Hari Om Parents,
We started class with beginning prayers and the students leading the
chanting of Om Namaste Astu... followed by Mahamrityunjaya mantra.
We learned verses 69 - 72 from Chapter 2 of the Bhagavad Gita.
Our meditation was based on focusing on the turning points of the
breath. Lord Shiva says that Devi appears at these turning points of
the breath to push it in the other direction.
After a quick recap on the previous lesson on the Upanishadic
statement made famous by Swami Vivekananda we moved to the lesson
based on rhe Mahavakyas or "The 4 Great Declarations" from the 4 vedas
as classified by Vyasacharya.
After watching a video of the same we studied these powerful
statements by telling a story.
A well qualified student, called a adhikari, with an attitude of
devotion, faith and surrender goes to a spiritual teacher and asks to
teach him BrahmaVidya.
The teacher gives an objective definition of Brahman- 'Prajnanam
Brahma' or Consciousness is Brahman, as declared in the Rig Veda.
The student contemplates on this statement and understands that all
living entities are an expression of the One God. He goes back to the
teacher to check and the teacher declares to him 'Tat Tvam Asi' or
That Thou Art, as declared in the Sama Veda. He says this
Consciousness is not somewhere far away in Vaikuntha or Kailasa but to
be understood as my own Self. The students has only a limited
intellectual understanding of this. He feels how can the All pervading
Brahman be myself who is a limited individual.
He goes back to contemplate and understands and experiences, Ayamatma
Brahma or this self is Brahman, a statement from the Atharva Veda. His
mind is purified as a result of the meditation. He finally returns to
the teacher and declares Aham Brahma Asmi, a statement from the Yajur
veda.
We then discussed how we can purify our minds like rhe above student.
The answer was to change our focus in life which is to move from away
from being a materialist.
By giving examples from day to day life we can change our focus in life as below
From painting to canvas, Wave to ocean, movie to screen
Told a story about how negative emotions can color our mind and slows
down the process of achieving our goals.
The famous painter Leonardo da Vinci was working on his painting "The
last supper". It took him almost 4 years to complete the famous
painting. On analysis he found he was trying to superimpose the face
of a fellow painter whom he didn't like on Judas. Finally when he
forgave his fellow painter, the painting was completed very quickly.
The students participated in giving reasons what took the painting so
long to complete.
To move from Vikriti to Prakriti is the key to success was our conclusion.
Our next class is on April 1st
Bhagavad Gita chanting competition is on April 2nd.
Pranams
Uma and Nirmala