WEBVTT 1 00:00:03.600 --> 00:00:06.879 When we think of the Mahabharata, we often think of 2 00:00:06.960 --> 00:00:11.800 great wars, divine weapons, and cosmic debates. But before the 3 00:00:11.800 --> 00:00:15.759 clashing of armies, the story of the Mahabhadata opens in 4 00:00:15.800 --> 00:00:20.320 a quiet moral storm, a curse born not from kings 5 00:00:20.399 --> 00:00:24.280 or gods, but from the tears of a dog, tears 6 00:00:24.320 --> 00:00:29.199 of a mother dog. It begins with Janimajaya, who is 7 00:00:29.440 --> 00:00:34.039 actually the great grandson of Arjuna. He's performing a grand 8 00:00:34.159 --> 00:00:39.119 sacrifice at Gurukshetra, the same field that once drank the 9 00:00:39.159 --> 00:00:44.039 blood of his ancestors. The ritual is perfect, the offerings 10 00:00:44.039 --> 00:00:49.280 are precise, and then enters a puppy, a cute little puppy, 11 00:00:50.159 --> 00:00:55.159 a male puppy, a small creature of Sarama, the divine 12 00:00:55.359 --> 00:01:00.159 hound who guards cosmic truth. And just like that, the 13 00:01:00.280 --> 00:01:05.640 sacred is interrupted by the innocent. Notice that's actually what 14 00:01:05.719 --> 00:01:11.640 is happening in the Mahabadada. Here, the sacred is interrupted 15 00:01:11.760 --> 00:01:17.439 by the innocent. When the brothers strike the puppy, something 16 00:01:17.519 --> 00:01:22.640 subtle shatters. The story forces us to ask how sacred 17 00:01:22.719 --> 00:01:27.680 can a ritual be if it hurts the harmless. Sadama's 18 00:01:27.959 --> 00:01:32.480 arrival is astonishing. A goddess does not thunder with power, 19 00:01:33.000 --> 00:01:38.959 she asks a question, why was my son struck? When 20 00:01:39.000 --> 00:01:45.640 there is silence, she curses, misfortune shall befall you unexpectedly. Right, 21 00:01:45.879 --> 00:01:49.719 the curse is introduced right at the beginning of the 22 00:01:50.200 --> 00:01:55.319 episode that I am published earlier this week for Part 23 00:01:55.359 --> 00:01:59.959 three of the Mahabadata. So this moment is the see 24 00:02:00.319 --> 00:02:04.079 the curse is the seed of the serpent sacrifice that 25 00:02:04.239 --> 00:02:10.639 is to come Janamajaiya's later obsession with revenge with Dakshaka. Right, 26 00:02:11.159 --> 00:02:14.919 Dakshaka begins not from his father's death, but from this 27 00:02:15.120 --> 00:02:20.120 exact moment of moral blindness. That's something that a lot 28 00:02:20.120 --> 00:02:25.439 of readers of the Mahabadata do not realize. Sadama's curse 29 00:02:25.840 --> 00:02:30.000 is not merely divine retribution. It's the voice of Karma 30 00:02:30.319 --> 00:02:35.000 correcting arrogance. It's the reminder that purity and ritual means 31 00:02:35.080 --> 00:02:39.000 nothing if the heart has not learned compassion and other 32 00:02:39.159 --> 00:02:42.240 lessons that it needs to. If the human heart has 33 00:02:42.319 --> 00:02:45.560 not learned the lessons that it needs to. You know, 34 00:02:45.639 --> 00:02:47.879 all the rituals that you can do for God mean 35 00:02:47.960 --> 00:02:52.960 nothing spiritually. The scene here teaches us that the universe 36 00:02:53.080 --> 00:02:59.520 watches not your fire, but your tenderness in our postmodern world. 37 00:03:00.120 --> 00:03:04.680 This really does echo how you know and how many 38 00:03:04.759 --> 00:03:11.000 religious people, including those who run religious organizations, pursue success 39 00:03:11.159 --> 00:03:18.400 or spirituality while neglecting empathy. Right, they don't. There's something 40 00:03:18.479 --> 00:03:22.240 incorrect about, you know, some of the things that religious 41 00:03:22.319 --> 00:03:28.840 organizations engage in. So every unjust act, every unjust act, 42 00:03:29.280 --> 00:03:33.400 no matter how small it is, ripples into destiny because 43 00:03:33.439 --> 00:03:37.080 it will have an impact on some other conscious being, 44 00:03:37.800 --> 00:03:42.560 just like you know, her puppy being struck caused Sadama 45 00:03:43.680 --> 00:03:48.639 to be irritated, and she put out a curse. She 46 00:03:48.719 --> 00:03:52.960 put out this hope, this wish, this curse unto Jhanamagaya 47 00:03:53.719 --> 00:03:59.280 and his brothers, his bloodline. Why does this happen? Ultimately, 48 00:04:00.319 --> 00:04:05.479 it's because the divine, this divine realm, as I explain it, 49 00:04:05.520 --> 00:04:08.879 which is actually intelligence, as I explain it in my 50 00:04:08.919 --> 00:04:11.599 book Who God Really Is, which I encourage all of 51 00:04:11.599 --> 00:04:15.800 you to pick up on Amazon today, the divine realm 52 00:04:16.120 --> 