Notes by Aarya Mishra
Review:
Last week, we learned about trust, and how it makes us feel lighter. One example we talked about was how if someone is helping you learn to swim, they may place a hand on their stomach and support them just enough so that you can stay afloat but move your arms and legs. You trust them to support you, and over time, you can become more independent and learn to swim on your own. Similarly, the more we trust Bhagavan, the lighter and happier we feel, and more independent.
This relates to our “trust triangle,” one part being Bhagavan or divinity, another being our maps or shastras, and the last our guides. With these 3 things, we can navigate life. Bhagavan gives us knowledge, in the form of maps, and our guides help us interpret these maps. This is like a GPS for life, without it, we would be confused and lost.
We also talked about our biological parents and divine parents, the former giving us life, taking care of us, and teaching us. The latter, however, teaches us in more subtle ways that we can’t see and guides us towards independent joy. So, love comes from those people that are around us and from our divine parents. These were explained in the 3 H’s from last week.
Humans: other human beings around us, such as our parents, teachers, friends, and guides, who love and teach us.
Heartwork: knowledge and scriptures that come in the form of growth and self-development, preparing and developing us.
Happiness: the love from our divine parents, our very being.
Our RAW from last week was to was to write 3 notes, the 1st; a human you spent time with (representing ‘humans’), the second; one thing you learned that helped you feel lighter or quieter (representing ‘heartwork’), and to sit quietly with your hand on your heart and think, ‘I am here. I am.’ (representing happiness). This RAW was like planting 3 seeds at the end of every day. The first is human, and it’s like telling that person, “Thank you for being a part of my day.” The second seed is heartwork, and writing down what you learned is like saying, “I grew a little today.” And that seed will grow into wisdom, kindness and more. The third seed is happiness. When we sit quietly with our hand on our heart, and repeat the phrase to ourselves, we are watering all of those seeds. We feel calm, strong and peaceful, and that grows into happiness.
Story:
Today, we had two stories.
One day, a little boy named Dhruvava, who was only 5 years old, ran to his father, Uttanapada, wanting to sit on his lap. As he was about to sit down, his stepmother, Suruchi, pulled him back and said, “You don’t deserve this. You can’t sit on your father’s lap, only my son can. If you want that honor, go pray to Bhagavan Vishnu and Sri Krishna that you will be born from me next time, then you can sit on your father’s lap.”
Little Dhruva’s heart broke and he ran to his mother, Suniti, and asked her why he couldn’t sit with his father. Suniti hugged him and said, “I’m sorry, I can’t fix this. If you want a place no one can ever take from you, you have to go to Bhagavan Vihnu and Sri Krishna. He alone can give you a seat that can never be taken. He is the one who can love you unconditionally.”
When Dhruva heard this, it went deep into his mind and heart. And he chose to leave the palace and the comfort of his home and go into the forest, promising himself he would find Bhagavan Vishnu and Sri Krisha. He went and sat in the forest. While in the forest, he met a guru named Rishi Narada. And when Rishi Narada heard Dhruva share what he experienced, he gave him a special thought to think about, like the heartwork from our RAW, and said for him to chant this in his head and Bhagavan Vishnu and Sri Krishna will show up.
The chant was, ‘Om Namoh Bhagavate Vasudevaya.’ And so Dhruva began chanting this, and sat so still that animals came around him, leaving acorns in his lap, crawling over him. He was so still during his chanting, and months passed, and Dhruva started to glow from his concentration on the divine. And then, a light lit up the forest, and Bhagavan appeared before him.
Dhruva opened his eyes and despite that he had come here and sat there to ask Bhagavan to help him sit in his father’s lap, But as Bhagavan was in front of him, he was speechless, unable to move his lips, just in awe. And Bhagavan, knowing this, placed his conch on his cheek, and all of Dhruva’s thoughts came spilling out, as if the conch was a microphone. And all that came out was, ‘I love you Bhagavan.’
Bhagavan smiled and said, “I know why you have come here, but you have forgotten in my presence. I will grant you a throne, a seat that never fades.”
