Jun 5, 2022 - Grade 4 (Sunday AM)

Hari Om Parents,

We began our class with 3 OMs and the following shlokas.
1. "Om Saha Navavatu" (page 8 in My Prayers book)
2."Vakrathunda Mahakaya" (page 27 in My Prayers book)
3. "Saraswathi Namasthubhyam" (page 12 in My Prayers book)
4. "Karagre Vasate" (page 11 in My Prayers book)
5. "Samudhra Vasane" (page 11 in My Prayers book)
6. "Shubam Karoti" (page 12 in My Prayers book)
7. "Gurur Brahma" (page 60 in My Prayers book)
8. "Brahmarpanam" (page 12 in My Prayers book)
9. "Krishnaya Vasudevaya" (page 105 in My Prayers book)
10. "Sri Rama Rama" (page 129 in My Prayers book)
11. "Budhir Balam" (page 152 in My Prayers book)
12. "Kara Charana" (page 12 in My Prayers book)

We then practiced  the Govinda Damodara sthotram.

We had completed our syllabus for Krishna everywhere in the last class. We also covered 23 out of 24 teachers in our classes so far. We completed the lesson for the 24th teacher in class today.

As always, we started with a riddle.

I am skillful worker.
What I make has been useful with armies in the past 

Rama and Lakshmana used what I made, to destroy demons in the forest.

Arjuna could not have won the contest and married Draupadí without the help of my product.

Who am I ? 

This was a difficult one, but the kids made quite a lot of guesses, some were very close to the right answer. 

Once there was an arrow-maker, who kept himself very busy in his work. One time a big party of the king and his retinue were passing by but he did not even notice them.

Saint Dattëtreya said, "I saw this and learned to have concentration of mind."  

Today's teacher was the "Arrowmaker".

We started by discussing about what is Concentration. How often the kids heard this word and where, and why is this important. 

What is concentration of mind?
Concentration of mind is to make the mind think on one form, an object, a thought, or a concept steadily for a long time.
Everyone has this ability. 

One with high degree of concentration alone can turn out better and accomplish more work

Short story about Sir Isaac Newton - Once, someone invited Sir Isaac Newton for dinner. He went to his host's residence and was shown to the living room by the butler. The host gentleman had forgotten all about Sir Isaac Newton waiting. He ate his dinner and retired to bed.
 Newton sat musing on some important point of science. He did not move from his seat. He had forgotten all about dinner! That was how much he was engrossed in his thought and that was the level of his concentration.
Apples have fallen down from trees for years; it takes a thinking person like Mr. Newton to come up with gravitational law! His ability to concentrate, and focus lead to great inventions. Newton's single-pointed attention earned him fame.

We talked about some examples in nature, that demonstrate the power of concentration.

Sunlight does not burn a piece of paper placed out in open. However, if a magnifying glass is held few inches away from the paper and let the concentrated sun's rays fall on the paper, the paper begins to burn.
When a dam is built on a river, it can generate electricity.
A boiling kettle loses steam as steam dissipates into the air; but when the steam is collected in the steam engine, it can move a whole train.
Every creature in the world has to concentrate to succeed in what it does. Think about animals hunting for food.  They are still, head down, and ears flat, in complete concentration, before they leap on their prey. Concentration is a must for a successful and satisfying life

Short story about Swami Vivekananda - 

Once when Swami Vivekananda was in Chicago, he saw some young children trying to shoot eggshells floating in the river.
The children could not hit the bobbing egg-shells and missed the mark many times. Seeing Swami Vivekananda watching them attentively, they mockingly asked him if he could do a better job. Saying that he would try, Swami Vivekananda took the toy gun. He fired twelve times, hitting an egg-shell each time! Amazed, the children asked him how he could be so good at it.
 "Well, well, I will tell you the secret. Whatever you do, concentrate. Think of nothing else. If you are shooting, keep your mind only on the target. Your aim will not fail. Concentration can work wonders. Even when you are studying, think of only the lessons. What you read will then almost be printed in your memory."

This was the secret of Swami Vivekananda's success. This is the secret of success of many great scientists and people of achievement.

Short story from the Mahabharata -

Dronacharya taught archery to the Pandava and Kaurava princes. One day he wanted to test their skills. There was a bird on the branch of a tree, and the test was to shoot the arrow at the bird's eye. One by one all the princes came, and Dronacharya asked them what they could see when they were aiming their arrow. All of them said they saw the bird, tree, branches, sky, etc. Finally it was Arjuna's turn. Dronacharya asked him what he could see. Arjuna replies that he could only see the eye of the bird.  

This story illustrates the concentration of Arjuna, which made him one of the greatest archers. 

A single pointed attention is needed  to attain perfection in any endeavor.

We then played a small game of concentration. We showed the kids a slide with 24 pictures of different objects, like pencil, pen , clock, umbrella, shoes, etc. We put a timer for a minute and asked them to look at the slide and try to remember as many as they could. After a minute we closed the slide, and asked them. They did pretty good!  A lot of them could remember almost half of the pictures shown.

