November 10, 2013

We as children of the twenty-first century are forever buried in our electronic gadgets and jam-packed social lives. Thus, when we ninth-grade whippersnappers met for class today, we were all armed to the teeth with our iPhones, iPods, cell phones and iWhatevers - sadly. However, it took some persuading, but we eventually surrendered our gadgets… realizing the true nature of ourselves as humans in the process.

 

 You see, the scriptures tell us of the “guidelines” or prescriptions we have for living, called SAMSKARAS. Some are the same rules we have been fed since Kindergarten: kindness, happiness, generosity. The easy stuff. And then there are the more difficult rules to keep in mind; the ones that we, as teenagers, often don’t really care about. Take, for example, ASPRAH… the absence of desires or clinging attachments.  Clearly, we could use some help in that area, with the number of people who came in engrossed in their phones. We are so attached to our devices, our friends, and getting good grades that we do not perceive what is important in life… fulfilling our dharma and breaking free of the cycle of wrongdoing. Often, these desires keep us from doing what is right, and we end up living in a superficial, distracted state. One must be like a statue (have SAMATTVAM), we agreed, and remain constant and true, not allowing petty desires to affect us on our path to our ultimate goals. Another value we as ninth-graders often overlook is ANAYSA, or being free from mental strain. Instead of abstaining from conflict, we often willingly engage ourselves in it, allowing our emotions to take on a life of their own! Well… some of us. Ram Uncle shared with the class a super-fun word that describes this behavior perfectly: VIDANDAVADAM, or arguing simply for the sake of arguing (Word of the Day!). So many of us feel the need to have the last word, or simply to talk because we can, and we fail to realize that the occasional heated atmosphere of the classroom as well as our brains arises from this need. If we stopped creating tension, like the proverbial stretched rubber band, we would all remain at much more peace.  Finally, a significant samskara discussed in class today was purity (SAUCAM). What is purity? Some argue it is synonymous with kindness. Some believe it is achieved by taking copious showers. However, we learned today that purity is achieved by having a clear state of mind, whether it is through daily prayer, meditation/time spent in solitary reflection, or simply by keeping one’s room tidy. All of these methods lead to a more organized, clearer mind that can focus on greater things, such as fulfilling one’s dharma and stuff. Basically, friends: start making those beds!

 

The 8 Samskaras discussed in class today were

·      KIndness

·      Ksanti-Forebearance

·      Anasuya-Absence of jealousy

·      Sauca-Cleanliness/purity of thought/word/actions

·      Anayasa-free from mental strain

·      Mangalam-Auspiciousness/happy state of mind.

·      Akarpanya-not being a miser

·      Asprah-Absence of desires

Even though we ninth-graders occasionally come to class distracted and are quite fond of heated debates, Balavihar class allows us to take away knowledge that eventually makes us better people. Learning about the various samskaras as we did today will certainly help us achieve our goals in high school… and beyond.

 

- Ananya Ramachandran