Even when Dhruva couldn’t remember what he wanted, he knew what he needed. So he didn’t just give him a seat on his father’s lap, but a kingdom that he would eventually become king of, and a permanent seat in the sky. After Dhruva finished his life, he became the North Star, or the Dhruva Nakshatra. Whenever we are lost, we can look up and see Dhruva who serves as a guide to lead us to divinity.
2nd Story:
Long ago, Bhoomi Mata was suffering because of the amount of evil on earth, like evil kings, bandits, and greedy people that were stealing everything and hurting others. She felt heavy and crushed under all the negativity and hurt. So Bhoomi Mata took the form of a cow, walked to Lord Brahma.
Lord Brahma was moved by this, but didn’t know what to do. So he also started looking for help, and they both went to Bhagavan Vishnu. And just like Dhruva, they forgot why they were there, simply because they were in Bhagavan Vishnu’s presence. And Bhagavan Vishnu was moved by their love, and said,
“I am happy to be with you, but I know you’re scared with what is happening, and so I will come has Bhagavan Krishna and help rid of all the wrongdoing.”
Bhoomi Mata wept, not of sorrow, but of happiness, to know that divinity had promised to come, and soon did come. He came as Baby Krishna, to the world and to restore the peace.
Lesson:
Both Dhruva and Bhoomi Mata were overwhelmed by their worldly problems. But both turned to Bhagavan, to our maps and guides, like Rishi Narada and Lord Brahma. And when they did, their lives changed. Dhruva became a king and a star, and Bhoomi Mata found hope from Shri Krishna’s birth. In sanskrit, the word for this is Ashreya, which means my true support and refuge; the one who I can always depend on, who is my refuge.
It’s like trees that give you shade, you know they will, you just need to stand in the right area. So whenever we feel hurt or heavy, even happy, what we should remember is, Sri Krishna, you are my ashreya. Dhruva said this by chanting, ‘Om Namoh Bhagavate Vasudevaya.’
Dynamic:
For today’s dynamic, 3 stories were shared.
Once there was a man caught in a huge flood. No one was able to walk on the ground. He was sitting on the roof of his house, and began to pray. He said, “Bhagavan, please rescue me. Please help me. I don’t know what to do.” After he finished praying, he waits for Bhagavan to save him. While he is waiting, a fisherman comes by with his boat, and call for the man to come and join him on his boat. The man says, no, Bhagavan will save me. Next, a fireman comes with a huge truck, and calls out for the man to hop on, but he once again refuses, saying Bhagavan will save him. Last, a lifeboat floats past with a group of survivors on it, and they tell the man it is his last chance to make it. He still refuses. Eventually, the man drowns. When he goes and meets Bhagavan, he asks her why she didn’t save him. Bhagavan says, “I sent you a fisherman, a fireman, and a lifeboat, but you refused to accept any one of them.”
After listening to this story, think about the people who support you in a loud, obvious way. Some examples are your parents, a specific friend, someone who supports you every day. Next, think about someone who supports you in a less obvious way. Maybe not the person you would turn to with your problems, but without them, something in our life would go wrong. Some examples are our bus drivers or janitors.
Now, think about how these people make you feel. Do you feel happy, maybe grateful? Next, think about how you make these people feel. Do you show your appreciation? Maybe say thank you to them?
Lastly, we made an action plan for how we can show our appreciation. Grab a piece of paper, a pencil, and some scissors. Fold the paper in half. On the edge of the folded side, draw half of a heart. Take your scissors and cut along that line, then unfold the crease. You should now have a full heart. In this heart, write a note to one person who doesn’t help you in an obvious way. Try to express the specific actions and things that they do to make you happy. If you can, give this note to the person the next time you see them.
RAW
Every day, notice for one moment when you feel tired, upset, or even just unsure. In that moment, close your eyes, and whisper or say in your mind, ‘Sri Krishna, you are my ashreya. You are my support.’ And think about how you feel.