GURU 1 - Python

THE LESSON LEARNT BY THE AVADHUTA BRAHMANAThe instruction the Avadhüta brähmaëa received from the python is that an intelligent person should cultivate a mentality of detachment and should maintain his body by accepting whatever comes of its own accord or is easily obtained. In this way, he should remain always engaged in

the worship of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Even if no food is available, the person who wants to engage fully in the Lord’s worship should not beg; rather, he should understand this to be the arrangement of providence, thinking, “Whatever enjoyment is destined for me will automatically come, and thus I should not uselessly waste the remaining duration of my life in worrying about such things.” If he does not get any food, he should simply remain lying down like the python and patiently fix his mind in meditation upon the Supreme Lord.

The theme – Better to be a king by reducing your wants and better to be a beggar… Maintain body by what comes of its own accord and not be greedy.

SLOKA RECITATION

Let us learn a sloka from the Sri Isopanishad which teaches us something about the above theme. Before teaching the present verse, the teacher should begin the class by chanting all the verses of the 24 Gurus with the children all together. Chant the first verse of the 24 Gurus again. Tell the children we will learn the first verse and also understand it. Learn the first verse. (The teacher recites the sloka line by line and makes the children repeat and memorize the sloka)

éçäväsyam idam sarvaàyat kiïca jagatyäà jagattena tyaktena bhuïjéthä

mä gådhaù kasya svid dhanam

Everything animate or inanimate that is within the universe is controlled and owned by the Lord. One should therefore accept only those things necessary for himself, which are set aside as his quota, and one should not accept other things, knowing well to whom they belong. (Isopanishad 1)

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GURU 1 - Python1/2 60 mins 120 mins

the person who wants to engage fully in the Lord’s worship should not beg; rather, he should understand this to be the arrangement of providence, thinking, “Whatever enjoyment is destined for me

Let us learn a sloka from the

Before teaching the present verse, the teacher should begin the class by chanting all the verses of the 24 Gurus with the children all together. Chant the first verse of the 24 Gurus again. Tell the children we will learn

Learn the first verse. (The teacher recites the sloka line by line and makes the

GURU 1 - PythonLESSONS FROM GURU – (RED HELL)

The teacher can explain to the children, the lessons which this Python guru teaches us. The abbreviation “RED HELL” makes it convenient for us to remember what the guru wants to teach us. The teacher can write down on the board the below abbreviation and ask the children to note it down and learn it. In this session, after explaining the meaning of RED HELL, the teacher will be able to narrate a maximum of four stories. The remaining stories can be continued in the next class.

Ruins Unity - Greed can destroy your unity

Encourages - Greed can encourage you to have more than what you need

Difficulty - Greed puts you in great difficulty

Hypocrite - Greed makes you a hypocrite

Encourages to harm others - Greed makes you harm others

Lose what you have - Greed makes you lose what you have already

Limits your habit - Greed limits your habit and becomes your nature

STORIES

STORY 1 - THE THREE BROTHERS {GREED CAN DESTROY YOUR UNITY}

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The wife of the headman of a village died soon after giving birth to a baby boy. The headman was inconsolable but was persuaded by his family and friends to marry again so that the child would have someone to look after him.

Fortunately, his second wife turned out to be a large-hearted and

sensible woman who gave the child all the love and care he would have received from his own mother. In the course of the years she presented the headman with two more sons, but her affection

for the oldest never diminished. She treated all three boys alike and the two younger ones never realized they had a stepbrother. When the headman passed away, the widow entrusted the responsibilities of the household and the fields to the eldest son and he managed them so well that the family prospered. This

made the neighbours envious. One day, one of them told the widow’s sons the truth about

their eldest brother and advised them to drive him away from the house lest

so well that the family prospered. This made the neighbours envious. One day, one of them told the widow’s sons the truth about

GURU 1 - Python

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he should deprive them of their share of their father’s property.

The boys were shocked at the revelation, and, frightened by

the prospect of losing their share of the property, decided to murder him. When they told their mother about what they planned to do, she said to them, “Don’t bloody your hands, I will get rid of him for you.” That night when everybody was asleep, she suddenly jumped out of bed and started shouting: “Snake! Snake!” “Where? Where did you see it, mother?” asked the eldest son, getting up from his mat.