The second part of the class was like a recap of the Krishna stories we learnt in class, focussing on what is the takeaway for us. What are the values we learnt?

The theme for this part was "Roadmap to Krishna".

Just like we need a map to reach a far off destination, we need a roadmap to reach Krishna. In other words, to have the Lord with us all the time . 

There are nine values we discussed, which help us become the darling of Krishna and help us reach him. 

We discussed each value with reference to a story we learnt. We showed a picture from the story and asked the kids what it was about. This was also a good chance to recap the stories heard throughout the year. 

To reinforce, we did a jumble of the words representing the nine values and asked the kids to unjumble them. 

It was an interesting and interactive session.

The nine values discussed are :

 1. Forgive -  Although Putana tried to poison and kill little Krishna, he forgave and liberated her. We must also learn to forgive someone who harms us. Be kind and forgive unconditionally. We then become happy.

2. Share - Krishna always shared butter and milk with his friends and animals around. Sharing is caring. Remember to always share.

3. Cows -  Krishna loves Cows. Cows are gentle. Be kind and gentle to all animals.

4. Humble -  Brahmaji temporarily forgot the glory of Bhagavan. He thought about his own power and became egoistic. Bhagavan taught him a lesson. We should always be humble. What is being "humble"? Being down to earth and not to think too much of oneself.

5. Service -  The Brahmin women served Krishna with great devotion. Even trees serve without expecting anything in return. See God in all and Serve all.

6. Control -  Sudarshana, a celestial magician lost control over his senses and made fun of Rishi Angira. He flew over him a hundred times. He was cursed by the sage to become a python. We need to have control over our senses. Even if our senses tell us to do wrong things, we will not. That is control.

7. Puja -  More we pray to Bhagawan, more we become like him. Akrura was so devoted to the Lord, that he got his divine vision. The Gopis devotion was so great that the Lord was always in their hearts. We should remember to pray everyday.

8. Vedas -  Vedas and Brahmins or knowledgeable people are two of the limbs of Lord Krishna. Read good books. Always respect your Guru or teacher. By reading good inspirational books, and serving our teachers, we become the darling of Krishna.

9. Forbearance -  Forbearance is the limb of the Lord we need to remember all our life. Many times people may trouble you, but you swallow your pride and keep quiet and move on. Do not pick unnecessary quarrels or fights. Remember Bhagavan and be calm. He will take care of you.

The kids then spent some time doing a word search puzzle. It was based on the names of people and places we learnt about in Krishna everywhere.

We concluded the class with the Chinmaya Mission Pledge.

We really enjoyed the company of all the kids and it was a pleasure teaching them. Their enthusiasm and eagerness to learn was commendable. 

The Annual Day will be on Sunday, June 12th in person @ the ashram. The schedule was sent on the whatsapp group. We look forward to meeting you all there!

We wish you all a happy and safe summer!

Pranaam,

Neelima & Keerthi

May 22, 2022 - Grade 4 (Sunday AM)

Hari Om Parents,
We began our class with 3 OMs and the following shlokas.
1. "Om Saha Navavatu" (page 8 in My Prayers book)
2."Vakrathunda Mahakaya" (page 27 in My Prayers book)
3. "Saraswathi Namasthubhyam" (page 12 in My Prayers book)
4. "Karagre Vasate" (page 11 in My Prayers book)
5. "Samudhra Vasane" (page 11 in My Prayers book)
6. "Shubam Karoti" (page 12 in My Prayers book)
7. "Gurur Brahma" (page 60 in My Prayers book)
8. "Brahmarpanam" (page 12 in My Prayers book)
9. "Krishnaya Vasudevaya" (page 105 in My Prayers book)
10. "Sri Rama Rama" (page 129 in My Prayers book)
11. "Budhir Balam" (page 152 in My Prayers book)
12. "Kara Charana" (page 12 in My Prayers book)

We then introduced Shloka 8 of Govinda damodara sthotram. Please have the kids practice the Krishna Ashtakam and 8 shlokas of the Govinda Damodara sthotram.

Krishna Everywhere (The last lesson of the year) :

After a brief quiz-like recap of our story so far, we jumped into our Krishna story. With Kamsa gone and Vasudeva, Devaki and Ugrasena freed from the deepest darkest dungeon, Vasudeva decided that it was time for Krishna and Balarama to have their Upanayanam. They received their sacred thread, making them eligible to enroll in a Gurukula to learn the scriptures from a Guru. After the Upanayanam, the boys were sent to Rishi Sandipani to live with and learn from their Guru under strict discipline and service. The brothers were diligent and quick to learn. They mastered the Vedas and the Vedangas, phonetics, grammar, astronomy, logic, philosophy and economic sciences, ALL in 64 days!

