case, you cannot say you have surrendered. Real surrender can and will transform your life.

When you surrender your ego, your mind becomes alive and spontaneously joyful. As of now, every moment you are preparing to live tomorrow. When you surrender, you move without a script! Whenever you move like that, in such a simple way, tremendous courage and trust walks through you. When we really surrender the 'I', the ego, we surrender the mind that continuously prepares the script for our life. We will live in the space of completion with tremendous spontaneity and courage. We will trust our intelligence. We will live our life as it is. We will accept, welcome and enrich life as it flows into us.

To have the freedom to choose between suffering and joy comes from dropping the 'mine' and 'I.' It does not result from possessing the 'mine'. Even if you enjoy your possessions, underneath the enjoyment and joy, you have a deep fear. It is the fear, 'I do not know when it will be lost.' The fear of losing your possessions will not allow you to enjoy those things or relationships. I have seen that the man who is not possessive enjoys the same object more deeply because he does not fear when he might lose it. The person who continuously possesses it, who feels it is 'mine', will only own it, never enjoy it.

Ninety-nine percent of your worries, fears and greed never come true. Whatever one percent comes true is always good for you! When you surrender your 'I,' your suffering is transformed into the space of completion bringing intelligence, love, joy, and ecstasy. When you surrender your 'mine,' your richness becomes the space of creation for wealth, power, and celebration.

You start really living to enrich others and yourself with your possessions. You enjoy and celebrate whatever you have. You start living it, and really feel ecstasy and joy from the things that you have. You go beyond the fear of 'When will I lose them?

Listen. When I say both 'I' and 'mine,' I mean surrendering your whole life unconditionally, completely.

Surrendering itself will do the miracle. Surrender has the energy and the capacity to transform you and to bring completion to you. Don't bother about which form or name you surrender to. It does not matter.

Whenever you relax and complete, you transform your life from mithya (illusion) to nitya ānanda (eternal bliss). You transform your suffering to a space of bliss. You move from depression to expression, from self-doubt to Self, from 'me' to 'you' , from worrying to wondering. The genesis of identity is transformed with the process of completion.

First just decide consciously to be complete and surrender. Surrender everything at the feet of God who runs this world. You don't even need to have any name or form in your mind, 'Oh, I surrendered to this god. So what will happen?' Don't worry. Just surrender to the energy that runs the whole world. Then everybody is included under that title— God, Guru, Divine, energy of this whole Universe. Just decide to let this run your life.

Surrender your doubt also. Then you will see the transformation happens in you just as you are. Don't think, 'First I will change, and then I will surrender.' No. You cannot do that. Surrender as you are, consciously, totally. Whatever is in your hands, whatever 'mine' is in your hands, whatever position is in your hands, surrender completely. Your being will be flooded with a new feeling, a new life, a new energy and a new bliss.

So, may you surrender at the feet of the Divine. May you enter the space of completion. May you be in the energy. May you enter into the Divine energy. May this happen to you. May you be in and may you become eternal bliss, Nitya ānanda.

v

Helping the students understand the levels of surrender. Helping the students transform their lives from mithya (illusion) to nitya ānanda (eternal bliss).

• ❖ What is the lesson Kṛṣṇa taught in these chapters and verses?

• ❖ What are the three levels of surrender?

• ❖ What should you do about your doubts?

• ❖ What happens when you surrender your "I" and your "mine"?

• ❖ How does the completion process help us transform?

• Big posters

  • Markers
    • Pens
    • Paper
  • Scissors
    • Glue
    • Ruler

• Eraser, etc.

❖ Ask the students to create their own poster representing the three levels of surrendering.

❖ Ask them to draw or write down the changes that happen through each level of surrender and to give examples from their own lives.

❖ Then, ask them to present their understanding to the class.

Just decide consciously to be complete and surrender. Surrender everything at the feet of God who runs this world. You don't even need to have any name or form in your mind, 'Oh, I surrendered to this god. So what will happen?' Don't worry. Just surrender to the energy that runs the whole world. Then everybody is included under that title— God, Guru, Divine, energy of this whole Universe. Just decide to let this run your life.

❖ Eyeband

Tell the students they will be sitting for 21 minutes and tell them to close their eyes (they can wear an eye band if they want). Once everyone has their eyes closed, guide them through the meditation. Start by telling: Allow any thought, person or situation to come to your mind. If it is a positive thought, a person you love or a situation that you cherish, feel deep gratitude for it and see it go away. If it is a negative thought, or a person you don't like, or an unpleasant situation, feel gratitude for that too and bless it. Anything that comes to your mind, bless it with deep gratitude.

Allow 11 minutes to pass then tell the students that they can slowly, very slowly open all three eyes.

You will see that in a few days, your whole attitude becomes soft and compassionate. You will start seeing things with great compassion and receptivity.

Invite each student to share out loud: Their understanding of what living enlightenment is How they can now live an enlightened life How they can help others live enlightenment

Once everyone is done sharing, ask each student to write a gratitude letter to the Divine in the form that they connect with (to Swamiji, Śrī Kṛṣṇa, the lineage of Gurus, etc.) for all the enlightening teachings that they have received. Finally ask each student to write a testimonial of how their experience learning Bhagavad Gita Decoded has been to inspire others

Here ends the ultimate teaching of Śrī Kṛṣṇa and here starts our enlightened life! May you surrender at the feet of the Divine. May you enter the space of completion. May you be in the energy. May you enter into the Divine energy. May this happen to you. Go with this Kṛṣṇa consciousness and you will be in Nityānanda, eternal bliss