Hari Om! Parents,
We request that you remind your child to bring the Likhita Japa book, My Prayers and Bala Vihar Handbook to every class.
Week 13 Class
Children did this Likhita Japa 18 times at the start of class - " Sri Krishna Sharanam Mama ''. Please remind them to do likhita japa regularly at home.
Shlokas
Om chanting 3 times, Sahana vavatu, Vakratunda mahakaya, Saraswati namastubhyam, Sarva mangala mangalye (ref. My Prayers book pg 39). We revised the Mahalakshmi Ashtakam and chanted the 1-5 verses of Mahishasura Mardini Stotram (ref. My Prayers book pg. 47). Each child will be designated one verse of this shloka and will lead the class chanting. Remind your child to practice regularly.
Mahabharata*
After a quick recap of the previous week's prasangas, we continued to the Sauptika Parva. The victorious Pandavas enter the Kaurava camp accompanied with the blowing of conches. Lord Krishna instructs Arjuna to step down from the chariot first. Then Lord steps down and Lord Hanuman leaves the top of the chariot. Immediately the chariot and horses catch fire and burn to ashes. Everyone is shocked and Arjuna is distraught since they were a gift from his father Indradeva. Lord Krishna explains that the chariot had been struck by several powerful arrows, and still stayed intact because of divine grace. Now that the Lord had stepped down nothing could protect it from destruction. As per the custom the Pandavas and Lord Krishna stay the night in the Kaurava camp. Sanjaya takes the message of the Kaurava defeat to king Dhritarashtra. The parents of the Kauravas faint upon hearing the news and are heartbroken. Lord Krishna visits and consoles the king. He then talks to Gandhari and asks her not to be angry with the Pandavas or bear any ill-will towards them. He reminds the queen about all the evil actions of Duryodhana and tells her that he was responsible for his own destruction. The queen understands the Lord's message and tries to compose herself.
Meanwhile, Ashwathama, Kripacharya and Kritavarma go to Duryodhana. He is on his last day of life, suffering in pain and weak. Ashwathama is moved by this, he vows to take revenge on the Pandavas for both Duryodhana and his father's death. That night Ashwathama could not sleep. He watches as an owl stealthily comes to a brood of crows, attacks quickly and leaves in the dark night. Ashwathama hatches a plan, awakens the others and sets off to the Pandava camp. Leaving the others to guard the entrance, Ashwathama quickly killed Drishtadyumna, the Panchalas and the five sons of Draupadi in their sleep. They set fire to the camp and quickly escaped. They tell Duryodhana the news and he dies satisfied that the Pandavas were destroyed. Kripacharya returns to Hastinapura, Kritavarma to Dwaraka and Ashwathama goes into hiding. The lone survivor, who was the charioteer to Drishtadyumna, rushes to inform the Pandavas of the tragic event. Draupadi accompanies the Pandavas to see the camp destroyed and is distraught to have lost her brother and sons. Enraged by Ashwathama's actions, she demands that Bhimasena kill him. Bhimasena sets off in search of Ashwathama accompanied by Lord Krishna and Arjuna.
They find Ashwathama hiding in Vyasa's ashrama, and Bhima challenges him to a fight. Ashwathama picks up a blade of grass, chants a mantra and transforms it into the Brahmashirsastra. He deploys the astra asking it to make the world 'Pandava-less'. Arjuna immediately deploys another Brahmashirsastra to counter it. The sages Narada and Vyasa step in quickly to stop the weapons from colliding. If the astra collided then there would be a great famine across the land. They ask Arjuna to withdraw the astra and he respectfully does it. Ashwathama however refuses and says that he cannot withdraw the astra. He says that the astra would destroy Abhimanyu's unborn child. Lord Krishna is angry at Ashwathama,cursing him to live a life of disease and solitude. Ashwathama is made to give up his special jewel that protects him and he wanders away towards the Himalayas. They return and bring back the jewel to Yudhistira. Lord Krishna promises to protect the Pandava heirs from the effect of the astra.
We paused the story here and spoke about the people fighting on both sides who had perished in the war. The toll that the war had taken only included warriors and soldiers. It spared the common innocent people. Our discussion question was about what is a Dharmayuddha and the meaning of Kurukshetra= field of action? How could the children relate it to their lives in the present day? Couple of kids who followed the daily news commented on the Ukraine war that is going on at present. The children then compared it to the Kurukshetra war.
Geeta Chanting
We learnt Verses 17 and 18 today from our Swamiji (ref. Bala Vihar Handbook pg 17). Here is Swamiji's Geeta chanting video link for your child to practice with the correct pronunciation. We will be recording the class chanting 4 verses at a time and then will submit it for BV Houses points. Geeta Chanting Yagna will be held in April. Grade 6 is in the Partha group, and is assigned verses 1-30 this year.
We assembled in the Prayer Hall for aarti and pledge recitation.
- Rashmi Kuroodi and Venu Sadda
Supplies needed for every class:- Bala Vihar Handbook, My Prayers book, their special red notebook and pencils for likhita japa; everything in their Bala Vihar bag
*Reference books - Mahabharata by Rajagopalachari / Mahabharata by Kamala Subramaniam
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