Hari Om! Parents,
Geeta Chanting Yagna is on April 22, 2023. Registration is open now, please register soon!
Week 18 Class
Children did this Likhita Japa 18 times at the start of class - " Sri Krishna Sharanam Mama''. Please sign up to do the Rama Navami likhita japa, which is open to adults and children, details on the ashram website
Shlokas
Om chanting 3 times, Sahana vavatu, Vakratunda mahakaya, Saraswati namastubhyam, Guru Brahma, Sarva Mangala Mangalye (ref. My Prayers book pg 39).
We chanted the 1-10 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.
Pat on the back to those children who participated in Shlokathon event on March 18th!
India, the Sacred Land
Topic : Temples of India
We started by reading a quote by our Pujya Gurudev where he describes temples as 'the speed breakers of life'. The children took turns to share why they go to the temple, and how they feel when they are in a temple. Next we spoke about diversity in India, where several types of religions coexist and we listed several different places of worship found there. Then we discussed the two types of temple styles - Nagara and Dravida, and saw examples of them. Using diagrams, the children saw the temple architecture, and their floor plans. We saw the different parts of the temple - mandapa, prakara and garbhagraha.
Sacred Pilgrimages for Hindus
Every year several devout Hindus go on pilgrimages to several holy places in India. Most important one is the 'Char Dham yatra" and another is the "Manasorovar yatra". There are twelve 'Jyotirlinga' temples of Lord Shiva all over India, and pilgrimage to those temples is undertaken by several Hindus. We discussed how each holy site is mentioned in Hindu scriptures and therefore have great significance for Hindus.
Journey through India
Apart from spiritual places, there are historical places and also several scenic wonders in India. We encouraged the children to talk to their families about the unique places they could visit in India.
Activity: Virtual tour of Char Dham Yatra, Manasarovar yatra and 12 Jyotirlinga
Using Google Earth app, we took a virtual tour of several of the holy cities and places that are revered by Hindus. Your child can use this tool and revisit the temples and holy sites anytime.
Geeta Chanting
We learnt Verses 26 & 27 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.
Geeta Chanting Yagna is on April 22, 2023. Grade 6 is in the Partha group, and is assigned verses 1-30 this year. Registration for the yagna is open now, please register soon.
Discussion of the class play performance,what the topic will be, took up the rest of class time. We plan to start play practice in the next class.
We assembled in the Prayer Hall for aarti and the 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
