1. Bhagavad Gita Chapter 7 - Collection

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

  • Nakula is embodiment of causing reality for others.

• Śakuni, the maternal uncle of Duryodhana embodies the pattern of self-hatred, which is cunningness personified.

• Droṇa represents all the best knowledge one imbibes and the teachers one encounters, who guide us but are unable to take us through to the ultimate flowering of enlightenment. It is difficult to give them up since one feels grateful to them. This is where the Enlightened Master, the incarnation steps in and guides us.

• Duryodhana, represents one's ego or root-pattern, the most difficult to conquer as it leads one to selfdestruction. One needs the full help of the Master here. It is subtle work and even the Master's help may not be obvious, since at this point, sometimes the ego makes us deny and disconnect from the Master as well.

• Karṇa is the repository of all good deeds and it is his good deeds that stand in the way of his own Enlightenment. Śrī Kṛṣṇa has to take the load of Karṇa's puṇya, his meritorious deeds, before he could be liberated. The Enlightened Master guides one to drop one's attachment to good deeds arising out of what are perceived to be charitable and compassionate intentions. He also shows us that the quest for and the experience of enlightenment is the ultimate act of compassion that one can offer to the world. Bhagavan Ṣri Kṛṣṇa, the 8th most powerful purnāvatar of Ṃaha Viśnu, is the embodiment of pure celebration, boundless love, compassion, and completion.

Bhagavan Ṣri Kṛṣṇa is the only incarnation demonstrating and expressing Ṣarva Ṃangalatva all the auspicious qualities and all dimensions of an avatar during His physical happening. The līla Bhagavan Ṣri Krsna is one of sheer innocence and simplicity, in a peace-loving, diplomatic, conflict-free way.

Karṇa is the repository of all good deeds and it is his good deeds that stand in the way of his own Enlightenment. Śrī Kṛṣṇa has to take the load of Karṇa's puṇya, his meritorious deeds, before he could be liberated. The Enlightened Master guides one to drop one's attachment to good deeds arising out of what are perceived to be charitable and compassionate intentions. He also shows us that the quest for and the experience of enlightenment is the ultimate Till now everyone blames Bhagavan Sri Krishna for this Kurukshetra war but that's the greatest sacrifice Bhagavan Sri Krishna did to save the planet Earth. If Kurukshetra was not conducted at that time under the controlled conditions and direct supervision of Bhagavan Sri Krishna, planet Earth would not have survived more than three years.

act of compassion that one can offer to the world. Bhagavan Ṣri Kṛṣṇa, the 8th most powerful purnāvatar of Ṃaha Viśnu, is the embodiment of pure celebration, boundless love, compassion, and completion. Bhagavan Ṣri Kṛṣṇa is the only incarnation demonstrating and expressing Ṣarva Ṃangalatva all the auspicious qualities a nd all dimensions of an avatar during His physical happening. The līla Bhagavan Ṣri Krsna is one of sheer innocence and The wide spread availability of the Astra shastras without Shastra, without the knowledge and vision, was posing a huge threat to the whole of humanity and planet Earth, and for life itself. The greatest achievement of Bhagavan Sri Krishna is destroying all the weapons in one controlled condition and saving planet earth, eliminating the nuclear weapons and the knowledge of these nuclear weapons to save humanity from total annihilation.

simplicity, in a peace-loving, diplomatic,

conflict-free way.

Bhagavad Gītā appears in the heart of Mahābhārat in Bhīṣma Parva, the sixth chapter of its eighteen chapters. Veda Vyāsa, the narrator, in glorifying the Gītā sings, 'the one who drinks the water of Ganges (the sacred river for Hindus) attains liberation, what to speak of the one who drinks the nectar of Gītā?

Gītā is the essential nectar of the Mahābhārat, bhāratamṛta sarvasvam as it is directly spoken by Nārāyaṇa, Bhagavān kṛṣṇa Himself.'

The armies assembled in the vast field of Kurukṣetra, now in the state of Haryana in modern day Bharat. All the kings and princes were related to one another, and were often on opposite sides. Facing the Kaurava army and his friends, relatives and teachers, Arjuna was overcome by remorse and guilt, and wanted to walk away from the battle out of total powerlessness unbecoming an invincible warrior among warriors.

Śrī Kṛṣṇa's dialogue with Arjuna on the battlefield of Kurukṣetra out of His utmost concern and love for him and humanity is the content of Bhagavad Gītā. Of its seven hundred and forty-five (745) verses, Bhagavān Śrī Kṛṣṇa sings the Gītā in six hundred and twenty (620) verses responding to Arjuna's fifty-seven (57) enquiries.

Śrī Kṛṣṇa persuades Arjuna to give-up his powerlessness unfitting an Ārya—the spiritually evolved one who understands human life and urges him to raise himself again as Parantapa—the conqueror of enemy, and take up arms and vanquish his enemies. They are already dead,' says Śrī Kṛṣṇa, 'All those who are facing you have been already killed by Me. Go ahead and do what you have to do. That is your responsibility. Do not worry about the outcome. Leave that to Me.'

Authored by

THE SUPREME PONTIFF OF HINDUISM BHAGAWAN SRI NITHYANANDA PARAMASHIVAM

śrībhagavānuvāca mayyāsaktamanāḥ pārtha yogaṃ yuñjanmadāśrayaḥ asaṃśayaṃ samagraṃ māṃ yathā jñāsyasi tacchṛṇu

Bhagavān Kṛṣṇa says, Arjuna, Listen to Me, you can know Me completely and without doubt by practicing yoga in true consciousness of Me, with your mind attached to Me.

Unless we drink the milk, we will never get the benefit of the milk. Unless we imbibe Kṛṣṇa, we cannot get the benefit of the Gītā.

jñānaṃ te'haṃ savijñānam idaṃ vakṣyāmyaśeṣataḥ yajjñātvā neha bhūyo'nyaj jñātavyamavaśiṣyate

Let Me explain to you in detail this phenomenal and absolute knowledge along with its realization; by knowing which, there shall remain nothing further to be known.

Kṛṣṇa has created keys for all kinds of human beings. Kṛṣṇa fulfills every need of every human being.

manuṣyāṇāṃ sahasreṣu kaścidyatati siddhaye yatatāmapi siddhānāṃ kaścinmāṃ vetti tattvataḥ

Out of many thousands of men, hardly one endeavors or strives to achieve perfection of self-realization; of those so endeavoring, hardly one achieves the perfection of selfrealization and of those, hardly one knows Me in truth or reaches that state of oneness with Me.

There are millions of people out there, but only a few hundred are present today to listen to the Gītā. And out of these few hundred, only a few will listen authentically.

bhūmirāpo'nalo vāyuḥ khaṃ mano buddhireva ca ahankāra itīyaṃ me bhinnā prakṛtiraṣṭadhā

Earth, water, fire, air, ether, mind, intelligence and false ego all together these eight constitute My separated external energies.

With all these elements, the energy cycle is complete.

apare'yamitastvanyāṃ prakṛtiṃ viddhi me parām I jīvabhūtāṃ mahābāho yayedaṃ dhāryate jagat

Besides these external energies, which are inferior in nature, O mighty-armed Arjuna, there is a superior energy of Mine. This comprises all the embodied souls of all the living entities by which this material world is being utilized or exploited.

We are above the energies that constitute us. When we realize our Self, we realize that we are Divine and nothing less.

Ability to speak into the listening of yourself is Completion.

Ability to speak into the listening of yourself is ability to complete.

That is the ability to complete.

This chapter is about how human beings approach the Divine, why they approach the Divine, and at what level they approach the Divine.

We approach the Divine in the way we want It. According to our maturity, we approach the Divine. At what level do we approach the Divine? What do we receive in return? How do we grow in maturity?

Kṛṣṇa gives the answers to these questions in this chapter. Here He says, 'Out of many thousands among men, one may endeavor for perfection, and out of those who have achieved perfection, hardly one knows Me in truth.'

The Master is always ready to share and enrich with his experiences. That is his mission in life. The infinite compassion that fills an enlightened being is forever bursting to be let out to share, to teach, to guide, and to enrich.

He is available continuously to the whole humanity, enriching with Enlightenment. That is why Kṛṣṇa says that He is now ready to explain.

You will see miraculous transformations happening in your body and mind. Listening is God! Just by listening, you experience God! The question is whether or not Arjuna is ready to listen. Even if Arjuna was ready to listen and he became enlightened, are we ready to listen today, now?

Why does Kṛṣṇa say that a few even try, and of those who try, very few succeed?

Remember that He is talking about Self realization, about understanding who we are. Why is it so difficult even to try? We do not want to try because we are afraid.

Why do we find it difficult to meditate? After all, all we do in meditation is close our eyes and remain silent. Why is it difficult? We give appointments to everyone else every day of our lives, willingly and unwillingly. Why is it so difficult to give half an hour a day to ourselves?

The truth is that we have forgotten where we came from. Nothing in the way we are brought up and 'educated' tells us that we come from Bliss and we can regain that bliss. If we realize how easy it is to be blissful and return to our original state, no one can control us. That is what liberation means. But society, religion, and political and family structures operates on the principle of control.

