everyday like a prayer. It’s been 15 years till date of consistent reading and my life has changed completely. I have become more calm, wise, happy, fearless and intelligent. You all must be wondering what happened to my mother, she passed away after suffering for 4 years. Didn’t I get angry with God? Well, the answer is no, I just thanked God for relieving her from the sufferings and may God bless her soul.
One day, I asked myself, what is it that I really wanted to do before I die? Yes, I wanted to write the Bhagavad Gita. I had no idea how I will write, but somehow I started writing and slowly it transformed into a bold, simple and beautiful book. Every page just tells me that its teachings can change lives and help people in today’s times. This book “The Gita Happiness Retreat” is truly a gift to mankind. Here comes the first life lesson.
**Lesson No: 1 Do whatever your heart tells you to do, just do it consistently and see miracles unfold.
As we all now know a bit about The Bhagavad Gita. Let’s move on to Chapter 1 of The Bhagavad Gita. Immediately one participant raised his hand, got up and asked, “Madam who is the winner of the coal basket and bucket game which we all played in the morning.” I smiled and said, “Each and everyone of you is the winner.” All the participants were perplexed and they all looked at each other. One participant got up and said, “How is it possible, madam. Many of them couldn’t fill the bucket with water, few of us together joined hands tried to fill the bucket to some extent.” I smiled again and said, “Let me share a story with all of you.
Become Pure By Reading The Bhagavad Gita
On a Sunday early evening a family of four grandfather, grandson, father and mother went on a beach to have a barbeque dinner. They carried their own barbeque set along with coal required to cook. The grandfather had gifted his grandson The Bhagavad Gita on his birthday that happened few months ago. The grandson came up to him and said, “Grandpa I try to read The Bhagavad Gita just like you but I don’t understand it much. And whatever little I understand, I forget it very soon. What is the use of reading this book?”
Grandfather quietly went near the barbeque set and returned with a coal basket and said, “Take this coal basket go down to the beach and bring me back a basket of water.”
The young boy did as he was told, but all the water leaked out before he got back. The grandfather asked him to try again and again. But every single time, the water leaked out of the basket before he got back. Finally he got exhausted and said, “See grandpa, it’s useless!”
“So you think it’s useless?” The grandfather said, “Look at the basket.” The boy looked at the basket and for the first time realized that the basket had been transformed from a dirty coal basket to a new clean one, inside and out.
“Son, that’s what happens when you read a book like the Bhagavad Gita. You might not understand or remember everything, but when you read it again and again, you will realize the benefit one day. It will help you become pure from the inside and outside, just like this coal basket.”
All the participants looked at their clean coal basket, smiled and gave a big applaud. I said, “Everyone is a winner and what did you all win?” Another life lesson.
**Lesson No: 2 Read this beautiful sacred book The Bhagavad Gita consistently. Try to understand its teachings and do your own research. The sacred texts have a purpose that will help you find your true purpose in life and also help you find solutions to your problems.
“Let’s continue the session.
You all have a note pad which is given to you along with a pen. I want you to write down the names of all the people who matter to you, including your own name? Time is 1 minute.
Okay times up. Please count and tell me numbers randomly on your list. Anyone. Some said, “15, 20, 25, 40”. Now I want you to think and circle those names whom you are very close to, rest cross the remaining. Time is 15 sec. Please count and tell me numbers randomly on your list. Anyone. Some said, “3, 5, 7, 10”. Aren’t they you, your family and friends? Everyone nodded. Anyone crossed their own name?” Thankfully there was no one.
“In the two day spiritual session we are going to understand the importance of relationships and how to manage them with the help of The Bhagavad Gita.
There are 46 Shlokas in Chapter 1 of The Bhagavad Gita. I request each participant to read one shloka each that is translated in English. Here is The Bhagavad Gita.” Everyone started reading one after the other.
Observing the Armies on the Battlefield of Kurukshetra:
Dhritarashtra said: O Sanjaya, after my sons and the sons of Pandu assembled in the place of pilgrimage at Kurukshetra, desiring to fight, what did they do?
Sanjaya said: O King, after looking over the army arranged in military formation by the sons of Pandu, King Duryodhana went to his teacher Dronacharya and spoke the following words.
O my teacher, observe the great army of the sons of Pandu, so expertly arranged by your intelligent disciple the son of Drupada.
Here in this army are many brave archers equal in fighting to Bhima and Arjuna: great fighters like Yuyudhana, Virata and Drupada.
There are also great heroic, powerful fighters like Dhrishtaketu, Chekitana, Kashiraja, Purujit, Kuntibhoja and Saibya.
There are the mighty Yudhamanyu, the very powerful Uttamauja, the son of Subhadra and the sons of Draupadi. All these warriors are great chariot fighters.
But for your information, O best of the brahmanas let me tell you about the captains who are especially qualified to lead my military force.
There are personalities like you, Bhishma, Karna, Kripa, Ashvatthama, Vikarna and the son of Somadatta called Bhurishravas, who are always victorious in battle.
There are many other heroes who are prepared to lay down their lives for my sake. All of them are well equipped with different kinds of weapons, and all are experienced in military science.
Our strength is immeasurable, and we are perfectly protected by Grandfather Bhishma, whereas the strength of the Pandavas, carefully protected by Bhima, is limited.
All of you must now give full support to Grandfather Bhishma, as you stand at your respective strategic points into the phalanx of the army.
Then Bhishma, the great courageous grandfather of the Kuru dynasty, the grandfather of the fighters, blew his conchshell very loudly, making a sound like the roar of a lion, giving Duryodhana joy.
After that, the conchshells, drums, bugles, trumpets and horns were all suddenly sounded and the combined sound was thunderous.
On the other side, both Lord Krishna and Arjuna, stationed
