Notes by Veda H

Last Week’s Recap: 

Story of Krishna and the fruit seller. How Krishna got excited seeing the fruit seller and ran to her with a handful of rice to get some fruits. As Krishna ran towards her, rice kept falling through his fingers and hardly anything was left when he reached her. The fruit seller was watching all this unfold, but did not care how much rice Krishna had in his hand. Lost in her sincerity, she gave all her fruits to Krishna. That night the fruit seller found her basket full of gold. Then we talked about the Sanskrit word “DANA”, meaning giving with your heart, hoping for nothing in return. We should not be focused on how much we can give, but how we are doing it.

Resources, time, and effort are three things we can give in the order of increasing difficulty. Generosity can feel hard in the beginning, but once we start practising, it becomes easier. Over time, “what can I give” gets stronger and “what can I get” grows weaker. When we give, both our heart and the receiver’s heart get bigger and lighter. 

Revive Activity:

Breathing exercise – breathe in for 5 seconds, hold for 5 seconds and exhale for 5 seconds. Repeat.

Content for the Day:

Sumanji told us two stories about two asuras. 

Story 1 – One of Krishna’s responsibilities as a kid was to take care of the little calves. There were so many calves that it was difficult to keep track. King Kansa sent Asura VATSA to get rid of Krishna. When Krishna was busy playing with his friends, Vatsa disguised as a calf and hid among the other calves. The calf, Vatsa, started moving closer to Krishna and once it got closer, charged at Krishna. All the other kids froze, not knowing what to do. Krishna knew it was not a calf. He grabbed the calf by its legs and hurled him away, killing him.

Moral: Vatsa symbolizes negative thoughts. Wrong or negative thoughts enter our mind like Vatsa and try to blend in. We have to learn to catch them early. Practice VAIRAGYA (Sanskrit word – Vairagya is made of two words Vai – without and Ragya – strong like or craving; Vairagya means non-attachment or to not hold too tight). The more we start negotiating with a negative thought, it will start looking like a good idea. Try not to be controlled by likes and dislikes. The world becomes smaller when likes and dislikes are held tightly. (Sanskrit Word – VATSA, meaning attachment)

Story 2 – Asura Baka took the form of a crane to kill Krishna. Cranes stand still to hunt, waiting to catch fish. The crane, Baka, stood motionless and tricked all the kids. The kids got curious, seeing the motionless crane, and moved closer to take a closer look. When they got close, Baka swallowed Krishna. Inside Baka, Krishna became a fireball – so hot that Baka could not keep him inside and was forced to spit Krishna out. Baka’s feathers caught on fire and he was burnt to ashes. 

Moral:

Something that is good outside could be something else inside. The antidote to Baka is ARJAVA (Sankrist word, meaning to be real or straightforward). Be who we are both inside and outside. What we say and what we do should match. (Sanskrit Word – BAKA, meaning hypocrisy – Hypocrisy creates noise. Arjava creates inner alignment, which in turn creates ease).

RAW:

At meal time, don’t ask for anything. Eat whatever is put on the plate.Dynamic Activity: Worked on the recipe book.