00:04:20.720 observes through the eyes of the voiceless. That's the test, 53 00:04:20.879 --> 00:04:24.240 right through the eyes of the voiceless. It reminds me 54 00:04:24.279 --> 00:04:27.560 of that very popular quote of Mahatma Gandhi as well, 55 00:04:28.160 --> 00:04:30.319 something along the lines of You can tell a lot 56 00:04:30.360 --> 00:04:33.600 about a nation by the way it takes care or 57 00:04:33.639 --> 00:04:39.959 does not take care of its animals. Janamajaya and his 58 00:04:40.120 --> 00:04:45.560 brothers are conducting a grand sacrificial ritual at Kurukshetra, a 59 00:04:45.639 --> 00:04:50.560 place steeped in spiritual significance. When that puppy belonging to Sarama, 60 00:04:51.560 --> 00:04:55.439 the divine she dog, is struck right by Janamajaya's brothers. 61 00:04:56.240 --> 00:04:59.879 The puppy is innocent. Here it flees to its mother right, 62 00:05:00.160 --> 00:05:05.720 who confronts these princes with fury. Now Here is where 63 00:05:05.759 --> 00:05:10.879 her fury is righteous. There is sometimes a place for anger, 64 00:05:11.800 --> 00:05:17.439 you know, in various circumstances, and it's okay. Sadama isn't 65 00:05:17.519 --> 00:05:21.399 just a dog. She's not a dog. She's a divine entity, 66 00:05:21.560 --> 00:05:26.560 a guardian of cosmic justice. In Vadic mythology, Sdama is 67 00:05:26.600 --> 00:05:29.959 linked to the dawn, a symbol of truth and illumination. 68 00:05:30.759 --> 00:05:35.959 Her puppy represents innocence, and the brother's violence against it 69 00:05:36.079 --> 00:05:42.360 disrupts dharma, harmony, the cosmic order, the way everything should be, 70 00:05:42.439 --> 00:05:47.120 the way everything should flow, is disrupted. The curse that 71 00:05:47.199 --> 00:05:54.519 Saddama pronounces isn't petty vengeance. It's a recalibration of balance spiritually. 72 00:05:54.920 --> 00:05:58.439 This suggests again that no act, however small it is, 73 00:05:58.680 --> 00:06:04.000 escapes the universes ledger. There is some sort of ledger here, right, 74 00:06:04.079 --> 00:06:07.600 So we humans are building this blockchain ledger on Earth, 75 00:06:07.639 --> 00:06:11.680 but there's a spiritual ledger in existence as well, that's 76 00:06:11.720 --> 00:06:15.800 been with us for you know, since the since the 77 00:06:15.879 --> 00:06:19.399 beginning of all beginnings. As I indicate, and as I 78 00:06:19.519 --> 00:06:23.439 explain in my book, who God really is? The ge 79 00:06:24.120 --> 00:06:29.439 sacred clarified butter, symbolizes purity and offering to the divine. 80 00:06:30.079 --> 00:06:34.480 By striking the puppy, the brothers symbolically taint their ritual, 81 00:06:34.600 --> 00:06:38.800 inviting misfortune. The puppy did not even look toward the gee. 82 00:06:39.360 --> 00:06:42.600 It did not even pounce on the ge or try 83 00:06:42.639 --> 00:06:46.199 to aim for it, try to gain it. At least 84 00:06:46.279 --> 00:06:51.399 that's what the puppy tells her his mother, Sadama. And 85 00:06:51.480 --> 00:06:55.360 yet the puppy was struck. You know, in many spiritual traditions, 86 00:06:55.720 --> 00:06:58.639 harm to the innocent, even if it's something minor as 87 00:06:58.680 --> 00:07:01.680 a you know, as a puff, as a tiny puppy, 88 00:07:02.120 --> 00:07:05.279 it ripples. It has an effect on the moral fabric 89 00:07:05.319 --> 00:07:10.800 of the world. Now, imagine Sarama as the embodiment of 90 00:07:10.839 --> 00:07:15.639 the Earth's sentience a Gaya like figure. The puppy could 91 00:07:15.680 --> 00:07:22.399 symbolize vulnerable ecosystems they care about, endangered species or fragile habitats. 92 00:07:23.279 --> 00:07:29.480 The you know, Janamagaya's brothers thoughtless act mirrors humanity's often 93 00:07:29.600 --> 00:07:37.199 reckless treatment of its most valuable surroundings, natural surroundings. Just 94 00:07:37.240 --> 00:07:43.399 think about all the chemistry and medicine that we are 95 00:07:43.439 --> 00:07:46.879 able to produce because of what's been offered to us 96 00:07:46.959 --> 00:07:50.000 by God. What has been allowed to come into creation 97 00:07:50.160 --> 00:07:55.560 by God in the plant kingdom, right, So, Sarama's curse 98 00:07:56.199 --> 00:08:01.120 becomes the planet's warning harm the innocent and consequences will 99 00:08:01.199 --> 00:08:05.839 eventually find you, not through magic, but through the natural 100 00:08:05.959 --> 00:08:11.519 fallout of imbalance, through the natural imbalance that is put 101 00:08:11.560 --> 00:08:17.519 into effect resource depletion. This perspective invites us to see 102 00:08:17.560 --> 00:08:22.360 the Mahabha