Chapter 12-13-14 - The Bhagavad Gita for Children

[Guest guest]

Om Sai Ram !

Personally, I am really impressed by this particular version of Shri Bhagwat

Gita which is for beginners and children and so I request all the devotees to

not only read it themselves and pass it on to your friends but also save it in

your inboxes and read it to your children or grandchildren. It has 25 stories ,

133 gita verses and other teachings. In this way you will not only spend some

quality time with them but also teach them the good moral values which will

help them become better individuals and give them the right knowledge to lead a

happy, peaceful and blissful life..

May Sai baba's blessings and grace always be with us and our families...

Sai bhakt,

Deepa H

PS::: If anyone has not received any of the prior chapters for some reason,---

you can send me an email and I will be glad to send u the missing chapter..

Om Shree Gneshaya Namah!!!

CHAPTER 12

PATH OF DEVOTION

 

Jai: Should we worship or meditate every day, Grandma, or just on Sundays?

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Grandma: Children should do some form of worship, prayer or meditation

everyday. Good habits must be formed early.

 

Jai: You said that God is formless but also has forms. Should I worship

God as Rama, Krishna, Shiva, Durga or should I worship a formless God?

 

Grandma: Arjuna asked Lord Krishna the same question in the Gita. (Gita

12.01) Krishna told Arjuna that worship of God with a form with faith is easier

and better for most people, especially for beginners. But a true devotee has

faith in everything: the formless God, and God with a form, such as Rama,

Krishna

Roman">, Hanuman, Shiva, and the Divine Mothers Kali, Durga, Sarasvati.

 

Roman">Jai: How should I worship, Grandma?

 

Go to the worship or meditation room before going to school and pray. Sit

straight, close your eyes, take few slow and deep breaths, remember your

IshtaDeva and ask his or her blessing. Focusing your mind on your IshtaDeva

with eyes closed is called meditation. You may also silently repeat a mantra

such as ‘OM’ or ‘Ram, Ram, Ram, Ram, Ram’ a few times.

 

Jai: When I start to meditate, I can’t concentrate my mind, Grandma. My

mind starts to go everywhere. What should I do?

 

Grandma: Don’t worry, this even happens to adults. Try to concentrate

or focus again and again. With practice, you will be able to focus your mind

well, not only on God but also on your study materials. This will help you get

good grades. You can also pray to God and worship by offering fruits, flowers,

etc. to your IshtaDev with love. Also, remember the Lord of learning, such as

Lord Ganesha, Hanuman, or Mother Sarasvati before starting your studies. Don’t

be selfish and work hard. Accept the results of your work without getting upset

by bad results. Try to learn from your failures, never give up and improve

yourself.

 

Jai: Is that all I have to do, Grandma? Did Khrisna say anything else?

 

Grandma: You should also develop good habits such as obeying your

parents, helping others in need, not hurting anybody, being friendly to all,

saying sorry or asking forgiveness if you hurt anyone, keeping your mind calm,

being grateful to those who have helped you, and saying thank you. God loves

and helps those who act in this way. Such people are called devotees or Bhakta.

(Gita 12.13-19) If you don’t have any one of these good habits, try hard to

develop them. (Gita 12.20)

 

Jai: Is it possible for a child to be a Bhakta?

 

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Grandma: I already told you the story of Dhruva, now I will tell you

the story of another child Bhakta. His name was Prahalada.

 

14. The Story of Bhakta Prahalada

 

Hiranyakasipu was the king of demons. He did very difficult spiritual practice,

and lord Brahma gave him a boon that he could not be slain by man or beast. The

boon made him arrogant, and he terrorized all the three worlds, saying that

there were no gods other than himself and that men and demons must worship him.

 

He had a son named Prahalada, a religious child who always worshipped Lord

Vishnu. This angered his father greatly; he wanted to drive the thought of

Vishnu out from his son’s mind, so he turned him over a strict teacher to train

him to worship only Hiranyakasipu as God and not Vishnu.

Prahalada not only refused to listen to the teacher, but started teaching the

other students to worship Vishnu. The teacher was very angry and reported this

to the King.