The moment we realize who we are and we are liberated, these institutions cannot make us do what they want us to do. From childhood we are conditioned to avoid looking too deeply into ourselves because if we do, we may find the truth and be liberated. Most of society doesn't know these deeper truths. This is how society puts generation after generation of people in deep illusion.

The path to Self-realization is the path of aloneness. It is not a lonely path; it is an 'alone' path. When we are alone, we are not lonely. We are all-in-one; that is what being alone means. From being fragmented, we become whole. From being islands, we become the Universe.

This is the knowledge that Kṛṣṇa offers humanity. Out of His deep compassion He says, 'Please listen to Me and realize your Self and be liberated.' One in a million may heed His words and start on this path.

He then says that only one in a million who starts on this path will eventually find his own Self, and thus find Me. In these verses Kṛṣṇa explains who He is. Kṛṣṇa explicitly separates Himself from His manifested energies in these verses.

What we perceive as manifested energies — the five natural elements that are earth, water, fire, air and ether, and the three inner elements of mind, intelligence and ego — are His energies no doubt, yet they are not Him.

Puruṣa and prakṛti are considered the operative principles of the Universe in the Hindu philosophical systems of Sā�…khya and Vedānta. Puruṣa and prakṛti are unmanifest energy sources, puruṣa being inactive and prakṛti capable of being active. Everything else arises from these two elements when they operate together. Prakṛti gives rise to the Cosmic and individual intelligence and the five natural elements. The Taittreya Upaniṣad explains that the Cosmic energy gave rise to etheric energy or the energy of space, ākāṣa, which pervades the Universe.

Prakṛti gives rise to the Cosmic and individual intelligence and the five natural elements. The Taittreya Upaniṣad explains that the Cosmic energy gave rise to etheric energy or the energy of space, ākāṣa, which pervades the Universe.

This is the largest and subtlest quantum of energy that pervades the Universe. From etheric energy the energy of air arises. It is this energy of air, or vāyu, that sustains us in our body-mind system as the carrier of pranic or life energy. From the energy of air arises the energy of fire, agni. Many salutations in the Ṛg Veda, the first of the Hindu scriptures, are addressed to the fire. Almost all Vedic rituals are performed for the fire god. Āpas, the energy of water, arose from the energy of fire. Pṛthvī, the energy of earth arose from the energy of water.

The Taittreya Upaniṣad goes on to say that it is from the earth energy that plants, herbs, food were created, from which came humans. Within the human is the intelligence that is a hologram of the Cosmic intelligence. The energy cycle is now complete.

The Cosmic intelligence is reflected in the human as the mind. The mind in turn uses the senses to access the external world. Each of the senses, sight, hearing, smell, taste and touch are related to the natural elements. Ether is linked to sound or the ears; air is linked to touch and the skin; fire is linked to color and form, and hence to sight and the eyes; water is linked to taste and the tongue; earth is linked to smell or the nose.

The mind receives information through the senses of perception, and executes decisions through the senses of action. When the senses are denied access to the external world, which is their sustenance, the mind shuts down. Thoughts cease! Ego is a creation of the mind. It is an illusion because it is not permanent; it is not the truth.

True realization of the Self is achieved when the ego is shed and when the mind stops.

Then, inner intelligence awakens to the Cosmic intelligence. Here, Kṛṣṇa refers to ego as ahaṁkāra. It is our identity that we project outwards, which is always in excess of what we think of as ourselves.

There is another side to our ego, called mamakāra, which we project inwards; what we think of as us inside us. This mamakāra is always lower than what we think ourselves to be. The perpetual gap between this outer projection and inner projection creates self-doubt, stress, suffering and disease within us

Here, Kṛṣṇa refers to ego as ahaṁkāra. It is our identity that we project outwards, which is always in excess of what we think of as ourselves. There is another side to our ego, called mamakāra, which we project inwards; what we think of as us inside us.

This mamakāra is always lower than what we think ourselves to be. The perpetual gap between this outer projection and inner projection creates self-doubt, stress, suffering and disease within us.

Part 2: Bhagavad Gita Chapter 7

When we realize our Self, we realize that we are Divine and nothing less. Anything we think about ourselves which is lower than this, is low self-esteem, is selfdoubt. What Kṛṣṇa says is true for all of us. We are above the energies that constitute us.

We too are the energy that constitutes our body-mind system. All that we lack is the awareness of this Truth.

Our natural state is to know ourselves. Once we realize the Truth that we are God, there is no difference between Kṛṣṇa and us. We are enlightened. That is what Kṛṣṇa came to prove. He has no need to prove that He is God. He doesn't care if we know it or not. His mission was to enlighten Arjuna, and through Arjuna, the rest of humanity. His mission is to prove to us that we too are God

Approach God in the right way to get miraculous transformations happening in your body and mind. To help children understand the manifest and the unmanifest.

• How is completion defined in this lesson?
• What is the Masters life Mission?
• What is the importance of listening?
• Why do so few try to be transformed?
• What is puruṣa ?
• What is prakṛti ?
• What are the five natural elements?
• What extra three elements to the five natural elements are needed to get to the eight elements of verse 7.4?
• What is the difference between Kṛṣṇa and ourselves?

• 1. Paper
• 2. Sketch pens,
• 3. colouring pens

Draw the eight elements as an energy cycle: start by drawing a circle on the page. Draw the 8 elements around this circle: earth, water, fire, air, ether (space), mind, intelligence, and ego

Prakṛti gives rise to the Cosmic and individual intelligence and the five natural elements.

1. TV for watching YouTube

Show the children an explanation of the transmission of energy from element to element that happens during a homa

Puruṣa and prakṛti are unmanifest energy sources. Everything else arises from these two elements when they operate together. Hinduism has the science of transmitting energy.

Hold Vaakyartha sadhas with the children on "one in a billion reaches me". How it is special to be part of learning from Kṛṣṇa

When we realize our Self, we realize that we are Divine and nothing less. Kṛṣṇa's mission was to enlighten Arjuna, and through Arjuna, the rest of humanity

Authored by

THE SUPREME PONTIFF OF HINDUISM BHAGAWAN SRI NITHYANANDA PARAMASHIVAM

etadyonīni bhūtāni sarvāṇītyupadhāraya ahaṃ kṛtsnasya jagataḥ prabhavaḥ pralayastathā

Know for certain that everything living is manifested by these two energies of Mine. I am the Creator, Sustainer and Destroyer of them.

Nothing moves, nothing can move without Him. Nothing can be created, sustained or destroyed in the absence of His energy.

mattaḥ parataraṃ nānyat kiñcidasti dhanañjaya mayi sarvamidaṃ protaṃ sūtre maṇigaṇā iva

O Dhanañjaya (conqueror of wealth), there is no truth superior to Me. Everything rests upon Me, as pearls are strung on a thread.

He declares with complete clarity that He is the thread of everything

raso'hamapsu kaunteya prabhāsmi śaśisūryayoḥ praṇavaḥ sarvavedeṣu śabdaḥ khe pauruṣaṃ nṛṣu

O Kaunteya (son of Kuntī), I am the taste of water, the radiance of the sun and the moon, the sacred syllable 'Om' in the vedic mantras. I am the sound in ether and ability in man.

puṇyo gandhaḥ pṛthivyāṃ ca tejaścāsmi vibhāvasau jīvanaṃ sarvabhūteṣu tapaścāsmi tapasviṣu

I am the original fragrance of the earth, and I am the heat in fire. I am the life of all living beings, and I am the penances of all ascetics.

The beauty of Kṛṣṇa's teaching in the Bhagavad Gītā is the depth to which He goes to make everything crystal clear to Arjuna

That is what Kṛṣṇa talks about here. The great Master says, I am not what you see. I am not the energy that is manifested. It is not this six-foot Kṛṣṇa with a flute and peacock feather that makes things happen. It is the formless energy beyond Vāsudeva Kṛṣṇa (Kṛṣṇa, the being in body, son of Vāsudeva).

It is Parabrahma Kṛṣṇa (the Cosmic energy). When we see a necklace or garland, do we notice the thread, the sūtra?

If it is a pearl or diamond necklace we may get it threaded in gold, but still we rarely notice the thread. We delight over the pearls or diamonds, yet never think about the thread that holds them together, unless it snaps and all the pearls and diamonds spill on the floor. Then, we blame the thread!

Kṛṣṇa says, He is the unseen thread—sūtre maṇi gaṇā, without which no rudrākṣa can exist. He says He is the unseen essence, without which there can be no substance.

He says He is the unseen ultimate energy without which there can be no Universe. Have you ever wondered how this Universe operates? There are billions of planets like ours, millions of solar systems, thousands of galaxies and many Universes. There is nothing that anyone can see that is controlling this Universe.

We need traffic lights and policemen to control traffic on our roads. In the Milky Way there are no policemen to control the movements of planets and stars.

Yet they move unerringly!

Can you imagine the intelligence that controls multiple Universes? How is there such discipline and order in that seeming chaos that no one is in charge of? No one is responsible, or is someone? On the other hand, within this small body of ours we try to control everything. We control the food we eat, how much we exercise, how much we play, etc.

Yet we can predict nothing about it. Despite all the order that we impose, there is chaos sometimes! Control does not bring about order; it never can.

Freedom brings about order. Chaos is freedom. Chaos is choice. The ultimate chaos is the cosmic Kṛṣṇa; He is also the Ultimate order too.