The boys approached Guru Sandipani to ask him what they could offer as Guru-dakshina. The rishi knew of their divine nature and did not want anything. When they insisted, the Guru consulted with his wife and they requested that they bring back their son who drowned in the sea. Balarama and Krishna went to the seashore. The sea brought tons of precious gifts to welcome the duo. The sea denied swallowing the rishi's son. Then the brothers went to Yama and demanded a restoration of their Guru's son. Their Guru and Guru-ma were overjoyed! Everyone bade them farewell after receiving the most precious Gurudakshina. The brothers  were blessed, and were told that their glory would shine wherever they went. They were sent off to purify the whole world. Krishna and Balarama went back to their parents in Mathura. He remembered the fun He had in Vrindavana and knew that His avatara was to restore Dharma and He had a ton of work to do! Krishna appointed Uddhava to carry His message of love to Vrindavana. His visit is one of the most beautiful, mystical, and memorable episodes in Srimad Bhagavatam.

Sudhama

Lord Krishna and Sudama were childhood friends. While Krishna thrived and prospered, Sudama didn't. He led the life of a poor Brahmin man, living in a small hut with his wife and kids. Most days, the kids wouldn't even get enough to eat from what Sudama got as alms. One day, his wife suggested that he go and ask his friend Krishna for help.

Sudama was reluctant to seek favors, but he also didn't want his kids to suffer. So his wife borrowed some rice from the neighbors to make some rice snacks that Krishna liked, and gave it to Sudama to take it to his friend. Sudama took it and set out to Dwaraka. He was amazed at the gold that was used to build the city. He reached the palace gates and was obstructed by the guards, who judged him by his torn dhoti and poor appearance.

Sudama requested the guards to at least inform Krishna that his friend Sudama has come to meet him. The guard, although reluctant, goes and informs the lord. On hearing that Sudama was here, Krishna stops doing whatever he was doing and runs barefoot to meet his childhood friend.

Krishna hugs Sudama, welcomes him to his abode and treats him with utmost love and respect. Sudama, ashamed of the poor man's rice snacks he got for Krishna, tries to hide it. But the all-knowing Krishna asks Sudama for his gift and eats his favorite rice snacks that his friend brought for him.

Krishna and his friend spend time laughing and talking about their childhood but Sudama, overwhelmed by the kindness and compassion shown by his friend, is unable to ask for help. When he returns home, Sudama finds that his hut has been replaced by a huge mansion and his wife and kids are dressed in fine clothes.

Sudama realized how lucky he was to have a true friend like Krishna. He didn't even ask, but Krishna knew what Sudama wanted and gave it to him.

Moral

True friends do not distinguish between rich and poor. They are always there for you when you need them.

The End - Krishna Lila 

As we approached this final chapter, we went on to discuss briefly, various important incidents that occured in Krishna's life as He continued to restore Dharma. We told the class that they will be visiting episodes in great detail when they are in fifth grade.

End of Jarasandha

Jarasandha was the king of Magadha, whose two daughters were married to Kamsa. When Kamsa was killed, Jarasandha wanted to take revenge.

Lord Krishna says, "The reason for My birth is only to lighten the burden of earth by killing asuras and protecting good people." "From time to time, for the protection of Dharma and for stopping the rise in adharma, I take birth in different bodies." Bhagavan knew that if Jarasandha stays alive, he will collect more and more auras and will come back again to defeat Him. Lord allowed Jarasandha to return many times so He can fulfill His mission of ridding earth of asuras.

Rukmini Haranam

The king of Vidarbha had five sons and one daughter named Rukmini. Her marriage was fixed with Sishubala by her brother Rukmin. But, Rukmini had her heart set on Krishna. She sent a letter of request to Sri Krishna to come and take her away and make her His wife. As per instructions, Krishna came and before she could be married to Sishubala, took her away to Dwaraka and married her.

Narakasura Slain

Mother Earth was still in distress as Narakasura was harassing people. Mura, the architect of his capital, placed rings of fire, wind, and water all around the city with many traps and self-shooting weapons. Krishna with His discus, destroyed all the three rings of fire, wind, water, and with His swords, slashed all the traps. Then He blew His conch Pancajanya. The sound of the conch woke up Mura who had five mouths. Lord's discus killed all the five heads of the monster. One by one Krishna also killed other demons including Narakasura.

Kishna Leaves For The Supreme Abode

After finishing the job of ridding the earth of asuras, Lord retired to the forest where a hunter named Jara took the Lord's feet as a deer's mouth and shot an arrow at it. Jara was full of sorrow when he realized what he had done. He fell at Krishna's feet and begged Him, His pardon. Krishna told Jara not to be afraid, and that he just carried out His own will and would go to heaven with His blessings. 

And Lord returned to His Supreme Abode.

