Oct 4, 2026 - JCHYK Gr. 10-12 (Sunday AM)

Hari om everyone, 

Here's the summary of this week's class.  We started with meditation and Gita chanting.  We have learnt BG Ch. 6 up to verse 10 now.  There was a tricky long line, and they got that one the fastest! :) 

Quirky Question (QQ) of the Day:
28 monkeys were on a tree. Four decided to jump to another tree, three decided to jump to another branch, and eight decided to jump off to the ground. How many remain on the tree?

“16!” came the immediate mathematical response.

“Zero!”

Then came the winning answer: 28.

“They decided to jump, but they didn’t actually do it.”

Bingo! And suddenly our monkey puzzle became a lesson in resolve. Deciding to do something is not the same as actually doing it. We used it as an instant pointer: “You said you will not talk. So deciding not to talk is not the same as not talking!” 😄

We took it a step further: true resolve means Kaya, Vacha, and Manasa — our actions, words, and thoughts — are aligned. When we think one thing, say another, and do something else, we are scattered. When all three line up, our thoughts gain power.

The perfect analogy? A magnifying glass. Ordinary sunlight doesn’t burn paper. Focus that same sunlight through a lens onto one point, and it can become powerful enough to ignite it.

Our attention works the same way. Focus creates power.

Setting the tone with these analogies, we started the Mahabharata review. 

Karna: The Cost of Half-Truths

Our Mahabharata journey continued with Karna. Born to Kunti through Surya, abandoned as a baby, and raised by Atiratha and Radha, Karna grew up without knowing his royal origins. His natural warrior instinct led him to Drona, who refused to teach him because he was not a prince.

So Karna went to Parashurama — but concealed the truth about who he was.

They asked: “But Karna didn’t even know he was a Kshatriya. Was the curse fair?”

That opened an important discussion. Karna may not have known his birth, but he did knowingly present himself differently to gain what he wanted. A half-truth is still a distortion of truth.

And we brought it right into everyday life:
“I’m going to a friend’s house.” True.
“But which friend?” — suddenly that part gets conveniently omitted!

Small lies, when practiced repeatedly, become habits. What we repeatedly do becomes part of who we are.

The Mahabharata Is Not Black and White

We spoke about Indra, who came as a bumblebee to expose Karna's lie.  

They said, "Indra is always doing mischief! Why is he still considered a devata?!"

This is a very valid question! It is natural for us to forget symbolism and get caught up in the stories sometimes. Despite all his mischief-making, Indra always resorted to Bhagavan to pull him out. Indra symbolizes the restless human mind — constantly distracted, repeatedly making mistakes, and yet repeatedly returning to Bhagavan.

One student asked the perfect question:
“What’s the point of repenting if you keep making the same mistakes?”

Exactly. We are good at correcting small mistakes in ourselves. But some deeply ingrained patterns in our behavior are like Indra, repeating the same mistakes over and over. Awareness is the beginning. Growth means learning not to repeat the same pattern.

We then met Ekalavya and revisited his extraordinary dedication to archery, as well as Arjuna’s discomfort at discovering someone better than him.

They said: “But Arjuna is supposed to be the good guy!”

And that was exactly the point. The Mahabharata doesn’t give us neat heroes and villains. Even good people can have jealousy, insecurity, and ambition. The value lies in recognizing those tendencies in ourselves and working our way out.

From Grudges to a War

Drona and Drupada’s story brought us back to the power of small choices. One insult. One wounded ego. One vow. One act of revenge. And eventually, consequences far beyond what either could have imagined.

We followed the chain through the Pandavas, the Lakshagruha, Vidura’s cryptic warning, Draupadi’s swayamvara, Kunti’s seemingly casual words, and finally Duryodhana’s growing jealousy after the Pandavas transformed barren Khandavaprastha into magnificent Indraprastha.

The key lesson was simple:

Jealousy did not begin with the palace. It began within Duryodhana.

And when Shakuni kept feeding that thought, and Duryodhana’s parents did little to check it, the jealousy caught fire. We couldn’t resist adding our own warning with a smile: when parents don’t set boundaries, children may grow into Duryodhanas! 😄

Unique Statement Review

The class ended with each student sharing one unique takeaway—and, as always, the variety of responses showed that something different resonated with everyone.

One student remembered the Karna discussion: “Even if Karna didn’t know who he really was, he still knew he was hiding the truth.” Someone else summed up the Duryodhana story simply: “The jealousy started with him. Shakuni just made it worse.”

The idea of focus stayed with several students. One student remembered the magnifying-glass analogy and said that “when you focus, your thoughts become more powerful.” Another connected it to everyday life: “Sometimes something is clouding your mind even when you are trying to focus.”

There were also some wonderfully practical takeaways: “One small action can lead to a big consequence,” and “A decision is not the same as actually doing something.” One student even brought the lesson back to the monkey QQ—deciding to jump did not mean anyone actually jumped!