data also as an ecological parable, where divine 103 00:08:22.600 --> 00:08:28.120 justice mirrors the self regulating systems of our world. The 104 00:08:28.120 --> 00:08:31.560 scene that I introduced to you from the Mahabharata in 105 00:08:31.720 --> 00:08:35.360 yesterday excuse me earlier this week right in the episode 106 00:08:35.399 --> 00:08:40.480 from earlier this week about the story featuring the story 107 00:08:40.759 --> 00:08:46.320 that's early scene screams a leadership accountability. Jhanamajaya and his 108 00:08:46.399 --> 00:08:51.840 brothers are royalty, wielding power in a sacred context. Striking 109 00:08:51.879 --> 00:08:58.480 the puppy reflects a lapse in emotional intelligence and ethical responsibility. 110 00:08:58.960 --> 00:09:03.440 Leaders today, whether they are CEOs, politicians, or community figures, 111 00:09:03.480 --> 00:09:07.679 can learn from this story. A single thoughtless action, like 112 00:09:07.840 --> 00:09:13.440 dismissing a quote unquote small complaint or ignoring a marginalized 113 00:09:13.559 --> 00:09:20.679 voice can escalate tarnishing reputations or sparking backlash. Sadama's confrontation 114 00:09:20.879 --> 00:09:24.960 is like a whistle blow or calling out injustice. Now, 115 00:09:25.039 --> 00:09:31.080 Johana Majaya, he gets it because notice you know, earlier 116 00:09:31.120 --> 00:09:34.919 in the episode, Yes, from the earlier this week, mahabadat 117 00:09:34.960 --> 00:09:40.879 the number three episode, he searches for stages for priests. Right, 118 00:09:40.960 --> 00:09:43.799 he starts searching for anyone who can remove the curse. 119 00:09:44.240 --> 00:09:50.320 He understands something wrong has been done. Janamajaya gets it. 120 00:09:50.320 --> 00:09:52.799 It's kind of like, you know, in our modern world, 121 00:09:53.840 --> 00:09:57.399 you know some leader scrambling to mitigate a pr disaster. 122 00:09:58.519 --> 00:10:00.759 But the lesson is always clear. You have to try 123 00:10:00.799 --> 00:10:04.279 to prevent harm before it's spirals. Right, you want to 124 00:10:04.320 --> 00:10:07.240 try to not bring stress into your life that is 125 00:10:07.600 --> 00:10:10.120 that you don't need to that could have been prevented. 126 00:10:10.840 --> 00:10:15.279 Life is stressful enough anyways, Otherwise we would have no 127 00:10:15.679 --> 00:10:20.600 reason to even participate in spiritual rituals, worship rituals, the 128 00:10:20.720 --> 00:10:23.879 kind of you know, sacrificial rituals that even Janamejaya and 129 00:10:23.960 --> 00:10:27.919 his brothers are participating in, at least in his time. 130 00:10:28.039 --> 00:10:34.120 For his time, Jana Majaya, terrified of the curse, seeks absolution. 131 00:10:35.360 --> 00:10:39.840 This begins his long search for priests, spiritual authority figures 132 00:10:39.879 --> 00:10:45.200 who can undo his karma. Here enters Somashrava, the priest 133 00:10:45.320 --> 00:10:49.440 born of a serpent mother, a hybrid who is actually 134 00:10:49.440 --> 00:10:55.039 a hybrid of ascetic wisdom and serpentine instinct. Okay, ascetic 135 00:10:55.080 --> 00:10:59.639 wisdom and serpentine instinct. Those are actually two very valuable 136 00:10:59.679 --> 00:11:04.360 characteracteristics to have or to be marked by, even in 137 00:11:04.440 --> 00:11:10.320 our postmodern world, which is, let's be honest, not paradise, right, 138 00:11:10.360 --> 00:11:16.519 We're not living with only goodness surrounding us. So Mashava's 139 00:11:16.600 --> 00:11:20.759 father warns he can absolve you of all sins except 140 00:11:20.879 --> 00:11:26.519 those against Shiva, Lord Shiva. Now why Lord Shiva, Because 141 00:11:26.799 --> 00:11:31.120 Shiva is the witness of cosmic justice, the one who 142 00:11:31.159 --> 00:11:35.960 transforms poison into power, and sin against him means sin 143 00:11:36.120 --> 00:11:42.679 against transformation or change itself. It means the refusal to change, 144 00:11:42.759 --> 00:11:46.799 and that is against the fundamental framework or design of 145 00:11:47.080 --> 00:11:51.080 all of existence, including the universe. As I state in 146 00:11:51.120 --> 00:11:54.879 my book and as I explain in detail very clearly 147 00:11:55.960 --> 00:11:59.000 and easy to understand terms in my book Who God 148 00:11:59.080 --> 00:12:01.480 Really Is, which I encourage you all to pick up 149 00:12:01.519 --> 00:12:08.279 on Amazon today. Change cannot be breached, meaning that you 150 00:12:08.399 --> 00:12:12.120 cannot refuse. You can refuse to change, but it does 151 00:12:12.159 --> 00:12:16.120 not mean that you will be able to overcome the 152 00:12:16.200 --> 00:12:21.600 phenomenon of change. So Maashava's condition that he will grant 153 00:12:21.639 --> 00:12:25.440 any request made by a brummin is a spiritual metaphor. 