Hari Om parents,
Hope you are doing well and staying healthy. We had a great class today. Here is a brief summary of our class -
1. We started our class with 3 OM's and Sahna bhavtu. Then we chanted the shlokas for Ganesha (Vakratunda Mahakaya), Devi Saraswati (Saraswati Namastubhyam) & one for Guru ( Guru Bramha). Absolutely ❤️ how kids chant it.
2. We chanted the Dhyan shlok.
3. Reviewed the concepts learned in previous classes - visible and invisible backbone, buddhi, balam & yashas and their respective meanings as well. We also played a mini challenge game where kids had to chant one word of the shloka turn by turn. It's just been a little over a month and most of them know the complete shloka.
4. Brainstorming - What is Dhairyam? Dhairyam is courage. Is courage jumping from the second floor of the building or jumping into a lake, even when you cannot swim? No, this is not courage. This is foolishness! Courage means facing challenges patiently, and with poise. For example, I do not like to go to the dentist, but I gather the courage and go. As a result I benefit. In any situation, when I lose my courage, I do not succeed.
5. Yoga time - We stretched, did tree pose, relaxed our shoulders and did some eye exercises and got ready for our story time.
6.Story time - The transformation of Ratnakar.
Valmikiji, the great saint, wrote the Ramayana. Before he turned to God, he was a professional robber named Ratnakar. He had no education and no talent. To support his family and children, he would rob anyone who would pass through the forest.
Once, Narada was passing through the forest. Ratnakar stopped him and said, " Hand over all that you possess or else..." Narada smiled and said, "my dear man all I have is my Vina. You can have it. But, do you know that you're committing sins when you harass and rob people?" Ratnakar replied, " but how else will I feed my family? I have no other skill." Naradji responded, " I know you're doing it for your wife and kids, but have you ever asked them if they are going to share in your sins? If not, you will have to go through the punishment all by yourself. Go home and ask them.I should wait for you here." Ratnakar went home and asked each one of them and they all refused to partake in his sins. He realized what a fool he was!
Without his family's support, how would you wash away all sins? Hurriedly, he returned and pleaded to Naradji to give him a solution to his problem. Naradji told him "sit here and say, Ram, Ram, Ram .. " until I return. Years passed. When Naradji finally returned, he found that a giant ant hill had formed around Ratnakar. Ratnakar had never left the spot and never stopped chanting the name of Ram! Naradji woke Ratnakar from his trance and renamed him Valmiki, which means an ant hill. Through prayer, Valmiki had the courage to give up his sinful way of life. He washed away his sins and became a saint. The moral of the story is we should have the courage to change.
A lot of questions/debate followed this wonderful story. I hope all the parents got to hear from the kids' view.
7. Meditation - One way to meditate is by writing & chanting God's name. We asked the kids to write in a notebook and it was so amazing to see how enthusiastically each one wrote Lord Ram's name. We showed them how to write in Hindi/Sanskrit and they wrote flawlessly.👌. Next class onwards we would encourage them to have a notebook and pencil handy. Super impressed by the kids.
8. A mini video on courage - https://youtu.be/rkg-ffNGv_E
9. Closed the class with shaanti mantra.
Have a wonderful week everyone! Hope to see the kids in the next class. Take care.
Regards,
Chitra & Rupa.