Parikshith Moksha

Remember, how we started Bhagavatam in grade 3? King Parikshith was cursed that he will die in seven days! He left the kingdom and met Sukadevaji on the banks of Ganges. He asked a few questions, one of them was what should a person do who is facing imminent death. Guru Sukadevaji said, "Listen to the stories of Hari and think about them; chant the Lord's name," and he narrated the whole story of Bhagavatam. With folded hands Parikshith said : "Great has been my fortune in listening to the wonderful stories of the Lord. The time for my end has now come. My mind is free from the fear of death. Permit me now to fix my mind on the divine glory of the Lord, and thus give up this body in contemplation of Him." Serpent Taksaka came and bit the king and reduced the king's body to ashes, he had already given up his body and became one with the Lord.

"He who perceives Me everywhere and beholds everything in Me, never loses sight of Me, nor do I ever lose sight of him."

Om Namo Narayanaya Nama:

We concluded the class with Aarti and pledge.

There will be NO Balavihar on the 29th in observance of Memorial Day. 

Have a wonderful long weekend. 

We will see you all back on June 5th for our last class.

The Annual Day will be on Sunday, June 12th in person @ the ashram.

More details will follow.

Pranaam,

Neelima & Keerthi

May 15, 2022 - Grade 4 (Sunday AM)

Hari Om Parents,
We began our class with 3 OMs and the following shlokas.
1. "Om Saha Navavatu" (page 8 in My Prayers book)
2."Vakrathunda Mahakaya" (page 27 in My Prayers book)
3. "Saraswathi Namasthubhyam" (page 12 in My Prayers book)
4. "Karagre Vasate" (page 11 in My Prayers book)
5. "Samudhra Vasane" (page 11 in My Prayers book)
6. "Shubam Karoti" (page 12 in My Prayers book)
7. "Gurur Brahma" (page 60 in My Prayers book)
8. "Brahmarpanam" (page 12 in My Prayers book)
9. "Krishnaya Vasudevaya" (page 105 in My Prayers book)
10. "Sri Rama Rama" (page 129 in My Prayers book)
11. "Budhir Balam" (page 152 in My Prayers book)
12. "Kara Charana" (page 12 in My Prayers book)


Today's lesson : My 24 teachers 

Riddle : I use my saliva to build my home anywhere.  

I use my home to catch my prey

Who am I ?

Our first teacher today was the Spider.

A spider makes the web with it's saliva, plays with it, lives in it  and then swallows it. Just like the spider makes the cobweb from itself, and swallows it back, the world comes out of God and goes back into God and again it comes out again. That is the fun of it……it never gets destroyed really..It only changes shapes and comes back!

Today's lesson : My 24 teachers 

We learnt about another teacher today. As usual, we started with a riddle. 

I am woolly in the beginning, sheltered and wrapped inside a cocoon, Only to come out in flying colors. 

Who am I ?

Most of the kids answered either caterpillar or butterfly. With a few more hints, they got the right answer. Its the Larva.

What does a Larva teach us ?

When one identifies oneself to something with love, hate or fear, one becomes that.
A larva stays in the cocoon for a long time thinking of a butterfly, so it becomes one later. If you think of God, you become God.

Once a caterpillar looks at another one hanging down, expresses its doubt...How can a fuzzy me, become a butterfly?

Then the hanging caterpillar replies - It is something you are born to be.

A  butterfly is beautiful, has colorful wings, drinks nectar from flowers, Goes from flower to flower, spreading their messages of love. Makes the whole world a more colorful  and beautiful place. You just have to believe that you can be one, and you will be one some day.

One kid asked a question that if we really want to become a unicorn, can we become one ? Kids do come up with interesting questions many times. 

One may not physically transform into what they want to be, but can surely imbibe those qualities, or personality traits. If one aspires to be like God, he / she cannot physically  become God, but can surely attain the Godly qualities of love and kindness. 

Similarly, if we have a goal to be great, and constantly keep thinking about it, we will surely work toward it and will achieve our goal and become what we want. Whether we want to be an astronaut or a doctor, or anything else if we put our heart to the goal and believe we can, we can surely achieve it.

There is a short story about a little girl in a small village, who believed that she could become Miss America someday. Although it seemed impossible at that time, she still believed she could. And after some years, she actually did win that crown.

We then watched a short video of the metamorphosis of a caterpillar into a butterfly.

Today's Lesson: Krishna Story - End of Kamsa.

After a brief recap of last week's lesson, we proceeded to today's story- the end of Kamsa.

 Krishna and Balarama visited all places of interest in Mathura and finally arrived at the hall where the huge and heavy bow studded gems was being exhibited. People from all over came to gaze at it with awe. The bow was heavily guarded by fierce men. But before they realized what was going on, Krishna seized the bow and drew its string until it snapped into two pieces. A huge sound reverberated in the hall and shook the earth making everyone tremble from head to toe. The attendants of the bow finally came out and rushed towards Krishna and Balarama. Krishna and Balarama killed the guards and other soldiers that came after them. Kamsa heard all that was going on and was terrified. Then they easily and casually left that place to complete their sightseeing tour of Mathura.  By night fall they reached their camp on the city's outskirts.  Kamsa got nightmares all night and there were bad omens everywhere.

