Jun 7, 2026 - JCHYK Gr. 10-12 (Sunday AM)

Hari om everyone, 

Here's the last class report for the year.  We started the class with bhaamari praaNaayaama and chanting BG ch. 12. 

This week’s Quirky Question (QQ) of the Day:  “I’m always on the floor, but I never get dirty. Who am I?”

The guesses came flying — “A mop!” (“Nope, mops get dirty!”), “Cleaning liquid?” (no), "Ego" (No! Ego itself is dirty :) But they throw this answer to any question, hoping it will somehow fit 😀  “Light?” (kind of), “Darkness?” (kind of) …and then came the winning answer: “Wait, is it a Shadow?!” 

Bingo! That opened the door to one of our deepest discussions yet. We connected the idea of a shadow to consciousness — always present, always visible through something, yet untouched by what happens around it, just like Bhagavaan or Aatma: ever-present, but never becoming impure.

From there, the questions got sharper. “If consciousness is in everyone, does Bhagavaan get divided into pieces?” We said no — consciousness isn’t split and distributed. The body became our pot, the mind our water, and consciousness the reflected sunlight. The reflection appears because of the medium, not because the sun enters the pot or loses bits and pieces to become the reflection. When the pot breaks, nothing happens to the sun — only the reflection disappears. That led us into a beautiful exploration of the five elements in our own body: earth, water, air, space… and fire.

"Fire, inside the body?" Yes! Body heat, digestion, life itself — Agni (fire) is already functioning quietly within us. “If there is fire inside us, why aren’t we burning?” We paused to appreciate the intelligence behind creation — acids strong enough to digest food, yet a stomach designed not to destroy itself.

Then came our year-end review through questions — and what discussions they became! “What is Karma Yoga?”  They answered: not just action, but offering action to God (through Ishwara Arpana Buddhi) — doing our best and letting go of the insistence on results. 

We revisited how Krishna’s teaching to Arjuna is really addressed to all of us. “Who is Bhaarata?” One who seeks knowledge. Which means every sincere seeker becomes Arjuna. 

We questioned reality itself — if dreams feel real while dreaming, what if this world is similar? We explored how the wise continue living in the world but stop giving absolute reality to it, watching life more like a movie than becoming consumed by it.

Questions moved into karma and karma phala: Why are we born? Why can’t people live forever? We laughed through bhel puri and sambar examples and food quotas, but reflected deeply — each birth arrives with a finite account to exhaust while fulfilling dharma and discovering our true nature. We can't have infinite fuel in just one life, so we have to die when we exhaust the account we opened. 

The final stretch became a lively conversation on chanting, science, and tradition. “How does chanting help the mind?” Students pushed back thoughtfully — “How do researchers know it’s really chanting that keeps the mind sharp and averts Alzheimer's?” We explored how repetition, sound, breath, and articulation influence attention and mental discipline.  Chanting is like an exercise for the tongue.  Then we reflected on how many ancient practices are being rediscovered through modern methods. The conversation widened into how knowledge evolves, how traditions get dismissed and rediscovered, and how questioning itself is part of learning. That spirit of curiosity stayed alive all the way to the end — right through attendance confusion, candy debates, ice cream second helpings, childhood stories, and promises of continuing discussions. We all enjoyed popsicles and candy as last-day treats. 

We closed with prayers, laughter, and a little emotion. We wished Seniors well as they step into their next chapter, registrations open for those returning, and somewhere between “clean up the mess” and “who wants more ice cream,” we realized this year had quietly become something special. The conversations may pause for summer — but the questions certainly won’t.

Remember: Like a shadow, consciousness remains untouched. Like Arjuna, every seeker begins with questions. And perhaps growth begins the moment we stop asking, “What is this world?” and start asking, “Who is the one experiencing it?”

See you all at the ashram for the Senior Graduation program on Saturday, June 13th, at 12:30 pm.

Here's something that can actually be carried in our thoughts, that which says what not to :) - 

Have a wonderful summer break, until we meet again. 

Regards,
Rashmi and Jacqueline.