Skip to main content

BG - 10

Verse

Bg. 15.15

सर्वस्य चाहं हृदि सन्निविष्टो
मत्त: स्मृतिर्ज्ञानमपोहनं च ।
वेदैश्च सर्वैरहमेव वेद्यो
वेदान्तकृद्वेदविदेव चाहम् ॥ १५ ॥

Our focus for next three sessions will be the first two lines. Specifically - 1) Smruti 2) Jananam and 3) Apohanam. In this first session we will focus in Smruti - Rememberance.

Parents

https://youtu.be/1oLQz1vMmvk?si=6Y6iRLvkp1i9aUSS

For Parents and Seniors this video must ve played nicely on a big TV/screen. It is powerful. If KRISHNA takes away Memory then life is hell - every second and this video is the best to drive home the point.

Teachers must see this video couple of times and make notes.

Song

Hari Hari Biphale

https://kksongs.org/songs/h/harihari04a.html

Katha - Ajamila Pastime

https://www.backtogodhead.in/the-deliverance-of-ajamila-by-his-divine-grace-a-c-bhaktivedanta-swami-prabhupada/

Connection to Bhagavad-gītā 15.15

मत्तः स्मृतिर्ज्ञानमपोहनं च
“From Me come remembrance, knowledge, and forgetfulness.”

This story powerfully shows:

  • Ajāmila did not manufacture remembrance

  • Kṛṣṇa gave smṛti at the crucial moment

Smṛti is not our achievement. It is the Lord’s mercy.

Activity : When Memory Is Missing

What you need

Prepare 10 small cards beforehand. On each card, write one simple step of taking lunch prasadam. Keep the language very basic. For example:

  • Wash hands

  • Spread the mat

  • Sit down

  • Keep the plate

  • Serve prasadam

  • Eat prasadam

  • Drink water

  • Get up

  • Put the plate in the dustbin

  • Wash hands again

That’s it. No other material is needed.

Round 1: Everything is normal

Lay all the cards on the floor or table in the correct order so everyone can see.

Ask the children:

  • “Is this how we take lunch?”

  • “Will lunch go nicely like this?”

They will immediately say yes. Let them feel that everything is clear and easy.

Do not explain anything at this stage.

Round 2: Something is missing

Now quietly remove a few important cards and keep them aside.
For example:

  • “Wash hands”

  • “Serve prasadam”

  • “Eat prasadam”

Mix up the remaining cards and place them back in a random order.

Point to the cards and say:

“Now it is lunch time. Tell me what will happen.”

Let the children speak freely.

They will notice problems:

  • “First the plate goes in the dustbin”

  • “Eating is missing”

  • “Washing hands is at the end”

Very quickly they will feel that something is not right.

Pause and ask one question

Ask calmly:

“Is lunch bad… or is something missing?”

Wait.

They will answer:

“Something is missing.”

Ask:

“What is missing?”

They will say:

“Steps… order… memory.”

The main point (say this slowly)

“Nothing else changed.
But when memory is missing, life does not move properly.”

What the children repeat

Ask everyone to say together once:

“Memory puts life in order.”

Stop there.

Key Points for all age groups

1. WITHOUT REMEMBERING THE PREVIOUS MOMENT, THE CURRENT MOMENT IS MEANINGLESS

Real-Life Examples:

The Conversation Example (All ages)

  • You're talking to someone and mid-sentence you forget what you were saying
  • Everyone has experienced this - the panic, the embarrassment, the frustration
  • The sentence becomes meaningless without remembering how it started
  • Demo: Start telling a story, pause halfway, ask kids what happens next - they can't continue without remembering the beginning

The Movie Theater Example (Juniors/Seniors)

  • Imagine watching a movie but every 5 seconds you forget everything that happened before
  • Each scene would make no sense
  • You wouldn't know who the hero is, who the villain is, why they're fighting
  • The entire movie experience depends on continuous remembrance
  • Real scenario: This actually happens to some Alzheimer's patients watching TV

The Staircase Example (Very practical for all ages)

  • You're climbing stairs to your room to get something
  • You reach the top and... blank. "Why did I come here?"
  • You stand there confused, walk back down
  • Suddenly you remember - "Oh yes, my phone!"
  • Life literally stops when memory breaks even for 30 seconds
  • Activity: Have kids try to complete a task in another room but give them a distraction midway - see how many forget their original purpose

The Exam Example (Seniors/Parents)

  • Student studies all night for exam
  • During exam, mind goes blank - can't remember anything
  • The knowledge is somewhere in the brain, but remembrance is blocked
  • No remembrance = knowledge becomes useless
  • This shows: Knowledge stored ≠ Knowledge accessible

The Medical Emergency Example (Parents/Seniors)

  • Person having heart attack or allergic reaction
  • Cannot remember: Am I allergic to this medicine? What blood type am I?
  • Doctors asking "What medications are you on?" - patient can't remember
  • Life-threatening situation made worse by failed remembrance

2. IDENTITY ITSELF IS MEMORY

Real-Life Examples:

The Morning Wake-Up Example (All ages)

  • First thing when you wake up - you remember who you are
  • Imagine waking up with NO memory:
    • "Who am I?"
    • "Where am I?"
    • "Who are these people in my house?"
    • "Why am I in this bed?"
  • You would be terrified of your own parents!
  • Demo: Ask kids to close eyes, imagine waking up remembering nothing - how would they feel?