The next morning, was the day everyone was waiting for. The massive arena was decorated beautifully. The spectators started coming in from early morning.  The galleries and front rows were filled with VIPs, Kings, princes, ministers, businessmen and priests. The wrestlers like Chanura, Mustika, Kuta, Sala etc, were eagerly waiting for the wrestling matches to begin. Krishna and Balarama also come there, but they are stopped right at the entrance by the mighty elephant, Kuvalayapida. It was Kamsa's plan to trample them to death. Krishna and Balarama fight with the mad elephant and kill it. We watched a short animated video depicting this scene.

Krishna and Balarama then enter the arena. People gasped when they saw the mighty warrior like boys. The people were unable to look away. They started talking about the glories of Krishna and Balarama and word spread quickly that Krishna was the prophesized one. The wrestlers including Chanoora charge at the boys. Here we made a quick reference to the first shloka of Krishnashtakam. 

Vasudeva Sutam Devam 

Kamsa Chanoora Mardanam...

We reminded the kids that the chanoora in the shloka, is this wrestler that Krishna was fighting and soon was killed by him. 

We watched another video depicting the wrestling matches and how Krishna charges over Kamsa and finally kills him. It was a disgraceful end, but Kamsa was blessed in his last moments by the blissful vision of the Lord in all his splendor. Kamsa became one with the Lord. Because he did not stop thinking about Krishna even for a single moment. Even though he thought about the Lord with anger and hatred, his focus on the Lord was constant and single pointed.

Krishna and Balarama then rushed to the jail.They first released their grandfather, Ugrasena.They bowed to him and asked him permission to free their parents. Finally, Devaki and Vasudeva are united with their beloved sons.Everyone's hearts overflowed with joy. For that time, the many years of waiting, trauma and torture were forgotten. They hugged and kissed the boys again and again, and shed tears of joy. Krishna kept his promise to Trivakra and Akrura and visited their homes. Ugrasena was crowned the King of Mathura. Krishna called back the Yadavas and other people who fled Mathura because of the atrocities of Kamsa. Mathura's citizens now lived with peace and happiness.

It was now time to bid goodbye to Nanda and the Gopas who came from Vrindavan. Krishna and Balarama addressed Nanda respectfully and said, "Dear Father, you and Mother Yashoda shall always be our real parents, because it is you, who raised us. We request you to now return to Vrindavan and comfort our dear ones there"
Nanda and the gopas embraced them and returned to Vrindavan with heavy hearts.

We then learnt the Shloka 7 of Govinda damodara sthotram.

We concluded the class with Aarti and pledge.

We look forward to seeing everyone next Sunday.

Pranaam,

Neelima & Keerthi

May 1, 2022 - Grade 4 (Sunday AM)

Hari Om Parents,
We began our class with 3 OMs and the following shlokas.
1. "Om Saha Navavatu" (page 8 in My Prayers book)
2."Vakrathunda Mahakaya" (page 27 in My Prayers book)
3. "Saraswathi Namasthubhyam" (page 12 in My Prayers book)
4. "Karagre Vasate" (page 11 in My Prayers book)
5. "Samudhra Vasane" (page 11 in My Prayers book)
6. "Shubam Karoti" (page 12 in My Prayers book)
7. "Gurur Brahma" (page 60 in My Prayers book)
8. "Brahmarpanam" (page 12 in My Prayers book)
9. "Krishnaya Vasudevaya" (page 105 in My Prayers book)
10. "Sri Rama Rama" (page 129 in My Prayers book)
11. "Budhir Balam" (page 152 in My Prayers book)
12. "Kara Charana" (page 12 in My Prayers book)

We started the class with learning the Govinda Damodara Stotram. We did verse 6. The pdf of the shlokas has been shared with you. Please print out & share with the kids so they can practice at home.

Today's lesson : Mathura

After a brief recap of last week's story, we continued with today's lesson. Akrura takes Krishna and Balarama with him in the chariot. They start their journey to Mathura. It becomes noon, and as it's very hot, they take a break on the banks of River Mandakini. Krishna and Balarama refresh themselves in the cool waters. Akrura goes into the river to offer his noon prayers. He takes a dip in the river, and lo! he sees Lord Vishnu with all his splendor lying down on the thousand headed Seshanaga, surrounded and worshipped by rishis, and sages, including the Sanat Kumaras, Prahlada and Narada.
We did a little bit of a memory test here, talking about Sanat Kumaras and Prahlada, both stories learnt by children in third grade.

Continuing the story, Akrura returns to the chariot reveling in the divine vision he had in the river. They start their journey again and reach Mathura by sunset. Akrura invites the brothers to his house, but Krishna gently refuses, saying that they will come after their mission is accomplished.

Mathura was a beautiful city with wide, clean roads. There were beautiful gardens, parks and marketplaces. There were simple rest houses for travelers and majestic mansions. Krishna and Balarama were utterly delighted by what they saw. 

We asked the kids if they could think of a similar situation, where someone goes to a new, beautiful place in the stories they learnt. The kids did recollect the situation from Ramayana, when Hanuman goes to Lanka.

