Bhagavad Gita - Book 13, Volume 4

WORKSHOP OF THE DAY

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WORKSHOP OF THE DAY: VAAKYARTHA SADHAS

A Small Story:

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

WORKSHOP OF THE DAY:

VAAKYARTHA SADHAS

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

What does “clutching” mean?

Why do we believe our mind?

Why are we afraid to let go?

WORKSHOP OF THE DAY:

VAAKYARTHA SADHAS

PROCEDURE:

Then you can share the following:

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

WORKSHOP OF THE DAY: VAAKYARTHA SADHAS

CONCLUSION:

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