“Alas!” said the widow. “I saw it disappearing into your stomach.”

The young man turned pale. From that day on, he lost all appetite for food and would lie on his mat the whole day long. Soon he became so weak that he could not even sit up on his mat. The neighbours rejoiced and took advantage of the situation. They built a wall across the widow’s courtyard and claimed a part of the house as their own. In the fields they shifted their boundaries to enclose large portions of the widow’s lands.

The younger sons could not deal with the situation and one day they said to their mother: “If our elder brother was not

bed-ridden, such terrible things would not have happened to us.” The widow kept quiet, but in the dead of the night she again started shouting: “Snake! Snake!”Everyone woke up. “Where...where did you see it mother?” asked the eldest son, weakly.“Son, I saw it coming out of your stomach,” replied the woman. “It disappeared into the darkness.” From that day on the condition of the eldest son started improving. Soon he was able to walk into the courtyard where he saw the new wall. “Who has built this!” he thundered. The neighbours came running and meekly pulled down the wall. The following week he went to the family fields and seeing the new boundaries shouted, “Who has done this!” The neighbours trembled in fear and quickly vacated the land they had

grabbed. The widow and her three sons lived in peace and harmony ever after.

their father’s property.

bloody your hands, I will get rid of him

up from his mat.

situation and one day they said

mother?” asked the eldest son, weakly.“Son, I saw it coming out of

GURU 1 - PythonSTORY 2 - THE YOGI’S CLOTH

{GREED CAN ENCOURAGE YOU TO HAVE MORE THAN WHAT YOU NEED}

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A young yogi lived by the side of the river. His life was simple and carefree; he practiced yoga almost all day long. Because he had no other responsibilities he

had plenty of time to sit peacefully with eyes closed, his thoughts engrossed on the lord within the heart. This was his daily meditation. One day after bathing in the river, he washed his only piece of cloth and lay it out on the rocky bank. While waiting for it to dry, a thought crossed his mind. “I am wasting time waiting for this, if I had another piece of cloth I could get dressed right away.”

Just then an old sadhu i.e. a wise man passed by. This sadhu was able to read the thoughts of others.

He stopped and spoke, “My dear son, I know what is on your mind, but rather than collecting more and more objects it is better to be satisfied with whatever you have.” Nevertheless the young yogi went to the market the very next day and purchased a piece of cloth. The next day he bathed as usual, washed his cloth and put it to dry on the rock. He then put on his new piece of cloth and went to perform his meditation. Later in the day, when he came back, he discovered that a hungry mouse had nibbled holes in his old cloth. At first he was dismayed but then he thought, ‘Maybe I should have a cat to chase away the mouse.’

He went to the market once again and bought a cat. He spent the next day very happily and peacefully meditating. But, as evening approached, the cat began to miaow, disturbing the yogi, who now thought, ‘Oh, he needs milk.’ He purchased a cow from the

market. The next day was peaceful until the evening when the cow began to moo. ‘I am

not going to milk the cow everyday; it takes too much time’ thought the yogi. So he went to the village and asked a young woman to be his wife. She could get milk from the cow to give it to the cat, who would keep the mouse away from the yogi’s cloth. And so the yogi was happy for a little while. One day his wife complained, “I am sick of you just meditating all day, I want a a home.” So the yogi built a house. But

then his wife was lonely and wanted children.

As time passed by the yogi meditated less and less and worried more and more. He was constantly busy

looking after his house, his growing family and the animals. Sometimes, when he had a quiet moment, he would reflect on those carefree times when all he had was a single cloth.

cloth I could get dressed right away.”

then his wife was lonely and wanted children.

a young woman to be his wife.

And so the yogi was happy for a little while. One day his wife complained, “I am sick

young yogi went to the market the very next day and purchased a piece of cloth. The next

``GURU 1 - Python

STORY 3 - THE FOUR BRAHMIN BOYS {GREED PUTS YOU IN GREAT DIFFICULTY}

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One day he was thinking like this when the old sadhu again passed by. The sadhu smiled and remarked, “I can see you are in a pensive mood, so I will tell you again that its better to be happy

and satisfied with what you have and not unnecessarily be greedy for more comforts or luxury, because when it comes to wanting things there is no end to it.”