The King ran into his son’s room, and shouted, “I hear you have been worshipping Vishnu!”

Trembling, Prahalada said softly, “Yes father, I have.”

“Promise me that you will not do that again!” demanded the king.

“I cannot promise,” Prahalada immediately answered.

“Then I will have you killed,” shouted the King.

“Not unless it is the wish of Lord Vishnu,” replied the child.

The King tried his best to get Prahalada to change his mind, but nothing worked.

He then ordered his guards to throw Prahalada into the ocean, hoping

that would frighten Prahalada into promising not to worship Vishnu anymore. But

Prahalada remained loyal to Vishnu and kept praying to Him in his heart with

love and devotion. Guards tied him to a huge rock and threw him into the ocean.

By God’s grace, the rock fell away and Prahalada floated safely to the surface

of the water. He was surprised to see Vishnu on the shore.

Vishnu smiled at him and said, “Ask me anything you want.”

Prahalada, replied, “I don’t want a long life. I just want the strength to

always love God and never turn my heart against Him.”

Lord Vishnu granted Prahalada’s wishes.

When Prahalada returned to his father’s palace, the King was stunned to see him alive.

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“Who brought you out of the sea?” he demanded .

“Lord Vishnu,” said the child, simply.

“Do not say that name before me,” boomed his father. “Where is your Lord Vishnu?

Show him to me,” he challenged.

“He is everywhere,” replied the child.

“Even in this pillar?” asked the King.

“Yes, even in this Pillar!” replied Prahalada confidently.

“Then let him appear before me in whatever form he wants,” cried Hiranyakasipu

and broke the pillar with his iron club.

Out from within the pillar jumped a being called Narasimha, who was half man and

half lion. Hiranyakasipu, stood helplessly before him. Frightened, he called out

for help, but none came.

Narasimha picked up Hiranyakasipu and placed him on his lap, where he mauled his

body and tore it apart. Thus Hiranyakasipu met his end.

God blessed Prahalada for the deep faith he placed in Him. After the death of

Hiranyakasipu, demons were crushed and the Devas took over the world once again

from demons. To this day, the name of Prahalada is counted among the great

devotees.

 

Chapter 12 summary: The path of devotional love of God is very easy to practice.

This path consists of daily deity worship, offering fruits and flowers, singing

hymns (Bhajans) in praise of the glory of God, and developing certain good

habits.

 

 

CHAPTER 13

CREATION AND THE CREATOR

 

Jai: Grandma, I can eat and sleep and think and talk and walk and run and

work and study. How does my body know how to do all this?

 

Grandma: The whole world, including our body, is made of five basic

elements or matter. These elements are: earth, water, fire, air, and ether or

an invisible element. We have eleven senses: five sense organs (nose, tongue,

eye, skin, and ear); five organs of action (mouth, hand, leg, anus, and

urethra); and a mind. We smell through our nose, taste through our tongue, see

through the eyes, feel touch through skin, and hear through our ears. We also

have a sense of feeling by which we feel pain and pleasure. All these give our

body what it needs to work.

(Gita 13.05-06) The power of Atma inside our bodies is called Prana. It gives

energy to body to do all work. When Prana leaves the body, we are dead.

 

Jai: You said God is the creator of the universe. How do we know there is

a creator or God?

 

Grandma: There has to be a creator behind any creation, Jai. Somebody

or some power made the car we drive and the house we live in. Somebody or some

power created the sun, the earth, the moon and the stars. We call that person

or power God or the creator of this universe.

 

Jai: If everything has a creator, then who created God?

 

Grandma: This is a very good question, Jai, but there is no answer. God

has always existed and will always exist. God is the origin of everything but

God

has no origin. Good Lord is the source of everything, but He or She has no source!

 

Jai: Then, what is God like, Grandma? Can you describe Him?

