Hari OM Parents,
Please find the summary of today's class.
Prayer time:
We started the class by chanting OM 3 times followed by morning prayers - "Sahanaavathu". We continued practicing all slokas of Guru Stotram.
Recap of previous class
We did a quick recap of last week's Gajendra Moksha story and what we learned from it.
Bhagavatham Story Time – Churning of the Milky Ocean
Once Indra became proud of his power and wealth. To teach him a lesson Sage Durvasa cursed Indra and all the three worlds Indra ruled to lose its prosperity and glory. Curse took effect immediately. Indra went to Brahmaji asking for help. All heavens and earth lost their splendor and glory. All religious practices had stopped. The Gods became weak and the demons became stronger. Brahmaji, did not know what to do. Lord Brahma and the other Gods went to Lord Vishnu for help. Lord Vishnu said "The asuras are now powerful. Make peace with them. Ask their help in churning the milky ocean. As a result of churning, Amrit will emerge, drinking which you will become immortal. Throw all herbs, plants and creepers into the ocean. Make Mount Mandara your churning rod. Make Vasuki, the king of serpents, your churning rope. Be kind and courteous to asuras. Gracefully accept any conditions they put forth. Even the deadly poison, Halahala will arise. But do not be afraid of it. Many other things will also merge. But do not express any anger, greed, or desire for them. Be diligent, watchful, and careful. I shall help you.
Indra and the devas went to Bali, the king of asuras. They explained Lord Vishnu's plan to churn the ocean. Bali was a wise man and he knew it was not the time to fight, but to make peace. He agreed to the plan. The devas and asuras went to Mount Mandara and uprooted it. Vasuki agreed to be the rope, if he would get a share of amrit. The churning started. The devas caught the serpent's head and the asuras caught the tail. As the asuras complained, they switched sides. Mount Mandara started slipping into the ocean because of its weight and no support under. Lord Vishnu assumed the form of a giant tortoise, dived to the bottom of the ocean and lifted the mountain on his back. This is the Kurma Avatara of Lord Vishnu.
Fire and smoke were coming out of Vasuki's mouth as they were churning. Everyone was getting suffocated. Lord Vishnu helped by sending down rain and wind. The first thing that came out was a dangerous poison. The fumes rose into the air and spread everywhere. Everyone was choking and they prayed to Lord Shiva. Lord Shiva gathered all the poison in his hand and swallowed it up. Mother Parvati quickly caught his throat with her delicate hands. The poison could not go down. It got absorbed in his neck. His throat became blue. Lord Shiva thus came to be known as Neelakantha.
Devas and Asuras continued churning the ocean with vigor and energy. A sacrificial vessel called Surabhi came out of the ocean, which was claimed by Rishis. Then came the famous white horse, Uccaishravas, which was taken by Bali, followed by Airavata, a magnificent elephant, which was taken by Indra. The Kausthubha gem went to adorn the chest of Sri Vishnu. After this came Parijata tree, that fulfills all wishes and then came a group of Apsaras.
Then came goddess Lakshmi, whose splendor and brilliance filled the whole world; both gods and demons were awestruck. She went up to Lord Vishnu and placed the garland around his neck. He placed her in his heart. Everyone worshipped her.
Then arose a lotus-eyed beauty called Varuni, who was the goddess of all intoxicating drinks, she was taken by asuras.
As the churning continued, at last from the ocean Dhanvantari, a form of Lord Vishnu finally emerged with a jar of amrit in his hands. The asuras snatched the jar from his hands, and started fighting as to who would get to drink it first. There was a lot of confusion. The gentle devas turned to Lord Vishnu for help.
Suddenly, all the fight stopped, all the asuras held their breath looking at an enchanting maiden approaching with a beautiful smile. Her name was Mohini. She was so lovely that all the asuras were mesmerized and gave the jar of amrit to her to distribute. Mohini separated the devas and the asuras in 2 rows. She was looking at the asuras, speaking to the asuras, smiling at the asuras, but her hand was distributing the amrit to the devas. The asuras were in her spell and did not realize that they had been cheated. By the time she finished serving all the devas, Amrit was over. After the amrit was wholly spent, Lord Vishnu left for Vaikuntha.
The asuras realized that they were cheated. They waged a war against the devas, but were badly defeated. They got what they deserved as they were always under the low tendencies of greed, anger and lust.
We discussed about these morals from the story:
1. Be persistent
2. Keep away from Anger, Greed, Desire
3. Be Diligent, Watchful and Careful
We practiced for the 26th March class performance. Kids enjoyed reciting their dialogs and enacting their roles.
We concluded the class with Aarthi, prayer and the Pledge.
Guru Stotram: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7IcTvswcTFs
Geeta chapter 3: https://bit.ly/BGChapter3Playlist
Thanks and warm regards,
Aruna and Subbu