There’s a story of four brahmin boys who were looking for wealth,

so they went up into the Himalayas. Brahmin means devotee, but they were interested in getting wealth. They were thinking, “I’ve just come out of gurukula training, now we have to get some wealth, and then we can get married and have a happy life.” So they went to one sage who was living near the Himalayan mountains, and they

asked him, “My dear sage, we have heard that you are all-knowing, so

please tell us where we can find wealth.” The sage said, “All right.

So now I will put in each of your hands one ghee wick, a cotton ghee wick. You just hold that in your hand, and you walk up into the Himalayan mountains. Wherever this wick drops during the course of walking up the mountain, at that spot if you dig you will find something valuable. You will find a precious metal up to the

value of gold.” So they were very happy, and they went up into the mountains holding

their wicks. One of the wicks dropped,

so the boy dug there and he found copper. “Oh, copper. Very nice.” The other boys said, “Why just copper?” “No

no,” the boy said, “I am satisfied.” The sage said, “Wherever the wick drops, so this is my quota. God has given copper.” So he took that and went down. The other boys continued, and another wick dropped. When they dug they found silver. “Ah, silver, very nice. Even more valuable.”The boy whose wick had dropped was very satisfied, but the other two said, “Well silver’s alright, but the sage said up to gold.” “Anyway,” the boy said, “I’ve found silver by God’s grace, so I’m taking that.” So the other two continued, and one of their wicks dropped. He dug, and he found gold.

“All right,” one said, “here it is, the gold. Enough for both of us.” The last one said,

“Yes, but I still have my wick. It hasn’t dropped yet.” The other one replied, “Yes, but the sage said nothing more valuable than gold.” “Well anyway,∫ the last boy said, “I still have my wick, so I am going to find my treasure.” “Well you do as you like,” the boy who found the

asked him, “My dear sage, we have heard that you are all-knowing, so

thinking, “I’ve just come out of gurukula training, now

one ghee wick, a cotton ghee wick.

hand, and you walk up into the Himalayan mountains. Wherever

You will find a precious metal up to the value of gold.” So they were

no,” the boy said, “I am satisfied.” The

Even more valuable.”The boy whose

GURU 1 - Python

MORAL: This is an illustration how this lusty desire for sense gratification can get one in great difficulty. This brahmin broke the law and took more than his quota,

so therefore he got into trouble.

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gold said, “but I am taking this gold.” So then the last boy went high into the Himalayas, up to the very top, and still his wick didn’t drop. Then he saw one

man in the distance. So he was calling to him, “My dear sir, do you know of any valuable treasure up here? I am

looking for wealth.” As soon as he said that, his wick dropped. So he thought, “There must be something very valuable here.” Meanwhile the boy had come a little closer to the man, and he noticed that the man was standing in a strange way, he was not moving, and there was a wheel turning on his head. The middle of the wheel, the hub was grinding into his head and causing blood to flow, and this man was obviously in great pain. When this boy’s wick dropped then that wheel was suddenly moving from the other man’s head onto his head, and the wheel

was turning and he was feeling great pain. He also could not move any more, the wheel was somehow keeping him in place.

The other man could move again and he was saying, “Oh, I’m free! Thank God!” The brahmin said, “Please tell me what is going on here! Why am I suddenly stuck to this spot? I cannot move and this wheel is on my head and it is feeling very painful. What is happening?”

The other man replied, “You have come to the place where Kuvera keeps his treasure. He’s the treasurer of the demigods,

and all his wealth, all the wealth of the demigods is buried here and you have come across it.” “Well, what is this wheel?” the boy asked. “This wheel is a weapon of Kuvera which protects his treasure.” “Oh,” the boy said. “So tell me, what is going to happen to me?” “What is going to happen to you,” the man said, “Is the same thing that happened to me. I also came up here looking for treasure. I came up with some friends and met an old sage, and he gave us ghee wicks. My friends got copper, silver and gold, but I wanted to go higher. I came up here, and the wheel came onto my head.” “So what can I expect?” the boy asked. “Well, this wheel will stay on your head and keep you fixed to this place. You will not grow thirsty or hungry, you will just stay and not be able to move until somebody else comes up here looking for treasure. Then you will be released, and he will get the wheel on his head.” “How long were you here?” the boy questioned. “Who is the king of India now?” The boy gave the name of some king, and the man replied, “Well when I came up here, Lord Ramachandra was king.” “Oh no!” the boy said. “That was two million years ago!” And then the man was going to leave. “No you can’t leave!” the boy said. “Yes, I can leave, I’m getting out of here. I’ve suffered so much.” This greedy brahmin was left up there, and probably he’s still up there now. So don’t go up into the Himalayas looking for treasure.