 

Grandma: It is impossible to describe God directly. The Supreme

Being can only be described by parables, and in no other way. His hands, feet,

eyes, head, mouth, and ears are everywhere. He can see, feel, and enjoy without

any physical sense organs. He does not have a body like us. His body and senses

are out of this world. He walks without legs, hears without ears, does all

works without hands, smells without a nose, sees without eyes, speaks without a

mouth, and enjoys all tastes without a tongue. His actions are wonderful. His

greatness is beyond description. God is present everywhere at all times, so he

is very near (living in our heart) as well as far away in His Supreme Abode. He

is the creator (Brahm|), the sustainer (Vishnu) and the destroyer (Shankara) all

in one. (Gita 13.13-16)

The best way to illustrate why no one can describe God is the story of the salt doll.

 

15. The Salt Doll

 

Once a salt doll went to measure the depth of the ocean so it could tell others

how deep the ocean was. But every time it got into the water, it melted. Now,

no one could report the ocean’s depth. That’s how impossible it is for anyone

to describe God. Whenever we try, we melt into the big, mysterious ocean of His

reality.

We can’t describe Brahm. In a trance we can know Brahm, but in trance reasoning

and intellect stop altogether. This means one does not retain the memory of

experiences in trance (Samadhi). One who knows Brahm becomes Brahm-like (Gita

18.55) and does not talk just as the salt doll. Those who talk about God have

no real experience. Thus, Brahm can only be experienced and felt.

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Jai: Then how can we know and understand God?

 

Grandma: You can’t know God by mind and intellect. He can be known only

by faith and belief. He can be known by Self-knowledge. One and the same God

lives in the body of all beings as spirit and supports us. That is why we must

not hurt anybody and must treat

everybody equally. (Gita 13.28) Hurting anybody is like hurting your own Atma.

The Spirit in the body is the witness, the guide, the supporter, the enjoyer,

and the controller of all events. (Gita 13.22)

 

Jai: What is the difference between the creator and His creation?

 

Grandma:

>From a non-dualistic way of thinking, there is no difference between the two.

The difference between the creator and creation is like the difference between

the sun and the sun’s rays. Those who have Self-knowledge truly understand the

difference between the creator and the creation. (Gita 13.34)

The entire universe is His expansion, and everything is nothing but Him. God is

both the creator and the creation, the protector and the protected, the

destroyer and the destroyed. He is within us, outside us, near, far and

everywhere.

 

If God’s blessing comes to you, He will let you know who you really are and what

your real nature is like.

Here is a story about finding out who you are.

 

16. The Vegetarian Tiger

 

Once a tigress attacked a group of sheep. She was pregnant and very weak. As she

sprang on her prey, she gave birth to a baby tiger and died within couple of

hours. The baby tiger grew up in the company of the lambs. The lambs ate grass

and the baby tiger followed their example. When they made sounds, the baby

tiger also made sounds like a sheep. Gradually it grew to be a big tiger. One

day another tiger attacked the same group. It was surprised to see the

grass-eating tiger. Running after it, the wild tiger at last grabbed it, and

the grass-eating tiger began to make sounds like a sheep.

The wild tiger dragged it to the water and said: “Look at your face in the

water. It is just like mine. Here is little meat. Eat it.”

Saying this, it put some meat into its mouth. But the vegetarian tiger would not

take it and began to make the sound of a sheep again. Gradually, however, it got

the taste for blood and began to like the meat.

Then the wild tiger said: “Now you see, there is no difference between you and

me. Come along and follow me into the forest. ”

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We have been thinking that we are this body which is limited in time and space.

We are not this body. We are the all-powerful spirit in the body.

 

Chapter 13 summary: Our body is like a miniature universe. All bodies are made

up of five basic elements and powered by the spirit. Any creation must have a

creator or some creative power behind it. We call that power by various names

such as Krishna, Shiva, Mother, Father, Ishvara, Allah, God, Jehova, etc. God

cannot be known, seen, described or understood by a human mind. The creator

Himself has become the creation like the cotton has become the thread, the

cloth and the dress.

CHAPTER 14

red; FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt">THREE MODES OF

NATURE Jai: Grandma, sometimes I feel lazy, and at other times I am

very active? Why is that?

2.0in 2.5in 3.0in 3.5in 4.0in 4.5in 5.0in 5.5in 6.0in"> Grandma: We

all pass through different states in order to do certain things. These states

or modes (Gunas) are three types: the mode of goodness (Sattv), the mode of

passion (Rajas) and the mode of ignorance (Tamas). We come under the influence

of all three modes. Sometimes one mode becomes more powerful than the other

two.

