Hari OM Dear Parents,
We welcome your child and you to the 8th grade Sunday a.m. Balavihar class.
We request you to make sure that your child is dropped off on time for their Balavihar class. Please understand that if your child is late, it is a distraction for the children and the teachers.
Required reading: Mahabharatha by C. Rajagopalachari (available at the Chinmaya Vrindavan book store and also online vendors/book sellers.)
Teacher's handbook is "Yato Dharmah Tato Jayah"
We begin class with the following prayers:
Chanting Om three times
Sahanaa vavatu…
Karaagre Vasate Lakshmi…
Vakratundaya Mahakaaya Sooryakoti Samaprabha….
Shuklaam Baradaram Vishnum…
Saraswati Namstubhyam….
Brahmarpanam Brahma Havih…
Shubham Karoti Kalyanam…
Guru stotram
On September 16th the following topics were covered:
Explained the meaning of the title of the book we are teaching: Yato Dharmah tato Jayah – " Where there is Dharma there is Victory".
We asked students what they think as "Victory" – and concluded that victory is not just physical victory, but being successful, doing our work in timely fashion, achieving our goals etc are all victories .. ultimate victory is to 'Be Happy.'
We briefly recited the story of Yudhisthira approaching Bhisma for advice – his advice can be summarized as "Yatah Krishna, Tato Dharmah: Yato Dharmah tato Jayah." Where there is Krishna there is Dharma, where there is Dharma there is victory.
Next we discussed how can we be victorious? We can be victorious by avoiding wrong actions (sins) and by performing right actions. Very importantly actions means both at physical and mental levels.
Dharma:
Dharma is described as righteousness, duty, religion. Origin of word Dharma is from the Samskrtam word "Dhr" meaning "to uphold". Dharma means code of conduct, doing the right thing in thought and deed. Also known as Sanaatana Dharma (eternal, all pervading) and Vaidika Dharma (Dharma based on Vedas).
We explained that the Dharma of the sun, moon, water, air, water are always eternal (i.e. Sun rises in the morning, provides us heat and light etc.) Plants and animals also follow Dharma.
What is the greatest Dharma?: To do good to others is righteousness , Dharma and to harm anyone is sinful or adharma.
Non- violence or non-injury is one of the greatest dharma. Violence begins at the mental level as anger which stems from dislike. Violence not only at the physical level but also in thought and speech must be avoided at all costs.
What is a person's Dharma? There are two categories of Dharma one needs to follow:
a. Individual Dharma: At a physical level, Dharma is to nourish and support the health of our body. At a mental level, we all want to be peaceful. To think in a loving way is Dharma and to think negatively is Adharma.
a. Individual Dharma: At a physical level, Dharma is to nourish and support the health of our body. At a mental level, we all want to be peaceful. To think in a loving way is Dharma and to think negatively is Adharma.
We asked the children if they experienced negative thoughts. All of them agreed!
The mind is like a monkey which leaps from one tree to another. Similarly in our minds we experience a multitude of thoughts at any given instant of time. By leading and living a "Dhaarmic" life, we can reduce the frequency of bad thoughts, substitute them with good thoughts and bring quietude to the mind and happiness to the person.
b. Collective Dharma: That which integrates and brings prosperity to all is collective Dharma. For example, if as a community we recycle by collecting all recyclable waste and disposing them in an appropriate manner, we are engaged in collective Dharma. In this small way we are ensuring that the Earth is left a cleaner place for the future generations.
Mahabharata:
Gave a brief introduction of the epic Mahabharata written by Veda Vyaasa and contains 100,000 verses. It is the story of the Kuru dynasty consisting of cousins Kauravas and Pandavas. While Pandavas were by no means perfect, they always listened to Sri Krishna and followed his advice – hence they were victorious. We will be discussing important episodes from the Mahabharata and will be asking the children to give their thoughts and opinions about the actions of the various characters in this book and the dilemmas they faced.
Story:
We ended with the story of King and wise old man where following questions were answered:
1. What is the right time to start the work?
Now.
2. Who is the most important person?
The person in front of you with whom you are talking is the most important person.
3. What is the most important work?
To use our body to serve others is the most important work.
Pranams,
Mekhala & Devender
(8th grade balavihar teachers)
