The guesses came quickly: “There was a leak.” “He didn’t have good karma.” “He didn’t arrive.” And one student even wondered whether there were actual cats and dogs involved! 😄
The answer? The tub was upside down!
And suddenly, our silly QQ became very relevant. However much it rains, an upside-down vessel cannot collect water. Similarly, however much wisdom is poured into us, if our attention is elsewhere, we won’t collect any of it.
This year, as we move deeper into Bhakti Yoga, we are learning to become sanmukha - facing toward our goal - rather than vimukha, turned away. And while our attention in class needs to face the teacher, our spiritual attention ultimately needs to turn inward. Where we place our attention determines what we receive.
We also revisited the Gita’s 18 chapters as three blocks of six: Karma Yoga (1–6), Bhakti Yoga (7–12), and Jnana Yoga (13–18). We’ve learned how to act; now we are learning how to orient ourselves toward Bhagavan; next comes understanding the knowledge and goal behind it all.
Back to the Mahabharata
Our Mahabharata recap continued with Pandu’s curse and the birth of the Pandavas. We explored why the rishis Kindama and his wife were in the form of deer and talked about the extraordinary abilities of the rishis.
That led to a fascinating connection with Arundhati and Vasishta. Long before telescopes revealed the nature of their star system, the rishis had held them up as an ideal of marriage: two stars revolving around each other, rather than one being the center and the other simply going around it. How could they have known this without any of the tools that we have today?!
They asked: “But how did Pandu know they were rishis if they looked like deer?”
We said: That was precisely the problem! He failed to think through the situation. He was in an ashram premise. Hunting in an ashram is always prohibited. Just as Dasharatha learned the hard way that shooting first and checking later has consequences, Pandu’s lack of discernment led to a curse.
The lesson? Having the ability to do something does not automatically mean it is the right thing to do.
When Bullying Becomes a Battle
Once the Pandavas came to Hastinapura, the bullying began. Poisoning Bhima. The lac house. Repeated attempts to eliminate their cousins.
But what stood out was not only Duryodhana’s plotting. It was Yudhishthira’s response when Bhima survived the poisoning.
They said: “But they tried to kill him!”
We said: Exactly. And Yudhishthira still chose not to create more pain for Kunti and Bhishma by immediately exposing what had happened. Even as a young boy, he could think beyond his own hurt.
The Mahabharata keeps asking us the same question in different ways: What do we do with what happens to us?
Two Friendships. Two Choices.
We then met Drona and Drupada, childhood friends whose friendship eventually turned into humiliation, wounded pride, and a vow for revenge.
And then came the perfect contrast: Krishna and Sudama.
When Sudama arrived at Krishna’s palace, Krishna didn’t care about status, wealth, or appearances. He simply ran out and embraced his old friend.
Drona and Drupada. Krishna and Sudama.
Same idea: friendship. Very different minds.
And the Mahabharata leaves us with the uncomfortable question: What kind of friend are we?
The Grass-Blade Guru
Finally, we met the mysterious Brahmana who rescued a ball from a well using blades of grass - shooting one blade after another with such precision that they formed a chain and pulled the ball out.
But Bhishma immediately recognized the man: Drona, his guru-bhai. And with that, Drona was chosen to train both the Pandavas and Kauravas.
One common thread: attention and choice.
If the vessel is turned the wrong way, it cannot collect the rain. If our attention is turned the wrong way, it cannot collect the wisdom.
Be sanmukha. Face the goal. Pay attention.
Rashmi and Jacqueline.
