Hariom Parents,
After two long weeks we met in Balavihar this week. But to our pleasant surprise we had the good luck of our children listening to story from our visiting Swamiji. Swami Prakashanandaji is the Swamiji for Chinmaya Mission Trinidad and Tobago. We had a joint story session for all children from Grade 3 to Grade 5 was together. Children were very excited.
Swamiji started with the opening prayers.
1. Om Sahanavavatu, followed by
2, ekadantam mahakayam,
3. saraswati namastubyam,
4. sahasra jana kalyane,
5. gurur brahma gurur vishu.
Then it was story time. Swamiji told the children to start listening carefully so that they can figure the moral of the story.
Story : Once there was an old woman living by herself in a small house outside the village. She took care of her house and she had a small backyard were she grew her vegetables . One day the old lady planned to give her house a full clean. When she pushed the couch she found a bag with money inside. As she counted the money she realised she had just enough money to buy her a pet pig. So, she went to town and got herself a pig.
Once she came back home she wanted to let the pig in to her backyard. The backyard was covered by fence and she did not have the energy to carry the pig over the fence to let it in. So, she gave the pig a ladder and asked so it could climb but the pig refused. So she called a dog to bite the pig and the pig would jump but the dog refused. Then she found a stick asked the stick to beat the dog but the stick refused. Then she saw fire and she asked the fire to burn the stick so the stick would beat the dog but the fire refused. Then she asked water to put out the fire so fire would burn the stick but water refused. Then she went to an ox to drink the water so the water cant put out the fire but ox refused. Then she went to the butcher and asked him to cut the ox so the ox would drink water but the butcher refused. Then she asked the rope to hang the butcher so the butcher would kill the ox but the rope refused. Then she asked the mouse to gnaw the rope so rope would be cut but the mouse refused. Then she asked the cat to eat the mouse but the cat refused. Then the cat said see there is a cow there get me some milk and i will get the energy to get up chase the mouse. Then she went to the cow the cow said to milk me get me some grass so i can be fed. Then she went to the grass the grass said first water me then you can cut half of my grass. So she went to the well got water and watered the grass then the grass let her cut the grass feed the cow and then took cows milk and fed the cat. The cat now got the energy and so he chased the mouse and the mouse gnawed the rope and the rope went to hang the butcher and finally the whole class together relayed how the pig went into the backyard.
The kids had so much fun listening but now they had to answer Swamiji's question what was the moral of the story. So, kids came with their own morals. Some said it was important to help one another, some said we need to keep working before we reach our goal. So, swamiji now asked another question what are you wearing today that you made yourself. So, they started thinking. Each coming with diffrent answer. Soon they realised nothing they had they had created themselves.
So, Swamiji finally this story shows how everything we wear or use is something we got from someone else effort. So, we are all connected. This he showed by example. He talked about the clothes that we wear are made of cotton. Cotton comes from plant and he went through the process from cotton seed to the dress he was wearing. This made another child comeup and say but from where do we get the seed. So, Swamiji said from another plant so you see everything in this world is connected.
This was a very engaged group of children and after spending sometime with us and getting our children thinking our time with Swamiji was over.
We then started with our syllabus Krishna stories. Today we started Popcorn Reading. So we read from Bala Bhagawatam book Pg 74. Krishna Naming Ceremony. All the children now got to know each others names and were reading one after the other the story. Once we were done with the Story time we proceeded to the temple for Aarati and Pledge.
We also collected the Likhita Japa notebooks. We tried to get as many as we could and distribute to the children to start writing Likhita Japa. This year for every page of Likhita Japa we are going to get points. So, If your kid got a likitha japa notebook, please note: pick one of the deities mantra and write front and back of each page: remember to write your name and grade on the stamp on top of the page; Tear out the finished pages and hand in them to me in class every week. Please do not wait to finish the entire notebook as it may get lost and all the work the kids put in will not be accounted then. If kids who want to get a notebook and didn't get one, please let me know and I will give you one.
Please remember No Balavihar next week. In the spirit of giving we are collecting food for Trenton Area Soup Kitchen. Please contribute the items mentioned in the list and place it in the baskets. We will be distributing it Dec 1st after Thanksgiving.
Next class will be on Dec 6th.
Enjoy your thanksgiving break.
Pranaam,
Meena and Viji
