Lesson 5
EDUCATION IN HUMAN VALUES
GROUP 2
LESSON 6TOPICRAMAYANA: STORY OF CHILD SHRAVANA
OBJECTIVEAt the end of the lesson the students should
(i) Understanding the concept of Karma(ii) Know, Good karma will
get you good effects and bad karma will get you bad
consequences.(iii) "For every action, there is an equal and
opposite reaction"
(iv) What Comes Around Goes Around
VALUERighteousness
SUB-VALUETruth
TEACHING AIDS
STORY TELLINGStory of ShravanaWORKSHEET:
GROUP ACTIVITIES
Story of Child ShravanaOnce during his youth, this king
Dasharatha went for hunting. He was expert in archery.
The king could not hunt any animal. He was tired. Just then,
from a distant pond there arose the sound, as if some animal were
drinking water. He put the arrow on the bow, waited for the next
sound to reach his ear, and hit the target in a flash.
The arrow did hit the target, but the cry which tore the peace
and tranquility of the jungle was not of an animal, but of a young
boy!
He took the boy in his lap, put a few drops of water in his
mouth to wet his drying lips, and inquired: "O, young one, what
brought you to this lonely place? Are you alone or, are there any
co-travelers with you? What a grave mistake I have committed! How
can I rectify this now?"
"O, King, I am a Brahmin boy. My name is Shravana. My parents
are old and blind. I am taking them to pilgrimage all over this
noble land of Bharata (India). My parents are waiting at some
distance for me. I was here to fetch water for them. I am their
only support. The young Shravana died in the lap of the king.
The king slowly went to the old parents. He put the body of the
Shravana in front of them. Said the old man: "Who is there? Surely
these heavy steps are not of son." The king replied, "O, noble
Brahmin, you are right. I am king Dasharatha." "Where is my son, O
king. What has happened to him?", inquired the mother.
Hearing this tragic news the mother collapsed there only, never
to come back to life again. The father, under great agitation and
distress, thus cursed the king:
"O King, you have indiscriminately killed a Brahmin boy. Our
sorrow cannot be described in words; our son was our only support.
You have left us with no choice but to die. You have separated us
from our most beloved son. I send a curse to you, O king, that you
shall also die experiencing the pain and suffering of separation
from your son." Soon the old man also left his body for good.
Years passed by and the king started forgetting this sad
incidence in his life about which he did not mention to anyone
including his three wives.What Is Karma?
Karma is a Sanskrit word that means "action." Karma has commonly
been considered a punishment for past bad actions. (i) Good karma
will get you good effects and bad karma will get you bad
consequences.
(ii) "For every action, there is an equal and opposite
reaction"
(iii) What Comes Around Goes AroundWhen Will I See the
Benefits?Unfortunately, not all good actions have immediate
rewards. You might see the positive results of positive actions
tomorrow, you might see them in your next lifetime or you might not
see them at all. You might be thinking, "If I'm not going to
benefit, what's the point?" There is one. Every positive action you
take has a positive effect, whether you see it or not. You just
need to trust in the universe.
If Bad Things Happen to Me, Does It Mean I Have Bad Karma?Not
necessarily. Sometimes bad things happen, but they have positive
effects later.
Can You Change Karma?Your soul is on a journey. You can adjust
your actions to either change an ongoing situation, or gain new
perspective on a past situation so you can avoid making the same
mistake twice. What is My Numerology Number & What does it
Mean?
1) Adding the numbers of your birth date:Example your date of
birth is 10th of April, 1980, then this is how you need to
calculate your numerology number- 1+0 (day of birth)+4 (month of
birth)+ 1+9+8+0 (year of birth)= 23. Next, add 2 and 3, 2+3=5,
therefore your numerology number is 5.