154 00:12:26.080 --> 00:12:32.120 It tells us even divine wisdom, when bound by unthinkable obedience, 155 00:12:33.320 --> 00:12:41.360 becomes dangerous. The test of spirituality is discernment, not rule following. Okay, 156 00:12:41.399 --> 00:12:44.879 it's a discernment, not rule following. Too many people pray 157 00:12:44.960 --> 00:12:48.720 to God, worship God, go to the temples and all 158 00:12:48.799 --> 00:12:53.120 different house kinds of houses of worship to obey, you know, 159 00:12:53.159 --> 00:12:56.000 to follow the rules, to obey, to tell God, I'm 160 00:12:56.039 --> 00:13:00.159 going to be obedient. But Hinduism is powerful in that 161 00:13:00.639 --> 00:13:03.240 it teaches us we have to become one with who 162 00:13:03.279 --> 00:13:06.720 we seek to follow or be obedient too. We have 163 00:13:06.840 --> 00:13:10.679 to be like him or her right in the case 164 00:13:10.720 --> 00:13:13.440 of Dudgad Davy, but essentially God, we have to be 165 00:13:13.639 --> 00:13:17.759 like God. We have to be more like God, meaning 166 00:13:18.000 --> 00:13:23.519 our own being must reflect God. And God is of 167 00:13:23.559 --> 00:13:28.720 course a wise judge. Discernment is part of his name. 168 00:13:28.840 --> 00:13:33.000 Let's put it like that. Discernment defines one of his characteristics. 169 00:13:33.960 --> 00:13:37.720 So the test of spirituality is not it is not 170 00:13:38.080 --> 00:13:40.919 following the rules and saying I'm going to be obedient 171 00:13:41.000 --> 00:13:43.919 to this rule and be obedient to this ritual and 172 00:13:43.960 --> 00:13:46.679 this timing and the timing of the moon and the 173 00:13:46.720 --> 00:13:51.440 timing of this ritual, and what the Hindu scripture state 174 00:13:52.320 --> 00:13:55.759 it's about, you know, it's really about the discernment, or 175 00:13:55.799 --> 00:13:59.639 at least having that quality of wisdom discernment as part 176 00:13:59.679 --> 00:14:03.320 of your own being natural to you, like second nature 177 00:14:03.360 --> 00:14:11.039 to you. Almost right, Janamajaya accepts, he accepts Somashreva's condition, 178 00:14:11.759 --> 00:14:16.440 and with this choice, he invites both salvation and danger 179 00:14:16.559 --> 00:14:21.960 into his kingdom. For every bargain with power carries a shadow. Okay, 180 00:14:22.559 --> 00:14:29.399 every bargain with power carries a shadow. Somashreva's origin story 181 00:14:29.519 --> 00:14:32.919 is actually quite wild. He was born of a serpent woman. 182 00:14:33.360 --> 00:14:37.480 He embodies a bridge between human and divine realms. In 183 00:14:37.600 --> 00:14:43.200 Hindu spirituality, nagas or serpent symbolize primal energy, the Kundalini, 184 00:14:43.720 --> 00:14:48.720 and the mysteries of creation. His birth via ascetic potency 185 00:14:48.840 --> 00:14:56.399 suggests that spiritual power transcends conventional morality or biology. His 186 00:14:56.519 --> 00:15:02.000 flaw unquestioning obedience to the Brummins reflects the tension between 187 00:15:02.320 --> 00:15:07.600 blind devotion and discernment spiritually, again, how do we balance 188 00:15:08.000 --> 00:15:10.919 we're being called or we're being asked here, how do 189 00:15:10.960 --> 00:15:16.039 we balance surrender to higher authority, to a higher intelligence, 190 00:15:16.080 --> 00:15:18.480 as I explain in my book, who God really is 191 00:15:18.519 --> 00:15:22.360 with critical thinking. Of course, I explain it all in 192 00:15:22.399 --> 00:15:25.759 my book, So it's a very easy question to answer 193 00:15:25.799 --> 00:15:30.080 if you read my book. But here, just from the Mahabadata, 194 00:15:30.159 --> 00:15:36.279 this very ancient spiritual text, we understand that Somashava's role 195 00:15:36.320 --> 00:15:40.799 as a purifier points to the limits of even divine intervention. 