Hari Om Parents! Please find the summary of the last class ( 12/20) below:
After opening prayers and Rama nama japa, the class chanted the chalisa upto 15 caupais. We then got into the topics of the day 'Sri Hanuman - The Attractive' and 'Sri Hanuman – The Brilliant'. Under these topics, we discussed the meanings of 4, 5, 6 and 7 Caupais of the Chalisa in detail
Caupai 4 from chalisa : – Kanchan bharan Biraja…
· Meaning: Your golden complexion shines more with the attractive clothes, the glittering earrings and your curly hair.
· Hanuman ji being the strongest is not fierce but has a pleasing and radiant personality. His piety makes him very attractive with noble, divine and humble character
· We had a discussion with Kids about what makes different parts of our body beautiful: Eyes allow us to see the splendor of the world and ears provide the ability to hear beautiful things etc.
· Children went through an exercise of completing sentences on how they are going to use their eyes, ears, hands, lips etc. going forward so that they all look beautiful :)
· We went through a story of two young boys who in spite of being physically disabled, leveraged their other strengths to help each other out to go to schools and study. Everyone around them viewed the boys as beautiful!
Caupai 5 from chalisa : Hatha Bajra au Dhvaja….
· Meaning: Continuing to describe his physical appearance, Tusaidas ji says - ;You have a Thunderbolt ( Bajra) in one hand and hold a flag in another. The sacred thread of mumja grass adorns your shoulders.
· The Gada that Hanuman J holds is as strong as Vajra and kills whoever it is used on. The gada represents Strength while the flag represents success and fame.
· We talked about what is jeneu and that children have a thread ceremony and a jeneu is worn signifying the end of playful days and the need for disciplined life.
Caupai 6 from chalisa :Samkarasuvana Kesari Nandana…..
· Meaning: Oh Son of Kesari, You are an incarnation of Lord Shiva. Everyone in the world respects you for your luster and great valor.
· Tulsidas refers to anumanji as son of Kesari, Son of Vayu, the wind god and also son of Shiva in several places. We reviewed again the stories ( already covered in previous classes) and reasons for Hanuman ji's relation to all these great individuals. Also, this led into the discussion of how kids acquire qualities of their parents. Hanumanji got all his qualities and virtues from Kesari, Vayu and lord Shiva.
· Kids have homework to interview their parents. We will discuss in the next class to make kids understand how they are like their mom/dad
Caupai 7 from chalisa : Bidyavana guni…..
· Meaning: You are well versed in all lore, you are highly intelligent and full of virtues. You are ever ready to carry out the missions of lord Rama.
· We reviewed the stories of all the obstacles that Hanuman ji faced while crossing the ocean to reach Lanka.
· Referring to how hanumanji didn't rest until he completed the assigned task, we discussed how kids should first complete their tasks like homework etc. before they rest and watch TV.
We learned three new verses ( 14,15 and 16) from the 1st chapter ( Arjuna Vishada Yoga) of Bhagavad Gita through Swamiji's telecast. After closing prayers, the class headed to the Aarthi.
Regards,
2nd grade teachers
