विवेचन सारांश

Bhagavān tells us the Supreme Qualities of a Super Hero!

In this Shloka, Bhagavān lists out some of the Divine qualities that a good person should possess. Children were urged to list down the good qualities they have as they was called out in the Shloka.

The first good quality that Bhagavān calls out is Abhayaṁ or Fearlessness. But does it mean that one will go and stand in front of a Tiger with full bravado, because he feels he is Abhayaṁ. Definitely not!!

All of us are afraid of something or the other. Like some fear Lizards, others fear cockroaches. There are of course some who think they are Abhayaṁ or Fearless and Heroic. However, we need to be discerning as to when we show our Courageous self and when we should become fearful and act with caution.

Let’s say, one day we forget to do our Homework and go to school. Do you think, we should show bravado and fearlessness in front of the teacher, or should we show regret and apologize for not having done the homework?

Likewise, standing in front of a Tiger would not be Fearlessness but would be Foolhardiness.

So, we need not fear the Lizard or the Cockroach as they can’t really harm us, but we should definitely fear the Tiger who can pounce and kill us. Such fears of insects are in our mind, and we need to be fearless in their face and conquer those fears by just removing them from our body.

There is a beautiful Bhajan that goes as follows.

Hamare Saath Śrī Raghunath Toh Kis Baat Ki Chinta।

Sharan Mein Rakh Diya Jab Maath Toh Kis Baat Ki Chinta।

Just like we watch cartoons on TV, we need to inculcate the habit of listening to Bhajans, chant the Hanuman Chalisa, or maybe watch an episode of Mahabharata every day. This will help us a lot to conquer the fears within us.

We should always be Abhayaṁ, that is Fearless. However, we should always consider which action is dangerous and which is not. Accordingly, we need to be Brave or Cautious in our actions.

That will make us a HERO!!

The second good quality that Bhagavān says will help us become a Hero is sattva-sanśhuddhih or Purity of our Mind.

Many times, before an exam, if you go and ask a topper in a class, if his revision is done, he will say that he hasn’t even started, even though in reality he would have probably completed his revision. This means, he has something in his heart and is saying something else. This action of the topper says he is not sattva-sanśhuddhih, that is, his heart is not filled with pure and true thoughts.

One should actually try to inspire others by telling the good and positive things one has done rather than hiding in fear of competition.

Let’s take the example of a glass of clear water. It is crystal clear, pure, and good for drinking. Now maybe we add some sand or dirt in that water. Will that remain good for drinking? Definitely Not! Similar is the case with our mind. It is pure and clean. Now if we add some dirt to our mind in the form of negative and harmful thoughts, it becomes impure.

We should cleanse our minds of all negative and harmful thoughts, have the ability to accept our mistakes and should not tell lies. We should have the courage to tell whatever is in our mind. That would be sattva-sanśhuddhih or purity of the mind.

The third Hero quality is jñāna-yoga-vyavasthitiḥ. All of us have Gyan or Knowledge in the brain or our mind in our head. We should continue to enhance our knowledge, even if it’s through svādhyāyaḥ or self-study.

But what do we do with that Knowledge?

Let us now talk about Ganeshji. If you notice HIS picture, HE has four hands. In one of the hands, He is holding some books, which are actually the Vedas (Rigveda, Yajurveda, Atharvaveda and Samaveda). We all know Vedas mean Knowledge. Ganeshji holding the Vedas in HIS hand implies that the Knowledge has traversed from HIS head to HIS hand indicating that HE is using HIS good Knowledge in the Karma or actions that HE is performing.

Sometimes when, we have not done our homework, we give an excuse to our teacher that we were unwell. That is not the right thing to do. We should have the courage to tell the truth if we have done something wrong, be it at school or at home.

We must diligently ensure that we bring our good jñāna or knowledge from our minds to our daily Karma by performing the right actions and refrain from bad actions like deceit, lying, hiding and so forth. If we do these actions persistently, then we will achieve jñāna-yoga-vyavasthitiḥ which will give us another Hero point.

The fourth quality that helps to become a Hero is dānaṁ or the act of giving something without expecting anything in return. This is a very noble quality, and we must ensure that we donate something to others.