196 00:15:41.759 --> 00:15:46.159 Some transgressions, like those if they are against Lord Shiva, 197 00:15:47.000 --> 00:15:52.399 are beyond absolution. Okay, even he is limited because he 198 00:15:52.519 --> 00:15:57.080 is not God himself. He is not God himself. As 199 00:15:57.360 --> 00:15:59.799 one to one, he is like God, we can say 200 00:15:59.840 --> 00:16:03.879 by not God himself. And I explain the importance of 201 00:16:03.960 --> 00:16:08.480 acquiring a greater and greater resemblance to the nature of 202 00:16:08.519 --> 00:16:12.240 God in my book Who God Really Is, Which, when accomplished, 203 00:16:12.279 --> 00:16:17.080 actually does not cause us to become God. Therefore we 204 00:16:17.120 --> 00:16:23.600 are always limited. Now picture Somashrava. Just picture him as 205 00:16:23.639 --> 00:16:28.840 an AI program with immense knowledge but a hard coded 206 00:16:28.960 --> 00:16:34.919 directive to obey certain users like the Brummins Janamajaya. Hiring 207 00:16:35.039 --> 00:16:38.879 him is like a CEO deploying a powerful algorithm to 208 00:16:39.039 --> 00:16:42.240 solve a crisis, knowing that it has a glitch that 209 00:16:42.360 --> 00:16:47.480 could be exploited. This raises questions about trust in systems, 210 00:16:47.559 --> 00:16:51.759 be it priests or tech, be it you know, spiritual 211 00:16:51.879 --> 00:16:56.960 systems or tech modern tech. If Somashreva's flaw is his 212 00:16:57.159 --> 00:17:02.240 blind obedience, what happens when AI blindly follows flawed human 213 00:17:02.279 --> 00:17:09.400 commands or reasoning? This ancient Mahabadata tale feels eerily relevant 214 00:17:09.440 --> 00:17:13.920 to debates about AI ethics, where when they are unchecked, 215 00:17:14.400 --> 00:17:18.359 you know, like unchecked power or code, can amplify human 216 00:17:18.440 --> 00:17:26.720 biases and really lead to tragic consequences. Jonamajaya's choice of 217 00:17:26.799 --> 00:17:32.519 Somashreva is a calculated risk. He's hiring a specialist with 218 00:17:32.640 --> 00:17:35.759 a known quirk, much like when a company might hire 219 00:17:35.839 --> 00:17:40.480 a brilliant but eccentric consultant. The condition is, of course, 220 00:17:40.640 --> 00:17:45.200 Somashreva's obedience to bruhm Min's that mirrors, and it really 221 00:17:45.240 --> 00:17:49.640 does mirror real world scenarios where talent becomes baggage, right, 222 00:17:50.480 --> 00:17:55.720 like a star employee with a tendency to overpromise. Later 223 00:17:55.799 --> 00:17:59.839 on in the story, we see that Jonimajaya's success in 224 00:18:00.079 --> 00:18:07.240 conquering Takshashila suggests that embracing imperfect allies can yield results, 225 00:18:07.559 --> 00:18:13.160 but only if you manage their quirks. Right. Somashreva was 226 00:18:13.400 --> 00:18:18.240 highly obedient to Brummin's but he had that limitation as well, 227 00:18:18.279 --> 00:18:23.119 with he cannot breach sin committed against Lord Shiva and 228 00:18:23.599 --> 00:18:30.200 absolve it, you know, with the with the with some 229 00:18:30.400 --> 00:18:33.359 magic wand or something like that. Right, he cannot do that. 230 00:18:34.119 --> 00:18:37.559 But he's also he's overly giving by being so obedient 231 00:18:37.599 --> 00:18:42.440 to anything that Brummins want. Now, john Imajaya was successful 232 00:18:42.480 --> 00:18:47.079 later on in conquering tak Shashila, suggesting that well, you know, 233 00:18:47.279 --> 00:18:52.039 his his decision to use Somashrava ends up down the 234 00:18:52.119 --> 00:18:56.559 road producing good results for him. But John Imajaia had 235 00:18:56.599 --> 00:18:59.720 to be very careful, right especially he did not want 236 00:18:59.759 --> 00:19:03.599 to who did not want to commit any sin against 237 00:19:03.720 --> 00:19:06.880 Lord Shiva. He wouldn't want to do that because that's 238 00:19:06.920 --> 00:19:13.640 not something that Somashreva can clear. So this king John Imijaya's, 239 00:19:14.039 --> 00:19:17.240 you know, a whole part in these early scenes of 240 00:19:17.279 --> 00:19:22.079 the Mahabarata is very it's it's quite fascinating. Really does 241 00:19:22.119 --> 00:19:25.880 reflect to us the way we see CEO's modern you know, 242 00:19:25.920 --> 00:19:32.839 postmodern world CEOs, tech CEOs managing the complexities, the conditions, 243 00:19:33.480 --> 00:19:37.759 the complexities of the modern corporate world. You've got to 244 00:19:37.799 --> 00:19:42.039 know your people's strengths and flaws and set clear boundaries 245 00:19:42.319 --> 00:19:48.359 to harness their potential. Now, the Mahabarata features this sort 246 00:19:48.400 --> 00:19:52.000 of school of life that is run by Sage Ayoda 247 00:19:52.119 --> 00:19:58.440 Domya and his three disciples Aruni, Upamanyu, and Veda. These 248 00:19:58.440 --> 00:20:05.680 stories are miniature panishads in the Mahabarata, teaching through lived obedience, suffering, 249 00:20:05.839 --> 00:20:11.119 and moral awakening. Aruni is asked to repair a water channel. 