As they continued to roam the streets, word quickly spread that Krishna and Balarama had arrived. Women and children rushed to the windows to get a glimpse of them.He showered flowers on them and worshipped them with incense, milk, curd, flowers and fruit. Krishna and Balarama entered the home of a garland maker named Sudama. Sudama worshipped them with betel leaves, garlands and many different kinds of flowers. Krishna blessed him in abundance. As they proceeded further, they met a hunchback woman, Trivakra. She was the royal maid at Kamsa's palace, and made sandalwood paste and other perfumes for Kamsa. When she saw Krishna, with great devotion she offered all the sandalwood paste and watched them as they put it on their face and arms. Krishna thanked her. With a smile he put his feet on hers and placed two fingers under her chin. Her body straightened up magically then and there. She was transformed into a beautiful woman.

Today's lesson : 24 Teachers 

As always we started the lesson with a riddle : Who am I?

I am not really ugly, but people get petrified by me
The earth is my home, but nobody wants to be near me
Some boys and girls like to keep me as a pet, but mommies still hate me

The kids had different guesses, but one of them got it. Yes, its the snake.

Saint Dattatreya tells king Yadu that he learnt from the snake to live alone and speak less.

           Snake is quiet and lives alone.

•Snake teaches us to say only what is necessary.
•Silence is golden.
•Keep your affairs to yourself.
•The man who is always telling what he is going to do, never does anything.
•This is called procrastination.
•DO NOT TALK ; ACT !

Short story : Once there lived an old couple. The old woman was bored, so asked her husband to bring her a cat. The old man goes to the cat mountain and finds thousands of different kinds of cats. Not knowing which one to pick, he brings all of them home. His wife is surprised that he brought so many cats. They are unable to pick the cat they like, so the old man asks the cats to vote among themselves as to who is the most beautiful.Unable to bear the noise that the cats were making, they go inside the house and shut the door. After some time, they notice that it's completely quiet outside. The cats had all killed each other. Only one little cat was sitting there quietly. The old man asks the tiny cat how he managed to survive. The cat tells him "I am just a simple cat. When they all said they were beautiful, I just did not say a word. I was quiet, so no one bothered me." This story illustrates the importance of staying away from arguments and being silent.

We then did a decoding activity. It's a statement by Gurudev, Swami Chinmayanada "Let us not forget that the greatest forces in nature are all ever silent. Electricity has no noise and heat is dumb". The kids used the letter and number codes to get to this quote by Gurudev.

We concluded the class with the Chinmaya mission pledge.

We look forward to seeing everyone in person at the Ashram next Sunday!  We will be performing the Guru Paduka puja, followed by 3rd and 4th grade presentations and a small activity. Please have the kids wear Blue for house points.

Pranaam,

Neelima & Keerthi

Apr 24, 2022 - Grade 4 (Sunday AM)

Hari Om Parents,

We began our class with 3 OMs and the following shlokas.

1. "Om Saha Navavatu" (page 8 in My Prayers book)

2."Vakrathunda Mahakaya" (page 27 in My Prayers book)

3. "Saraswathi Namasthubhyam" (page 12 in My Prayers book)

4. "Karagre Vasate" (page 11 in My Prayers book)

5. "Samudhra Vasane" (page 11 in My Prayers book)

6. "Shubam Karoti" (page 12 in My Prayers book)

7. "Gurur Brahma" (page 60 in My Prayers book)

8. "Brahmarpanam" (page 12 in My Prayers book)

9. "Krishnaya Vasudevaya" (page 105 in My Prayers book)

10. "Sri Rama Rama" (page 129 in My Prayers book)

11. "Budhir Balam" (page 152 in My Prayers book)

12. "Kara Charana" (page 12 in My Prayers book)

We learned the 5th & 6th verses of The Govinda Damodara Stotram.  The pdf of the shlokas has been shared with you. Please print out & share with the kids so they can practice at home.

As the kids entered the zoom session, they were super excited that their show was gonna be presented at the assembly today. 

Today's lesson :

Prior to beginning today's Krishna story, we did a brief quiz-like recap of our story so far. 

Narada and Kamsa

We began the story by asking the kids if they remembered all the demons that tried to harm Krishna. The kids took turns and came up with most of them. Then they were asked who sent the demons, they all knew that it was Kamsa. An image of Sage Narada was shown on the screen. The kids were asked if they knew who he was. Several nodded their heads, but Shree was able to narrate the story of Narada that she was able to recall from 3rd grade! With that being said, we went into today's story.

• Sage Narada delivers the news that Kamsa has been tricked! 

• He announces that Devaki's eighth son still lives in the house of Nanda in Vrindavana. 

• The female child that flew away was Yashoda's baby that was switched when Krishna was born.

• Krishna and Balarama are brothers.

• They have been destroying all the asuras sent by Kamsa.