his wick didn’t drop. Then he saw one

looking for wealth.” As soon as he said

in a strange way, he was not

turning on his head. The middle of the

GURU 1 - PythonSTORY 4 - A BRAHMANA WHO WAS GREEDY AND WOULD GNJOY

HIMSELF, BUT SHOWED THE WORLD THAT HE WAS A BIG RENUNCIATE {GREED MAKES YOU A HYPOCRITE }

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Once there was a brahmana who pretended in front of everyone that he was very renounced and never enjoyed anything for himself and that he gave everything he had to the Lord. One day his wife asked him to get popcorn to eat in the night. So the brahmana hid the popcorn in his shawl and got it. While on the way, there was a great wind and all the popcorn was blown into the air. Immediately, he

realised that he had lost everything and he wanted to convert this also into an opportunity to show his greatness and devotion. He immediately started

chanting “Om Govindaya Namah, Om Keshavaya Namah, Om Narayanaya Namah.” Everyone saw him and began to appreciate

his devotion. Suddenly his son appeared in the scene and

asked him, “Father, where is the popcorn which we were going to enjoy eating.”Then everyone realised that this brahmana was just a greedy fellow.

everything he had to the Lord. One day his wife asked him to get popcorn to eat in the

chanting “Om Govindaya

son appeared in the scene and asked him, “Father, where is the popcorn which we were going to enjoy eating.”

GURU 1 - Python

The teacher should begin the second session of this Python Guru with the recitation of slokas first.

SLOKA RECITATION

The teacher should begin the class by chanting all the verses of the 24 Gurus with the children all together.

Chant the first verse of the 24 Gurus again.

éçäväsyam idam sarvaàyat kiïca jagatyäà jagattena tyaktena bhuïjéthä

mä gådhaù kasya svid dhanam

Everything animate or inanimate that is within the universe is controlled and owned by the Lord. One should therefore accept only those things necessary for himself, which are set aside as his quota, and one should not accept other things, knowing well to whom they belong. (Isopanishad 1)

Lessons from Guru – (RED HELL)The teacher can revise the previous four lessons which was learnt in the last session. In this session the teacher can complete the remaining three lessons and complete the theme RED HELL.

STORY 5 -THE STORK AND THE CRAB {GREED ENCOURAGES YOU TO HARM OTHERS}

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2/2 60 mins 120 mins

Hearing this the fi sh and crabs became very scared and begged the stork to think of a

solution. The stork pretended to think for a while and said, “There’s this very deep pond a few miles away. It never dries up even in the hottest of

summers. All of you can go there and live happily, if you want to”. The fi sh and crabs liked the idea very much but they did not know how to get there. “But how will we reach there?” they cried. The stork replied “Even though it will be very diffi cult for me I can take you there one by one. So the next day the stork started carrying the fi sh, but

Once upon a time there was stork that lived by the side of a pond. The pond had plenty of fi sh. The stork used to eat these fi sh and lived happily. But

as years passed by, he became old and could no longer catch fi sh. He thought of a plan. One day he stood by the pond looking very sad. He did not even try to catch any fi sh. He just stood there looking very sad and even shed a few tears. The fi sh and crabs living in the pond became very curious. One crab, the bravest of them all went to the stork and asked, “What’s wrong? Why are you looking so sad?” The stork sighed “This pond is going to dry up soon and then you’re all going to die, you know”.

The teacher should begin the class by chanting all the verses of the 24 Gurus

Chant the first verse of the 24 Gurus again.