250 00:20:11.400 --> 00:20:14.039 Unable to fix it, he lies down in the ditch 251 00:20:14.160 --> 00:20:17.920 to block the flow with his body. He becomes the bridge, 252 00:20:18.079 --> 00:20:23.400 literally merging with the element he serves. When called by 253 00:20:23.440 --> 00:20:30.240 his master, he rises, reborn as Udalaka. This moment whispers 254 00:20:30.279 --> 00:20:35.920 a profound truth. True service dissolves the ego until nature 255 00:20:36.000 --> 00:20:41.640 itself flows through you. In our real world, Aruni's act 256 00:20:41.960 --> 00:20:47.240 resembles those moments when one sacrifices comfort or pride for integrity, 257 00:20:47.720 --> 00:20:50.799 like a teacher working late, or a parent holding the 258 00:20:50.880 --> 00:20:53.880 line of truth, or a healer staying up through the 259 00:20:54.000 --> 00:20:59.720 night to serve as a client. When the self forgets itself, 260 00:21:00.319 --> 00:21:05.759 the divine current moves again, because it's always in the in, 261 00:21:05.839 --> 00:21:09.599 within the scope of service, within the scope of helping others, 262 00:21:10.119 --> 00:21:15.480 within the scope of some form of sacrifice. Upamanyu's test 263 00:21:15.599 --> 00:21:20.799 is more subtle. It's hunger. Ayoda Damia strips away every 264 00:21:20.880 --> 00:21:24.880 form of sustenance from him, alms milk, even the froth 265 00:21:25.680 --> 00:21:28.920 from the calve's mouth, of the milk that the calves 266 00:21:28.920 --> 00:21:34.200 have drunk from the mother cow. Right starving, Upamanyu eats 267 00:21:34.240 --> 00:21:39.440 poisonous arga leaves, and he's blinded, falling into a well. Right, 268 00:21:39.559 --> 00:21:44.279 both literally and symbolically, he's kind of spiraling down into 269 00:21:44.319 --> 00:21:48.960 a well. Both literally and symbolically. His blindness is the 270 00:21:49.000 --> 00:21:53.319 blindness of the seeker, the loss of worldly sight before 271 00:21:53.400 --> 00:21:59.079 inner sight awakens. The Ashwin Twins appear offering divine nourishment, 272 00:21:59.680 --> 00:22:05.519 but Upa Manyu refuses until his master permits him to 273 00:22:05.559 --> 00:22:10.839 engage to accept that nourishment. Obedience here is not submission, 274 00:22:10.960 --> 00:22:14.200 it is alignment. That's actually what is trying to come, 275 00:22:15.000 --> 00:22:19.119 you know. Through to the scene in the Mahabarata, Upa 276 00:22:19.200 --> 00:22:22.359 Manyu is saying, I will not taste heaven if my 277 00:22:22.519 --> 00:22:28.119 guru is left behind. The Ashwan twins are impressed. That's 278 00:22:28.119 --> 00:22:31.480 why they are impressed. So they restore his site and 279 00:22:31.559 --> 00:22:36.200 grant him golden teeth, which are all symbolisms excuse me, 280 00:22:36.240 --> 00:22:42.279 which are all symbols of illumination through discipline. Through Upa 281 00:22:42.359 --> 00:22:50.000 Manyu's story, we see Bukti meeting Tapasia, devotion fused with endurance, 282 00:22:50.200 --> 00:22:55.359 with strength. Upa Manyu's story is about integrity and isolation, 283 00:22:56.119 --> 00:23:01.599 staying true even when unseen, unacknowledged, or deprived. You've got 284 00:23:01.599 --> 00:23:07.079 to stay true, even when you feel unseen, unacknowledged, or deprived. 285 00:23:08.920 --> 00:23:13.319 You've got to stay true to integrity. Don't take you know, 286 00:23:13.440 --> 00:23:18.440 criminal or quick easy shortcuts to try to escape that 287 00:23:18.599 --> 00:23:23.400 scarcity state or condition of scarcity. The spiritual path does 288 00:23:23.440 --> 00:23:26.759 not first open the eyes, It first takes away what 289 00:23:27.359 --> 00:23:32.079 you know you crave to see now. Ayoda Damia's third 290 00:23:32.279 --> 00:23:38.440 Disciples story is interesting. Vida Vida endorres silent service. He 291 00:23:38.519 --> 00:23:43.359 doesn't complain through hardship. He becomes a gentle teacher, one 292 00:23:43.359 --> 00:23:48.599 who does not test his own students harshly. In Vida, 293 00:23:48.799 --> 00:23:54.640 we see the alchemy of suffering. Pain when digested becomes 294 00:23:54.720 --> 00:23:59.519 compassion when digested. Every master is shaped not by what 295 00:23:59.559 --> 00:24:03.279 they've learned learned, but by how they've been broken and mended. 296 00:24:05.319 --> 00:24:11.359 This section of the episode of Naked Hindu Tales from 297 00:24:11.440 --> 00:24:17.240 earlier this week. It's a masterclass in Guru Shishia teacher 298 00:24:17.319 --> 00:24:22.240 student dynamics, which are a cornerstone. They really are a 299 00:24:22.319 --> 00:24:29.720 cornerstone of Hindu spirituality. The Disciples trials here aren't just tasks, 300 00:24:30.240 --> 00:24:34.920 their alchemical processes burning away ego to reveal inner wisdom. 