When thoughts, action, and speech align, thought becomes power.

Regards,
Rashmi and Jacqueline. 

Sep 27, 2026 - JCHYK Gr. 10-12 (Sunday AM)

Hari om everyone, 

Here's a quick synopsis of Bala Vihar this past Sunday. 

It was House Inaugural Day at the ashram. We had a very brief class.  We did meditation and continued learning BG Ch. 6.  We have now learnt up to verse 5, and they are chanting very well.  

We then went to the main hall to participate in the inaugural activities.  They all made their own Rath, like the Jagannath Rath Yatra in Puri. They drew their chariots around the sanctum sanctorum of all the deities in the temple, chanting 'Jai Jagannath'. 

Until next time, here's a thought to mull over: 

See you soon. 

Regards,
Rashmi and Jacqueline.

Sep 20, 2026 - JCHYK Gr. 10-12 (Sunday AM)

Hari om everyone, 

Here's a quick class report for this week.  We started the class with a brief meditation.  We had to do Geeta chanting at the end of class as we were waiting to receive the handbooks for the year.  We learnt 3 verses of BG ch. 6, and our students have already picked up very nicely! 

This week's Quirky Question (QQ) of the Day: Why did a giant rainwater-harvesting tub collect not ONE drop of water when it rained cats and dogs?

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.

Our class had so many questions about the mechanics of this entire operation! 😄

But Bhishma immediately recognized the man: Drona, his guru-bhai. And with that, Drona was chosen to train both the Pandavas and Kauravas.

We ended with Gita chanting, paying special attention to mahāprāṇas, because in Sanskrit, ba and bha, ka and kha are not minor details!

In conclusion, 

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.

Until next time, here's something to mull over: 

Regards,
Rashmi and Jacqueline. 

Sep 13, 2026 - JCHYK Gr. 10-12 (Sunday AM)

Hari om everyone, 

Welcome to Bala Vihar 2026-27.  We are excited to start another new year of fun and learning in class :).  

Here's a synopsis of our very first class.  We will be sending these emails after every single Bala Vihar class.  

Our JCHYK journey this year begins with Bhagavad Gita Chapters 7-12, exploring Bhakti Yoga. But before diving in, we took a detour through the Mahabharata to set the context. 

What can a story thousands of years old possibly teach us about our lives today?

Quite a lot, especially when the human mind hasn’t changed much!

The Mahabharata is not a straight line; it is noodles! So many characters, relationships, choices, and consequences crossing over one another that a family tree was definitely needed.

We began with Shantanu, Ganga, Devavrata, Satyavati, and the famous Bhishma Pratijna. One student asked, essentially, “Why would anyone give up a kingdom and marriage?” Exactly! That opened the door to one of the biggest Mahabharata questions: What if? What if Shantanu had made a different choice? What if Devavrata had not taken that vow? What if Dhritarashtra had not been born blind? One decision can create consequences far beyond what we can see.

And then came the realization: the objects change, but the mind doesn’t. The fisherman wanted more fish; today we might want more branded stuff. The setting changes, but greed is still greed. Anger can last for years — just like Amba’s, sometimes even something as small as a grudge carried from elementary school! The Mahabharata suddenly stopped being an ancient story and became a mirror.

We also looked at how wisdom can sometimes choose to blindfold itself—literally, in Gandhari’s case. We explored curiosity through Kunti and the birth of Karna, false ownership through Dhritarashtra’s attachment to the throne, and the importance of discernment when making choices. The recurring message was simple: our choices matter, even when we cannot see the consequences coming.

There were plenty of “wait…what?” moments too. Vyasa and Ganesha’s writing arrangement, the broken tusk, the hundred Kauravas..., and the students’ amused reaction to our description of ancient “test-tube babies”, the Kauravas — kept the class lively. But beneath the humor was a deeper question: Are we getting distracted by how the story happened, or are we learning from what the story is trying to show us?

And we brought the learning home when parents joined at the end of class.  Our students became the quiz masters and tested the parents with Mahabharata trivia. 

Student: “Who was Shantanu’s wife?”

Parent: “Ganga and Satyavati.”

Student: “How did Bhishma get his name?”

Parent: “Because of his extraordinary vow, the Bhishma Pratijna.”

Student: “Who was Dhritarashtra’s mother?”

Parent: “Ambika!”

By the end, the Mahabharata felt less like a complicated family tree and more like a user manual for the human mind. We are not studying it because we have figured everything out. We are studying because, as we reminded ourselves, learning is lifelong — “my tombstone is my diploma!”

“The objects change. The mind doesn’t.”

That may be the most exclusive lesson from the Mahabharata: thousands of years later, the names and circumstances have changed — but greed, anger, attachment, jealousy, curiosity, and ego are still very much alive.

The Mahabharata may be noodles. But every strand leads us back to ourselves.

Until next time, here's a thought to ponder

See you next week. 

Regards,
Rashmi and Jacqueline. 

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