DRONA AND DRUPADA

     I was talking to someone yesterday and he mentioned that there was new serial showing Mahabharat characters when they see CHITRAGUPTA  and he asks them questions . This is called DHARMAKSHETRA . CHITRAGUPTA is an accountant who keeps accounts of each and everyone as far as all the incidences  and good and bad deeds.So I thought that I will try to explain symbolism of the stories that we may have read and had some questions. THIS IS NOT MY ORIGINAL THOUGHT OR EXPLANATION and I have read it from many evolved souls like Paramhansa  Yoganand. 

   So the DRONA or also called Dronachary , as he was the teacher for both Kuarav and Pandawas. The story that Drona was named Drona as he was born in DRONA  a bowl made out of dried leaves. Certanly this does not make sense. He was very poor and he was employed for teaching all the princes.He had a child hood friend DRUPADA . Drupada  had become King of Panchal .So Drona decided to go to him and ask for help and so he went there. Drona went there and Drupada drove him out after insulting him. So Drona got mad  and asked Arjun to defeat him and bring him to him. So Arjuna did it. Drona let him go but offered him LOWER HALF of kingdom and kept top half of the kingdom. 

  This whole story and the characters in it are interesting but certain things don't make sense .. How can someone be born in Drna. and when he was insulted by his childhood friend he got revenge , but then he gave him half of the kingdom - why ?

  The Drona represents SAUNSKARA or the impressions that are left by every DEED or KARMA that we do. These impressions can can not be destroyed. So the Son of DRANA , named ASHVASTHAMA is immortal. (The son of out karma can never die as we continue to do Karma  and so impressions continue) The word Drona comes from DRU in Sanskrit, which means to melt . So when we do a karma the impression is there  and when it is not coming to fruition it stays in 'melted' state. We all have done good and bad Karma  and and they stimulus us to REDO new bad and good karma . e.g smoking , alcohol , drugs  and helping people or doing surgery or protecting or teaching people. So the EXTRACT of Karma - SAUSKARA, TEACH both good and bad students - PANDAVAS  AND KAURAVAS respectively. So Drona was teaching bot sets of princes. 

   Now Drpada is Dispassion . So when one tries to de not attached to bad and mortal things , the Impressions from past Karma, pop up  and disturb our concentration.. WE try to shun them but they come with HELP and then we succumb to the temptation - DRUPADA IS DEFEATED BY DRONA. .But if we have done  enough practice, we can control some habits especially related to PROCREATION, EXCRETION AND MAY BE HUNGER -- the so called LOWER HALF or SOUTHERN part of the bodily Kingdom . So Drona gave up lower half of the kingdom . 

  So I hope this makes some sense of this story from Mahabharata. 

SHAKTI- STRENGTH

    This story is somewhat different than what I have told so far. In Hindu religion, we have several concepts that are different from other religions.We have reincarnation and we have Avatars and most of all we have both male and female as God and Goddess. Before I I go in the story which many know it,I want to give a back ground. As mentioned in my other blogs, we have a concept of God that CREATED the universe  and we have  a God that maintains the universe, and we have God that destroyed evil and the world.In addition to that we have a husband and a wife team for these functions . So to create the universe or for that matter create anything, we need KNOWLEDGE  and so we have a created God BRAHMADEO and his wife SARASWATI is Goddess of Knowledge. To maintain the world and anything, we need money  and so the God that maintains the universe is Vishnu and his wife Goddess LAKSHMI is the goddess is the goddess of the money . And lastly to fight or destroy evil we need strength and so God Shankar is the God for destruction and his wife Goddess Parwati is the goddess of STRENGTH. When we had reincarnation of the supreme God, as Lord Rama , the Lord Shankar wanted to come down and be with Rama . His wife would  not allow him to go alone . But the problem was that Lord Shankara was  going to be in form of Hanuman or Maruti who was BRAHMACHARI or life long bachelor and was strict follower of celibacy. So how could she come with Lord Shankara . She solved the problem by becoming the tail of the Hanuman who is in form of Monkey. 

      In Ramayana when the Hanuman goes to Lanka to find Lord Rama's kidnapped wife Sita , he finds her imprisoned in Ashokvana. She was surrounded by guards.So when thy were gone Hnuman drooped the ring that Rama had given to him for identification. Sita recognized it and did talk to him The he was hungry and he asked permission to eat some fruits. Sita told him to eat the fruits which were on the ground only and not pluck them from tree . Hanuman shook the tree  and then ate all the fruits that fell off from the tree . As expected the Rakshsas came in and tried to arrest him and then as he wanted to talk to Ravana , he gave up. Ravana .was to order him killed . But then he was just a messenger and so he decided to set his tail on fire.. 

