Hari OM Dear Families,
Here is this week's update.
Week 26 :
21st May 2023 / 9:15 AM
Opening prayers and Shlokas
Slokas: Class began with 3 OMs followed by
"Om Saha Navavatu" (page 8 in My Prayers book)
Om shrI Ganeśaya Namaha, shrI Saraswatyai Namaha, shrI Sat Gurubhyo Namaha.
"Vakratunda Mahakaya" (page 27 in My Prayers book)
Saraswathi Namasthubhyam
"Gurur Brahma" (page 60 in My Prayers book)
"Krishnaya Vasudevaya" (page 105 in My Prayers book)
Govinda damodara stotram- We practiced the Govinda Damodara sthotram that we had completed in the last class.
Krishna Everywhere (The last lesson of the year) :
After a brief recap of our story so far, we jumped into our Krishna story. With Kamsa gone and Vasudeva, Devaki and Ugrasena freed from the deepest darkest dungeon, Vasudeva decided that it was time for Krishna and Balarama to have their Upanayanam. They received their sacred thread, making them eligible to enroll in a Gurukula to learn the scriptures from a Guru. After the Upanayanam, the boys were sent to Rishi Sandipani to live with and learn from their Guru under strict discipline and service. The brothers were diligent and quick to learn. They mastered the Vedas and the Vedangas, phonetics, grammar, astronomy, logic, philosophy and economic sciences, ALL in 64 days!
The boys approached Guru Sandipani to ask him what they could offer as Guru-dakshina. The rishi knew of their divine nature and did not want anything. When they insisted, the Guru consulted with his wife and they requested that they bring back their son who drowned in the sea. Balarama and Krishna went to the seashore. The sea brought tons of precious gifts to welcome the duo. The sea denied swallowing the rishi's son. Then the brothers went to Yama and demanded a restoration of their Guru's son. Their Guru and Guru-ma were overjoyed! Everyone bade them farewell after receiving the most precious Gurudakshina. The brothers were blessed, and were told that their glory would shine wherever they went. They were sent off to purify the whole world. Krishna and Balarama went back to their parents in Mathura. He remembered the fun He had in Vrindavana and knew that His avatara was to restore Dharma and He had a ton of work to do! Krishna appointed Uddhava to carry His message of love to Vrindavana. His visit is one of the most beautiful, mystical, and memorable episodes in Srimad Bhagavatam.
Sudhama
Lord Krishna and Sudama were childhood friends. While Krishna thrived and prospered, Sudama didn't. He led the life of a poor Brahmin man, living in a small hut with his wife and kids. Most days, the kids wouldn't even get enough to eat from what Sudama got as alms. One day, his wife suggested that he go and ask his friend Krishna for help.
Sudama was reluctant to seek favors, but he also didn't want his kids to suffer. So his wife borrowed some rice from the neighbors to make some rice snacks that Krishna liked, and gave it to Sudama to take it to his friend. Sudama took it and set out to Dwaraka. He was amazed at the gold that was used to build the city. He reached the palace gates and was obstructed by the guards, who judged him by his torn dhoti and poor appearance.
Sudama requested the guards to at least inform Krishna that his friend Sudama has come to meet him. The guard, although reluctant, goes and informs the lord. On hearing that Sudama was here, Krishna stops doing whatever he was doing and runs barefoot to meet his childhood friend.
Krishna hugs Sudama, welcomes him to his abode and treats him with utmost love and respect. Sudama, ashamed of the poor man's rice snacks he got for Krishna, tries to hide it. But the all-knowing Krishna asks Sudama for his gift and eats his favorite rice snacks that his friend brought for him.
Krishna and his friend spend time laughing and talking about their childhood but Sudama, overwhelmed by the kindness and compassion shown by his friend, is unable to ask for help. When he returns home, Sudama finds that his hut has been replaced by a huge mansion and his wife and kids are dressed in fine clothes.
Sudama realized how lucky he was to have a true friend like Krishna. He didn't even ask, but Krishna knew what Sudama wanted and gave it to him.
Moral : True friends do not distinguish between rich and poor. They are always there for you when you need them.