The Name Story (Juniors)

  • Your name is just a sound - "Ravi," "Priya," "Arjun"
  • But when someone calls it, you turn around - why?
  • Because you REMEMBER "that's MY name"
  • Without that memory, it's just noise
  • Activity: Call out random names, kids only respond to theirs - this is remembrance in action!

The Friendship Example (All ages)

  • Your best friend is only your best friend because you remember:
    • The games you played together
    • The secrets you shared
    • The times they helped you
    • The fun you had
  • Without these memories, they're just another stranger
  • Real case: Alzheimer's patients who don't recognize their spouse of 50 years

The "You Are Your Memories" Example (Seniors/Parents)

  • Ask: "Who are you?"
  • Every answer is a memory:
    • "I'm a student" - you remember going to school
    • "I'm a son/daughter" - you remember your parents
    • "I'm a Krishna devotee" - you remember learning about Krishna
    • "I'm good at math" - you remember learning math
  • Remove all memories = no identity remains
  • Even "I am" requires remembering you exist!

The Reincarnation Connection (Seniors/Parents)

  • Vedic teaching: Soul takes new body but forgets past life
  • Why? Because identity is tied to memory
  • New life = new memories = new identity
  • Same soul, but functionally a different person without previous memories
  • This is why Krishna's gift of forgetfulness (apohana) is also a mercy

3. EVERY SKILL IS STORED REMEMBRANCE

Real-Life Examples:

The Walking Example (Juniors - most powerful)

  • Babies can't walk - they have to learn over 1-2 years
  • Thousands of falls, getting up, balancing
  • Now you walk without thinking - automatic
  • But it's only automatic because your body REMEMBERS the thousands of hours of practice
  • Demo: Ask kids to walk backwards or on one leg - suddenly they have to think again because less "remembrance" for that skill

The Language Miracle (All ages)

  • You speak your language effortlessly
  • But you learned it word by word, sound by sound as a baby
  • Try learning a new language now - it's so hard!
  • Why? Because childhood language is DEEPLY remembered (stored in different brain region)
  • Example: Speak a sentence in English, then ask how they formed it - they can't explain, they just "remember" how

The Riding Bicycle Example (Classic for all ages)

  • "You never forget how to ride a bicycle"
  • Even after 10 years of not riding, you can still do it
  • But that first time learning? You fell dozens of times!
  • Every successful bicycle ride is remembrance of all those practice hours
  • Stats: Researchers estimate 10-50 hours to learn cycling, but once learned, stored for lifetime

The Typing/Writing Example (Seniors/Parents)

  • Touch typists don't look at keyboard - fingers "remember" where keys are
  • Writing in cursive - hand remembers the flowing movements
  • Experiment: Ask fast typists to verbally describe where each letter is on keyboard - they often can't! The fingers remember better than conscious mind

The Musical Instrument Example (All ages)

  • Pianist playing complex piece from memory
  • Thousands of notes, perfect timing, both hands coordinated
  • This is tens of thousands of hours of practice REMEMBERED by the fingers
  • Real case: Some amnesia patients can still play piano perfectly even though they don't remember learning it (procedural memory separate from declarative memory)

The Sports Example (Juniors/Seniors)

  • Cricket batsman facing 140 km/hr ball
  • 0.4 seconds to decide and swing
  • No time to "think" - body remembers the technique from 10,000 practice balls
  • Muscle memory = stored remembrance
  • Demo: Throw ball to kids, watch them catch it automatically - ask them to explain HOW they knew where to put their hands - they can't! Body remembered

4. BODY FUNCTIONS DEPEND ON BIOLOGICAL MEMORY

Real-Life Examples:

The Heartbeat Example (All ages - most accessible)

  • Your heart beats 100,000 times per day
  • 35 million times per year
  • 2.5 billion times in lifetime
  • You never tell it to beat - it "remembers" its job
  • Demo: Put hand on chest, feel heartbeat, try to STOP it by thinking - you can't! Something other than "you" is remembering to keep it beating

The Breathing Example (Very experiential)

  • You breathe 20,000 times per day
  • Right now, as you listen to me, you're breathing without thinking
  • Hold your breath - you can control it temporarily
  • But soon the body OVERRIDES you and forces breath - why?
  • Because the medulla (brain stem) "remembers" its job to keep you breathing
  • You can't forget to breathe even if you try!