You may wonder how can children do charity and donate. They can absolutely do it!. Our donation does not necessarily have to be a material thing or money and given to the poor. When, we share our food with someone or help a classmate with his studies and homework, that too is dānaṁ. Even, smiling at a person who is sad or morose is a donation of cheerfulness and will be considers as a dānaṁ. Actions such as of watering a plant or leaving some water on the terrace for the thirsty birds to drink in summer will also be considers as a dānaṁ.

Just like we make obeisance to our parents a habit, we need to make dānaṁ a daily practice to follow.

A beautiful patriotic song so wonderfully, teaches us the value of giving selflessly.

Desh hame deta hai sab kuchh, Hum bhi to kuchh dena sikhen

Suraj hame roshni deta, Hawa naya jiwan deti hai

Bhukh mitane ko hum sabki, Dharti par hoti kheti hai

Oro ka bhi hit ho jisme, Hum aisa kuchh karna sikhen

Desh hame deta hai sab kuchh, Hum bhi to kuchh dena sikhen

It says, our country gives us everything; The sun gives us light, the Air gives us new life and Mother earth gives us food to satisfy our hunger. We too should learn to selflessly give something good to others.

Bhagavān loves those who donate from what they have without any expectations and helps those who do not have it.

We now come to the fifth quality called damaḥ. Damaḥ means control over our sense organs viz. Ears, Eyes, Nose, Tongue, and Skin.

Some of us spend a lot of time watching TV or playing games on the Mobile Phone. What if we control and reduce that time and put that time to some other good activity. We should be able to control when and what our eyes see. Likewise, some of us always play songs or crave to each some food or chocolates when we sit to study.

We should gain control on our ears and tongue and stop doing that. We should spend the time in concentrating on our studies.

In order to be Hero, we will need to ensure we remain calm and have full control on our sense organs (eyes, ears, nose, tongue and skin).

The sixth quality is Yajñah. It generally means doing sacrifice or doing homa puja in front of the fire. However, for children like us, Bhagavān says, Yajñah has a different meaning and that is to be of service and help to others.

Helping our parents at home is also considered a Yajñah. There is a very nice story about three brothers which helps us understand the concept of Yajñah.

There were once three brothers, Chinku, Pinku and Dabru. One day, their mother asked Chinku to go to the nearby grocery store and get some Atta or wheat flour. Chinku vehemently nodded his head from left to right and said, “Umhu, I will not go”. Their mother next asked Pinku, who like his brother Chinku vehemently nodded his head from left to right and said, “Umhu, I will not go”. Their mother finally asked Dabru, who immediately rushed to the store and got the Atta that his mother wanted. His mother is then able to make Rotis for lunch.

That evening, their mother went to the temple and brought back two pieces of Laddoo (sweetmeat) as prasad. The moment both saw the Laddoos, they immediately jumped up and wanted their mother to give it to them. Their mother then vehemently nodded her head from left to right and said, “Umhu, I will not give. Remember what you did when I asked you to go and get Atta”. Dabru also comes there but doesn’t even ask for the Prasad but seeing his noble qualities, his mother gives him the two pieces of Laddoo. Dabru immediately broke the Laddoo in four pieces, giving one to his mother, one to Chinku and one to Pinku, keeping the last piece for himself. Just then a beggar knocked at their door asking for alms. Dabru went ahead and gave the small piece he had kept for himself to the beggar, keeping nothing for himself.

In doing so, Dabru performed the good acts of Dānaṁ as he distributed the Laddoo to everyone including the beggar, Damaḥ  as he controlled his senses when he got the Pedas and shared it with everyone and finally Yajñah as he helped his mother by getting the atta.  So Dabru here showed three very good qualities needed to become a Hero.

To be a Hero, one must have the seventh quality of svādhyāyaḥ or the habit of reading sacred books like the Ramayana, Mahabharata and of course the Bhagavadgītā in addition to the story books and comics which we always read. We know all the children who attend the Learn Geeta classes and the Vivechan sessions have this very good quality as they are not only reading but learning the Holy scripture too.

The eighth quality which is tapaḥ doesn’t just mean penance and asceticism like standing on one leg in freezing water or on top of the Himalayas. While that is definitely tapaḥ, but gaining full control on our mind and actions is also a kind of tapaḥ; like waking up very early in the morning every day, reading Bhagavadgītā, doing Puja, going to school regularly and, doing one’s homework diligently and so forth.

