Hari Om! Parents
Week 21 Bala Vihar class started with children writing 11 times likhita japa, 'Om Gam Ganapataye Namah'. Please do submit your child's likhita japa to BV Houses, the link is shared in the Parents WA Group.
Reminder: to submit Rama Nama likhita japa tomorrow at the Ashram for Rama Navami celebration.
Shlokas
Om chanting, Sahana vavatu (pg 8, My Prayers Book). The children took turns to chant all the verses of Sri Ganesha Stavah (pg 28, My Prayers book) and the Sri Ganesha Pancharatnam (pg 30, My Prayers book). Both these MP3 audios were shared with you in the Parents WhatsApp Group. Please use it so your child can practice correct pronunciation of the shlokas.
Bhagavad Gita
We are learning part two of the Gita Chapter 2 this year from our Swamiji. Grade 5 is the Partha Group and the assigned verses are 39-63 (Bala Vihar Handbook). Gita Chanting Yagna is done, however, we will continue to chant Verse 39 - 63 every class.(pg 22&23, Bala Vihar Handbook). Your child must use this YouTube Gita Playlist to practice pronunciation of the Gita correctly.
Mahabharata
After a recap, our Mahabharata story continued with Virata Parva. During Pandavas' exile, Indra had sent sage Lomasa to Yudhistira with a message. Radheya was a threat to Arjuna's life, since he was the most powerful warrior. Yudhistira feared that Radheya would kill Arjun in the war. Indra assured Yudhistira that he would take care of the problem. Radheya had taken a vow that during the midday prayers to Surya, his "ishtadeva", he will grant any wish to anyone who asks. One night, Surya deva disguised as a brahmana appears in Radheya's dream. He tells Ragheya that Indra would take advantage of the vow and ask for his kundalas and kavacha. The brahmana asks him not to give them away. He warns Radheya that his life will be shortened, he will be defeated and killed in war. In his dream, Radheya is touched by the brahmana's concern and Surya deva reveals himself. Radheya is overjoyed and seeks his ishtadeva's blessing. Radheya tells Suya deva that his vow is his fame, he will not move away from his path of duty and giving away something dear gave him great happiness. Surya deva blesses him and tells him to ask for Indra's "Sakti" weapon in return for the kundalas and kavacha.
The next day as Radheya finished his puja, a brahmana appears. Radheya recieves him with respect and asks him what he wanted. The brahmana says he wants Radheya's kundalas and kavacha. Radheya explains that he cannot remove them from his body and can give the brahmana his entire kingdom instead. The brahmana insists and Radheya explains that he needed them for protection in the war. Radheya had promised his friend, Duryodhana, victory in the war and for that he needed his special kundalas and kavacha. The brahmana says that if Radheya is righteous he must give him what he asks. Radheya tells the brahmana that he knows that he is actually Indra - the greatest of givers. Indra deva was synonymous with giving, as was Radheya. Radheya says he has to abide by his vow. He cuts off both his kundalas, kavacha and lays them at Indra's feet. He proclaims that if Fate was on his side, he would defeat Arjuna without these protections. He would however never move away from his duty. Radheya says, "It is an honor to give to the great Indra himself and I am proud to give my life to you.". The heavens showered flowers on Radheya as a blessing. Indra, pleased with his sacrifice, names him "Karna" and "Vaikartana". He grants a boon and Radheya asks for the "Sakti" weapon. Indra gives him the weapon and warns that it can be used only once and after it is used it will return back to Indra. Karna needed to use this weapon only once to kill Arjuna. We discussed how with this deed, Karna has become famous for giving, and he even surpassed Yudhistira in following Dharma! We paused the story here to discuss our upcoming class program. Practices will start on Saturday, April 9th for those children who have signed up.
India, the Sacred Land
Arnav and Varun presented the story of Vardhamana Mahavira, the 24th Jain tirthankara. He spread Jainism all over India. This presentation was very appropriate since Mahavira Jayanthi is on April 14, 2022. We discussed some values that we could learn from this great saint. Going forward all the children will get a chance to share saint stories.The children will keep a journal about how they used saint's values in their everyday life, and share it in class.
Class ended with aarti, chanting shanti mantra and pledge recitation. Please do remind your child to stay back and participate.
- Rashmi Kuroodi and Shanthi Chidambaram
Materials needed for every class: notebook & pen for the likhita japa, My Prayers book for the shlokas, Bala Vihar Handbook for the Gita Chanting, aarti and pledge recitation.