GURU 1 - Python

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instead of going to the new pond the stork would carry the fi sh to a rock and eat it. This went on for a few days and then it was the turn of the brave crab. He sat on the stork’s back for the journey. But as they reached the rock, the crab to his horror saw a huge pile of fi sh bones. He understood

what had happened to his unfortunate friends. He quickly dug his claws into the stork’s neck and squeezed it till the stork choked and fell on the ground. The crab then quickly scrambled back to the pond and told his friends the whole story. The brave crab became the hero of the pond.

instead of going to the new pond the stork would

and then it was the turn of the brave crab. He sat on the stork’s back for the journey. But

There was a potter who had 2 pots and started dreaming of becoming a millionaire by selling these pots and making a business of it. But in his dream he actually thought big and fi nally ended up breaking both the pots that existed. Thus he lost everything just because of his greed.

STORY 6 -THE POTTER’S DREAM{GREED MAKES YOU LOSE WHAT YOU HAVE ALREADY}

STORY 7 {GREED LIMITS YOUR HABIT AND BECOMES YOUR NATURE}

appeared before him. “Behold!” said the deity, “I have given you another can of milk. You now have double the quantity of milk you got from your cows, this morning.” Madho thanked the god profusely and picking up the can, started walking. He took a few steps and stopped. “Yes?” asked the god. “Is there anything more you want?” “I was wondering,” said Madho, “If you could...” “Yes! You want another can of milk?” asked the god, kindly. “No...No!” protested Madho. “I’m not that greedy... just give me another can of water.

We’ve all heard of milkmen adding water to milk. Madho was one such man. His customers knew but were helpless. There was no other milkman

in the locality. One day as Madho was about to start on his rounds in the morning, there was a fl ash of light and a godly being stood before him. Madho cowered in fright. “Why do you add water to milk, Madho?” asked the god. “I...I...” stammered Madho. “Speak up!” said the god. “I-I do it to increase the quantity of milk so that I can make more money, Lord,” said Madho honestly. The god waved his hand and a can of milk identical to the one Madho was carrying

in the locality. One day as Madho was about to

GURU 1 - Python

Show the video of ‘bad egg’.

HOW IS IT RELEVANT IN MY LIFE?

A rich person is not the one who has the most, but the one who needs the least. In the Isopanishad which is one of the 108 upanishads, it is said:

éçäväsyam idam sarvaàyat kiïca jagatyäà jagattena tyaktena bhuïjéthä

mä gådhaù kasya svid dhanam Everything animate or inanimate that is within the universe is controlled and owned by the Lord. One should therefore accept only those things necessary for himself, which are set aside as his quota, and one should not accept other things, knowing well to whom they belong. Take, for example, our dwelling, which is made of earth, wood, stone, iron, cement and so many other material things. If we think in terms of Sri Isopanishad, we must know that we cannot produce any of these building materials ourselves. We can simply bring them together and transform them into different shapes by our labor. A laborer cannot claim to be a proprietor of a thing just because he has worked hard to manufacture it. Similarly one has to take one’s own allotted quota and be satisfied, not just being too greedy for accumulating more and more. We already have seen the plight of the crane and the yogi both of whom were greedy for more and in the process invited misery in their lives. So ultimately one must be satisfied with what one has and try and lead a simple life with whatever is available. Seeing a practical example, if we have a very nice pen and we come to school proudly to display it. We can imagine that our friends will glorify us and ask for the pen. We think that this will make us happy. But when we reach school, we see another boy having a better pen. Our reaction is that immediately we want that pen and the new pen that we have is no longer giving us satisfaction and happiness.Why? Because we are not learning to thank God for whatever He has provided as our quota and we always expect more than that.

Nature Lessons from PythonTo understand the behavior of a python we will see some videos.

Show video of python eating egg. Show photos of python eating Kangaroo

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Show the video of ‘bad egg’.