0.5in; TEXT-ALIGN: justify; tab-stops: 1.0in 1.5in 2.0in 2.5in 3.0in 3.5in 4.0in

4.5in 5.0in 5.5in 6.0in">The mode of goodness keeps you peaceful and happy. In

this mode you will study scriptures, will not harm anybody and will work

honestly. If you are in the mode of passion, you are greedy for wealth and

power. You will work hard to enjoy material pleasures and will do anything to

satisfy your selfish desires. If you are in the mode of ignorance, you can’t

tell between right and wrong action, and are attached to sinful and forbidden

activities. You become lazy, and careless, lack

intelligence, and have no interest in spiritual knowledge. (Gita 14.05-09)

Jai: Do these three modes of nature control us, Grandma, or do we have

control over what we do?

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Actually, these three modes are the doers of all actions. (Gita 3.27) When we

are under the influence of the mode of goodness, we do good and rightful

actions; under the influence of the mode of passion, we do selfish actions; and

under the influence of the mode of ignorance, we do bad things or become lazy.

(Gita 14.11-13) We must rise above the

three Gunas to attain liberation (Niv|na). (Gita 14.20) Jai: What are we

like when we have risen above the three Gunas?

justify; tab-stops: .5in 1.0in 1.5in 2.0in 2.5in 3.0in 3.5in 4.0in 4.5in 5.0in

5.5in 6.0in"> Grandma: When we have risen above the three Gunas, we

do not get too much bothered by pain and pleasure, success and

failure, and we treat everybody like ourselves. Such a person depends on nobody

but God. Jai: It must be very hard to rise above these three modes.

How can I rise above the three

Gunas, Grandma? Grandma: To rise above the three Gunas is not very

easy, but it can be done with a little effort. If you are under the mode of

ignorance,

you must stop being lazy and stop putting off what you should be doing and try

to be a good boy. If you are under the mode of passion, you must give up

selfish desires. When you are in the mode of goodness, you remember God and do

your duty as a service to God. After reaching the mode of goodness, you can

rise above the three Gunas by devotion to God. Lord Krishna said: One who

serves Me with love and devotion rises above the three Gunas and becomes fit

for God-realization (Nirv

mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt">|na). (Gita 14.26) Here is a story about the

nature of three Gunas.

mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt"> 17. Three Robbers on

mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt">the Path Once a man was going through a forest

when three robbers jumped on him and robbed him. One of the robbers then said,

“What is the use of keeping this man alive?” He was about to kill him with his

sword, when the second robber stopped him, saying: “What is the use of killing

him? Tie him to a tree and leave him here.” The robbers tied him to a tree and

went away. After a while the third robber

returned and said to the man: “I am sorry; are you hurt? I will untie you.”

After setting the man free, the thief said: “Come with me. I will take you to

the public highway.” After a long time they reached the road. At this the man

said: “Sir, you have been very good to me. Come with me to my house.” “Oh no!”

replied the robber, “I can’t go there. The police will know it.”

TEXT-ALIGN: justify; tab-stops: 1.0in 1.5in 2.0in 2.5in 3.0in 3.5in 4.0in 4.5in

5.0in 5.5in 6.0in">The forest is this world. The three robbers are the three

Gunas: goodness, passion and laziness. It is they who rob us of Self-knowledge.

Laziness wants to destroy us. Passion ties us to the world. Goodness frees us

from the hold of passion and laziness. Under the protection of goodness, we are

rescued from anger, passion, greed and laziness. Goodness also loosens the bonds

of the world. But goodness is also a robber. He cannot give us the pure

knowledge of God. He can only show us the path leading to the house of God.

10.0pt"> Chapter 14 summary: Everything in nature can be generally classified

into three types called Gunas. Mother Nature puts us into these three modes or

gears to get her work done through us. Actually, all work is done by the three

Gunas of nature. We are not the doers, but we are responsible for our actions

because we are given a mind and free will to decide and choose between right

and wrong action. You can get out of the influence of these three Gunas by

effort and devotion to God. "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