Doing such good actions will bring in the shine of good qualities in us, like it had done to Arjuna in Bhagavadgītā and we too can become Heroes.

The ninth one ārjavam or straightforwardness is a very important quality of a Hero. While it is good to be clever, but one should not be cunning.  We all know the story of Shabri. Without any doubt, she believed her Guruji when he said that Bhagavān Śrī Ram will come to visit her. She spent her entire life waiting for Ramji to come on this simple belief. Finally, HE did come when she was a very old lady.

In the next Shloka, we will learn about some more good qualities that we need to imbibe in our lives to be a Hero.

To understand the tenth quality, ahinsā or non-violence, we need to understand what is hinsā or violence. Violence can be physical like when we hit someone, can be verbal when we rudely tease, insult and provoke someone. Hinsā can in fact happen in the mind too. Like when our teacher is scolding us for something, and we start thinking of something bad that can befall her without of course saying it loudly. That is hinsā of the mind.

All such actions either make the other person feel bad or hopes for ill for others. Hence, they are hinsā and will make us villains.  We must avoid such actions that doesn’t do good to others and follow a path of ahinsā.

Satyam is the quality of truthfulness. It is the eleventh important quality Bhagavān describes that a Hero must possess. Satyam is truthfully telling the way it actually is.

While we maybe speak the truth most of the time, there are sometimes and circumstances when we end up lying. We should, however, remember that it is always easier and better to tell the truth. For example, one day you have forgotten to do your homework and tell the teacher that you had fever and hence you couldn’t do your homework, which is actually a lie. Now, next time, if you can’t do your homework for some reason, you will have to remember this lie and, even if its due to fever, you can’t say it and have to create another lie. So, it is best to tell the truth and maybe face a little scolding rather than create a web of lies.

Gandhiji as a child had once seen a play on Raja Harishchandra who only spoke the truth. After that he got so inspired that he decided never to lie, even in dire situations.

Krodhaḥ is anger when our eyes may become red with fury and some people even start trembling with rage. It is the cause of extreme sorrow and pain to us. Hence, we need to be akrodhaḥ or have absence of anger in us, which is the twelfth virtuous quality we should try to imbibe. One very good way to control anger is to reverse count from 100 to 1 or chant the name Bhagavān Ram when we are very angry. By doing this, our mind calms down and we get control over our angry mind.

The thirteenth quality, Tyāgaḥ or renunciation is the quality of sharing. One day, maybe you are watching a program you like on TV and your brother comes and asks for the remote because he wants to watch some other program. Tyāgaḥ is the ability to hand over the remote to your brother without any hesitation or regret.

Such actions where we compromise, and share gives us the fourteenth quality that is śhāntiḥ or peacefulness. These are definitely very important qualities for Heroes to have. Regularly doing Meditation, Yoga, Puja also helps us to attain the state of śhāntiḥ and tranquility in our mind.

Some people are prone to doing paiśhunam which is fault finding and back biting others. This is a very negative quality and hence we must always endeavour to be apaiśhunam that is, restraint from such fault-finding and back biting. This is the fifteenth quality a Hero should have.

We all need to show the sixteenth quality of dayā or compassion to those who are less fortunate than us, even if they are other living beings like animals or plants.

We all love and desire somethings. Some like new electronic devices, some are attached to games, some to movies and some like books too. Bhagavān says, we should not have too much desire towards any material things. We should exhibit the quality of aloluptvam which is not being too attached to some specific things. If we are able to imbibe this quality, we would have got the seventeenth quality that a Hero must have.

Mārdavam or gentleness in our mind brings us to the eighteenth quality. Being modest, not being rude and showing compassion towards all living beings helps us enhance the quality of gentleness or mārdavam in our mind.

The twentieth and the last quality Bhagavān describes in the second Shloka is hrīḥ achāpalam. Hrīḥ  is the quality of showing modesty, shamefulness and having remorse when we are caught doing something wrong. If we don’t have this sentiment and feel remorse for our wrong doing, we are likely to continue on our path of misdeeds.

Some of us are very chāpal that is fickle and unable to remain physically still or remain mentally engaged on something. Bhagavān tells us to try to be achāpalam that is steadfast and persistent in following the right and good actions.

