Hari Om Parents,
Please find the below update from our class last Friday (Oct 7th, 2022).
Class began with Opening Prayers - 3 OMs, followed by the chanting of Sahana Vavatu. Then 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
• Samudra Vasane
• Gange cha Yamune
• Sarasvati Namastubhyam
• Brahmaarpanam
• Shubham Karoti
• Kara-charana-krtam vak
Kindly encourage the kids to memorize these and recite them at appropriate times throughout the day. Thus instilling in them, not just the learning part but to put all that they learn, into practice in their daily routine.
As per our curriculum, we proceeded to learn the Devi Dhyana Shloka (page #39). Each of the kids volunteered to recite after the teacher and learn the shloka with proper pronunciation and appropriate diction.
Mahabaratha Summary: We continued to review the topics from last year.
Drona promised to make Arjuna a proficient archer and paid special attention to his training. One day, the Kauravas and the Pandavas went on a hunting trip with their dog. The dog strayed away from the camp and was heard barking furiously. Ekalavya, a Nishda Prince, annoyed at the dog's incessant barking, shot seven arrows into its mouth. The entire camp was astonished to see the arrows and started making inquiries as to the shooter's identity. Drona was astonished to see a statue erected in his honor and the young boy declare himself as his student. He pondered for a moment and then asked for the boy's right-hand thumb as Gurudakshina. The boy gladly offered his with no hesitation.
Arjuna grew up to be a great warrior beyond Drona's expectations. His focus and courage exemplified by the simple test that Drona placed in front of the young Princes. He put a bird statue on the topmost branch of the tree and asked those assembled to shoot the bird's head. He then proceeded to ask them as to what they saw. The entire scenery was described by everyone present but Arjuna saw "nothing but the head". Drona was delighted. Arjuna was even awarded the coveted "Brahma Astra" by Drona as a reward for saving his life from crocodile while bathing in the river.
The Pandava and the Kaurava Princes concluded their training under the tutelage of Guru Dronacharya with great honors and acclaim. A special event was arranged to enable the princes' to showcase their talent and prowess, in an arena teeming with notable dignitaries and citizens. The crowd was amazed at the flair exhibited by the Pandava Princes' especially, Arjuna. He effortlessly performed plenty of tricks showcasing his archery skills that the crowd was left astounded. His Kaurava cousins Duryodhana was seething with anger, hatred and jealousy over this show of talent by Arjuna.
Karna
The ceremony chugged along and was about to end, when a tall, well-built youth with a radiant smile walked into the arena. Though dressed in simple clothes, his demeanor and stance reflected that of a stately, royal prince or King. His voice resonated through the arena, as he challenged Arjuna for a duel in archery and promised to perform feats that far surpassed the latter in skill and superiority. He managed to outdo all of Arjuna's tricks and some more. The crowd applauded and the most exuberant of all those present was Duryodhana, who embraced the young warrior and offered his whole kingdom in his service. Karna was the name of the warrior and as you guessed it right, the long-lost son of Kunti.
As these two warriors geared up for this match of a lifetime, in stepped Guru Kripacharya, and inquired the parentage of Karna, citing a reason that a prince of a high-ranking family as Arjuna is, cannot engage in a combat with any mere warrior. Karna hung his head in shame, unable to provide a proper answer to this question, posed by the reverent Guru. An indignant Duryodhana, posed a counter solution to this predicament, by announcing Karna as the newly crowned King of Anga and thus becoming eligible to fight Arjuna. He performed all the necessary rituals and rites for the coronation of Karna and awarded him with the royal insignia, jeweled crown and other relevant items. Karna pledged his everlasting loyalty to this generous King and promised to remain his closest ally and friend until his breath passes. Karna's father, the old charioteer, was overcome with deep emotions on witnessing his foster son attain such glory and honor. He beckoned his son closer, and both embraced in sheer joy. The sight of Karna with his father of lowly status, prompted more sneers and jeers from the crowd. The ridicule continued to build up and Karna was particularly enraged to hear that a whip is a more appropriate accessory for him than the bow he was carrying. As the sun had set for the day at that opportune moment, the crowd disbanded and Duryodhana whisked Karna away in his chariot.
Many instances have led to this moment of a face-off between Karna and Arjuna. When Karna was sixteen years old, he approached Dronacharya wishing to hone his archery skills. Drona refused to teach him, citing his low-born status as a charioteer's son as the reason. Karna, thus rejected, implored Parasurama to tutor him in the art of warfare and archery. Parasurama, assuming the young boy to be a poor Brahmin, accepted him and taught him all that he knew, including the most potent weapon, Brahmastra. Years passed and on one fine day after intense training, exhausted, Prasurama rested on Karna's lap. As he slept peacefully, a wasp dug into Karna's thigh and blood gushed out in torrents. Karna, determined to not disturb his master's siesta, gritted himself and bore the pain caused by the sting of the wasp. Parsurama was awakened by the warm blood touching his body and eyed the boy suspiciously. He flew into an uncontrollable rage and cursed Karna that having learnt the art of archery under false pretenses, he would forget his skills at an opportune moment in his life when he needed it the most. Even the Brahmastra will fail to come to his aid, as his memory will diminish at that time. The wasp was none other than Lord Indira himself, who, on witnessing the near death, face-off between Karna and Arjuna decided to provide an advantage to his dear son by rendering the most potent weapon of Brahmastra ineffective in case of any future combat between the two.
Wax Palace
As the years passed, the Pandavas won the vote of confidence from the citizens of the country and the talk of Yudhishtra becoming the next King became more and more prevalent. They applauded their generosity, kindness and valor and deemed him the right person to lead the Kingdom. Duryodhana awash with negative emotions and reeling in heavy hatred, admonished his father to put an end to such talk. He painted a scenario of Kauravas living as desolate beggars under the rule of the Pandavas and pleaded with Dhritarashtra to hear his plan to avoid such a situation. The blind King tried to placate his son but to no avail. He proposed that the Pandavas be sent to Varanavata to participate in the festivities for Lord Shiva, and appease the people. The Pandavas departed with other elders to Varanavata. An elated Duryodhana, plotted with Sakuni and Karna to entrap the Pandavas in the wax palace designed by Purochana and murder them. Purochana, built a palace with combustible materials like Jute, lac etc, and plastered the walls too, with inflammable materials.
Vidhura warned the Pandavas to look out for any danger, though not explicitly, by indicating that only those who guess the plot of the enemy only can escape danger and the fire that destroys the mighty forest cannot harm the rat that burrows into the earth. He prepared a tunnel underneath the wax palace to enable the Pandavas to get to safety in case of any mishap. The Pandavas carried on with their duties with great enthusiasm during the day but kept keen vigil at night to fend off any danger. A year passed, and at an opportune moment, Bhima set fire to the palace and the Pandavas managed to escape through the underground tunnel. News spread of the demise of the Pandavas across the kingdom and the citizens plunged into deep despair and horror. The Kauravas, though thrilled, kept up with their charade of a mourning party and grieved for their cousins externally.
Bhagavad Gita: There was no Gita telecast last Friday.
Saraswathi Puja: The kids assembled at the main prayer hall and participated in the Saraswathi puja together.
Thank you! Next class is on Friday, Oct 14th at 7 pm.
Pranāms,
Viji Lakshmi Hari and Anupama Sivakumar
Friday Grade 6 sevikas