The Immune System Example (Seniors/Parents)

  • You got chickenpox once as a kid - you'll never get it again, why?
  • Immune system REMEMBERED the virus
  • Created memory cells (literally called "memory T-cells"!)
  • Decades later, those cells still remember and protect you
  • Real fact: Some immune memories last 70+ years
  • Vaccines work ONLY because of biological memory

The Wound Healing Example (All ages)

  • Cut your finger - you don't tell cells "Please divide and close the wound"
  • Platelets remember to clot
  • White blood cells remember to fight infection
  • Skin cells remember to multiply and cover the gap
  • Nerves remember to send pain signals
  • All automatic because trillions of cells remember their roles

The Hunger/Thirst Example (Practical for all)

  • Your body remembers when you last ate/drank
  • Sends hunger/thirst signals at right time
  • Diabetic patients: Body remembers ideal blood sugar, sends signals when too high/low
  • What if this failed? You'd either starve or eat continuously!

The Sleep Example (Universal)

  • Your body "remembers" to feel tired at night
  • Circadian rhythm = 24-hour biological memory
  • Jet lag happens when you cross time zones - body's memory gets confused
  • Takes days to reset the remembered sleep schedule

The DNA Example (Mind-blowing for all ages)

  • Every cell has DNA - a memory bank
  • Liver cell "remembers" to be liver, not skin
  • Eye color, hair texture, height - all remembered in DNA
  • Analogy: DNA is like Krishna's instruction manual given to each cell
  • 37 trillion cells, each following remembered instructions perfectly!

5. SOCIAL LIFE NEEDS MEMORY

Real-Life Examples:

The Parent-Child Bond (Most emotional - all ages)

  • Baby doesn't recognize parents at birth - has to learn/remember faces
  • By 3 months, remembers and smiles at parents
  • Remove that memory - parent becomes stranger
  • Real tragedy: Alzheimer's patients who don't recognize their own children
  • The love is still there, but without remembrance, it cannot be expressed

The Trust Example (Very practical)

  • You trust your friend because you remember:
    • Times they kept secrets
    • Times they helped you
    • Times they kept promises
  • You don't trust a stranger - why? No remembered history
  • Trust = accumulated remembrance of reliable behavior
  • Activity: Ask kids who they trust most - then ask WHY - all answers will be memories!

The Teacher-Student Example (Relatable for kids)

  • Teacher remembers which student struggles with math, who is good at art
  • Teaches accordingly
  • Imagine teacher with amnesia - every day is first day, no personalization possible
  • Education itself depends on remembering student's progress

The Cultural Memory Example (Seniors/Parents)

  • Why do we celebrate Janmashtami, Diwali?
  • Because we remember the stories, the significance
  • Culture = collective memory of a community
  • What if everyone forgot? Festival becomes meaningless ritual
  • This is why oral tradition was so important - keeping memories alive

The Promise/Commitment Example (All ages)

  • "I promise to meet you at 5 PM"
  • At 5 PM, you show up - why?
  • Because you REMEMBERED your promise
  • Without memory, no promise can be kept
  • Marriages, friendships, business - all depend on remembering commitments
  • Real issue: Legal contracts exist because we can't trust everyone to remember/honor their word!

The Gratitude Example (Deeply spiritual)

  • You feel grateful to someone who helped you - only if you REMEMBER the help
  • Forget the help = forget the gratitude
  • Vedic concept: Ungrateful person = one who forgets benefits received
  • Krishna connection: We forget Krishna's constant gifts → we become ungrateful

The Forgiveness Example (Mature discussion)

  • Someone hurt you in past
  • Can you forgive? Only if you remember you also made mistakes
  • Grudge = remembering only others' faults
  • Compassion = remembering your own faults too
  • What if we forgot all grudges? Fresh start every day!
BRINGING IT ALL TOGETHER - THE KRISHNA CONNECTION

The Central Realization:

After establishing all these examples, the punch line:

"We've seen that life is IMPOSSIBLE without remembrance at every level - body, mind, identity, relationships, skills, everything. Now the question: WHO gives this remembrance? If I can't even control my heartbeat, if I can't force myself to remember something I studied, who is the REAL controller of memory?"

BG 15.15: "mattaḥ smṛtir jñānam apohanaṁ ca" - "From Me (Krishna) comes remembrance, knowledge, and forgetfulness"

  • Not from brain alone (brain is just hardware)
  • Not from "you" (you can't force yourself to remember)
  • From Krishna, seated in the heart (hṛdi sanniviṣṭa)

The Humbling Conclusion: Even this very moment of understanding, this realization, this memory of the lesson - is possible only because Krishna in your heart is allowing you to remember!

Back to top