Hari om everyone,
We started with a brief meditation, followed by chanting the Bhagavadgeeta. Geeta Chanting Yajna was conducted yesterday, but our goal for chanting is never just the competition. We start learning from the very first week of BV and continue till the very last week every year! So, we chanted verses 39 - 72 from 'BG chapter 2'.
In our interactive segment, we asked these questions
- Who commands in a kingdom? The unanimous answer was - King, of course!
- Who appointed the Lion as the King of the jungle? In many different words - no one, itself, nature, humans, other animals out of fear, etc. were the answers
- When does the king step out of his palace? Answers were - war, help others, to visit other kingdoms, politics, survey his kingdom, take a walk :), etc.
- Which of your organs do you like more - head, shoulders, thighs, feet? Answers were varied for this.
- Is the caste system exclusive to Hinduism? NO was the clear answer!! (We were happy to hear that.)
- What is a catalyst? Answers - initiator, starts reactions, makes a reaction happen, initiates, the cause, etc.
- How does a catalyst contribute to a reaction? Ans - allows a reaction to take place, activates, speeds or lowers the energy (based on the reaction)
- What happens to a catalyst at the end of a reaction? Ans - remains as is, nothing happens to it, unchanged, may change physical form but not its composition.
So, now comes our analysis and relevance of these questions for this context. In the 4th chapter of Bhagavadgeeta, Krishna is explaining to Arjuna why we should be unattached and know our true limitless potential! He says one who knows his true identity is like that King, who is in charge of himself and doesn't feel bound, enslaved or limited. Just as the Lion is King by nature, no one needs to anoint us to a post to feel this empowerment! Just as the king steps out to protect his people or wage a war, bhagavaan can come down to earth in his manifest form to protect dharma.
The next subject was the Caste System. This can be a touchy topic, but we were happy to see that our students DIDN'T think it is the taboo of Hinduism! They gave us the example of the British imperial system where the Queen family, dukes, generals, farmers, etc. were present in their society too. We pointed out to them that even in something as common as a school system, this hierarchy is visible - The principal and teachers are the brahmaNas, making decisions for the school; security, the police/firemen are kShatriyas, protecting the school; parents, the tax-payers are the vyshyaas, financing the schools; custodians and janitors are the shudras, who work towards keeping the premises clean! Obviously, the cops can't decide what can be taught at school or teachers don't pay for the schools to be run. So, there was no taboo about a general hierarchy visible everywhere!
Krishna clearly said, these castes (jaati) were NOT based on birth but upon inherent tendencies (guNas - sattva, rajas, tamas) of each individual. The word for caste, varNa literally means 'color' which was based on guNas.
We suddenly switched to Chemistry... We talked about platinum being the catalyst in a catalytic converter of an automobile; enzymes for digestion; zeolites in cracking oils, etc. Are we still in bhagavadgeeta class?! Yes, we are! :)
The questions about catalysts were asked to establish that bhagavaan is like that catalyst, in whose presence the world functions. But bhagavaan Himself remains unchanged, remains as is, even at the end of the world! Just as the catalyst may change its physical form (not its chemical composition), bhagavaan may manifest (avataaras) or be unmanifest. But He is the one unchangeable, constant presence..., just as the catalyst in a reaction!
We also discussed 'doer' and 'non-doer' concepts. If I ran a race representing the school, although I am physically running, I am NOT the doer, as I am representing the school! Whereas, the 'school' which is physically not running, is the doer/winner. These concepts of doer and non-doer need a lot of contemplation.
Krishna said, 'be the non-doer and detachment is the key to practicing non-doership'.
So, what exactly is this detachment? Simply put,
We will discuss this more. With that thought, we will take leave for this week.
See you all soon.
Regards,
Rashmi and Raghav.