The End - Krishna Lila
As we approached this final chapter, we went on to discuss briefly, various important incidents that occured in Krishna's life as He continued to restore Dharma. We told the class that they will be visiting episodes in great detail when they are in fifth grade.
End of Jarasandha
Jarasandha was the king of Magadha, whose two daughters were married to Kamsa. When Kamsa was killed, Jarasandha wanted to take revenge.
Lord Krishna says, "The reason for My birth is only to lighten the burden of earth by killing asuras and protecting good people." "From time to time, for the protection of Dharma and for stopping the rise in adharma, I take birth in different bodies." Bhagavan knew that if Jarasandha stays alive, he will collect more and more auras and will come back again to defeat Him. Lord allowed Jarasandha to return many times so He can fulfill His mission of ridding earth of asuras.
Rukmini Haranam
The king of Vidarbha had five sons and one daughter named Rukmini. Her marriage was fixed with Sishupala by her brother Rukmin. But, Rukmini had her heart set on Krishna. She sent a letter of request to Sri Krishna to come and take her away and make her His wife. As per instructions, Krishna came and before she could be married to Sishupala, took her away to Dwaraka and married her.
Narakasura Slain
Mother Earth was still in distress as Narakasura was harassing people. Mura, the architect of his capital, placed rings of fire, wind, and water all around the city with many traps and self-shooting weapons. Krishna with His discus, destroyed all the three rings of fire, wind, water, and with His swords, slashed all the traps. Then He blew His conch Pancajanya. The sound of the conch woke up Mura who had five mouths. Lord's discus killed all the five heads of the monster. One by one Krishna also killed other demons including Narakasura.
Kishna Leaves For The Supreme Abode
After finishing the job of ridding the earth of asuras, Lord retired to the forest where a hunter named Jara took the Lord's feet as a deer's mouth and shot an arrow at it. Jara was full of sorrow when he realized what he had done. He fell at Krishna's feet and begged Him, His pardon. Krishna told Jara not to be afraid, and that he just carried out His own will and would go to heaven with His blessings.
And Lord returned to His Supreme Abode.
Quiz - We divided the class into two teams, and had a quiz based on the Krishna stories learnt through the year. All the kids were super excited about the quiz and scores. All of them did great!
24 Teachers : We learnt about another teacher today. As usual, we started with a riddle.
I am woolly in the beginning, sheltered and wrapped inside a cocoon, Only to come out in flying colors.
Who am I ?
Most of the kids answered either caterpillar or butterfly. With a few more hints, they got the right answer. Its the Larva.
What does a Larva teach us ?
When one identifies oneself to something with love, hate or fear, one becomes that.
A larva stays in the cocoon for a long time thinking of a butterfly, so it becomes one later. If you think of God, you become God.
Once a caterpillar looks at another one hanging down, expresses its doubt...How can a fuzzy me, become a butterfly?
Then the hanging caterpillar replies - It is something you are born to be.
A butterfly is beautiful, has colorful wings, drinks nectar from flowers, Goes from flower to flower, spreading their messages of love. Makes the whole world a more colorful and beautiful place. You just have to believe that you can be one, and you will be one some day.
One may not physically transform into what they want to be, but can surely imbibe those qualities, or personality traits. If one aspires to be like God, he / she cannot physically become God, but can surely attain the Godly qualities of love and kindness.
Similarly, if we have a goal to be great, and constantly keep thinking about it, we will surely work toward it and will achieve our goal and become what we want. Whether we want to be an astronaut or a doctor, or anything else if we put our heart to the goal and believe we can, we can surely achieve it.
There is a short story about a little girl in a small village, who believed that she could become Miss America someday. Although it seemed impossible at that time, she still believed she could. And after some years, she actually did win that crown.
Video - On popular demand, we watched the Dhenukasura ( the donkey demon) video again. The kids totally enjoyed watching this 4 minute video.
We concluded the class with Aarti and pledge.
There will be NO Balavihar on the 28th in observance of Memorial Day.
Have a wonderful long weekend.
Our last class for this year's balavihar will be on June 4th.
Here is this week's update.
