Hari Om everyone!
We began class today with a few moments of quiet meditation — just following the breath and letting thoughts slow down. In less than a minute, the room went from chatty energy to this calm, steady silence.
We chanted BG ch. 15 and learned up to verse 15. The students are chanting wonderfully.
Quirky Question (QQ) of the Day: "What is it that lives if it is fed, and dies if you give it a drink?"
We had a few funny guesses — "A cactus?" "A sponge?" — Then, someone said it: "Fire!"
That lit up (pun intended!) our discussion. We said how fire is like human desire — it thrives on what you feed it. But greed, as we've seen throughout the Mahabharata, is even worse than fire, because no water can put it out. Fire at least dies when you pour water on it, but greed keeps burning, no matter what you give it. Duryodhana had everything — comfort, power, prosperity — and still, his envy kept eating away at him. We agreed that the fiercest battles aren't on the battlefield but inside us — in that restless, craving mind that never says, "enough."
From there, we continued with Mahabharata review. It was a powerful moment when Draupadi questioned the entire court. Her voice was steady, her logic sharp: "What did Yudhishthira lose first — himself or me?" When Dhritarashtra admitted that Yudhishthira had lost himself first, Draupadi's counter-question — "Then how could a slave bet the queen of a country?!" — left the assembly speechless. We said her courage in that moment exposed not just the injustice of what was done to her, but also the Adharma of silence — when those who knew better chose to look away.
Then we followed the Pandavas into their exile and fastforwarded to the final year of disguise in Matsya Desha. Each of them took on humble, unexpected roles — Yudhishthira as Kanka, the King's gambling advisor; Bhima as the cook; Draupadi as Sairandhri, the queen's maid; Nakula as Granthika and Sahadeva as Tantripaala, tending to horses and cows; and Arjuna as Brihannala, the dance teacher. When we talked about Arjuna's curse from Urvashi turning into a blessing, the conversation naturally flowed into gender identity and acceptance — how even ancient stories had space for ideas we often think of as modern.
Next came the Matsya war, where Arjuna fought fearlessly and defeated mighty warriors — Bhishma, Drona, Karna, Kripa — without any hesitation. But once the Kurukshetra war began and Krishna drove him to face his loved ones, that same warrior collapsed. His hands shook, his bow slipped, and his mind went blank. We said it's fascinating how the same person can feel so strong in one moment and so fragile in another. When you're fighting for someone else, the ego stays quiet, but when you fight your own battle, ownership brings fear!
That realization took us right to the Bhagavad Gita's doorway. We said this is where philosophy becomes personal — Arjuna's confusion and his breakdown are something we all experience in our own ways. Whether it's before an exam, a major decision, or a tough moral choice — that "Arjuna moment" of doubt and paralysis is universal.
We also reflected on the idea that we are all "Bhaaratas" — "seekers" walking our own inner battlefields. We said the Gita doesn't hand us ready-made answers; it trains us to see clearly.
A few curious questions came up about Dharma — especially around Yudhishthira's half-truth, "Ashwatthamo hataH Kunjaraha." That led us into a short but deep discussion about Samanya Dharma (universal duty) and Vishesha Dharma (personal duty). We concluded that Dharma isn't a rigid list of do's and don'ts — it's a living awareness, guided by intention and context.
Next week, we finally step into the Bhagavad Gita — Arjuna's turmoil and Krishna's wisdom — the moment where action meets awakening.
Today's class was from Fire to the Gita flame. May the inner fire be that of awareness, not the fire of greed.
Here's a thought until we meet next time -
Regards,
Rashmi and Jacqueline.