Kṛṣṇa illustrates what He said earlier with specific examples. The beauty of Kṛṣṇa's teaching in the Bhagavad Gītā is the depth to which He goes to make everything crystal clear to Arjuna. He makes no assumptions, takes nothing for granted.

It is as if Arjuna is a child and He is the parent or teacher. For the Lord of the Universe to take the trouble to ensure complete understanding shows the depth of His compassion. I explained earlier that in the five natural elements, the essence of ether is sound, of air is touch, of fire is form and heat, of water is taste and of earth is smell.

Kṛṣṇa explains that He is the essential quality in each of these elements; also that He is the praṇava mantra—primordialsound— 'Oṁ' and the radiance of the Sun and Moon. Life, any form of life in this and any other planet, cannot exist without this energy of cosmic Kṛṣṇa. But living within this energy field we lose sight of this energy.

We become energy-unconscious.We are afraid, always afraid. We have no trust in ourselves and therefore no trust in Existence.

This science of Upanishads is given to kingly saints, not to just any saint. Only they can preserve the science as it is. Be very clear, only an enlightened person who is a king or a king who is an enlightened person can know the totality of spirituality. Only a rich man who has enjoyed material wealth can understand the meaning and relevance of spirituality.

If God were to come in front of us in any form other than what we recognize as Him, we would ask for His identification card!

Our intelligence is limited to visualizing Kṛṣṇa in His yellow dress with His flute and a peacock feather stuck in His hair. If Kṛṣṇa comes covered in ash, with a snake around His neck, the Kṛṣṇa follower will throw stones at Him saying, 'That is Śiva. I do not worship Śiva.' There are people who claim to have imbibed the Gītā, understood every word the Lord says, and yet have questioned Swamiji as to how can he worship Śiva in the āśram when he says Kṛṣṇa is the ultimate!

It is for these people that Kṛṣṇa goes into such depths to explain that He is everything and above everything. He is the Creator—Brahma, the Sustainer— Viṣṇu and the Rejuvenator—Śiva. He is not either or; He is all and above all.

To help children understand that like an unseen thread holds the beads of a necklace, so Kṛṣṇa is the unseen essence, the unseen ultimate energy of the Universe. To understand that Kṛṣṇa is not limited to His yellow dress with His flute and a peacock feather in His hair, He is everything.

• What is the difference between Vāsudeva Kṛṣṇa and Parabrahma Kṛṣṇa?
• Is there anything or anyone controlling the Universe?
• What is the difference between control and order?
• Does control bring about order?
• What are the five natural elements and what is their essence?

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• Who wears a yellow dress and a peacock feather in their hair, and who covers them self in ash and has a snake around their neck?
• Who is the Creator, who is the Sustainer, and who is the Rejuvenator? Who is all three?

• 1. Sketch pens Paper for younger children have the outline of the Sanskrit 'Oṁ' drawn on the paper

Encourage the children to draw everything mentioned in this lesson placed on the paper in a way that at the end, all the drawings form the Sanskrit 'Oṁ'. For younger children, they draw everything inside the Om outline.

Kṛṣṇa is everything and above everything. He is all and above all.

• 1. 5 pages each with one of the five natural element written on it (ether, air, fire, water, earth) 5 pages each with one essence of an element on it (sound, touch, form and heat, taste, smell)

The acharya or one of the children randomly holds up one of the pages, and the other children call out the matching element or essence. The pairs are ether - sound air touch fire - form and heat water - taste earth – smell. For older children, they also need to say examples of the element or essence. For example, for water they say words like "lake" or "rain", and for touch they may say "soft" or "sharp".

Kṛṣṇa explains that He is the essential quality in each of the elements

Encourage the children to discuss how the thread of a necklace is essential to the necklace. Let them discuss the symbolism of Kṛṣṇa says being the unseen thread of the Universe.

Kṛṣṇa is the Ultimate chaos and freedom of the cosmos; He is also the Ultimate discipline and order of the cosmos too.

Authored by

THE SUPREME PONTIFF OF HINDUISM BHAGAWAN SRI NITHYANANDA PARAMASHIVAM

bījaṃ māṃ sarvabhūtānāṃ viddhi pārtha sanātanam buddhirbuddhimatāmasmi tejastejasvināmaham

O Pārtha (son of Prithā), I am the eternal source of all creatures, the intelligence of the intelligent, and the brilliance of all those who are brilliant.

balaṃ balavatāṃ cāhaṃ kāmarāgavivarjitaṃ dharmāviruddho bhūteṣu kāmo'smi bharatarṣabha

I am the strength of the strong, and I am procreative energy in living beings, devoid of lust and in accordance with religious principles, O Bharatarṣabha (Lord of Bhārata).

The life-giving energy as transcendental spiritual energy.

sa evāyaṁ mayā te'dya yogaḥ proktaḥ purātanaḥ bhakto 'si me sakhā ceti rahasyaṁ hyetaduttamam

That ancient science of Enlightenment, or entering into eternal bliss, is today taught by me to you because you are my devotee as well as my friend. You will certainly understand the supreme mystery of this science.

Logic can never lead you to Self-Realization. The qualification to receive the Truth is Devotion.

ye caiva sāttvikā bhāvā rājasāstāmasāśca ye matta eveti tānviddhi na tvahaṃ teṣu te mayi

All states of being — be they of goodness (sāttvika), passion (rajas) or ignorance (tamas) —all emanate from Me. I am independent of them but they are dependent on Me

Satva, rajas and tamas, commonly translated as goodness or calmness, passion or aggression, and ignorance or inaction, combine in many ways in a person.

I am the procreative energy,' says the Lord. 'I am the seed of all living beings.' How can one be a Creator, if one cannot procreate? It is said that once Kṛṣṇa was crossing the river Yamuna with a group of gopīs, women devotees.

The river was in spate. Kṛṣṇa said to Yamuna, 'If it is true that I am a brahmacāri, part and let me walk across.' The river parted and Kṛṣṇa walked to the other bank. A Sannyāsi who watched this was dumbstruck. 'Kṛṣṇa, a brahmacāri? He walks with these women who are His lovers, and He says He is a brahmacāri and the river parts for Him! How can this be?'

That is what Kṛṣṇa explains here, 'I am the procreative energy, but without attachment and without fantasy.

I am the ultimate reality!'

Fantasies are the root cause of our problems. With each fantasy coming true, more fantasies arise. We can never be in reality. To be in reality one must be in the present moment. When you are in the present moment you are Kṛṣṇa.

When we hanker after the past and speculate about the future, we slip into fantasies.

We are no longer within the boundaries of our body. This way of living will lead only to suffering. All you need to do to be blissful is, renounce your fantasies.

You do not need to renounce what material things you have with you.

Enjoy your wealth, enjoy your work, enjoy your spouse and children. You have earned what you have. Enjoy what is your due. Just stop fantasizing about what you do not have. Stop running after more acquisitions; stop and take time to enjoy what you have acquired. Move into the present, here and now, into reality, and you will be a brahmacāri! Kṛṣṇa talks about the guṇas, the natural attributes in these verses.

The three guṇas that Kṛṣṇa refers to are satva, rajas and tamas, commonly translated as goodness or calmness, passion or aggression and ignorance or inaction. Guṇa does not refer to the state a person is in.

Guṇa causes that state to happen. Satva by itself is not goodness or calmness. It is the building block that leads to calmness

Understand that fantasies are the root cause of our problems. Introduce the children to satva, rajas and tamas (the next lesson goes into more details on this topic)

• What did Kṛṣṇa do when he wanted to cross the river Yamuna?
• Why are fantasies a problem?
• What do you need to do to be blissful?
• What are satva, rajas and tamas?

• 1. Paper
• 2. Colour pens

Have the children draw the scene of Kṛṣṇa and the group of gopīs crossing the parted river Yamuna

When you are in the present moment you are Kṛṣṇa

Small pieces of paper with a word written on it then folded over so the word is hidden. Example words: Kṛṣṇa, gopīs, calmness, aggression, inaction, building block, fantasy, seed, Creator. A bowl for the folded papers

Each child takes one piece of paper from the bowl and reads it without showing anyone. For younger children, use pictures instead of words. They then take turns to act out their word, and the other children try to guess their word. Those watching can ask questions but the answer can only be yes or no

Move to the present, the here and now, to achieve at this activity.

Hold Vaakyartha sadhas on the times when the children have hankered after the past and speculated about the future. Ask them how they would live differently now that they know that fantasies are the root cause of our problems.

All you need to do to be blissful is, renounce your fantasies

tribhirguṇamayair bhāvairebhiḥ sarvamidaṃ jagat mohitaṃ nābhijānāti māmebhyaḥ paramavyayam

The whole world is deluded by the three modes (goodness, passion and ignorance), and thus does not know Me. I am above the modes and unchangeable.

