Hari Om Parents,
We trust that each one of you is well. Please find below the updates from our class for the week of Sep 16th and Sep 23rd.
We have a very lively group of 21 kids this year and it is great to be seeing them in person at the ashram!
1. During our first class we introduced an ice-breaker "Get to know me" activity with a set of questions that enabled the teachers to know about the students and for them to know about their peers. Each of them introduced themselves by their name, school they attended, their favorite activity, etc..
2. We then played a game with the kids using a thumb ball. The children took turns by passing the ball to each other. We added a twist to the game where they had the option to choose "Truth" or "Dare". If they selected Truth, they had to respond to the prompt under their thumb. Some of the prompts included "Favorite hobbies, favorite pet, movies they love to watch etc. If they chose "Dare", they had to say 3 things they heard about another student from the class. The children enjoyed the session and they learnt about each other very quickly.
3. We assembled in the Main Prayer Hall for Aarathi and concluding prayers.
During our second class on Sep 23rd, we began with Opening Prayers - 3 OMs, followed by the chanting of Sahanavavatu.
Shlokas: (My Prayers Book)
1. The kids, then took turns to recite the Daily Prayers (page#11) in the order of:
- Karagre Vasate
- Samudravasane
- Gange cha Yamune
- Sarasvati Namastubhyam
- Brahmaarpanam
- Shubham Karoti
- Kara-charana-krtam vak
2. Our main topic for this year will be Mahabharata (from Virata Parva onwards) interspersed with lessons on Indian culture, temples, festivals etc. Before we started with this year's curriculum, we began to review the initial portion of Mahabharata (before Virata Parva) that they studied in 5th grade.
We have few children who are new to Balavihar this year and this summary review should help bring them up to speed.
We discussed the following topics. Summary is included below in italics
- Introduction to Mahabharata
- The two great epics that purports the values of Dharma to humanity are the Ramayana, written by Sage Valmiki and the Mahabharata, composed by Sage Vyasa. Sage Vyasa was the son of Sage Parashara and Satyavati and lived forseven generations during the time of Mahabharata. The word Vyasa means arranger or compiler. True to the meaning of his name Vyasa, arranged the Vedas into four volumes and hence earned the name, Veda Vyasa.
The events depicted in the Mahabharata took place approximately more than 3000 years ago in the city of Hastinapura, the present-day Delhi in India. This epic is also known as "Jaya" as it portrays the triumph of good over evil, Dharma over Adharma. Various scholars say that the original version of "Jaya" contained only 40,000 verses and as more stories were added, it was dubbed as "Bharata". The final edition as we know it, has more than 100,000 verses with more additions and is famously called "Mahabharata". It is also considered the fifth Veda since it contains the essence of all Vedic teachings that a common man needs to understand and live by. Hence Lord Brahma requested Vyasa to compose Mahabharata, which contained this knowledge in the form of a story.
The Mahabharata is divided into 18 parvas or sections and significant events that took place in each of these sections were discussed in class. It is
interesting to note that the number eighteen plays a significant role as there are eighteen parvas, eighteen chapters in Bhagavad Gita and eighteen days of the Mahabharata war. This number denotes the eighteen inherent human traits within us that we need to transcend to realize our true nature and attain
liberation.
The main story depicts the struggle between the Pandavas and the Kauravas of the Kuru dynasty. The former side represents the good or Dharma and the latter side shows the Adharma or the evil tendencies within us. So this epic symbolically represents the tussle between the divine and negative qualities within a human being. The crux of the story drives home the fact that we essentially need the help and guidance of Lord Krishna to overcome these mental conflicts and attain liberation. It also insists that where there is Dharma, there is always Victory - a motto that is exemplified by the presence of Lord Krishna on the side of the Pandavas. The Pandavas are not without their vices, but nevertheless, they took responsibility for their actions and accepted the consequences with no questions asked. Lord Krishna gave them strength, advice and support as they faced harsh situations due their strong moral convictions. The Kauravas side committed numerous heinous crimes and, in the end, lost everything. Noble and generous warriors like Bhishma and Karna fell victim to the lower nature and lost their glory for taking the side of Adharma.
- Lord Ganesha as Scribe
- Veda Vyasa undertook the grand task of drafting the story of Mahabharata but the enormous task of writing such a mega epic stupefied him. Lord Brahma advised Vyasa to engage Lord Ganesha to be his scribe and so the latter proceeded to do the same. Lord Ganesha agreed to perform the task on the condition that Vyasa needs to dictate continuously without any pause. Thrown in a predicament, Vyasa proposes a counter condition that Ganesha should understand the meaning of every verse before writing it down. Vyasa deliberately composed complicated verses so Ganesha would spend time understanding it and that gave Vyasa ample time to compose his other verses. Thus began the composition of this wonderful epic with all the life's lessons one needs to know.
