Nov 12 , 2021 - Grade 6 (Friday)
Hari Om Parents,
We trust that each and everyone of you is keeping well and staying safe!
Please find below the update from our class, last Friday.
With the Almighty, our Pujya Gurudev and our Swamiji's blessings, our class session went without a hitch and managed to finish our planned lessons and activities.
Class began with Opening Prayers - 3 OMs, followed by the chanting of Sahana Vavatu. Then we invoked the blessings of Lord Ganesha, Goddess Saraswati and all our Gurus, by chanting..
Śri Ganeshaya Namah!
Śhri Saraswathyai Namah!
Śhri Sad-Gurubhyo Namah!
Shlokas: ( My Prayers Book)
The kids, then took turns to recite the Daily Prayers ( page#11) in the order of:
- Karagre Vasate
- Samudravasane
- Gange cha Yamune
- Saraswati Namastubhyam
- Brahmarpanam
- Shubham Karoti
- Kara-charana-krtam vak - kindly encourage the kids to memorize these and recite them at appropriate occasions during the day. Emphasis should be on, not just the learning part but to put all that they learn, into practice in their daily routine.
We proceeded to review the Devi Dhyana Shloka (page#39) and the seven verses of Mahalakshmi Ashtakam (page#39) that we learnt in our previous class. Each of the kids enthusiastically recited the taught shlokas with proper pronunciation and appropriate diction. Please encourage your kids to memorize all the slokas taught in class and practice diligently. We then learnt the eighth verse in class and all the kids were called upon to chant so their recitation can be checked and corrected.
As to the Mahabharata portion of our lesson plan, we commenced our storytelling by touching briefly upon Yavakrida's penance and the end of his life. In their vast travels, the Pandavas reached the hermitage of Rishi Raibhya on the banks of the mighty river, The Ganges. Sage Lomasa recounted the sacred history of that particular location that had blessed many illustrious leaders in the past and implored Yudhishtra to gain freedom from all the misfortunes, anger and passion that has been inflicting him. Sage Lomasa proceeded to narrate the story of Yavakrida that better explains the sanctity of the place.
Two eminent scholars and ascetics, Bharadwaja and Raibhya lived in that particular hermitage long ago. Sage Raibhya's sons, Aravasu and Puravasu were well versed in the study of Vedas and gained fame as learned scholars. Bharadwaja devoted himself to the worship of the Lord and his son, Yavakrida, over-wrought with jealousy towards the scholars, performed great austerities to Lord Indra, requesting to achieve knowledge directly with little effort. Indra dismissed his pleas by stating that Vedas needed to be studied diligently with the help of a preceptor and not acquired by performing austerities alone.
Yavakrida, defiantly undertook extreme austerities and summoned Indra, much to the dismay of the Gods. Indra admonished Yavakrida for his pursuit of vain fame through unethical means and instructed him to follow patient study of the Vedas. Yavakrida proclaimed that he would resort to drastic measures such as cutting his limbs off one at a time and offer to the fire to achieve his goal. Yavakrida pursued his austerities with much more vigor tha before and days passed. One day, while bathing in the river, he happened to see a Brahmana throwing a fistful of sand into the river and was stupefied. Upon inquiry, the Old man disclosed his desire to build a dam across the gushing river to enable people to cross across with ease and lauded himself for this wonderful idea. Yavakrida mocked his ridiculous idea and advised him to perform the actual work instead. The old man retorted," Is my project more foolish than yours of mastering the Vedas, not by study but by austerities?". A humble Yavakrida then prayed to Lord Indra to grant him strength to learn the Vedas and achieve fame as a learned scholar.
Yavakrida, eventually achieved a high status as the most learned scholar , all the while growing vain with the thought that Indra's blessings was the sole reason for this achievement and not his personal toil. That thought provoked him to behave disrespectfully towards Raibhya. Bharadwaja warned his son to refrain from such insolent acts, that is sure to lead one to self destruction and to cultivate self- restraint. On a particularly beautiful spring day, Yavakrida was overcome with affectionate thoughts towards Pruravasu's wife and behaved inappropriately towards her. An infuriated Raibhya summoned a beautiful lady and a terrible ghost from the sacrificial fires and commanded them to kill Yavakrida. The lady enticed Yavakrida with her charms and stole away the water jug. The ghost rushed to kill him with an uplifted spear and Yavakrida scrambled around looking for water to cleanse himself to recite the mantra to protect himself. Not a drop of water was found anywhere, and was forced to find refuge in his father's sacrificial hall. The half blind guard stopped him from entering the hall, unable to recognize him and thus was killed by the ghost. Pride and Vanity undid the man of all his good deeds and status, and the grief stricken father, Bharadwaja ended his life as well.
The Pandavas yearned for the return of their beloved Arjuna and Draupadi shared in their wretchedness from the separation from the great hero. Sahadeva suggested a remedy to alleviate the sorrow by traveling to distant places and indulging in adventurous jaunts. Yudhishtra welcomed the idea and planned a pilgrimage to many shrines and holy places. They eventually reached Kulinda, the kingdom of Subahu, in the Himalayan regions and enjoyed the hospitality offered by the king. They then proceeded to the dense forest of Narayanasrama and camped on the banks of a river. One day, a north-easterly breeze carried a beautiful and fragrant flower to the proximity of Draupada who gathered it in awe and wonder. Declaring her intent to gift the flower to Yudhishtra, Draupadi implored Bhima to find the plant to take to Kamyaka forest to grow a garden full of those heavenly fragrant flowers.