The interplay of the three guṇas (modes) creates the functioning of the mind and through the operation of the mind, activity. Kṛṣṇa has transcended the three guṇas.

daivī hyeṣā guṇamayī mama māyā duratyayā māmeva ye prapadyante māyāmetām taranti te

My Divine energy, consisting of the three modes of material nature, is difficult to overcome. But those who surrender unto Me can cross beyond it with ease.

replace powerful cognition by: When one transcends the guṇas, as Kṛṣṇa says about Himself, one becomes a triguṇa rahita, one who has transcended the three guṇas. Such a person is no longer influenced by the mind and its actions.

na māṃ duṣkṛ tino mūḍhāḥ prapadyante narādhamāḥ māyayāpahṛtajñānā āsuraṃ bhāvamāśritāḥ

Those miscreants who are foolish, lowest among mankind, whose knowledge is stolen by māyā, illusion, and who have taken shelter in demonic nature, do not surrender unto Me.

Even an energy source that has transcended the three guṇas needs to have some satva guṇa infused in it to be born into this planet

Kṛṣṇa talks about the guṇas, the natural attributes in these verses.

Prakṛti, the energy that manifests in the Universe, has three elements called guṇas. When prakṛti is in equilibrium, it is pure potential energy.

When it is disturbed, the guṇas come into operation. Like building blocks, they combine in many ways and create, sustain and destroy. Rarely is only a single element or guṇa present in a person.

The three guṇas that Kṛṣṇa refers to are satva, rajas and tamas, commonly translated as goodness or calmness, passion or aggression and ignorance or inaction.

The interplay of these guṇas creates the functioning of the mind and through the operation of the mind, activity.

Guṇa does not refer to the state a person is in. Guṇa causes that state to happen.

Satva by itself is not goodness or calmness. It is the building block that leads to calmness.

No living being influenced by the mind is beyond the influence of the guṇas. When one transcends the guṇas, as Kṛṣṇa says about Himself, one becomes a triguṇa rahita, one who has transcended the three guṇas.

Such a person is no longer influenced by the mind and its actions. Listen. Even an incarnation, an enlightened energy being reborn into this planet on a mission, needs to initially be born with some guṇa infused into that being. It is like this:

We cannot make jewelry out of pure gold. We must alloy it with copper. In the same way, even an energy source that has transcended the three guṇas needs to have some satva guṇa infused in it to be born into this planet. The same is true of Kṛṣṇa.

As Vāsudeva Kṛṣṇa, the son of Vāsudeva, He has some guṇa at play in Him. Unfortunately, a human being can distort his perceptions to such a point that he can deny his rightful nature. Māyā, illusion, is also the interplay of the guṇas.

It is a collection of our fantasies. Just as darkness needs light to destroy it, we need awareness to destroy māyā. Otherwise māyā destroys us.

In Bhagāvatam (Hindu epic that describes Lord Viṣṇu's incarnations, especially His incarnation as Kṛṣṇa), there is this history. Nārada is the greatest devotee of Viṣṇu. He forever sings His praise and has nothing else on his mind. Over time Nārada became conceited about being the most celebrated devotee. This happens to all devotees at some point in time.

As a true master, Viṣṇu took action. He called Nārada and asked him to fetch a pot of water. Nārada rushed out. Suddenly he was in front of a house asking for water.

A beautiful maiden came out with water and Nārada fell instantaneously in love with her. He married this girl and they raised children together.

One day there was a great storm. The house and the entire surroundings were flooded.

The rushing water carried Narada and his family away. Soon they were separated and his family died.

Nārada wailed and screamed for help.

Suddenly he heard a voice, 'Nārada, where is my water? What happened to you?'

Nārada awoke, as if from a great sleep, and saw Viṣṇu smiling at him. He said, 'Even my greatest devotee is not immune to māyā!'

As long as the mind is active, no one is immune to māyā.

Help the children understand the three gunas To add to the understanding of the mind, that as long as the mind is active māyā happens

• What are the three gunas?
• Is everyone affected by the three gunas?
• Does Kṛṣṇa have any of the three gunas in him?
• •
• What is māyā?
• What happened to Nārada

• 1. Paper
• 2. Ruler Pens
• 3. coloring pens

Develop an encyclopedia-like description of the 3 gunas Get the children to divide their paper into 3 parts. Each part will become one encyclopedia description. For each guna, have the name of the guna (satva, rajas or tamas) the description of the guna as given in this lesson an example from the child's life that explains the guna a drawing that illustrates the guna

o living being influenced by the mind is beyond the influence of the guṇas.

• 1. Wooden beads
• 2. Paint, including if possible gold colored paint
• 3. String for threading the beads

Get the children to string the beads onto the thread. Then they can paint the beads. Add a gold effect with some gold paint.

We cannot make jewelry out of pure gold. We must alloy it with copper. In the same way, even an energy source that has transcended the three guṇas needs to have some satva guṇa infused in it to be born into this planet.

Encourage the children to discuss "Guṇa does not refer to the state a person is in. Guṇa causes that state to happen. Satva by itself is not goodness or calmness. It is the building block that leads to calmness." How does a building block work, how does it happen for a person's state?

A triguṇa rahita is one who has transcended the three guṇas.

Authored by

THE SUPREME PONTIFF OF HINDUISM BHAGAWAN SRI NITHYANANDA PARAMASHIVAM

caturvidhā bhajante māṃ janāḥ sukṛtino'rjuna ārto jijñāsurarthārthī jñānī ca bharatarṣabha

O Bharatarṣabha, best among Bhārata, four kinds of piousmen begin to render devotional service unto Me. they are: the distressed, the desirer of wealth, the inquisitive, and those searching for knowledge of the Absolute.

The first are the people who are distressed, i.e., the working class or śūdra. The second are the people who desire wealth, i.e., the business people or vaiśya. The third are inquisitive people, like a kṣatriya who never rests because he constantly asks, 'What next? What next? What next?' The fourth is the person who searches for knowledge of the Absolute: He is a brāhmaṇa.

teṣāṃ jñānī nityayukta eka-bhaktir viśiṣyate priyo hi jñānino'tyartham ahaṃ sa ca mama priyaḥ

Of these, the wise one who is in full knowledge and ever united with Me through single-minded devotion is the best. I am very dear to him, and he is dear to Me

When you devote yourself to the divine mission, you become a devotee. That is when you become dear to Him.

udārāḥ sarva evaite jñānītvātmaiva me matam āsthitaḥ sa hi yuktātmā māmevānuttamāṃ gatim

All these devotees are indeed noble; one who knows Me, dwells in Me. Being engaged in My mission, he attains Me.

Kṛṣṇa says beautifully that He is in you and you are in Him. The moment you understand this ultimate Truth, the moment you approach the Divine with the right attitude, you become the Divine

bahūnāṃ janmanām ante jñānavānmāṃ prapadyate vāsudevaḥ sarvamiti sa mahātmā sudurlabhaḥ

After many births and deaths, he who knows Me surrenders to Me, knowing Me to be the cause of all causes and all that is. Such a great soul is very rare.

with a living enlightened Master, we need to transform our life. We need to experience the truth

Kṛṣṇa now goes deeper. In prayer, we pray to God; in meditation, we become God! Prayers give us immediate results. Praying to that higher principle or to the Divine is not wrong, yet it is not enough. Whereas in meditation, we become that higher principle or the Divine to which we constantly pour out our prayers. This is permanent. The Divine is nothing but a mirror; we see our own reflection. And whatever we do to the Divine comes back to us. The more we understand, the more we grow and relate with the Divine in a more mature way.

I have seven kinds of people who approach me: One, people who approach me out of greed; two, people who approach me out of fear; three, people who approach me out of worry; four, people who approach me for name and fame; five, people who approach me out of jealousy and comparison; six, people who approach me out of ego, to strengthen their ego by saying, 'I am a disciple of THE SUPREME PONTIFF OF HINDUISM BHAGAWAN SRI NITHYANANDA PARAMASHIVAM

I am close to him. He knows my name.' Just to have ego satisfaction they come to swamiji; finally, seven—there are a few, very few who approach swamijij out of gratitude. At different levels, people approach the Master or God. The more mature we are, the more we will feel connected to that person who will give us fulfillment. When we become mature, when we are above fear and greed, we will approach the same Master, the same God, with more maturity, with more intimacy. We will feel deeply connected to him

In Bhāgavatam (Hindu epic glorifying devotion onto incarnations), we learn about five different attitudes with which we normally relate with a Master or God:

Dāsa Bhāva—seeing God as a lord or master and oneself as a servant, as with Hanumān who saw Rāma as his master and served Him as a path for liberation. Vātsalya Bhāva seeing God as a divine child, as with Yaśodā who saw Kṛṣṇa as her son. Sakha Bhāva—seeing God or the master as a friend, the way Arjuna related with Kṛṣṇa. Mātṛ Bhāva—seeing God or the master as a father or mother, the way Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa related with goddess Kāli (representation of the divine mother). Finally, the fifth attitude is madhura bhāva—seeing God as a beloved, the way Radhā saw Kṛṣṇa.

This attitude needs a tremendous amount of maturity. Only if we experience the consciousness which is beyond the body, can we relate with the Divine with the attitude of a beloved, madhura bhāva.

The more mature we are, the more the gratitude happens.

The less the maturity, the more we fill our life with prayers. Prayer is greed; confession is fear!

'Gratitude is the greatest prayer, and thank you, the greatest mantra.' When we go beyond prayer and confession, we experience gratitude.

We experience the Divine.

Kṛṣṇa explains how we can grow step-by-step, how we can reach the ultimate maturity, how we can create and experience the Divine at the ultimate level.