Week 26 :
21st May 2023 / 9:15 AM
Opening prayers and Shlokas
Slokas: Class began with 3 OMs followed by
"Om Saha Navavatu" (page 8 in My Prayers book)
Om shrI Ganeśaya Namaha, shrI Saraswatyai Namaha, shrI Sat Gurubhyo Namaha.
"Vakratunda Mahakaya" (page 27 in My Prayers book)
Saraswathi Namasthubhyam
"Gurur Brahma" (page 60 in My Prayers book)
"Krishnaya Vasudevaya" (page 105 in My Prayers book)
Govinda damodara stotram- We practiced the Govinda Damodara sthotram that we had completed in the last class.
Krishna Everywhere (The last lesson of the year) :
After a brief recap of our story so far, we jumped into our Krishna story. With Kamsa gone and Vasudeva, Devaki and Ugrasena freed from the deepest darkest dungeon, Vasudeva decided that it was time for Krishna and Balarama to have their Upanayanam. They received their sacred thread, making them eligible to enroll in a Gurukula to learn the scriptures from a Guru. After the Upanayanam, the boys were sent to Rishi Sandipani to live with and learn from their Guru under strict discipline and service. The brothers were diligent and quick to learn. They mastered the Vedas and the Vedangas, phonetics, grammar, astronomy, logic, philosophy and economic sciences, ALL in 64 days!
The boys approached Guru Sandipani to ask him what they could offer as Guru-dakshina. The rishi knew of their divine nature and did not want anything. When they insisted, the Guru consulted with his wife and they requested that they bring back their son who drowned in the sea. Balarama and Krishna went to the seashore. The sea brought tons of precious gifts to welcome the duo. The sea denied swallowing the rishi's son. Then the brothers went to Yama and demanded a restoration of their Guru's son. Their Guru and Guru-ma were overjoyed! Everyone bade them farewell after receiving the most precious Gurudakshina. The brothers were blessed, and were told that their glory would shine wherever they went. They were sent off to purify the whole world. Krishna and Balarama went back to their parents in Mathura. He remembered the fun He had in Vrindavana and knew that His avatara was to restore Dharma and He had a ton of work to do! Krishna appointed Uddhava to carry His message of love to Vrindavana. His visit is one of the most beautiful, mystical, and memorable episodes in Srimad Bhagavatam.
Sudhama
Lord Krishna and Sudama were childhood friends. While Krishna thrived and prospered, Sudama didn't. He led the life of a poor Brahmin man, living in a small hut with his wife and kids. Most days, the kids wouldn't even get enough to eat from what Sudama got as alms. One day, his wife suggested that he go and ask his friend Krishna for help.
Sudama was reluctant to seek favors, but he also didn't want his kids to suffer. So his wife borrowed some rice from the neighbors to make some rice snacks that Krishna liked, and gave it to Sudama to take it to his friend. Sudama took it and set out to Dwaraka. He was amazed at the gold that was used to build the city. He reached the palace gates and was obstructed by the guards, who judged him by his torn dhoti and poor appearance.
Sudama requested the guards to at least inform Krishna that his friend Sudama has come to meet him. The guard, although reluctant, goes and informs the lord. On hearing that Sudama was here, Krishna stops doing whatever he was doing and runs barefoot to meet his childhood friend.
Krishna hugs Sudama, welcomes him to his abode and treats him with utmost love and respect. Sudama, ashamed of the poor man's rice snacks he got for Krishna, tries to hide it. But the all-knowing Krishna asks Sudama for his gift and eats his favorite rice snacks that his friend brought for him.
Krishna and his friend spend time laughing and talking about their childhood but Sudama, overwhelmed by the kindness and compassion shown by his friend, is unable to ask for help. When he returns home, Sudama finds that his hut has been replaced by a huge mansion and his wife and kids are dressed in fine clothes.
Sudama realized how lucky he was to have a true friend like Krishna. He didn't even ask, but Krishna knew what Sudama wanted and gave it to him.
Moral : True friends do not distinguish between rich and poor. They are always there for you when you need them.
The End - Krishna Lila
As we approached this final chapter, we went on to discuss briefly, various important incidents that occured in Krishna's life as He continued to restore Dharma. We told the class that they will be visiting episodes in great detail when they are in fifth grade.