    When they started covering the tail with cloth, the tail started getting longer and longer and the whole town had to chip in ti get enough cloth . Then they poured gasoline on it and it took lot of gasoline and when they tried to set it to fire , it would not light up. So the Ravana himself came at the request of Hanuman . When they set fire ,Hanuman jumped  from one house to other setting entire city on fire . His tail was huge  and was strong. and fire or Agni had promised that it would never burn Hanuman. 

     The strength of the tail is also seen when BHIMA from Mahabharata tried to lift it and put it aside when he was crossing the road where Hanuman was sitting.. 

CONCENTRATION

   We often try to meditate and for most of us meditation means concentration. We have to sit at ONE place  and close eyes  and environment must have no disturbances  and then we concentrate on something,like picture or statue of our favorite God or chant in our mind a mantra. So if we get disturbed, by external disturbance or internal though, then we get upset and we think we have not done good meditation. So the question is,can we do meditation for 20-30 minutes and then do nothing for 23 plus hours and is that enough?Can we meditate entire day and still do our daily activity of living? And the answer is YES. 

      So this is a story of KACHAMUNI. I had told a story of Kach when I talked about I and SELF. So the same Kach went to King Janaka and he was told that the King was great and he will teach him the post graduate course on meditation. So in first place the King told him that You have to give up the idea that You are the physical body. When we say I am happy or sad or I have a disease , or I am hungry or I like or dislike something, we are referring to the physical body and that is not SELF OR I.So then he was admitted (in modern concept) for the further teaching. Kach had thought that the king is married  and has more than one wife, he as as ultimate decision maker for internal and external affairs of the kingdom. He has to make a decision on punishing someone  and rewarding other  and eat great food  and decide to go on war where many will be killed. So how can such a person be teaching me the Meditation or how to achieve the highest level in Samadhi.

    The next day when he went to the assembly where King sits on a throne  and people present complaints  and other problems of the running of the kingdom  and then the King makes the decision.The King Jnaka gave a pot filled with oil and told Kach that he has to carry it on top his head while attending to the business for entire day. He was told that he will be helping the king in making decision but the oil should not spill. The king asked him questions when some cases were presented and the king has to decide as to who is right and who is wrong or who should be punished.. The entire day passed by and Kach had to be mindful in moving around or even moving his neck or head. 

    At the end of the day Kach was free  and the king took down the pot that was filled with oil and Kach was carrying on his head. The king asked Kach, if he was paying attention to the cases or to the pot filled with oil. Kach answered ,'I can not forget the pot with oil for a single moment as otherwise the oil will spill.' The king then told him that your devotion or meditation should be like that. You may be doing anything and everything entire day but even when you are doing things which are essential for day to day activity, you must NEVER FORGET who you are  and what is your goal .This how one should behave in life. 

  So one can do 2 or more things at a given time and still continue to be aware of the GOD or Brahman.

CONCENTRATION OR 'EKAGRA'MIND

      In Patanjali Sutra Yoga in chapter one, we have seen different states of mind . One that is thrown outside and and one which is introvert and one which is concentrating etc. But we have often seen that we do chanting or worshiping of the God.our mind is not single pointed. We in our house pray before we start eating our meals and I have seen that everybody is not closing eyes and concentrating on the prayer.Sometimes someone is pouring water and sometimes someone is getting some other stuff and still chanting the prayer as they don't want others to wait and get delayed starting the eating. This is not the concentration. 

     So that brings me to the story of Arjuna. He was great warrior  and was the best known marksman - may be with exception of Karna in Mahabharata. As you know Pandawas were 5 and their cousins Karavas were 100. Since they were all prince, they had a teacher called DRONA. He was teaching them the archery. So one day he was trying to find out as to how far his students have progressed and so he arranged for a wooden parrot to be placed in a tree. The tree was thick with lots of leaves and flowers . He asked students one by one to come to podium and take an aim the eye of the parrot. But before they were allowed to take an aim and shoot  they had to answer a simple question. They were asked as to what do you see. Some answered they see a tree , some said they see leaves or the branches or the flowers or even the parrot. Drona would not allow them to to shoot the arrow. When Arjuna came to podium, he asked him the same question and Arjuna answered that 'I see the eye.'Drona allowed him to shoot and he hit the eye . So those who were seeing a tree, or leaves or flowers or even the parrots, their concentration was scattered and not SINGLE POINTED  and they were not able to hit the target. So when we have to do something we must have single pointed mind and then only we will be successful. 

    Next one I will tell on how one can do 2 things and still have concentration but that is not for ordinary people.