- Shantanu and Devavrata's story
- Shantanu, the King of Hastinapura met a beautiful woman on the banks of river Ganga and proposed marriage to her. She agreed to marry him provided he wouldn't pose any questions about her name or origin and interfere with any of her actions, good or bad. After several years of marriage, seven children were born to them, all healthy. These happy occasions turned sordid as these babies were discarded into the river and killed. King Shantanu, though horrified, held back due to the promise he made to the Queen. As the eight child was about to face the same fate, he asked for the Queen's identity and the reason behind these heinous acts that she had been committing. The Queen disclosed her identity of herself as Goddess Ganga and the children as the eight Vasus who were cursed to descend to earth by Age Vasishta. The eight Vasus were invited by the Sage to partake in a feast in their honor at his ashram. All of them were captivated by the beauty of the divine cow, Nandini in the hermitage. The wife of a Vasu named Prabhasa, pressured her husband to capture the com and transport it to the Heavens. Vasu reluctantly agreed and committed this heinous sin. The Sage was enraged by the mere audacity of these Vasus and cursed them to be born as human beings. The Vasu, Prabhasa was sentenced to a longer life on earth, but a glorious one at that. The Vasus hence approached Goddess Ganga and pleased her to liberate them the moment they were born. Ganga promised to return this eighth child, named Gangadatta to the King, at an appropriate time in the future and disappeared.
Many years passed. The King was hunting on the banks of River Ganga and grew puzzled as he watched the river turn shallow at a certain spot. He
noticed a handsome boy shooting arrows into the water to build a bridge across it. Goddess Ganga appeared before the King and introduced him as
their son who was well versed in archery, Vedas, and kingship duties. The king brought him home and declared him as the heir to the throne.
- Bhisma's vow
- Many years later, enamored by the sweet fragrance emanating from the body of a fisher woman, he proposed marriage again. The chief of the fishermen
community refused, expressing doubt that the son born to them would never become the heir to the throne since Gangadatta has been crowned as the
Yuvaraja. The king, unable to give such a promise, returned to his palace and spent his days in gloom and despair. Gangadatta upon knowing the
circumstances surrounding his father's grief, approached the Chief and promised to crown his grandchild, the King upon his father's demise. The Chief was not still convinced, stating that the sons of Gangadatta might overturn this promise and so cast his grandchild aside. Gangadatta took a
terrible vow of celibacy and promised to remain childless for the sake of his father's happiness. The Heavens sang his praises and showered blessings
over him and thus earning him the acclaimed name of Bhishma, which means as one who took a terrible vow. The Chief was overjoyed with the promise
made and sent Satyavati to Hastinapura with Bhishma. The marriage of King Shantanu and Satyavati was solemnized and celebrated. King Shantanu
rewarded Bhishma with the boon that death would dare to approach the Price only when his heart desires it.
- Amba and Bhisma
- Satyavati gave birth to two sons- Chitrangada and Vichitravirya, the former brave and clever, the latter proficient in archery and warfare. The older Prince, Chitrangada passed away in a terrible duel with a Gandharva and so the younger prince became the king. Bhishma embarked on a hunt to find brides for his younger brother which led him to the kingdom of Kashi. The King has arranged for the Swayamvara of his three beautiful daughters, Amba, Ambika and Ambalika. The entire assembly of prospective grooms ridiculed Bhishma for forsaking his terrible vow of celibacy. An enraged Bhishma defeated all of them in terrible duels and carried away the Princesses to Hastinapura. Amba disclosed her affection for King Salva and pleaded with Bhishma to follow the rules inscribed in the scriptures and send her to the kingdom of Saubala. Bhishma did the same and proceeded to wedhis brother to the other two princesses. King Salva proclaimed defeat at the hands of Bhishma as a dishonor and refused to marry Amba. Amba implored Bhishma to marry her after multiple futile attempts to convince either Salva or Vichitravirya to wed her. Upon Bhishma's refusal, she vowed to avenge her dishonor and tried to convince other able warriors to kill him. They, clearly intimidated by the prowess of Bhishma, refused to do so which prompted Amba to perform a severe penance to appease Lord Subramanya. He granted her a garland of ever fresh Lotus flowers and instructed that the person who agrees to wear this magnificent garland would vanquish Bhishma. Again, disheartened by the numerous rejections, she tried to convince King Drupada to accept the garland. The mighty warrior rejected her affair and so, in a fit of rage, she hung the garland on the palace gates and retired to the forest. She performed a great penance that appeased Lord Shiva who granted her a boon that her wish will be fulfilled in her subsequent birth.
Impatient and driven by vengeful feelings, she built a pyre and perished.
In her next life, she was born to King Drupada and hoisted that garland of flowers onto her neck. King Drupada feared for her safety and so sent her to the forest where she performed severe austerities and transformed herself into a male warrior named Shikandhi. In this role, she was instrumental in bringing upon the demise and the death of Bhishma in the Kurukshetra war.
- Pandu, Kunti and Madri
- Vichitravirya fell sick and died childless leaving the royal family in grief. Satyavati implored Bhishma to marry and produce an heir to the throne.