2) Adding the letters of your name:
Every letter has been allotted a number according to numerology,
like-
1- A J S
2- B K T
3- C L U
4- D M V
5- E N W
6- F O X
7- G P Y
8- H Q Z
9- I R
So suppose your name is Rama, this is how you need to calculate-
9+1+4+1=15. Now break 15, 1+5=6. Meaning of your number:Ask your
teacher!Numerology number 1: Extraordinary leadership skills, very
ambitious, driven, goal-oriented, strong will power, courageous,
unconventional, inventive, creative, original, pioneer, unique
approach to problems, independent, individualistic, great potential
for success.
Numerology Number 2: You are gentle, subtle, cooperative,
tactful, diplomatic, patient, sincere, harmonious, artistic,
emphatic, intuitive, supportive, loving, humble and peaceful. You
are considerate and sensitive to the needs of others.
Numerology number 3: You are creative, socially active,
artistic, very positive and optimistic, playful, happy and
fun-loving, inspirational, imaginative, motivating, enthusiastic
and uplifting
Numerology number 4: You are practical, detail-oriented,
organized, orderly, systematic, methodical, precise, reliable,
punctual, dependable, honest, and trustworthy, without artifice
Numerology number 5: You make friends easily, you are versatile
and multi-talented, upbeat and inspirational and a good
communicator and motivator. You have great verbal skills and you
are very dynamic, persuasive, adaptable, versatile and curious,
courageous, bright and quick-witted.
Numerology number 6: Musician, actor, teacher, healer, artist,
craftsperson
Numerology Number 7: You are analytical, intellectual, focused,
scientific and inventive, contemplative, meditative, spiritual and
enigmatic. You are a seeker of truth and an accumulator of
knowledge and wisdom.
Numerology number 8: You are inspiring, result-oriented,
powerful, ambitious, visionary, generous, perseverant, forgiving,
broad-minded, money-conscious and self-disciplined.
Numerology number 9: You are socially conscious, concerned about
the betterment of the world, idealistic, visionary, tolerant,
imaginative and creative, compassionate, romantic, selfless and
generous.
Now that you know the basics of numerology, go ahead and have
some fun with it!
ShravanaLong ago, nobody knows when, in the ancient kingdom of
Ayodhya, there ruled a powerful but noble and wise king, King
Dasharatha. He belonged to the Raghu dynasty where "keeping
promises was cherished as more important than life itself". It was
all too well known a fact that his forefathers had sacrificed their
lives for upholding the path of righteousness and truth -
Dharma.
Once during his youth, this king Dasharatha went for hunting. He
was expert in archery. He had also acquired a peculiar gift of
hitting the arrow even in the dark or blindfolded at the sound of
the movement of the target or the prey.
On the fateful day, as it happened, the king could not hunt any
animal. He was tired and was bit dejected and irritated at this
failure. Just then, from a distant pond there arose the sound, as
if some animal were drinking water. The king could not directly see
who was there, but he guessed that it must be some animal- his
hunting prey! The usually well balanced mind of the king thought
for a while to reach the pond and then hunt down the prey. But the
king was so much tired that he decided to use his skill of hitting
the arrow at the sound and finish his job. He put the arrow on the
bow, waited for the next sound to reach his ear, and hit the target
in a flash.
And what a tragedy! The arrow did hit the target, but the cry
which tore the peace and tranquility of the jungle was not of an
animal, but of a young boy! The kind heart of the king melted like
the butter over fire.
Disturbed, he rushed to the pond and saw, as feared, a young boy
fatally wounded with his arrow in the chest. Tears flowed down the
eyes of the king. He took the boy in his lap, put a few drops of
water in his mouth to wet his drying lips, and inquired: "O, young
one, what brought you to this lonely place? Are you alone or, are
there any co-travelers with you? What a grave mistake I have
committed! How can I rectify this now?"