Based on how we approach the Divine, only based on how mature we are, the whole community system has been created. How much we enrich and share with society depends on how mature we are. With the same maturity, we approach God also.If we feel money is missing in our lives, we go to the God who gives money. If we miss knowledge, we go to Sarasvatī (the goddess of knowledge), who gives knowledge.

If we feel insecure, we go to the god who protects us; we go to Mother Durgā or Kāli. If we miss spiritual experience, the ultimate experience, then we go to the divine incarnations, the ultimate expressions of the Divine.

Kṛṣṇa says, 'Four types of people come to Me caturvidhā bhajante māṁ ' He explains the four types as four communities. The first are the people who are distressed, i.e., the working class or śūdra. The second are the people who desire wealth, i.e., the business people or vaiśya. The third are inquisitive people who continuously enquire, continuously ask, 'Tataḥ kim? Tataḥ kim? Tataḥ kim?' (What next?) A kṣatriya, for example, never rests because he constantly asks, 'What next? What next? What next?'

The fourth is the person who searches for knowledge of the Absolute: He is a brāhmaṇa.'

They experience Him in different ways, according to their maturity. As long as you are caught in fear or greed, you will be attracted and go only to those types of gods.

It is easy to go to a temple and pray, but difficult to go to a living Master and meditate. It is for mature people, not for everyone. In the temple we see thousands; but in spiritual places, we see a few hundred. It is not for all; it's a luxury!

The person who approaches Me out of love and gratitude, is the best person, for I am dear to him and he is dear to Me.' By this one verse, Kṛṣṇa ends the whole conversation, the whole concept Kṛṣṇa says, 'Starting at different levels is ok, but don't stop there."

We can start or take off from any level. However we should not stop and stagnate there. It is like failing to proceed to the second standard from the first.

It is as if we want to stay in the same cozy, familiar level.

It takes many lifetimes to understand and achieve this maturity. A common saying is, 'As many Masters, so many paths.'

However Swamiji says, 'As many disciples, so many paths!' The Master may utter the same truth to his disciples, yet each understands and interprets in his or her own way.

They all approach the Divine, but from different planes. Hence the attitude, the context with which one approaches matters how one experiences the Divine.

Here Kṛṣṇa says, 'Out of these, the wise is always devoted to Me. He is the best person.' To start with, you can start at any level, yet you must strive to reach the Ultimate. And please don't think, 'Oh! Kṛṣṇa says it will take many lives; let me take some more lives and become mature. ' No! If you can enter into the knowledge this moment, the experience can happen to you this very moment. You don't need to postpone. Every moment is a new birth for you and every moment is death. The outgoing breath is death, and the incoming breath is birth. So be very clear, every moment you die and take birth. This moment can be a new birth for you. The person who understands this truth takes a new birth.

Kṛṣṇa says: ahaṁ sa ca mama priyaḥ— He is dear to Me, and I am dear to him. He is in Me and I am in him. Kṛṣṇa says beautifully that He is in you and you are in Him. The moment you understand this ultimate Truth, the moment you approach the Divine with the right attitude, you become the Divine. All you need to do is chang your attitude. Over! Change your inner space and the whole thing is done

One important thing. The Master or the Divine is in you only when you engage yourself in enriching service to Him. When you devote yourself to the divine mission, you become a devotee.

That is when you become dear to Him. Your worship is no longer selfish. It is towards the mission of the Divine, in whatever form.

In the words of THE SUPREME PONTIFF OF HINDUISM BHAGAWAN SRI NITHYANANDA PARAMASHIVAM Stop sitting in front of me, gazing and waiting for words to drop. Work for my mission. Enrich yourself and others by helping me to transform people. As long as you sit and gaze, you chase me. When you work for my mission, I chase you. I shall always be with you.

There are seven seven steps in spiritual progress—

• 1. Go around many temples, perform many rituals, pilgrimages, etc.
• 2. Do rituals by yourself
• 3. Concentrate and pray to one God instead of rituals
• 4. Chant verses in praise of God
• 5. Instead of chanting, visualize His form and meditate upon it
• 6. Instead of meditating on any form, fall into that same consciousness, realize that the form and your soul are one and the same, that God and the soul are one and the same
• 7. Experience reality! Don't think these seven steps will be done in one lifetime.

People take hundreds of lives to achieve this maturity. It is rare to achieve this maturity.

Only a person who has understood, after many, many births and deaths, who has matured, who has enough knowledge, surrenders to Me, surrenders to the living Master, says Kṛṣṇa. with you.

In Bharat kids play with wooden dolls. For one doll, they will drape a sāri and say, 'This is mother.' They will dress another in a dhoti and call it father,

then brother, and so on. They say, 'Mother is cooking. Father is going to office,' and place the father doll in a small car. And then, they will say, 'Sister is going to school.' They will make cry sounds as though the sister cries not wanting to go to school. This seems like a game for kids.

But please understand, you play the same game too in your life. You catch somebody and say, 'You are my mother, you are my father, you are my wife, you are my husband, you are my son, and you are my brother.' And if that doll doesn't behave according to your frame or your image,

you say, 'It's not a good doll,' and you throw it away and cry.

In the same way, when somebody doesn't behave according to your frame, you feel they hurt you. You want all the people in your life to play their role the way you want them to play.

When that doesn't happen, you feel hurt. Only a person who is a little mature thinks, 'What am I doing? How many times will I do this same psychodrama?'

Kṛṣṇa says, 'One who understands that the cause of all causes is Me, realizes the ultimate divine. He realizes thus, 'How many times will I play the same drama? How many times will I make the same mistakes?'

Until this realization, the whole thing is repeated again and again without end, without the experience.' 'The person who has understood, who has knowledge of this truth, surrenders unto Me, surrenders to the Master, an enlightened being, knowing Me to be the cause of all causes and all there is. Such a great soul is rare.

Only if you go with an attitude of love and gratitude, with maturity, only then do you see a living enlightened Master. The moment you see an enlightened being as He is, you will become enlightened. There's no doubt about it.

Help the children understand the seven different levels of approaching God, the five attitudes with which we relate with a Master or God, and the four types of people Kṛṣṇa says come to Him. Encourage them to understand what makes them dear to the divine, and how rare it is to find great souls that connect to the Master.

• What is an important difference between prayer and meditation?
• Name some of the different kinds of people who approach the Master or God.
• Who are the four types of people in the community system?
• How many paths are there between disciple and master?
• What does Kṛṣṇa say the wise people do that makes them the best people?
• How should we experience every moment, each outgoing breath and each incoming breath?
• What do you need to do for your worship to no longer be selfish?

Part 4: Bhagavad Gita Chapter 7

• 1. Paper
• 2. Colored pens Photos or a slide show of different images of Kṛṣṇa, or have a Kṛṣṇa deity

Show the photos of Kṛṣṇa. Then encourage the children to draw the Master, Kṛṣṇa, based on how they like to see Him, to remember Him.

The moment you approach the Divine with the right attitude, you become the Divine

Small pieces of paper with one item from this list written on each paper:

• ❖ People who approach Kṛṣṇa out of greed
• ❖ People who approach Kṛṣṇa out of fear People who approach Kṛṣṇa out of worry
• ❖ People who approach Kṛṣṇa for name and fame People who approach Kṛṣṇa out of jealousy and comparison
• ❖ People who approach Kṛṣṇa out of ego, to strengthen their ego
• ❖ People who approach Kṛṣṇa out of gratitude.

• Vātsalya Bhāva—seeing God as a divine child
• Sakha Bhāva—seeing God or the master as a friend
• Mātṛ Bhāva—seeing God or the master as a father or mother
• Madhura bhāva—seeing God as a beloved

People who are distressed,i.e., the working class or śūdra People who desire wealth, i.e., the business people or vaiśya Inquisitive people who continuously enquire, continuously ask, 'Tataḥ kim? Tataḥ kim? Tataḥ kim?' (What next?), i.e. a kṣatriya People who search for knowledge of the Absolute, the brāhmaṇa

Children take turns to take one paper. They don't show it to anyone (for the younger children help them read their paper without letting the others hear).. They then need to act their role in silence and the other children guess the hidden word.

All come to Kṛṣṇa, all reach Kṛṣṇa, but from different levels. From different levels all go to the same God, but they will not experience Him in the same way.

Hold Vaakyartha sadhas on: "Every moment is a new birth for you and every moment is death. The outgoing breath is death, and the incoming breath is birth. So be very clear, every moment you die and take birth. This moment can be a new birth for you. The person who understands this truth takes a new birth.

The Master may utter the same truth to his disciples, yet each understands and interprets in his or her own way. They all approach the Divine, but from different planes

Authored by

THE SUPREME PONTIFF OF HINDUISM BHAGAWAN SRI NITHYANANDA PARAMASHIVAM

kāmais tais tair hṛta-jñānāḥ prapadyante'nyadevatāḥ taṃ taṃ niyamamāsthāya prakṛtyā niyatāḥ svayā

Those whose discrimination has been distorted by various desires, surrender unto deities. They follow specific rules and regulations of worship according to their own nature.