Show video of python eating egg. Show photos of python eating Kangaroo

GURU 1 - Pythonscriptural STORIES

OF PYTHON

1. Python man – Prahlada Maharaj Prahlad was very qualified. He was a king. He was managing armies and

he had a very high education. He was administrating all the affairs of the stateand was very wealthy, very powerful. But here was a man who was completely naked, no clothes, his body was full of dirt covered with grass and leaves and he was lying on the ground on his belly. He was

unemployed and just was laying there for years without moving, he would not even get up to eat. He would open his mouth and if the

wind blew something in his mouth he would eat and if it did not he would not eat. Of course, in our modern society today, we would not consider this person a very productive citizen. But when Prahlad saw him, because he had transcendental vision, he understood that this man is a very deeply realized saint. ‘It takes one to know one’ you know its not that everyone who does not work and walks around naked and lays on the ground is a great saint. Most people that do this are actually quite useless. How do we know it? We don’t know it. Prahlad knew because he had that wisdom. But Prahlad who was the king of the universe, humbly bowed, took the dust from the feet of this great personality and began to inquire submissively as to what is the goal of life. This is the quality of such great personalities, the more you know about Krishna the more you realize how much you do not know. The more you love Krishna and the more you realize how much Krishna loves you the more you understand that in compassion to the ocean of love that Krishna is giving me I have no love for him.

2. Takshaka How Taksaka became Indra’s friend? Once the son of a sage of great divine splendour named Uttafika was studying under a Guru named Veda. When his education was complete, the Guru asked him to bring as daksina (fees) the earrings

worn by the Ksatriya wife of the king Pausya. Indra made Taksaka steal the ornament and created many obstacles on the way. (For details see under Uttanka). That incident made them mutual friends and gradually Taksaka

became an intimate friend of Indra.

From that day onwards Uttafika waited for an opportunity to take vengeance on Taksaka. It was at that time that Janamejaya, son of Pariksit, became the king. Janamejaya was only eleven years old when he became king and he was not then aware of the details of the death of his father. Uttafika went to him and told him how Taksaka killed his father. Janamejaya became furious and asked him how to wreak vengeance on him. Uttanhka suggested the performance of a Sarpasastra

grass and leaves and he was lying on the ground on his belly. He was unemployed and just was laying there for years without moving, he would not even get up to eat. He would open his mouth and if the

wind blew something in his mouth he would eat and if it did not he would not eat. Of course, in our modern society today, we would not consider this person a very productive citizen. But when Prahlad saw him, because he had transcendental vision, he understood that this man is a very deeply realized saint. ‘It takes one to know one’ you know its not that everyone who does not work and walks around naked and lays on the ground is a great saint. Most people that do this are actually quite useless. How do we know it? We don’t know it. Prahlad knew because he had that wisdom. But Prahlad who was the king of the universe, humbly bowed, took the dust from the feet of this great personality and began to inquire submissively as to what is the goal of life. This is the quality of such great

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submissively as to what is the goal of life. This is the quality of such great personalities, the more you know about Krishna the more you realize how much you do not know. The more you love Krishna and the more you realize how much Krishna loves you the more you understand that in compassion

Prahlad was very qualified. He was a king. He was managing armies and he had a very high education. He was administrating all the affairs of the stateand was very wealthy, very powerful. But here was a man who was completely naked, no clothes, his body was full of dirt covered with grass and leaves and he was lying on the ground on his belly. He was

education was complete, the Guru asked him to bring as daksina (fees) the earrings worn by the Ksatriya wife of the king Pausya. Indra made Taksaka steal the

GURU 1 - Pythonto which all the serpents should be attracted by mantras and burnt to death there. The young king agreed and Uttafika with other rsis commenced the Sarpasatra.

One by one all the serpents came and fell into the sacrificial fire but Taksaka was not to be found. Where is Taksaka? This question was

heard from many lips. Taksaka was specially invoked by Uttahka. Taksaka could not bear the power of Uttafika and he ran and prostrated before Indra. Indra not only did give refuge but gave him half of his seat in the throne and Taksaka sat on it fully confident of security. Uttanhka was enraged, when after repeated calls by mantra, Taksaka did not appear and so he sat in meditation for some time to know the cause. He then saw Taksaka sitting on the throne of Indra and the sight threw him into fury and he invoked Taksaka, Indra and the throne and all. Lo! In an instant Indra, Taksaka, the throne arid all started moving towards the sacrificial fire! Within seconds all would have been burnt to death but for the timely intervention of a brahmin boy named Astika, son of the sage Jaratkaru. Taksaka by instructions from Indra was living in the forest of Khandava, and when that was burnt by Agni, it was Indra who saved Taksaka from the fire. (See under Khandavadaha).

