Hari Om Parents,
Here is a brief summary of Balavihar class activities for Week 5, October 24, 2021.
1. We started our class with three OMs followed by the following opening prayers:
- Om Sahana Vavatu
- Vakratunda Mahakaya
- Saraswathi Namastubhyam
- Guru Brahma Gurur Vishnu
2. We completed learning all the verses of the Ganesha Pancharatnam stotram and children took turns singing and repeating the stotram couple of times to get the pronunciation and the tune right. We gave them tips on how to break the big words, and how to say the words of stotra correctly.
Practice singing the Ganesh Pancharatnam at home
4. We went over the Google sign-up sheet with the students and reminded them about their assignments, and asked them to sign-up and pick a Saint that they would like to research and talk about during our Balavihar class.
5. Mahabharata:
We recapped the story so far briefly.
We continued with our story…when Dhritarashtra, Paandu, and Vidura reach their youth, Bheeshma decides to find brides for the young men. He picks the daughter of King of Gandhara, Subala's beautiful and pious daughter Gandhari for Dhritarashtra. Arrangements to marry Paandu to the daughter of King of Madra -Madri and to the daughter of Kuntibhoja – Kunti were made.
When Kunti was a young girl, she received a boon from Sage Durvasa that she could invoke any deva with a mantra. She was excited about this new mantra that she had learnt, and ignorant of the outcome of invoking the deva. One day morning she invokes Surya devata, and is blessed with a beautiful son who is born with Kavacha and Kundala. She was bewildered, did not know what to do next as she was unmarried, she wrapped the baby, placed him in a box made of wood, and set the box afloat in the river. Several years later, she gets married to Paandu.
After Paandu is married he goes on a tour of the entire Bharatavarsha and re-establishes the supremacy of the Kuru kingdom. After the campaign is over, he goes with his two queens to relax in the forest. There he accidentally kills two deer frolicking in the forest, the deers were actually Rishi Kindama and his wife. Paandu is cursed to die if he approaches his wife with love for this heinous act. We then discussed how the actions we do, either knowingly or unknowingly, have consequences. We spoke about being mindful and thinking before acting. Paandu decides to spend the rest of his life as a hermit and gives up all luxuries of life. Kunti and Maadri also follow their husband and they all live in the Satasringa forest, far away from Hastinapura.
Paandu realizes he has no heir to carry on his name, and Kunti tells him about the special incantation.
They deliberated about which deva to seek the blessings for a child from in order. They chose Dharma first, as Paandu wanted a righteous son who would be king, who would always do what was right and never deviate from that path. A righteous king needs the support of a mighty warrior, so they prayed to Vaayu for Bhima, who was blessed with great strength. They then prayed with great effort for a son who will be a natural leader, like Indra, the king of the devas. Seeing Kunti have three sons, Maadri too requested that she be taught the mantra and she prayed to the Ashwini Kumars for Nakula and Sahadeva. Meanwhile in Hastinapura, hearing the birth of Yudhishtra, Gandhari, who was then pregnant, grew very angry and jealous. She realized that her son, yet unborn, would be overlooked for the throne of Hastinapur as Yudhishtra was now the eldest. There was an inauspicious omen when Duryodhana was born. In the course of time they have 100 sons, the eldest of whom was Duryodhana, and a daughter, Dusshala.
Pandu trained all his sons to be warriors. They grew up in the forest, learning all they needed. One day, Maadri and Paandu decide to spend some time together, and he is overcome by the desire and is struck by the curse of Sage Kindama and dies. Grief stricken, Maadri enters the funeral pyre along with Paandu, entrusting her children to Kunti to care. We paused here for this week.
6. Class ended with aarti, shanti mantra, and pledge.
The children were informed that they will be having a Kahoot quiz next week where they will be quizzed on the topics covered so far in the Mahabharata.
We also let the children know that in our next Balavihar class we'll have some more fun activities and a special House Inaugural assembly. We reminded them to wear the house color green.
Our next Balavihar session will be on 10/31.
Pranaams,
Subha Srinivas
Rekha Pai