Whatever our approach to the Divine is, it plays an important role in our spiritual progress.

yo yo yāṃ yāṃ tanuṃ bhaktaḥ śraddhayārcitumicchati tasya tasyācalāṃ śraddhāṃ tāmeva vidadhāmyaham

I am in everyone's heart as the super soul. As soon as one desires to worship some deity, I make his faith steady so that he can devote himself to that particular deity.

When you approach the Divine, He helps you.

sa tayā śraddhayā yuktas tasyārādhanamīhate labhate ca tataḥ kāmān mayaiva vihitānhi tān

Endowed with such a faith, he endeavors to worship a particular demigod and obtains his desires; In reality, these benefits are granted by Me alone.

Do not think that the idols that you pray to are the ones who granted your prayers. All these are granted by the ultimate energy, the Existential energy.

antavattu phalaṃ teṣāṃ tadbhavatyalpamedhasām devāndevayajo yānti madbhaktā yānti māmapi

Men of limited intelligence worship the demigods and their fruits are limited and temporary. Those who worship the demigods go only to the planets of the demigods, but My devotees reach My supreme planet.

It is the cognition of completion or incompletion that makes Kṛṣṇa either the ultimate God, Bhagavān or a demigod, Deva.

Whatever our approach to the Divine is, it plays an important role in our spiritual progress. If we approach Kṛṣṇa out of fear or greed, we worship a demigod.

But Kṛṣṇa says we are not wrong, but just that it is not enough. Kṛṣṇa is not here to discourage us. Understand, nothing is wrong, but it is not enough,it is not complete. That is not the place to stop. When you start as a normal seeker, you hear about all kinds of rituals.

You hear that a particular pūjā (worship), a particular homa (fire ritual) will give some specific benefit, and you start doing these things.

This is the way it starts. Then slowly, you not only go to all these pūjās and homas, you also go to many different temples. After some time, you understand that these rituals and trips to the temples are too much. Then you think, 'Why let somebody else do these things for me? Let me directly do it and relate with the Divine.' You start your own temple in your own home. You engage in worship. This happens when you become a little mature. You think that you should feel directly connected to the Divine. 'Let me do it by myself,' you think.

The first level in spirituality is going around visiting all the temples, watching all the types of offerings. The second level is doing it yourself. The third level is realizing, 'The Divine is there in all the gods, in all the forms. But I think I feel more attracted towards this one god, this particular god. So let me concentrate on worshipping the Divine in this form.' Having one form and offering only to that form is iṣṭa niṣṭa. This is the third level. The fourth level happens when you think, 'More than these types of offerings, sounds imbued with energy is more powerful. Let me chant the sacred verses.'

Next, when you come to the level of completion where you begin focusing and offering to only one deity, the deity becomes your guru. This is iṣṭa niṣṭa. Iṣṭa niṣṭa means bowing down, revering only your iṣṭa, your chosen deity. Wherever you bow down, even if you bow down to your father or mother, you should know that I bow down to my iṣṭa who is in your heart—your ānanda gandha.

Next, after some time you think, 'Why only repeat this verse?

Why not do some meditation?'

Now the person who teaches you meditation appeals to you.

Meditation is again saguṇa brahman, which means meditating on a form. This is Līlā dhyāna, the next level of completion or next space of iṣṭa niṣṭa.

ī ā ā

You are free to choose your ideal in Hindu tradition. You can choose your own Guru. You need to understand, living with your chosen ideal is called iṣṭa niṣṭa. Līlā dhyāna means constantly remembering the actions and the life of your chosen ideal and being immersed in the qualities, words, actions, body language and life of the Master; whatever you may be doing, being totally immersed in Him

ī ā ā

With god, one thing is that you may not be directly involved in the whole līlā. So you have to remember, remember and try to practice. With a living Guru, you are directly part of the divine play. So, you don't need to try to remember, remember; He will be remembering you!

He will be remembering you! This is called līlā dhyāna. Even if you are afraid that he is going to shout at you, it is līlā dhyāna. Listen! Practicing the presence of God is constantly feeling you are with Him, He is with you. Practicing the presence of God is the greatest, most powerful technique to put you in bhāva samādhi immediately

Practice Iṣṭa niṣṭa, with the whole Existence cognizing—'I bow down to THE SUPREME PONTIFF OF HINDUISM BHAGAWAN SRI NITHYANANDA PARAMASHIVAM who is in your ānanda gandha; whether he is awakened or not, whether you experience or not, He is there in your ānanda gandha. If you are initiated into ānanda gandha, you will also experience him. If not, you may not experience, but I can experience.I bow down to THE SUPREME PONTIFF OF HINDUISM BHAGAWAN SRI NITHYANANDA PARAMASHIVAM who is in your ānanda gandha.'

Understand, ānanda gandha is a nādi, a subtle cosmic energy center just below anāhata cakra (heart center) and above ma�…ipūraka cakra (stomach center), which is awakened only by an Incarnation.

Listen! What you are carrying in the ānanda gandha will become reality. Please understand, your ānanda gandha is the source of your life.

Just like any slide kept in front of projector light becomes reality, any truth kept in front of your inner space, your ānanda gandha becomes a reality.

I have seen so many people, ordinary village men and women in Bharat, living with their chosen ideal and living the highest enlightened life without even knowing the words integrity, authenticity, and all that! Without knowing any of these words, they are radiating Enlightenment! I tell you, just this one truth of Iṣṭa niṣṭa and Līlā dhyāna has made millions of village Hindus, Hindu villagers enlightened! Millions of Hindu villagers practice the presence of God. Practicing the presence of God makes you more and more authentic. That is the beauty of the Hindu tradition! Beauty of the Vedic spiritual tradition! Iṣṭa niṣṭa

makes you do lot of self-completion with you.

So, the first level of completion is attending rituals and visiting temples, pūjā and yātrā. The second level is doing the rituals yourself, pūjā. The third level is having the feeling connection and concentrating on one deity, and offering only to that deity, iśṭa niṣṭa. The fourth level of completion is realizing that the verses are more powerful than rituals, and you start chanting the name of your iṣṭa. The fifth level is visualizing a form and meditating on His pastimes and being immersed in His qualities, words, actions, body language and life; instead of chanting, you enter the space of feeling and living with His presence. Then, when you sincerely meditate, He Himself appears. He gives you His darśan (vision) and guides you to the higher level of practice. He guides you to the right living Master.

You need to go through all five levels of completion, only then will you feel completely connected to a living Master. When you come to the stage where you meditate on a single form, the Master happens in your life and guides you to the highest level of completion, enriching you with Enlightenment. The form upon which you meditate and your own form are expressions of the same divine energy. So the Master puts you into real meditation.

This means turning towards yourself, turning towards your own consciousness, turning towards your own being or soul. He gives you the technique to realize your being. This is the sixth level of completion.

The seventh level of completion, the ultimate completion, the complete completion is when you experience that you are That. You achieve Enlightenment! When you start, you are like 18 carat gold. There's nothing wrong with 18 carat gold, but you need to be put into the fire a little bit, and slowly, you become 22 carat gold. Then you reach the Master, a living enlightened Master. Then slowly you become 24 carat gold, and you become enlightened.

If you throw away the first step, giving up on the 18 carat gold, you never reach the second step. Unless you have gone through the earlier steps of completion, it will be difficult to relate and have feeling connection to a living Master. means turning towards yourself, turning towards your own consciousness, turning towards your own being or soul. He gives you the technique to realize your being. This is the sixth level of completion.

When you go to a temple and worship an idol, when you are in the first level of completion, you might feel that you are praying to a stone or metal idol.

As your completion grows, you will realize that the idol is not just stone or metal; it is living energy. Even without much effort, you will start feeling the energy inside the temple. Hindus worship through the idols, not the idols themselves; our rituals address the energy behind these idols. Logic cannot make us understand this. Only faith can, the śraddha that comes from authenticity.

When Kṛṣṇa says, 'He goes to the planets of the demigods,' don't think there is some planet out there! He talks about inner space and experience.

If we worship some god out of greed, we never come out of that greed. We will be continuously caught in greed. If we worship some god out of fear, we will be always in that fear. If we worship the Divine out of love and gratitude, we experience a totally different inner space, the space of completion, the space of Enlightenment.

He makes one more statement: madbhaktā yānti mām api—My devotees attain Me. Then He says these words:

If you approach Me with the ultimate attitude, with the attitude of love and gratitude, you achieve Me.

The greatest attitude is gratitude. If you approach Me with gratitude, you experience Me. 'Again and again people ask me, 'Swamiji, when I have so many problems, how can I be grateful?'

We continuously pray, 'Oh God, please give me a diamond ring.' Do we feel grateful that He gave us the finger to wear the ring?

on us.

This very life is a blessing! Can we say that our life has been given to us as payment for some job that we did in Vaikuṇṭha (abode of Lord Viṣṇu) or Kailāśa (abode of Lord Śiva)? No! It's not as if we worked for 100 years in Kailāśa, and earned a check that says, 'Alright, have 70 years of life.' If we work in the army, they give us money to study. It's not like that; we did not get life as a salary. It's a pure blessing showered on us

Every breath is a blessing!

The breath that we inhale and exhale is a boon given to us. This very life is a blessing. Continuously we miss things that are not part of our possession.

