Harih Om Parents,
Following was discussed/taught to the children during Balavihar class on February 27th, 2022. The class was partially taught by our CHYK sevaks Maanasvi and Vedha.
1.Initial prayers.
2.Verses 61, 62 and 63 of Bhagavad Geeta chapter 2 were taught: please have your children practice at home.
The following children chanted a verse each from Bhagavad Geeta: Anwita, Vikram, Yashvi, Nithya, Srividhya and Hasini.
3.The Beauty of Speech: No matter how upset or angry we are, absence of deviousness in speech must be cultivated. The quality of speech determines how ugly or beautiful the person behind it is. A personality which is shattered often seeks gratification or reinforcement through gossip, vicious speech. A person who speaks sweetly, with sincerity reflects the purity of his/her soul. We should be able to understand real underlying infinite beauty of life inspite of its superficial imperfections. This understanding will enable us to have tenderness in our actions and compassion towards one and all.
4.The World is a Stage: Pujya Gurudev, Swami Chinmayananda says, "The world is a stage, you are the actor. Live continuously and all the hours, round the clock, your life in the consciousness of the Divine and the Supreme, the True and the Eternal. Play the game of life; play the part to which you have been called on to the stage, but forget not the greater mission in life, the greater goal that is to be achieved. Live the stage life perfectly, and play the part exactly as the Lord, the manager, the playwright, had intended it to be played. His intentions are codified and indicated in the great textbooks on Dharma which preach the higher values of life, viz. the ethical and moral rules of life. Live well. Live in kindness, love and understanding." We discussed this paragraph in detail with the children and were able to get them to understand it through examples.
5.Facts of life: There are six stages in life: Jaayate (we are born), Asti (we live in the world), Vardhate (we grow), Viparnimate (body changes), Apaksheeyate (body decays) and Nashyati (we die). There are no rehearsals, no turning back in life. Life is a one-way street. Each minute we are closer to death. Each moment in life is the real performance. So, it is important that we live each moment of this life fully, consciously, and righteously. Most of us are living life day to day, aimlessly without any goal. Just like the puzzle pieces in a box cannot be arranged without the picture in front of us, similarly we cannot achieve moksha unless we fix a goal, prepare, and follow the roadmap to go through the maze of life.
6.The Goal: If we think of our life and its thousands of pictures, we know eventually we will get old and die. But we know we are more than the body. If we break the various phases of our life into smaller segments, we can ask ourselves the following questions to figure out the goal of life and also to create a roadmap to reach that goal: Do we know what we want in life, why do we want it? Do we have a clear picture of where we want to be one year, five years from now? Are we going in that direction? By doing this interesting exercise, we can make a blueprint for our life. Here we are not talking of each microscopic detail but simply talking about thinking beyond today and deciding which direction we want to steer our life. In doing this, we think through each step we take it in the right direction; and that each choice is the correct one and that is consistent with our goal. The goal of human life is to graduate from this life and not come back to this Earth! This is liberation. In seeking liberation, we also need to continue with our duties on this earth as a parent, child, aunt, uncle, teacher, student, as a doctor, as an engineer and so on.
7.Yaksha Prashnas:
What is ego? Ignorance of the Self is Ego
What is dambha (pretence)? to show off one own's self as greater being than others is Dambha.
What is Daivam (Divine)? Giving daanam (charity) wholeheartedly comes back to benefit one in more ways than one. By doing our best and sharing our wealth, we earn the good will of others and get back returns manifold times than what we give.
What is Paisunyam (cruelty)? To point a finger at others is cruelty. It is very easy to see other people's faults and not our own! Remember when you point your finger accusing someone of wrong doing four fingers point towards you!
Thank you!
Devender Akula and Mekhala Girish (8th Grade, Sunday A.M. Balavihar teachers)