On hearing the king spoke thus, the boy pacified the king and
said:
"O, King, I am a Brahmin boy. My name is Shravana. My parents
are old and blind. I am taking them to pilgrimage all over this
noble land of Bharata (India). I carry them on my shoulders in huge
baskets attached to the bamboo with the ropes (kawad in our
dialect). My parents are waiting at some distance for me. I was
here to fetch water for them. I am their only support. Now I am
worried that they may not survive after hearing the news of my
death. I am also not sure whether you can help them because sooner
or later they would come to know that you are responsible for all
this. O, noble king, please take me to them as I am afraid my
life-force may leave the body any time now."
With these words of great remorse and pathos, the young Shravana
died in the lap of the king.
Confused and with heavy heart, tortured by the thought of the
ignoble deed for which his impatience and indiscretion were
responsible, the king slowly went to the old parents. He put the
body of the Shravana in front of them. The sensitive ears of the
father immediately guessed that something was amiss.Said the old
man: "Who is there? Surely these heavy steps are not of son."The
king replied, "O, noble Brahmin, you are right. I am king
Dasharatha.""Where is my son, O king. What has happened to him?",
inquired the mother.
With great sorrow and heavy heart the king narrated the
unfortunate event that led to the sad death of their son. Hearing
this tragic news the mother collapsed there only, never to come
back to life again. The father, under great agitation and distress,
thus cursed the king:
"O King, you have indiscriminately killed a Brahmin boy. Our
sorrow cannot be described in words; our son was our only support.
You have left us with no choice but to die. You have separated us
from our most beloved son. I send a curse to you, O king, that you
shall also die experiencing the pain and suffering of separation
from your son." Soon the old man also left his body for good.
What could the king do, but shed tears and return back to his
palace! Years passed by and the king started forgetting this sad
incidence in his life about which he did not mention to anyone
including his three wives.What Is Karma?
Karma is a Sanskrit word that means "action." Karma has commonly
been considered a punishment for past bad actions, but karma is
neither judge nor jury. Rather, it is simply the universal law of
cause and effect that says every thought, word and act carries
energy into the world and affects our present reality. Karma can
also refer to the "work" we have ahead of us, which includes
lessons from both our past and present lives.Why Is Karma
Important?Part of our life's work is to understand our individual
relationship to the cosmos to understand how the universe affects
us. Based on the principle that individual behavior mirrors
universal patterns, the tiniest act -- a thought, for example --
can have enormous impact. The energies our thoughts and actions
produce can cover the entire planet, or even beyond, in the blink
of an eye. An examination of karma offers clues about our intended
life purpose, showing us the psychic imprint of past lives and
mapping the way out of behaviors and thoughts that are no longer
useful to us.
When Will I See the Benefits?Unfortunately, not all good actions
have immediate rewards. You might see the positive results of
positive actions tomorrow, you might see them in your next lifetime
or you might not see them at all. You might be thinking, "If I'm
not going to benefit, what's the point?" There is one. Every
positive action you take has a positive effect, whether you see it
or not. You just need to trust in the universe.
If Bad Things Happen to Me, Does It Mean I Have Bad Karma?Not
necessarily. Sometimes bad things happen, but they have positive
effects later. Let's say you're super ambitious, always on the go
and wildly successful. Then you get into an accident and are
hospitalized for several months. It may seem like you ended up in
the hospital because you were being punished for past bad deeds.
What if that accident taught you to value your life, and slow down
enough to actually enjoy it, instead of being so focused on the end
goal? In that way, the accident would actually be a blessing,
rather than a curse. Likewise, winning the lottery may seem like a
reward, but what if you forgot about the value of intangible
things, and focused only on acquiring material things? In that
case, something good brought with it negative energy.
Can You Change Karma?Your soul is on a journey. Karmic
situations in which you find yourself today are both your soul's
mirror and travel guide. Karma can show you where you've been and
where you might go to learn the lessons you've chosen for this
lifetime.
Through understanding your unique destiny, you can adjust your
actions to either change an ongoing situation, or gain new
perspective on a past situation so you can avoid making the same
mistake twice. By understanding karma, you can unlock the patterns
from past lives and show you how to use the laws of karma to
consciously choose a better path for this life and the next.