But we never experience the things that are showered on us by the Divine. Each of us has a big list of things that God has not given us and we also have a big list of things that God has given us. If you take a paper and pen and start writing these lists, both

lists will be endless. Every moment of our life is a gift from the Divine. We are alive, we are still conscious; that by itself is a gift from the Divine.

Help the children to understand the steps in our seeking. Bring the understanding that how we approach the Divine is important in our spiritual progress.

• Does Kṛṣṇa say there is a right way and a wrong way to approach him?
• What are the first four levels of a normal seeker?
• How are pūjā, japa, and jñāna described?
• What freedom does the Hindu tradition give you?
• What practice is the most powerful technique to put you in bhāva samādhi immediately?
• Do Hindus worship idols?
• What blessings has God given us?

• 1. Paper
• 2. Coloring pens
• 3. Picture of deities

Remind the children that in Hindu tradition you are free to choose your ideal. Let them draw whichever deity they choose. For younger children give the option of colouring in a picture of a deity

The Divine is there in all the gods, in all the forms. But we may feel more attracted towards one god, a particular god. As soon as we desire to worship a particular deity, Kṛṣṇa make our faith steady so that we can devote ourselves to that particular deity

• 1. Chart paper
• 2. Pictures or coloured paper for a collage

Organise the children into a circle. Each child gets a turn to go round the circle and say one thing they are grateful for in each of the children they go past. When they have been once round the circle they sit down again and it's the next child's turn.

This very life is a blessing. When we feel life is a blessing and we approach the Divine with deep love and gratitude, not only do we experience divine consciousness, we achieve Kṛṣṇa.

Review the usual route of completion that seekers travel on, starting from the first level of completion, moving to the second level, and ending with the ultimate and complete completion of experiencing the Self. Encourage the children to talk about which level of completion they are in and how they can try to go to the next level. Let each child have a turn to talk about themselves and the level they are.

Just go on completing, completing, completing with everything, with Guru, with God, with Sadguru, with life!

Authored by

THE SUPREME PONTIFF OF HINDUISM BHAGAWAN SRI NITHYANANDA PARAMASHIVAM

avyaktaṃ vyaktimāpannaṃ manyante māmabuddhayaḥ paraṃ bhāvamajānanto mamāvyayam anuttamam

Unintelligent men, who do not know Me perfectly, think that I, the supreme personality of godhead, the Bhagavān, who was impersonal before, have become a human being now. They do not know that I am imperishable and supreme, even when I assume the body

Kṛṣṇa is supreme, illimitable and immortal. He does not become an ordinary human being by assuming a human form.'

nāhaṃ prakāśaḥ sarvasya yogamāyāsamāvṛtaḥ mūḍhoyaṃ nābhijānāti loko māmajamavyayam

I am never revealed to the foolish and unintelligent, covered as I am by My divine power; the ignorant do not know Me, unborn and eternal.

It is the awareness of that divinity in Him that makes Kṛṣṇa divine. If that awareness happens in you, you will be in Kṛṣṇa consciousness.

vedāhaṃ samatī tāni vartamānāni cārjuna bhaviṣyāṇi ca bhūtāni māṃ tu veda na kaścana

O Arjuna, as the supreme personality of Godhead, I know all that has happened, all that is happening, and all that is to happen. I also know all living entities; but no one knows Me.

We cannot know Kṛṣṇa unless we are in Kṛṣṇa consciousness.

icchādveṣasamutthena dvandvamohena bhārata sarvabhūtāni saṃmohaṃ sarge yānti parantapa

O scion of Bhārata (Arjuna), O conqueror of the foe, Parantapa, all living entities are born into delusion, overcome by the dualities of attachment and aversion.

Shedding attachment and aversion is the first step to awareness.

Kṛṣṇa gives the explanation: 'Unintelligent men, who are not mature, think I am just this form. Only an intelligent man understands that I am immortal. Even when I assume this form, I am that same consciousness. I have not become an ordinary human being by assuming a human form.' He declares His divinity openly. Kṛṣṇa says, 'All types of people come to Me. I fulfill them at different levels, to encourage their faith and to enrich them to grow. But only intelligent people understand, that even if I assume this body, I am the ultimate, I am enlightened. Unintelligent people think by seeing my body, by seeing my form, that I am not the Divine. So please be very clear: I am THAT.' He makes a clear statement again and again, so that Arjuna understands.

We need to understand two important issues here. First, the formless energy of Kṛṣṇa defines His supremacy, His divinity, His Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Second, in whatever form the formless is expressed, it is divine. It is the awareness of that divinity in Him that makes Kṛṣṇa divine, the supreme Master. If that awareness happens in you, you will be in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, immersed in Him; and you will be divine too. The intelligence Kṛṣṇa talks about is the intelligent awareness of one's own divinity, not merely that of Kṛṣṇa. They are both one and the same.

It is only when we are aware of our divinity that we appreciate the Divine

Kṛṣṇa asks: How can you recognize divinity when you are covered in ignorance? How can you recognize Me when you are not aware? Out of the thousands who come to me, tens of thousands, the vast majority seeks favors of one kind or another. They come for the healing of the body and mind, or they come for repairing relationships, and for material benefits. Even those who do not look for material benefits may aspire to that intangible peace and bliss. It is the rare person who comes without asking anything. They are attracted like iron filings to a magnet. It is a call from their being which leads them to me.

In Mahābhārat, the Pāṇḍava princes could recognize the reality of Kṛṣṇa. No one needed to coach them for it. On the other hand, their cousins the Kaurava for the most part denied Kṛṣṇa. They rejected and ridiculed Him.

Duryodhana, who was offered the first choice by Kṛṣṇa to choose either Him unarmed or His Yadava army, chose the utilitarian army! That was all Duryodhana could see. That was his level of awareness, steeped as he was in ignorance. Arjuna jumped at Kṛṣṇa's offer. All Arjuna wanted was Kṛṣṇa, His presence, not His army, not His divine powers, nothing else.

It is a choice that all of us need to make, whether we wish to be Duryodhana or Arjuna. It is not a difficult choice, as it will be determined by our being and our awareness. Fear and greed are what drive us, says Kṛṣṇa. That is our delusion that leads us away from Him. Attachment and aversion, rāga and dveṣa, form the duality, the polarity of human life.

Even at the fundamental cellular level, biologists have shown that this tendency is exhibited. If you place a single cell in a petridish and place a drop of nutrient, it is attracted to it and moves towards it. If you place a drop of toxin in the same dish, the cell moves away from it. At the cellular level, attraction aids in growth and aversion in survival. A cell can either grow or protect itself. Unfortunately, what works well at the cellular level does not work so well at the human level simply because humans have greater intelligence. Cells obey Nature and are directed by Nature to recognize instinctively what is good and what is bad. They also automatically accept the consequence.

Humans are different. They bypass signals from their body, refuse to accept what Nature tries to tell them and indulge in or avoid activities or objects based on their logic. Logic overriding Nature always leads to suffering. Shedding attachment and aversion is the first step to awareness. Attachment and aversion are born out of our past; based on experiences and memories that form the root thought patterns, what we call saṁskāra in Saṁskrit. Based on these saṁskāras, we

try to define our future.

Part 5: Bhagavad Gita Chapter 7

The problem is that these saṁskāras operate at an unconscious level and drive us from unawareness to unawareness, from incompletion to incompletion. Therefore, we end up acting instinctively, but unlike our cellular brethren, without listening to Nature Human beings are given intelligence so that they can rise above instinct and logic and operate out of intuition. This intuition is born from awareness. It comes through meditation. With awareness, we understand that there is truly nothing that we can be attached to, since everything is impermanent. The same is true of aversion.

It arises from insecurity and fears. What is there to be afraid of in life? Every occasion that we are afraid, we actually die inside us. If we shed our fear of death, we lose all our fears. When we move into awareness, through meditation, we settle within the boundary of our body-mind and we enter the present moment.

When we are in the present moment there is no duality of like and dislike, attachment and aversion. We respond to each event as it unfolds with clarity, with intuitive intelligence, with completion and we are always right.

Help children understand that it takes intelligence to recognise the Divinity of Kṛṣṇa Let children understand that attachment and aversion are useful for growth and survival And that human intelligence is there not to stop listening to Nature, but to raise us

• Why does Kṛṣṇa repeatedly declare that He is enlightened?
• When the formless Divine expresses as a form, is the choice of the form (the shape) important?
• What are some of the reasons people come to a Master?
• How do single cells show attachment and aversion?
• Why is there truly nothing that we can be attached to?
• What does aversion arise from?

• 1. Paper
• 2. Coloured pens

Sketch the scene where Kṛṣṇa offers Duryodhana the choice of either Kṛṣṇa unarmed or His Yadava army, and Duryodhana choses the army. However Arjuna jumps at Kṛṣṇa's offer, all Arjuna wants is Kṛṣṇa.

Duryodhana chose the utilitarian army! That was all Duryodhana could see. That was his level of awareness, steeped as he was in ignorance.

• 1. Paper Pens Flash cards with the Sanskrit numbers

Let's do an exercise to help raise our intelligence.