Anxious to please his beloved Draupadi, Bhima journeyed in the direction of the wind and presently came to a forest of plantain trees at the foot of a mountain. His path forward was blocked by a giant monkey that lay across the way, fast asleep. Bhima commanded the monkey to move but the old monkey sermoned on the proper etiquette of the strong behaving benevolently towards the weak, such as himself. Bhima asserted his status as the mighty Hanuman's brother and threatened to jump over the lazy monkey, but stopped short since the scriptures do not advise it. The monkey pretended to be in awe of the mighty Hanuman and implored Bhima to push his tail side and carry on further. Bhima reluctantly flicked the tail aside but was astounded to see it not move an inch, He mustered all his strength and tried to lift the tail but to no avail. Bhima was shocked into a realization that this was no ordinary monkey and upon asking, was overjoyed to discover the identity of the monkey. Hauman embraced him and directed him to the location of the flowers, away from the path to the spirit world, where unspoken dangers lay. He blessed Bhima with a vision of his Vishwaroopam and promised to accompany him in the war with the Kauravas, by presiding on the flagpole of Arjuna's chariot, guiding them to victory.
Back in Hastinapura, Dhritharashtra heard many Brahmins recount the living conditions and the plight of the Pandavas, Who had visited and traversed with them. Though partially delighted, the blind king worried over the negative implications of this talk being cast over his sons. He fretted over the greed and covetous behavior of Duryodhana and his followers and regretted his inability to prevent the sinful acts that led to that day. Duryodhana and his posse were delighted to share in the spoils of the game and applauded each other for their expert cunningness. Duryodhana seemed a bit dissatisfied and expressed his desire to see the Pandavas in their misery in person and provoke their resentment further, by exhibiting their wealth and acquisitions. Karna devised a master plan to get Dhrithrashtra's permission, by announcing an inspection of the Dwaitavana cattle ranch, which is situated four miles from the Pandava camp. Dhritharashtra reluctantly agrees and the Kaurava entourage set out to the forest.
The Kauravas erected their camp and enjoyed games and festivities after completing their inspection and stock-taking of the cattle. They indulged in vigorous hunting trips and on one such occasion, arrived at a beautiful pond with enchanting views. Duryodhana expressed his desire to camp out at that spot and preparations got under way. Chitangadha, the Gandharva King was also stationed at that spot and so the encampment work was halted due to refusal of the aforesaid King. An infuriated Duryodhana ordered the army to march on the intruders and a terrible battle ensued. Chitrangadha took Duryodhana captive, bound his hand and foot and threw him on his chariot. The Gandharvas blew their conches to announce their victory, the sound of which reached Yudhishtra's ears. He reprimanded Bhima for his crave assessment of the Kaurava' situation and announced his intent to help out their cousins. Bhima and Arjuna rallied the routed karava forces and offered battle to the Gandharvas. Chitrangadha showed least interest in battling the mighty warriors, only expressing his desire to teach the arrogant Duryodhana, a lesson in good manners. The dishonored Kauravas return to Hastinapur in humiliation and shame. A dejected Duryodhana expressed desire to give up his life by fasting to overcome the humiliation suffered at the hands of the Pandava brothers. Sakuni provoked his inner hatred and jealousy towards the Pandavas by stating that defeat should be accepted by inviting the pandavas and handing the kingdom back to them. Duryodhana immediately shirked off the idea of defeat and defiantly declared his desire to fight his cousins to death. Karna reassured Duryodhana by undertaking a terrible vow to forsake meat and wine and promising to fulfill the desire of anyone who approaches him.
Bhagavad Gita video for verses 39 & 40 was shared with the children via screen share in our class. The link to the video presentation is posted in our Google classroom. To facilitate easy access to materials discussed in class, we have established a Google Classroom and the link has already been shared with all of the parents on our class WhatsApp Group.
The session concluded for the evening, with the recitation of the Shanti Mantra and the pledge by our students.
Virtual Class Etiquette for participants:
Important: Our class will start at 7 pm sharp on Fridays with opening prayers. Try to log in 5-10 min early to avoid unpleasant disruption during the prayers
- Please sit at a study desk in a quiet room with a clean background.
- A table lamp is recommended - light should fall on your face so the teachers can see your face clearly
- Use of headset strongly recommended
- All participants will be muted on entry - please raise your virtual hand if you wish to speak.
- Please have your MY Prayers book, handbook, a notebook ( no loose leaf sheets), and pen/pencil ready at hand.
- Kindly avoid bathroom breaks and eating during class hours
- Keep your desk clear of unwanted electronic devices to avoid unnecessary distractions.
Please do not hesitate to contact us with any questions or queries you may have. Thank you!
At His Service
Friday Grade 6 Sevikas
Sangita Patankar & Viji Lakshmi Hari