Takshaka“Takshaka is a Naga prince too with his once capital city in his own name still there, Taksha-shila or Takshakavati. His kingdom was annexed by Kuru Princes, and lay waste as jungle in the Khandavas, as they did not develop it, nor cared for his people. The Nagas are a proud people, with great culture, with their own music, painting, sculpture, artifacts, war-machines, war-codes and literature. When so neglected and overpowered, they withdrew out of the main stream of civilization, and came to be ‘tribals’, ‘jungle men’, and their standards fell. Added to it, from Nahusha to Dhritarashtra, all rulers of the kuru race have insulted their women and forced them to prostitution, producing a large tribe of men and women bearing allegiance by blood to their progenitors. Takshaka cannot forget all these, without a proper share in the Kuru empire as rulers, a share in the civilizational spheres and due recognition in all fields of culture. Even Bhishma could not respond. So these Nagas wait in lurch for their time. One of Krsna’s ancestors through Devaki was a Naga; one of Arjuna’s through Kunti was a Naga and his wife Ulupi is a Naga princess.

3. Nagastra – KarnaOn the battlefield of Kurukshetra, in the afternoon time and the seventeenth day of the war, Arjuna was nearing Karna and was firing arrows at him which were piercing into his body. At that time Karna suddenly heard a voice “Use me. I am also marking my time. Arjuna is

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GURU 1 - Pythonnot only your enemy but mine as well.” Another voice was heard from close, Karna looked around but could not find anyone. He thought it must some fantasy. But no! Casually as he drew an arrow from his quiver it had a serpent’s face and was slighter

longer and thinner than any other arrows he possessed. Karna could not remember the circumstances as to how it came to join his armoury. The missile was powerful

emitting poison and shining with aglow. Yes the voice had indeed come from the missile. Karna could not belelive at first but again a voice spoke “Use me” This time Karna replied “speak as to why I must use you and what is your urgency?”The missile revealed that its head was of Ashwasena, whose body was reduced to ashes in the fire of Khandava forest. It was Takshaka, who had grafted the head of ashwasena on a missile of poison for revenge on Arjuna, who was the cause of the devastating fire in which Takshaka lost his wife, daughter- in – law, all others taking refuge in the forest against the enemies. The missile had sought protection in Karna’s quiver waiting for the right moment for revenge. Karna felt it was a good omen and without further delay he yoked it to his bow and aimed it at Arjuna’s throat. Shalya looked back and warned him in loud, firm words. He said the missile is alright but aim is risky. He told him to aim a little lower at probably Arjuna’s heart and said that by doing so he was sure to kill his enemy. He explained that as it was aimed at his throat , there is Sri Krishna on the opposite side, so he will do something by which your arrow might miss Arjuna completely or at the most hit his helmet. So if he fires at the heart then even if he lowers the chariot by some trick, it will at least cut his throat. Karna rebuked him saying how could dare to challenge His aim. He further said that now that he has taken aim, he would not take it back and alter it as an arrow coming out from his quiver and aimed at an enemy could never be altered. His confidence was such that he would not take back a arrow aimed from his quiver. So this resulted in exchange of words between Karna and Shalya. Finally Karna released the arrow and as expected Krishna sitting on the seat as a charioteer, he applied great force on the right toe as he drove and made the chariot sink into the earth by a few inches. The ground was already a mire with incessant flow of blood, and the horses stumbled for a second and sat on their fore knees, further downing the position of Arjuna’s seat, without throwing him out. The chariot sank substantially into the earth by a foot or two, so that what was now available as aim for the missile was the long crown of Arjuna once gifted by Indra and

hence one of his names was Kiritee. The missile hit that empty crown with a thunderous force, and took it away to a distance leaving Arjuna fuming as it was an insult. The missile not only carried it away but also burnt it in the

skies. It was as if a star got burst in the skies or two stars out of their orbits dashed against each other, and the sight blinded all below on the earth. Krishna embraced and congratulated him. Arjuna was perplexed. Krishna explained how he was saved from losing his head to the nagastra fired by Karna. This missile was made to kill