These are twenty qualities of a Hero that Bhagavān has described in the first two Shlokas of Chapter - 16. We should all try to imbibe these Divine or good qualities in ourselves. That is when we will be called A Hero!!

There are six more Divine qualities about which we will learn in the next Vivechan session. We will also learn to identify some of the Demoniacal qualities that makes one a Villain and which we should avoid at all costs.

The Vivechan session was followed by a Questions and Answers session and concluded with the prayer to the Bhagavān and with rendition of the Hanuman Chalisa.

Questions and Answers

Himanshi Ji

Q: Will we now not have the Thursday quiz we used to have in Level-1?

A: No, we will not have that in Level-2 but will have Live Quiz during the sessions.

Adhya Ji

Q: How many hands did Bhagavān Śrī Krishna have?

A: The physical incarnation of Krishnaji had two hands. However, as we will learn in Chapter-11, He possessed infinite number of hands as Bhagavān.

Abhiram Ji

Q: Why do we get angry?

A: We become angry when we do not get what we want and desire. Therefore, we should always control our desires. In case we get angry, we should learn to control ourselves by counting from 100 to 1 continuously and our anger will go away.

Zenish Patel Ji

Q: Why do people in South India eat seafood as it is not allowed as per the Bhagavadgītā?

A: Three types that is Satvik, Rajasik and Tamasik are described in Chapter – 17. The reason some people in South India eat fish is mainly cultural. There could have been some situations in that area in the past forcing people to eat non-vegetarian food which over time became their standard diet. However, we must know that there are significant number of vegetarians in South India.

Arushri  Ji

Q: What should I do when other children in school make fun of me for tying my hair into ponytails?

A: You should just ignore them. In such situations, you should follow chant the mantra given to us by Ashu Ji Goyal Bhaiya which is ‘Om Śrī Ignorayaha
Namaha’! If you study well, behave well, be nice to everyone, learn Bhagavadgītā, after some time those children who make fun will have to stop doing it and start following you.

Shivanshi Ji

Q: What is the meaning of the word Atithi?

A: Tithi means Date and Atithi are those who suddenly come and visit without a date. They are our guests. We say ‘Atithi Devo Bhava’ which means Athiti or Guest is like Bhagavān and we should take care of them with all the love and respect that we do for Bhagavān. In Katho-Upanishad there is the story of Nachiketa and Yamaraj which describes this very well. We will talk about that story some other time.

Aryaa Ji

Q: What is the meaning of Abhayaṁ ?

A: Abhayaṁ means fearless.

Aadesh Padule Ji

Q: Who else heard Śrī Krishna narrate  the Bhagavadgītā to Arjuna?

A: Besides Arjuna, there was Hanumanji who was present in the Kapidhwaja flying atop Arjuna’s chariot. Sanjay through his Divya Dristi was also listening in and narrating the same to Dhritarashtra. Finally, there was Veja Vyas Ji who was a Trikaal Darshi and could see everything that was happening on the battlefield.  Though not mentioned in the main Mahabharata, there is another version where it says that the head of Barbarika also heard the Bhagavadgītā from the mountain.

Swara Kamble Ji

Q: Bhagavān Śrī Krishna said,’ Set your heart upon your work, but never its reward’. What does this mean?

A: Bhagavān in Bhagavadgītā has said Karmanye vadhikaraste. Here HE is telling us to focus on the action we are doing without worrying about the outcome of the action. We can only focus on our actions as we have no control on the outcome of those actions. We should therefore not get attached to the results of our actions. Like we should remain focused and preparing well for our exam and not get attached and worry about the results.  

Khushi Tiwari Ji

Q: What does Hari Sharanam mean?

A: Hari means Vishnu Ji and Sharnam' means shelter. Hari Sharanam means coming to Bhagavān Śrī Hari's shelter, a place of refuge where HE will give us protection from all fears and anxieties and look after us.

Name not given

Q: Who wrote Bhagavadgītā?

A: Veda Vyas Ji dictated and Ganeshji wrote Bhagavadgītā . In fact. Ganeshji wrote it so fast that on the 10th day, his body temperature went up. Veda Vyas Ji had to immerse him in water to cool him down. That is why we do visarjan or immersion of Ganeshji’s idol. Ganeshji’s pen also broke in the process and there is a story of how he made a new pen from one of his tusk.