5/16/2024 Class Notes by Usha Chazhiyat
Introduction
When Pujya Swami Tejomayananda was asked how not to be angry, His response was ‘Don’t be angry’. Instead of looking for so many techniques to not be angry, just don’t be angry.
Peloton has various “facilities” in their programming including “All-Time”, “Here and Now” and the latest is called ‘Just Me’ – it tracks your progress compared to your own progress. You are competing against yourself. If ‘just me’ is peaceful, then here and now can be more peaceful and then all-time can be peaceful.
We are on a course on ‘your path to Our Peace’. If there is a path, we need a map. The map we are using is an itihasa (history), it is a historical textbook known as Mahabharata. The original name of Mahabharata was Jaya. In Jaya, the most powerful facet is the Bhagavad Gita in which we are investing. Another powerful and popular facet is ‘Yaksha Prashna’ with the questions that a supernatural being asks of Raja Yudhisthira.
The context of the Yaksha Prashna: The four younger Pandava brothers have died. The eldest brother, Raja Yudhisthira, is grieving but is balanced. In his presence of mind, the first thing he tries to do is drink water. As he is about to drink water, a voice came asking him for a condition before drinking the water. The condition is that he answers all 124 questions and if he answers correctly, he can have water and also have one brother.
Review
Answer 111: Reminder: Harmed
Answer 112: Reminder: Supportive
Answer 113: Reminder: Meanness
Answer 114: Reminder: Centering
Answer 115: Reminder: Kindness (The one who offers kindness receives kindness)
Answer 116: Reminder: Opportunity
Answer 117: Reminder: Grows
5 types of friends (from most distant to the closest):
5th type: sahartha: Someone who you relate to in terms of an exchange.
4th type: krithriman: Someone gifts you, then you feel closer to that person.
3rd type: bhajamana: A friend because of your family.
2nd type: sahaja : Someone you have a connection with from your birth, not this birth but from past birth itself.
1st type: dharmatma: The one who is following dharma and so naturally pushes you in the same way.
Answer 118: Reminder: – Ends
Answer 119: Reminder:- Means
Answer 120: Reminder:- Reactive
Discourse
Question 121: What is the right path?
Answer 121: Logical reasoning is never conclusive. The scriptures, too, differ in their views. No two sages’ opinions can be considered authoritative. The essence of dharma is hidden in the cave of the heart, therefore, that alone is the right path that great people have already walked.
Absolute: The closet facet of life to you is you. What is being indicated by this is, your sense of being and life are synonyms. Life is infinite, you feel it here. In Shrimad Bhagavad Gita’s Chapter 9 (described as raja guhya) – The most intimate secret is that Shri Krishna lives in you, Shri Krishna is you. When you associate with someone who is great, they will reveal this learning for you.
The Guru himself has crossed the ocean of samsara and has left behind a boat for us to ride to liberation.
Relative: What Raja Yudhisthira is implying for all of us is: once you understand the logic, then you start to accept faith.
Tactile Reminder: Recover
Question 122: What is the news?
Answer 122: Time cooks all beings by the fire of the sun which is fueled by days and nights stirred with a ladle of months and seasons in the frying pan of this mighty delusory world.
Insight from commentary: Time devours everything. The only way to face this invisible time is to surrender to the Lord who is mahakaala or kaalakala.
Absolute: The moment we surrender, the Lord/Guru takes over our destiny and that is the most auspicious time in our lives. This is the only way to come out of the frying pan.
Relative: Live in the Presence, so we can live in the present.
Tactile Reminder: Slow
Question 123: Who is really a human?
Answer 123: To the glory born to one’s virtuous deeds are heard across heaven and earth, a person can be called a human.
Absolute: – One who is revered, they are the ones who live on forever. What makes one reverential? One who is reverential lifts themselves up, which lets them lift others. Those people who feel lifted by such a human bow down to them.
Relative:- We tend to make relationships around the orientation of physicality. Authentic and deep relationships are not physical. They are meaningful. It’s based on virtues.
Tactile:– Reminder : Remember
Question 124: Which human is the richest?
Answer 124: A person who treats the pleasant and the unpleasant, the joys and the sorrows, the past and the future with equality is a truly wealthy person. Prince Arjuna’s name – Partha means one whose artha is paramatma. One whose wealth in life is paramatma.
Absolute: – Paramatma is beyond gunas, dvaita etc. The one who is tuned into the Center is beyond being crushed.
Relative: – We are all parts of the whole. Everyone is unique. Since each of us are unique, do what is unique to you. If you like yourself, you’ll start to love yourself and if you love yourself then you will like what you do. Your means come down so much to eating and sleeping.
Tactile: Reminder: balance
After Raja Yudhishtira gave 124 right answers, he was allowed to drink water. The yaksha shared – you can choose one from the 4 brothers whom you want to come back to life. Yudhishtira chose Nakula. When the yaksha asks why, Yudhishtira responds saying – I love Devi Madri as much as I love Devi Kunti. I’m already alive, I would like my stepmother to have a child alive also. Nakula is brought back to life. The yaksha is so pleased by how balanced Raja Yudhishtira is so he brings all the brothers back to life. Yaksha is very pleased and then reveals his real form as Yama Raja (father of Raja Yudhishtira). Raja Yudhishtira also asks to have his greed to be destroyed and his generosity to be grown, to never be greedy but only to be generous.
RAM (Reflection Adventure for the Months):
1. Pick a book/guide from Chinmaya Mission Niagara Website under the Resources page and study that book/guide throughout the summer. 2. Complete the feedback survey.