End of Jarasandha
Jarasandha was the king of Magadha, whose two daughters were married to Kamsa. When Kamsa was killed, Jarasandha wanted to take revenge.
Lord Krishna says, "The reason for My birth is only to lighten the burden of earth by killing asuras and protecting good people." "From time to time, for the protection of Dharma and for stopping the rise in adharma, I take birth in different bodies." Bhagavan knew that if Jarasandha stays alive, he will collect more and more auras and will come back again to defeat Him. Lord allowed Jarasandha to return many times so He can fulfill His mission of ridding earth of asuras.
Rukmini Haranam
The king of Vidarbha had five sons and one daughter named Rukmini. Her marriage was fixed with Sishupala by her brother Rukmin. But, Rukmini had her heart set on Krishna. She sent a letter of request to Sri Krishna to come and take her away and make her His wife. As per instructions, Krishna came and before she could be married to Sishupala, took her away to Dwaraka and married her.
Narakasura Slain
Mother Earth was still in distress as Narakasura was harassing people. Mura, the architect of his capital, placed rings of fire, wind, and water all around the city with many traps and self-shooting weapons. Krishna with His discus, destroyed all the three rings of fire, wind, water, and with His swords, slashed all the traps. Then He blew His conch Pancajanya. The sound of the conch woke up Mura who had five mouths. Lord's discus killed all the five heads of the monster. One by one Krishna also killed other demons including Narakasura.
Kishna Leaves For The Supreme Abode
After finishing the job of ridding the earth of asuras, Lord retired to the forest where a hunter named Jara took the Lord's feet as a deer's mouth and shot an arrow at it. Jara was full of sorrow when he realized what he had done. He fell at Krishna's feet and begged Him, His pardon. Krishna told Jara not to be afraid, and that he just carried out His own will and would go to heaven with His blessings.
And Lord returned to His Supreme Abode.
"He who perceives Me everywhere and beholds everything in Me, never loses sight of Me, nor do I ever lose sight of him."
Om Namo Narayanaya Namaha
24 Teachers : We learnt about another teacher today. As usual, we started with a riddle.
I am woolly in the beginning, sheltered and wrapped inside a cocoon, Only to come out in flying colors.
Who am I ?
Most of the kids answered either caterpillar or butterfly. With a few more hints, they got the right answer. Its the Larva.
What does a Larva teach us ?
When one identifies oneself to something with love, hate or fear, one becomes that.
A larva stays in the cocoon for a long time thinking of a butterfly, so it becomes one later. If you think of God, you become God.
Once a caterpillar looks at another one hanging down, expresses its doubt...How can a fuzzy me, become a butterfly?
Then the hanging caterpillar replies - It is something you are born to be.
A butterfly is beautiful, has colorful wings, drinks nectar from flowers, Goes from flower to flower, spreading their messages of love. Makes the whole world a more colorful and beautiful place. You just have to believe that you can be one, and you will be one some day.
One may not physically transform into what they want to be, but can surely imbibe those qualities, or personality traits. If one aspires to be like God, he / she cannot physically become God, but can surely attain the Godly qualities of love and kindness.
Similarly, if we have a goal to be great, and constantly keep thinking about it, we will surely work toward it and will achieve our goal and become what we want. Whether we want to be an astronaut or a doctor, or anything else if we put our heart to the goal and believe we can, we can surely achieve it.
There is a short story about a little girl in a small village, who believed that she could become Miss America someday. Although it seemed impossible at that time, she still believed she could. And after some years, she actually did win that crown.
Video - On popular demand, we watched the Dhenukasura ( the donkey demon) video again. The kids totally enjoyed watching this 4 minute video.
We concluded the class with Aarti and pledge.
There will be NO Balavihar on the 28th in observance of Memorial Day.
Have a wonderful long weekend.
Our last class for this year's balavihar will be on June 4th.
Please feel free to reach out to us if you have any questions or concerns.
Thank you and HariOm,
Neelima Turaga & Vidhya Aiyer
Neelima Turaga & Vidhya Aiyer