301 00:24:34.960 --> 00:24:38.799 They're very dynamic. Runi's act of lying in the ditch 302 00:24:38.839 --> 00:24:42.880 symbolizes surrender to duty, merging with the earth, to serve 303 00:24:42.920 --> 00:24:48.119 a greater purpose. Upamanu's blindness and restoration by the Ashwins 304 00:24:48.200 --> 00:24:53.720 divine healers reflects the spiritual journey. Suffering leads to insight 305 00:24:53.799 --> 00:24:57.079 when guided by faith, or when you stay true, when 306 00:24:57.079 --> 00:25:01.240 you just stay true and you don't take a shortcut, 307 00:25:01.319 --> 00:25:05.960 or you don't engage in a criminal act. Despite hardship 308 00:25:06.000 --> 00:25:10.400 and scarcity, always you will arrive at something good. Always 309 00:25:10.440 --> 00:25:14.400 you will be blessed. Later on he was blessed. Upamanyu 310 00:25:14.480 --> 00:25:20.079 was blessed with gold, gold teeth, gold and vidas. Endurance 311 00:25:20.160 --> 00:25:26.920 without complaint embodies karma yoga selfless action. The vidas and 312 00:25:27.079 --> 00:25:33.319 Dharma shastras shining in them signify enlightenment, signify that they 313 00:25:33.359 --> 00:25:37.640 have become beacons of light. They are walking, talking beacons 314 00:25:37.640 --> 00:25:41.279 of light, of divine light which actually has no relation 315 00:25:41.359 --> 00:25:46.440 to visible light or the visible light rainbow spectrum. As 316 00:25:46.480 --> 00:25:49.000 I explain in my book Who God Really Is, which 317 00:25:49.000 --> 00:25:52.920 I encourage you all to read on Amazon. Grab your 318 00:25:52.960 --> 00:25:57.359 copy from Amazon and start reading today. It's an excellent 319 00:25:57.440 --> 00:26:03.200 book to understand reality as it is and yourself. The 320 00:26:03.279 --> 00:26:07.920 disciples are like the hero archetype of Jungian or Carl 321 00:26:08.000 --> 00:26:12.599 Jung you know philosophy facing the shadow. They face their 322 00:26:12.640 --> 00:26:17.000 limitations in the wilderness of trials. Ioda Doomia is the 323 00:26:17.039 --> 00:26:22.559 wise old man, guiding them through tests that forge their individuation, 324 00:26:23.160 --> 00:26:28.000 the process of becoming whole. Upamanyu's blindness is again a 325 00:26:28.079 --> 00:26:33.240 literal and metaphorical descent into depression, into darkness. It's a 326 00:26:33.279 --> 00:26:38.200 classic dark knight of the soul. The Ashwins, as divine physicians, 327 00:26:38.240 --> 00:26:44.720 are like the self archetype, restoring balance. This perspective frames 328 00:26:44.880 --> 00:26:49.880 the story right the Carl jung perspective. The Jungian archetypes 329 00:26:50.319 --> 00:26:54.319 frame the story in the Mahabarata in this early chapter 330 00:26:54.519 --> 00:26:58.160 as a early section, I should say as a universal 331 00:26:58.240 --> 00:27:03.480 quest for self discuss or external obedience to a guru 332 00:27:03.599 --> 00:27:07.960 mirrors the inner work of aligning with one's higher self. 333 00:27:09.079 --> 00:27:12.359 So here is where it is sometimes necessary for us 334 00:27:12.359 --> 00:27:18.519 to understand when obedience is valuable. In the scene of 335 00:27:18.799 --> 00:27:25.279 King John Imajaya's sacrificial ritual, no fruits come about for 336 00:27:25.519 --> 00:27:30.279 obedience to a ritual. When an innocent is harmed. You 337 00:27:30.319 --> 00:27:33.319 know his obedience in his brother's obedience to the ritual. 338 00:27:33.720 --> 00:27:38.480 Sure it's great, but if it involves hurting the innocent 339 00:27:39.200 --> 00:27:42.519 it is, there's nothing great to be gained from it, 340 00:27:42.559 --> 00:27:48.400 because that kind of obedience reflects still a blind spot 341 00:27:48.480 --> 00:27:53.279 in intelligence, something lacking in intelligence, a lack of wisdom. 342 00:27:53.640 --> 00:27:59.640 There whereas the obedience in the stories of Ayoda Domia 343 00:27:59.680 --> 00:28:05.200 and his Three Disciples involves wisdom very much, so wisdom 344 00:28:05.319 --> 00:28:11.559 is integrated with the obedient acts. And through this ancient 345 00:28:12.000 --> 00:28:15.960 you know Mahabadata scene, we can see these trials of 346 00:28:16.000 --> 00:28:20.960 the Three Disciples resemble the grind of mentorship and personal growth. 