Upon Bhishma's staunch refusal, she turned to Vyasa for help, who blessed Ambika, Ambalika and a friend of Ambalika with three sons. They were
Dhritarashtra, known for his physical strength, Pandu, an excellent archer and Vidura, renowned for his religious pursuits. Since Dhritarashtra was born
blind, Pandu was crowned the King of Hastinapura.
When the boys grew older, Bhishma arranged the marriage of Dhritarashtra with Gandhari who had been granted the boon of begetting a
hundred sons. Pandu was married to Kunti, who was ordained with a special mantra by Sage Durvasa that she could birth a child by the mere invocation
of a deity and chanting the mantra. Out of curiosity, she invoked the Sun God and was blessed with a child adorned with armor and earrings. Afraid of
social criticism, she places the child in a basket and floats him away. This child was discovered by a charioteer Athiratha, who named him as Radheya
and brought him up as his own.
Bhishma also arranged the marriage of Pandu with Madri, who was the sister of King Shalya, the illustrious KIng of Madra. Gandhari had one hundred sons and one daughter by the boon of Lord Shiva. The oldest one of them all, Duryodhana brayed like a donkey as soon as he was born, to which the jackals and crows cried in response. A strong storm swept through the kingdom and fire broke out in many places. Vidura saw these inauspicious signs and predicted the demise of the Kaurava race. He implored Dhritarashtra to cast away this child to save humanity and the whole world as such. But the attachment to his first born prevented the Blind King from ignoring Vidura's warnings.
Pandu had a total of five sons, deemed as the Pandavas - three were Kunti's children and the youngest two were Madri's children.
- Yudhishtra, born through the invocation of Lord Dahrmaraja;
- Bhima, through the blessings of Vayu, the wind God.
- Arjuna, blessed by Lord Indra
- Nakula and Sahadeva through the blessings of the AshwiniKumaras.
- Pandu's death
- Once on a hunting trip, Pandu shot a stag with an arrow, who, in turn happened to be the son of the great Rishi Kardama. On the death bed, the stag
cursed Pandu that the God of Death would claim his life if he ever were engaging in marital bliss. Shortly after, Pandu passed away and the children
with their mothers were destined to live in the palace of Hastinapura.
- Bhima poisoned
- The Pandavas was well received by all and earned fame with their military prowess and adept sensibilities. The Kuravas, Duryodhana, harbored
resentment towards their cousins and harassed them in many ways. Once, Bhima was poisoned and thrown into a river full of venomous snakes. The
poison in the snakes served as an antidote and he merely suffered a fainting spell. Vasuki granted an ambrosia to Bhima, who after consuming eight cups
gained the power of eight thousand elephants. Yudhishtra convinced his brothers to keep this entire episode a secret to not invite the wrath of their
cousins.
- Kripacharya and Dhronacharya
The young Princes were taught archery and martial arts by their teacher, Guru Kripacharya. The teacher's sister was married to a renowned and respected teacher, Dronacharya who was the son of Sage Bharadwaja. King Drupada and Drona developed great affection as friends during their
times in a Gurukula. in due course of time, King Drupada ascended the throne and Dronacharya begot a son named Ashwatthama. Driven by poverty, Drona pleaded with King Drupada for monetary help to help take care of his family. Drona recalled their childhood fondly and reminded the king, even his promise to grant half of his kingdom to Drona. King Drupada ridiculed Drona and cast him aside as the one who is unequal in status to the king. Drona was enraged and left the Kingdom of Panchala to take refuge in the city of Hastinapura.
One day, a ball that the young Princes were playing with fell into a well. After many futile attempts to retrieve the ball, they sat in desperation.
Drona cast a blade of grass into the well that struck the ball like an arrow. He threw down subsequent blades of grass that formed a chain and thus he pulled out the ball from the bottom of the well. He then proceeded to retrieve Yudhishtra's ring from the well by shooting an arrow from a bow. News ofhis feat spread, and Bhishma engaged Drona to be the teacher of the Pandavas and the Kauravas. Many years passed but the rage in Drona's hearttowards the insulting words of Drupad did not subside. He ordered Duryodhana to capture Drona and bring him to Hastinapura but to no avail.This feat was later accomplished by Arjuna who was lauded for his prowess by Drona. Drona returned half of the Panchala kingdom to Drupada andproclaimed them as equals. Drupada returned to his kingdom in shame and performed austerities to beget a son, who would avenge his dishonor.
The document is also available in our Google classroom. Kindly join our google classroom so you can access the class resources.
Please remind the children to review the document as they will be taking turns to narrate the remaining stories in the next class which is on Oct 7th.
3. We telecast in class a Primer video on sanskrit alphabet review with emphasis on proper pronunciation. The video also introduced 10 words from Bhagavad Gita chapter 3.
Chanting Primer With BG Chapter 3 words
4. We then assembled in the Main Prayer Hall for Aarathi and concluding prayers.
Next class is on Friday, Oct 7th at 7 pm sharp. Please do not hesitate to reach out to us with any questions you may have.
Thank you!
At His Service
Friday Grade 6 Sevikas
Viji Lakshmi Hari & Anupama Sivakumar
