Chapter 2 - The Bhagavad-Gita for Children

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10.0pt">KNOWLEDGE OF GOD Jai: If Arjuna felt so kind-hearted for

everyone he was supposed to kill in the war, how could he go out and fight,

Grandma? Grandma: That is exactly what Arjuna asked Lord Krishna.

He said: How shall I strike my grandfather, my guru, and all other relatives

with arrows in

battle? They are worthy of my respect. (Gita 2.04) Arjuna had a good

point. In Vedic culture, gurus, the elderly, honorable persons, and all other

superiors are to be respected. But the scriptures also say that anyone who acts

wrongly or unlawfully against you or others, or anyone who supports su

10.0pt">ch deeds, should no longer be respected, but punished. Arjuna was

confused about his duty and asked guidance from Lord Krishna. Lord Krishna then

instructed him on the true knowledge of Atm

10.0pt">| and the physical body. Jai: What is Atma, Grandma? Grandma:

Atma is the spirit, the soul, or the Self. Atma is never born, never

dies, and is everlasting. Our body takes birth and dies, but not Atma

mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt">. Atma supports the body. Without Atm|, the body

becomes dead. Atma supplies the power for our body, mind, and senses, just as

air burns and supports fire. Weapons cannot cut Atm|, fire cannot burn it, wind

cannot dry it, and water cannot make it wet. Therefore, we should not grieve

over death of the body because the Atma inside the body never dies. (Gita

2.23-24) Jai: What is the difference between

Atma (spirit), soul, and body Grandma? Grandma: One and the same

Atma dwells inside all

bodies. Our body changes with time. Our old-age body is different from our

childhood body. But Atma does not change. Atma

takes a childhood body, a youth body, and an old-age body during this life, then

takes another body after death. (Gita 2.13) The Sanskrit word Atma is translated

as spirit in English. Spirit is universal and all pervading. The English word

soul means the spirit residing in individual bodies. In Sanskrit, we call this

individual soul Jeevatma or Jeeva. If spirit is compared to a forest, the

individual soul or Jeeva can be compared to the tree in the forest. The body is

called a garment of Atma. Just as we get rid of an old, worn out garment and put

on a new one, similarly, Atma gets rid of the old body and takes a new one after

death. So death is like

10.0pt">changing the garment of Atma. (Gita 2.22) All beings are visible between

birth and death, they can’t be seen before birth or after death and remain in

their invisible form. (Gita 2.28) Therefore, we should not grieve over death of

the body. We are not the body. We are Atma with a body. Death just means our

soul passes from one body

to another new body. Jai: Then why did Arjuna grieve over deaths of

loved ones on the battlefield? Why didn’t he want to fight?

yes"> Grandma: Arjuna was a very tough warrior, Jai, but he wanted to

run away from the horrors of war and lead an easy life of a Samny|si, a

wandering hermit. Lord Krishna taught us to face the battle of life by giving

Arjuna the beautiful science of KarmaYoga, the art of peaceful and prosperous

living. I will discuss this in Chapter 3. Arjuna was worried about the results

of the war. Lord Krishna asks us to do our duty without worrying too mu

10.0pt">ch about the results such as gain and loss, victory and defeat, success

and failure. If you are constantly worried about the results of your studies,

you will not be able to put your heart and soul into them for fear of failure.

Jai: But Grandma, how could Arjuna fight his best if he wasn’t fighting to

win

and gain something? Grandma: Arjuna must fight to win, but he should

not weaken his will by worrying about the result while he is fighting. He should

put all his attention and energy into every minute of the fight. That energy is

what will bring the greatest

result. Lord Krishna tells us that we have full control over our action, but no

control over the results of our action. (Gita 2.47) Harry Bhalla says: A farmer

has control over how he

works his land, yet no control over the harvest. But he cannot expect a harvest

if he does not work his land with energy and the best tools he has. We should

do our best at the present moment and let the future take care of itself.

