Oct 5, 2025 - JCHYK Gr. 10-12 (Sunday AM)

Hari om everyone, 

Here's a quick synopsis of our class on Sunday. 

We started with meditation and breathing techniques. We learnt chanting of BG Chapter 15 till verse 5.  Now that we have our handbooks for the script, we started marking out notations for mahapraaNas and visarga pronunciations. 

Quirky Question (QQ) of the Day: My friend was born on Dec 25th.  When she celebrates her birthday, it is always summer.  How is it possible?! 

Our smart students said - She lives in Brazil, Argentina, Australia, etc. 

They were right!  She must live in the Southern Hemisphere, where it is summer in December :). 

We said, 'Just because it is winter for us in America, doesn't mean it holds good everywhere in the world. The mind generally thinks that whatever we are familiar with is the only way in the world! There are other perspectives too, and we need an open mind to see them! The same holds good in class — we need to keep an open mind to absorb what is being discussed.' 

We then asked, "Why should we study history?" 

A few quick replies flew in.

"So we don't repeat the same mistakes!"
"To know our roots!"
Then someone joked, "Because our parents said so!"

The class laughed, and we grinned. "All true! But there's more. History is a record of human tendencies. People haven't really changed — only their tools have. Cavemen compared bark or fur; we compare brands. 'My bark is softer than yours' has become 'My Gucci is newer than yours.'"

That got the class laughing again. But the point landed: human patterns and tendencies stay the same — only the form changes.

We asked, "How's Mahabharata any different from fiction, like Harry Potter or Winnie the Pooh?"

They chimed in, "Ya!  Why?" or "Why not?!" 

"Because Vyasa didn't write fantasy — he wrote life. He lived it, observed it, and captured every emotion humans can have. There's a saying — VyasocChishtam jagat sarvam — Vyasa's work has 'tasted' every situation possible. Jealousy, ego, devotion, heartbreak — it's all there.  It's like studying a book on human psychology in story form!"

We learn it not to memorize the events, but to understand ourselves."

For context-setting of the Bhagavad Gita, we review Mahabharata. So, the discussion turned to King Shantanu and Ganga.

"He sees this radiant woman by the river and falls head over heels," we narrated dramatically. "She agrees to marry him — but on one condition: he can never question her."

"Oh no…" someone muttered.

"Exactly! She bears seven children and throws each one into the river — and he watches silently because of his promise. By the eighth, he breaks and stops her."

"So even kings make emotional promises, and that's our first lesson — don't promise what you don't understand. Love isn't blind obedience. It needs awareness."

"Does Shantanu learn his lesson?!  Nope!  He falls in love yet again with a fisherman's daughter, Satyavati."

"With her enters her ambitious father. Her father's condition for her marriage? That only her children should inherit the throne."

"His ambition creates ripples that last generations. Greedy intentions can have long shadows."

When the story reached Bhishma, the tone shifted.

"To fulfill his father's wish to marry Satyavati, Bhishma gives up his right to the throne and vows lifelong celibacy."

"That's… extreme, but that's the power of his discipline — and the tragedy of his vow. Dharma isn't just about keeping your word; it's about knowing which promises are worth making."

Responsibility without reflection becomes bondage.

Bhishma is noble — but his very strength becomes his shackles.

That's why Mahabharata is timeless. No one here is black or white. Everyone is grey — just like us.

The discussion circled back to the modern day.

"Even in our lives," we said, "we make emotional promises, get caught between love and duty, ambition and peace, instant gratification and long-term goals,  etc. The Mahabharata just shows us our own stories on a grand scale."

Someone added, "So technology, fashion, language change. But the mind remains the same."

"Exactly, that's why we read it — to spot ourselves in its mirror."

Everyone left smiling — some thinking about Bhishma's vow, others about Shantanu's blind love, and a few still chuckling about the bark-to-Gucci comparison.

But we all left with one clear thought echoing in our minds: 

Mahabharata isn't ancient — it's just us, in another time.

Until next time, here's a thought - 

Regards,
Rashmi and Jacqueline.