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GURU 1 - PythonArjuna, and he had not been taught how to intercept or counter it. So Krishna had to adopt these means to save him. Meanwhile Karna and Shalya exchanged a few words again. A miracle happened just then! The missile hissed back in a terrific rush towards Karna, and everybody thought it was backfiring at him in disappointment and disgust. But it came to the ears of the hero and pleaded “You did not aim me well. Doesn’t matter Use me again and aim this time at the enemy’s chest”. Karna was sad and adamant. He did not want to use any missile once it left its quiver again. He said he shall not allow him to take shelter in his quiver again. The missile spoke up saying that he was Ashwasena. This head was once on the shoulders of Takshaka’s son who died in the khandava fire. He repeatedly asked Karna to use him promising victory. Karna would have none of it. The missile then said Karna will regret this decision of his and disappeared with a terrible hiss. The rest as we know how Karna died on the battlefield his wheel getting stuck and he could not invoke any divine weapons due to the curse of his guru.

4. Creation of snakes – Kasyapa and Kadru At the next stage of creation, Brahma asked Goddess Kadru to produce all varieties of serpents, with their many designs and colours. Venomous vipers slithered from holes in the ground, paralysing their victims with a single bite. Giant anacondas wound around their prey and crushed them to death before swallowing them whole. The fork-tongued and deadly cobra became the king of snakes.Other goddesses produced eggs, which cracked open to reveal cold¬blooded reptiles that scurried across the earth. Menacing crocodiles lumbered toward murky waters in search of fish, crabs and other prey. Scaly chameleons, changing colour as camouflage, trapped insects on their long sticky tongues. Some lizards had feet that enabled them to climb vertical trees, or walk upside down from overhanging rocks.Kaçyapa, who is also named Tärkñya, had four wives—Vinatä [Suparëä], Kadrü, Pataìgé and Yäminé. Pataìgé gave birth to many kinds of birds, and Yäminé gave birth to locusts. Vinatä [Suparëä] gave birth to Garuòa, the carrier of Lord Viñëu, and to Anüru, or Aruëa, the chariot driver of the sun-god. Kadrü gave birth to different varieties of serpents.

Did you know? In India, snakebite is a common cause of death so people are allowed to kill poisonous snakes in self-defense. There is an old story about a serpent called Kaliya who lived five thousand years ago. He had many heads and his poison polluted the River Yamuna, killing trees, birds and fish. Krishna dived into the river and danced on Kaliya’s man^ hoods, dodging the snake’s sharp teeth. After a fierce battle, Krishna defeated Kaliya and sent him into exile near the island of Fiji.

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GURU 1 - Python5. Shiva and poison

The Supreme Personality of Godhead, appearing in His incarnation as a tortoise, dove deep into the ocean to carry Mandara Mountain on His

back. At first the churning of the ocean produced kälaküöa poison. Everyone feared this poison, but Lord Çiva satisfied them by drinking it.With the understanding that when the nectar was generated from the churning they would share it equally, the demigods and the demons brought Väsuki to be used as the rope for the churning rod. By the expert arrangement of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, the demons held the snake near the mouth, whereas the demigods held the tail of the great snake. Then, with great endeavor, they began pulling the snake in both directions. Because the churning rod, Mandara Mountain, was very heavy and was not held by any support in the water, it sank into the ocean, and in this way the prowess of both the demons and the demigods was vanquished. The Supreme Personality of Godhead then appeared in the form of a tortoise and supported Mandara Mountain on His back. Then the churning resumed with great force. As

a result of the churning, a huge amount of poison was produced. The prajäpatis, seeing no one else to save them, approached Lord Çiva and offered him prayers full of truth. Lord Çiva is called Äçutoña because he is very pleased if one is a devotee. Therefore he easily agreed to drink all the poison generated by the churning. The goddess Durgä, Bhaväné,

the wife of Lord Çiva, was not at all disturbed when Lord Çiva agreed to drink the poison, for she knew Lord Çiva’s prowess. Indeed, she expressed her pleasure at this agreement. Then Lord Çiva gathered the devastating poison, which was everywhere. He took it in his hand and drank it. After he drank the poison, his neck became bluish. A small quantity of the poison dropped from his hands to the ground, and it is because of this poison that there are poisonous snakes, scorpions, toxic plants and other poisonous things in this world.

ConclusionA brief recap of the guru

back. At first the churning of the ocean produced kälaküöa poison. Everyone feared