Count how many different names are used for Kṛṣṇa and for Arjuna in the slokas of this lesson. Learn the Sanskrit numbers used to number the Bhagavad Gita slokas. These are the numbers 0 to 9:

Kṛṣṇa talks about the intelligent awareness of one's own divinity, not merely that of Kṛṣṇa

Encourage the children to hold Vaakyartha sadhas on: "Humans are different. They bypass signals from their body, refuse to accept what Nature tries to tell them and indulge in or avoid activities or objects based on their logic. Logic overriding Nature always leads to suffering."

Help the children recall an incident when they themselves or someone they know indulged in something or avoided something based on their logic, and that led to suffering. What was Nature trying to tell them? Were they acting out of attachment and aversion, or both? For example, a child stayed up late at night even though their body was tired and they were yawning. They suffered the next morning by being grumpy, or by falling asleep in class and the other children laughed at them. They acted from attachment because they wanted to watch TV.

Conclusion: We cannot know Kṛṣṇa unless we are in Kṛṣṇa consciousness. True Kṛṣṇa consciousness needs no words. In fact, it has no words because the experience is beyond expression

Authored by

THE SUPREME PONTIFF OF HINDUISM BHAGAWAN SRI NITHYANANDA PARAMASHIVAM

yeṣāṃ tvantagataṃ pāpaṃ janānāṃ puṇyakarmaṇām te dvandvamohanirmuktā bhajante māṃ dṛḍhavratāḥ

Persons who have acted virtuously, whose sinful actions are completely eradicated and who are freed from the duality of reality and unreality, engage themselves in My worship with firm resolve.

Kṛṣṇa says to go beyond duality, the duality of sin and virtue. This is only possible when we become aware

jarāmaraṇa mokṣāya māmāśritya yatanti ye te brahma tadviduḥ kṛtsnam adhyātmaṃ karma cākhilam

Persons who are striving for liberation from the cycle of birth, old age and death, take refuge in Me. They are actually Brahman because they comprehend everything about activities that transcend these.

To know that one needs to be saved from this cycle of birth and death needs great wisdom.

sādhibhūtādhidaivaṃ māṃ sādhiyajñaṃ ca ye viduḥ prayāṇakāle 'pi ca māṃ te vidur yuktacetasaḥ

Those who know Me as the Supreme Lord, as the governing principle of the material manifestation, who know Me as the one underlying all the demigods and as the one sustaining all sacrifices, can with steadfast mind, understand and know Me, even at the time of death.

We cannot change our nature at the last minute. If we want to die with the thought of the Divine uppermost in our mind, we must cultivate the habit of remembering Him now.

Kṛṣṇa talks here about pāpa and puṇya, sinful and meritorious acts. Kṛṣṇa addresses mortal beings here, in the form of Arjuna. So He talks about doing virtuous acts and avoiding sinful acts. What follows is more important. He says to go beyond duality, the duality of sin and virtue. This is only possible when we become aware. It is only when we become aware that we can reach Him. The greatest philosopher that Hinduism has known, Ādī Śankarācārya, prays to the greatest Master that the Universe has known, Kṛṣṇa, 'Save me from this endless cycle of saṁsāra, the cycle of birth and death.' To know that one needs to be saved from this cycle needs great wisdom. To seek the feet of the Master who can lead you to that liberation needs great wisdom and awareness.

You can be born again and again and still think that you are being born for the first time, and that this is the only life that you have. This knowledge requires no wisdom.

With this knowledge, you focus on this life and want to extract the maximum juice out of it. You run after everything possible, as if there is no tomorrow. Please understand, this is not your only life. This body is not who you are.

All this is temporary. What you chase is a dream. One day you will wake up and discover that this life is nothing but a dream. You are more than this body and mind; you are above this body-mind.

What you are endures after death. When you understand this Cosmic Truth, you are liberated. Buddha calls this cycle of birth and death a bondage. It is sorrow because it is not real. It is not the real you that dies and is reborn. The real you changes bodies as you change clothes.

It is never too late to reach me kṛṣṇa ends this chapter with the prescription for how to know and understand him and reach him. even at the time of death, he says, even if all your life you lived a dissolute life, if at the point of departure you realize your folly, the futility of the psychodrama that you have enacted, that is enough to redeem you. the mere recognition of that can save you.

His compassion is unlimited. He promises: Knowing me at the time of death, even at the time of death, will lead you to Me. We cannot change our nature at the last minute.

If we want to die with the thought of the Divine uppermost in our mind, we must cultivate the habit of remembering Him now. We should start knowing and understanding Him today. Then and only then will we know and understand Him at the time of death.

Some may ask, 'What is the need to understand and know Kṛṣṇa, whether at the point of death or before?

If I do the right things in the right manner, why should it make any difference whether or not I understand and know Kṛṣṇa?'

Please understand that Kṛṣṇa is not talking about the physical Kṛṣṇa, or even about the Cosmic Consciousness that He is. He speaks about our understanding, about knowing ourselves, who we are.

Kṛṣṇa in His deep compassion says, 'Even if that happens at the point of death, I shall redeem you.' He does not want us to miss that chance, even if we have not thought about Him all our lives. He does not rule out the possibility, even if we have not been seeking all our lives. He wants us to discover the master within. Even if we do that at the point of our last breath, it is okay with Him. How can we even intellectually understand that Kṛṣṇa is supreme? Forget the demigods, how can we even accept that He is greater than us? We are so full of our identity and root patterns, that even if a thousand Kṛṣṇas were to descend in front of us, we would ask them for their identification cards! We will recognize Kṛṣṇa only if He comes in front of us in the mold and image of Him that we have stored in our Minds!

The ultimate Master resides within us, not anywhere else. The external Master, be He Kṛṣṇa or THE SUPREME PONTIFF OF HINDUISM BHAGAWAN SRI NITHYANANDA PARAMASHIVAM, is a guide to make us understand, know and accept the Master within us. Yes, it may be possible in rare cases for that wisdom to dawn on us at the point of death, but it is not common. Someone who constantly seeks that truth will continuously search for that Master within, and has a better chance of making that connection earlier rather than later in life

Kṛṣṇa must come to us in our image of Him. Then we will accept Him as the Supreme and hang His picture on the wall. Everyday, Kṛṣṇa comes to us in many forms. He comes to us in the form of every person we meet. We decide whom we will accept and whom we will reject.

We cannot accept Kṛṣṇa in parts and reject Him in parts. Either we accept Him totally or reject Him. We have to surrender to Him. We have to surrender our identity, our root patterns to Him. We have to surrender to Him that foolish image that we have in our minds of Him.

Meditation is a technique for surrendering one's identity. Completion is the process of surrendering one's root patterns. Throughout the Gītā, Kṛṣṇa suggests to Arjuna techniques, sūtras that leads to liberation.

Combined with the cognition at the intellectual level, śāstra, with the higher devotional acceptance of His glories through verses, stotra, the Gītā leads you through the path of surrender into liberation.

Dropping one's identity requires a deep cognition, acceptance, intranalization, and completion which brings the merger of the Self, World and God. Simply put, we accept our Divinity and become one with the Divine.

We become complete, whole! This is what Enlightenment is about.

The simple truth is that the present moment of completion is Kṛṣṇa consciousness. When we reach this state of being in the present moment, we reach Him and we are complete. So it is not the mere intellectual understanding of what we read in the verses, but the authentic listening, śravana, authentic intranalying, manana and powerfully living and radiating, nididhyāsana of what Kṛṣṇa speaks into our listening, that can complete us.

So, let us pray to the Ultimate Kṛṣṇa to give us the intelligence and awareness to realize the truth about ourselves, to give us this experience of eternal bliss, Nityānanda. May you reach Kṛṣṇa consciousness and realize eternal bliss, Nityānanda

Teach about reaching Kṛṣṇa consciousness and being more than this body and mind Help children understand about the ultimate master within us

• What does Kṛṣṇa say is more important than sin and virtue?
• What is the cycle of birth and death?
• What do we need to do if we want to die with the thought of the Divine uppermost in our mind?
• What is the role of the external Master, be He Kṛṣṇa or THE SUPREME PONTIFF OF HINDUISM BHAGAWAN SRI NITHYANANDA PARAMASHIVAM?
• Why do meditation and completion?
• What do the techniques, sūtras in the Gītā lead to?
• How do we reach Kṛṣṇa?

• 1. Paper
• 2. Coloring pens

Encourage the children to do a drawing that helps them understand the birth, old age, death cycle.

To know that one needs to be saved from this cycle needs great wisdom. You can be born again and again and still think that you are being born for the first time, and that this is the only life that you have. This knowledge requires no wisdom.

One child stands apart while the remaining children choose one to be Kṛṣṇa. The child who was standing apart rejoins the other children and has to ask questions to find who is Kṛṣṇa in this round. The answers to the questions can only be yes or no. Repeat as time allows, with a different child being Kṛṣṇa and also a different child asking the questions. Option is to have the children moving around, for example, pretending to be at a market, or in a forest.

Kṛṣṇa comes to us in many forms. He comes to us in the form of every person we meet.

Hold Vaakyartha Sadhas on the topic: "The ultimate Master resides within us, not anywhere else. The external Master, be He Kṛṣṇa or THE SUPREME PONTIFF OF HINDUISM BHAGAWAN SRI NITHYANANDA PARAMASHIVAM, is a guide to make us understand, know and accept the Master within us."

When we reach this state of being Kṛṣṇa consciousness in the present moment, we reach Him and we are complete.