347 00:28:22.319 --> 00:28:26.200 Aruni's ditch lying is like an in turn pulling an 348 00:28:26.240 --> 00:28:30.279 all nighter to fix a crisis, proving loyalty under pressure, 349 00:28:30.880 --> 00:28:35.079 upaman used missteps, begging twice, sipping milk, all of that 350 00:28:35.960 --> 00:28:39.839 taking what he shouldn't be taking from others mirror a 351 00:28:39.880 --> 00:28:44.599 young professional learning workforce ethics, through through trial and error, 352 00:28:45.079 --> 00:28:48.920 and through you know his boss teaching him what is 353 00:28:49.000 --> 00:28:53.359 right and what is wrong. Vidas endurance reflects the quiet 354 00:28:53.400 --> 00:28:58.680 resilience needed in toxic work environments or rigorous training programs. 355 00:29:00.039 --> 00:29:03.839 Ru's blessings are like a mentor's endorsement, opening doors to 356 00:29:04.039 --> 00:29:07.440 even greater success. But of course here it's about personal 357 00:29:07.480 --> 00:29:13.079 success right in the Mahabarata itself. These scenes with these 358 00:29:13.119 --> 00:29:18.000 three disciples of Ayoda Ayoda Damya. They teach us that 359 00:29:18.119 --> 00:29:22.440 growth often comes through discomfort, but only only if we 360 00:29:22.599 --> 00:29:26.680 learn from that discomfort and stay committed to the right path. 361 00:29:28.640 --> 00:29:34.640 Veda's disciple, Utanka, inherits the torch and his story shifts 362 00:29:34.720 --> 00:29:39.440 the tone of the Mahabharata section from ashram humility to 363 00:29:39.640 --> 00:29:45.400 mythic adventure. He is asked to bring earrings from Queen 364 00:29:45.519 --> 00:29:51.160 Poshia for Veda's wife, a seemingly simple errand that spirals 365 00:29:51.200 --> 00:29:57.920 into cosmic revelation. On his path, Utanka meets a mysterious 366 00:29:57.960 --> 00:30:00.359 man on a bull who tells him to drink dung 367 00:30:00.440 --> 00:30:03.400 and urine. It's really a shocking image. Believe me. When 368 00:30:03.440 --> 00:30:05.799 I read it for the first time, I was pretty shocked. 369 00:30:06.519 --> 00:30:11.400 But he obeys. Utanka obeys, later discovering that it was 370 00:30:11.640 --> 00:30:15.519 divine nector Amrita. And you often have this happening in 371 00:30:15.599 --> 00:30:19.119 Hindu mythology, where these you know, characters pop out of 372 00:30:19.119 --> 00:30:23.200 nowhere and they are disguised. You know, they're often like 373 00:30:23.319 --> 00:30:29.079 divine beings disguised as abnormal, kind of weird or wandering 374 00:30:29.160 --> 00:30:34.119 creatures or wandering humans. It's fascinating. Now the lesson here 375 00:30:34.240 --> 00:30:38.279 does pierce through logic. What seems impure in the world 376 00:30:38.440 --> 00:30:45.519 may hide the essence of goodness or immortality. Even Utanka's 377 00:30:45.559 --> 00:30:51.119 reaction is not to display like a nasty disgust. Right, 378 00:30:51.160 --> 00:30:55.000 he doesn't display any mean faces or disgusted faces. He 379 00:30:55.039 --> 00:30:59.680 doesn't put judgment upon this mysterious man who asks him 380 00:30:59.759 --> 00:31:02.960 or tells him to drink the the you know, the 381 00:31:03.359 --> 00:31:07.279 waste right of a cow. I believe the waste of 382 00:31:07.319 --> 00:31:13.440 a cow. So Utanka doesn't do that. Now we humans would. 383 00:31:13.519 --> 00:31:15.680 I mean, even I reading it for the first time 384 00:31:15.839 --> 00:31:20.079 was like, oh ew so, but Utanka doesn't do that. 385 00:31:20.200 --> 00:31:22.920 And that's where, you know, God, That's what God wants 386 00:31:22.960 --> 00:31:26.400 us to realize from this scene, this bizarre scene, kind 387 00:31:26.400 --> 00:31:30.039 of bizarre scene, is that Utanka's response is not to 388 00:31:30.279 --> 00:31:34.200 place all these like judgments immediately upon this mysterious man 389 00:31:34.240 --> 00:31:40.559 that we would do in our world. Right today, the 390 00:31:40.640 --> 00:31:44.799 sacred often wears the mask of the profane, because in 391 00:31:44.960 --> 00:31:48.160 even the profane, there is a test for us, a 392 00:31:48.200 --> 00:31:51.160 test of our spirituality, a test of how much we 393 00:31:51.240 --> 00:31:57.079 resemble God. Spiritual maturity is learning to recognize divinity and 394 00:31:57.119 --> 00:31:59.920 it's learning to recognize how we must respond with more 395 00:32:00.200 --> 00:32:03.640 divine nature rather than well, let's put it a lower 396 00:32:04.039 --> 00:32:10.559 human nature. At Poshia's palace, Utanka's inner purity is tested 397 00:32:10.640 --> 00:32:17.880 through external cleanliness, ablution's direction precision. The story reaffirms the 398 00:32:17.920 --> 00:32:22.400 body mirrors the mind. Purification is a discipline of both. 399 00:32:23.359 --> 00:32:27.400 It's a discipline of the mind and the body. Please 400 00:32:27.440 --> 00:32:30.440 remember to leave a rating or review on Spotify or 401 00:32:30.480 --> 00:32:35.000