The kids questioned why Narada had to come and reveal the truth about Krishna and Balarama! We then explained that Kamsa's story is nearing its end, so Narada was just being a messenger to give him sort of a heads up! Then we continued on. Kamsa is terribly irritated and angered by the news! Kamsa wanted to immediately kill Vasudeva.

• Narada stopped him and said that Vasudeva is innocent.

• Kamsa threw his sister Devaki and her husband into the darkest dungeon.

• Kamasa informed his ministers of what Narada said.

• He decided to invite the brothers to his court for a wrestling match.

• He places Kuvalayaapeeda at the entrance to try to finish them off before they even enter.

Kamsa thinks that his trusted and powerful elephant will be able to finish the job. But Kamsa also cunningly requests Akura to go to Vrindavana and bring back Krishna and Balarama.

• Kamsa invites the brothers to the Dhanuryajna and to see the city's sights.

• He told Akrura to entice them and get them to Mathura in any way possible.

• He thinks his elephant will finish the job.

• If Kuvalayaapeeda is not successful, the wrestlers will finish the job.

• Then he will have Vasudeva, his dad Ugrasena, his brother Devaka and all the Yadavas killed.

• He will keep only asuras and will rule the world.

The wise Akrura softly replied, "Your plan is indeed detailed Kamsa. But one must keep a balanced mind in success and in failure. Many times lofty plans frustrate us because of unforeseen obstacles, causing us as much grief as their success would have caused us joy. Nevertheless, I will carry out your bidding"

Akrura goes to Vrindavana

Akrura is very pleased and overjoyed that he will finally be able to see the lotus-feet of the Lord. He fell at Krishna's feet with tears rolling down his cheeks. Nanda greeted Akrura and they all shared a meal together. Akrura revealed Kamsa's evil plan to the brothers and dad.

Krishna and Balarama laughed heartily.

We took a brief moment to make a comparison from the Ramayana. We talked about how Ravana had Maaricha do his bidding to entice Sita by posing as the golden deer, even though he did not want to. Both Akrura and Maaricha unwillingly obeyed their king's orders, but here, Akrura was unable to keep Kamsa's evil plan to himself.

Akrura, Krishna & Balarama were set to depart for Mathura early the following morning. Nanda prepared carriages and presents for the trip to Mathura. Nanda, some elders and some gopas joined them.The gopis weren't included but figured out what was going on. They were all beyond devastated to see their Lord depart. Yashoda was inconsolable. Krishna said, "The world will always know that My Mother is, and always will be, My Yashoda maiya."

We paused our story here. We all joined the main assembly to share our presentation with everyone. Swamiji complimented the kids on a job well done. Kudos to the kiddos. They put in a lot of effort making their slides and presenting them. Thank you to the parents for all your support.

We concluded the assembly with the Chinmaya Mission Pledge.

Pranaam,

Neelima & Keerthi

Apr 10, 2022 - Grade 4 (Sunday AM)

Hari Om Parents,

We began our class with 3 OMs and the following shlokas.

1. "Om Saha Navavatu" (page 8 in My Prayers book)

2."Vakrathunda Mahakaya" (page 27 in My Prayers book)

3. "Saraswathi Namasthubhyam" (page 12 in My Prayers book)

4. "Karagre Vasate" (page 11 in My Prayers book)

5. "Samudhra Vasane" (page 11 in My Prayers book)

6. "Shubam Karoti" (page 12 in My Prayers book)

7. "Gurur Brahma" (page 60 in My Prayers book)

8. "Brahmarpanam" (page 12 in My Prayers book)

9. "Krishnaya Vasudevaya" (page 105 in My Prayers book)

10. "Sri Rama Rama" (page 129 in My Prayers book)

11. "Budhir Balam" (page 152 in My Prayers book)

12. "Kara Charana" (page 12 in My Prayers book)

Today's lesson :

Rasa Lila -  

It was a full moon night in autumn. The night's fresh coolness replaced the day's heat and every flower and every blade of grass in the forest shimmered in the heavenly moonlight. The Yamuna flowed murmuring gently, a gentle breeze wafted over the dale, carrying with it the fragrance of jasmine and wild flowers. It was a night of peace, harmony and exquisite beauty. Krishna was enchanted by his surroundings. He sat down alone on the banks of River Yamuna and started playing the flute. The air resounded with the divine melody.The lilting notes floated into Vrindavan, into the hushed houses of the Gopis.All the gopis were engaged in some chores at that time.But they could not ignore this divine call. Lost in Krishna's magic flute, the Gopis stopped what they were doing and ran out.They rushed to the banks of the holy Yamuna.They were running, almost racing each other. Krishna tells them to go back home, but they pray to him "all wise people in the world constantly find bliss in you, who are the eternal self in all. You are the fountain of bliss for your devotees. Please don't send us away." Krishna and the Gopis danced together under the full moon.There has never been another raasa lila like this. It represents the ultimate in bliss, love and surrender. It is such a profound celebration that even the greatest of the rishis and yogis wish they could get just a glimpse of it. On the blessed night of Rasa lila, after much music, dancing and laughter, Krishna began to notice that each gopi was starting to act a little haughty. Each gopi was behaving as if Krishna belonged only to her. Krishna knew he had to teach them a lesson. In the blink of an eye, he disappeared!The Gopis searched for him everywhere. Not finding him, they started to sob.They even said they were sorry for what they had done. But there was no reply. There was no sign of Krishna.When the gopis spoke with each other, they realized how selfish they were. They thought :"Krishna is mine and only mine! He loves me the most" They were very sorry for their arrogance and begged for forgiveness. They now had only one thought-"RETURN TO US KRISHNA!"Krishna saw that the gopis had learnt their lesson.He returned as fast as he had disappeared.The Gopis' love for Krishna was the most pure and unselfish.Their devotion and surrender was complete. Krishna and the gopis started their rasa dance again.Even the Gods from the heavens came to watch this divine celebration of the Lord with his devotees. They played musical instruments and were delighted.The Gopis' love was pure and simple and their minds were always fixed on the Lord.