'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt">Jai: Could you tell me more

about the secret of success as told by Krishna to Arjuna? Grandma: One

should be so

completely absorbed in work or study as to become unaware of everything else,

even of its results. To achieve the best results from what one does, one should

be focused in the action with undivided attention. Action should be

done sincerely without worrying about its results. The results of the action

will be greater if one puts all attention and energy into the action itself

and does not allow one’s energy to be diverted by thinking of results. The

result will depend on energy put into action. One is asked not to worry about

results during the course of action. This does not mean that one should not

care about results. But one should not expect only positive results all the

time. The secret of living a meaningful life is to be very active, and do our

best without thinking of our own selfish motives or even the results. A

Self-realized person works for the good of all.

10.0pt"> Jai: What is a Self-realized person like, Grandma? Grandma:

mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt"> A Self-realized person is a perfect person, Jai.

Lord Krishna tells us the mind of a perfect person is not shaken by

difficulties, does not run after pleasures, is free from fear, desire, greed

and attachment, and has control over mind and senses. (Gita 2.56) A

Self-realized person does not get angry, is peaceful and happy. Jai:

How can we keep from getting angry, Grandma?

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6.0in"> Grandma: We get angry if our desire is not fulfilled. (Gita

2.62) So the best way to control anger is not to become a slave of our desires.

We need to limit our desires. Desires begin in the mind, so we should control

our mind. If we don’t control our

mind, we drift like a ship without its rudder. The desire for pleasure takes us

to the dark alley of sin, gets us in trouble, and prevents our progress. (Gita

2.67) As a student, you should set a higher goal for yourself than pleasure.

Put forth your best effort and concentrate on your studies. Arjuna was a very

good example of such concentration. Here is a story about him. 2. The

Graduation Test Guru

Drona was the military teacher for both the Kauravas and the P|ndavas. At the

end of their military training came final examination time. Drona put a wooden

eagle on the branch of a nearby tree. Nobody knew it was just a doll. It looked

like a real eagle. To pass the graduation test, every one of the students was

supposed to cut off the eagle’s head with one arrow. Guru Drona first asked

Yudhisthira, the eldest of the P|ndavas: “Get ready, look at the eagle, and

tell me what you are seeing.” Yudhisthira replied: “I see the sky, the clouds,

the tree trunk, the

branches, the leaves and the eagle sitting there” Guru Drona was not very

pleased with this answer. He asked the same of all the students, one by one.

Every one of them gave a similar answer. Then came Arjuna’s turn for the test.

Drona asked

Arjuna: “Get ready, look at the eagle, and tell me what you are seeing.” Arjuna

replied: “I only see the eagle and nothing else” Drona then asked a second

question: “If you are seeing the eagle, then tell me how strong is its body and

what is the color of it’s wings?”

FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt">Arjuna replied: “I

am only seeing its head and not the entire body.” Guru Drona was much pleased

with Arjuna’s answer and asked him to go ahead with the test. Arjuna easily cut

off the head of the eagle with one arrow because he was concentrating on his aim

with a single mind. He passed the test with flying colors. Arjuna was not only

the greatest warrior of his time, but also a compassionate KarmaYogi. Lord

Krishna chose Arjuna as His tool to give us the knowledge of the holy Gita.

mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt">We all should follow the example of Arjuna. Read the

Gita and be like Arjuna. “Arjuna Bano, Arjuna Bano,” my dear grandson! Whatever

work you do, do it with single-minded attention and put your whole heart into

it. This is the main theme of KarmaYoga of the Gita and the secret of success

in anything you do. Chapter 2 summary: Lord

Krishna taught us, through Arjuna, the difference between Atma and body. We are

Atma with a body. Atma is unborn and indestructible. One and the same Atma

dwells inside all bodies, human or nonhuman. Thus we are all connected with

each other. We should do our duty to the best of our ability without worrying

about success or failure. We must learn from our failures and go forward

without letting our failures defeat us. To become a perfect person, we need to

control or limit our desires. "Gurur Brahma Gurur VishnuGurur Devoh

Maheshwar;Gurur Shakshat ParambramhaTashmai Shri Gurur Veh Namah"May the

Merciful Sri Sai Baba always shower His grace on us and our families and remove

our problems and anxieties by giving us all - strength , goodluck, success and

happiness with peace of mind.Sai bhakt,Deepa

Hdebu7366