We then discussed about Krishna's flute. A flute player walks into a bamboo grove, cuts a length of bamboo, and makes holes in it. Seven for the musical notes, and one which he blows through. Does the flute play music by itself? Music emerges only when the breath of the flute player flows through the flute and his fingers manipulate the holes. Whether the song makes people  happy, or run away is not the fault of the flute. The flute is a mere instrument. The seven holes in the flute represent our mind, intellect and the five senses. The Divine flute player plays his song through our actions, emotions and thoughts. But our ego makes us think that we are doing everything. 

We talked about the pure, selfless devotion of the Gopis. Just like the compass always points to the north, their minds are also always towards Krishna. Is it possible that we can also always think about God? How can our minds also be focused on Krishna all the time ?

As an example of how we can think of God at different times of the day, we discussed the following shlokas and explained the meaning and significance of each.

•Upon Waking up - Karagre Vasate Lakshmi...

•Getting up from bed- Samudra Vasane Devi

• Before eating breakfast, lunch and dinner - Brahmarpanam..

•Before we start studying - Saraswathi Namastubhyam..

•When we greet someone – Harih Om

•If we are alert and sensitive enough, not a moment in the day can go by without thanking the Lord for the home that we have, our parents and friends and our healthy body and mind. He has given us everything ! 

One of the children asked a very good question. How can we think of God all the time - when doing home work or watching TV. 

We told them that while it is important to pray to God at certain times of the day, as listed above, we need to always be thankful to God. Doing our duty is also like a worship or an offering to God. We can also watch TV, but it is important to keep it within limits and not watching something that is inappropriate. When we know whatever we are doing is an offering to God, we would never do wrong things.

Salvation of Sudarshana -

Krishna was now twelve years old. 

Nanda had taken a vow that when Krishna turns twelve, he would offer a special worship to the family's idol of worship, 

Goddess Ambika. Along with neighbors, friends and family, Nanda went to the temple of the Goddess with gifts of milk, curd, butter and sweets.

Nanda devotedly performed the sacred ritual in all its beauty. He fed all the Mahatmas.

By the time the puja was over it had become dark. So they decided to spend the night in the temple courtyard.

Nanda and his followers lay down to rest. Suddenly, the party was woken by a disturbed shout from Nanda.They lit their torches and saw that

Nanda's foot was in the mouth of an unimaginably huge python.

They beat the snake with sticks, but still the snake did not leave it's hold. Nanda cried out, "I am caught, Krishna! Krishna! This big serpent caught me. I surrender to you…Please save me." Krishna rushed to his father's rescue. He touched the back of the snake with his foot.

At once, the ugly python turned into a handsome and shining Vidyadhara. He bowed down to Krishna.

Krishna asked him who he was. He replied,  "My name is Sudarshana. I am a celestial magician. Out of arrogance I disturbed Sage Angira, and he cursed me to become a python, and said that I would be released from the curse only with the touch of Lord Krishna. "

Offering deep prostrations, Sudarshana mounted his chariot and sped away to the Deva loka.

Here we had a short discussion about how we should control our senses and mind. Sudarshana had no control over his mind and hence got into  trouble. We should always guard our senses and make sure we always do the right things. Examples, not eating too much candy, eating good food. Not watching too much TV. It's important to first finish homework and only then watch TV for sometime.

Just like fire and water are essential for life, but can create havoc if uncontrolled, like wildfires or floods, Our mind, intellect and senses are very powerful, but have to be in control to achieve good results.

On the occasion of Shri Ram Navami, we did a short activity of a jigsaw puzzle to reveal the picture of Lord Shri Ram. We then spent a few minutes doing the Likhita Japa, writing "Jai Shri Ram" .

Govinda Damodara Sthotram - We learnt the fourth verse today.

Aarthi and Pledge - We concluded today's class with aarthi and pledge.

There is no Balavihar next week. We will see the kids back in class on April 24th.

Have a lovely spring break!

Pranaam,

Neelima & Keerthi