HariOm Parents,
We had a great Friday yesterday with all your children. As we had children coming in we got the children start the day with a maze. We worked with our maze for a little child to reach Krishna.
Thank you for making sure quite a few children started doing Likhita Japa at home. We will continue collecting the sheets filled with Likhita Japa so our team Krishnas cowboys points. Please turn in once the sheet has likhita japa done both sides of the pages. We were 99 out of 100 points for doing Bhagawat Gita chanting 1-8 verses. Continue chanting regularly so next time we send our video we gain more points.
We then proceeded to our routine. We said Om 3 times and then starting class with our Opening Prayers(Om Sahanavavatu).
1. Chanting My Prayers: Since all the kids who attended 3rd grade were already taught the My Daily Prayers we chanted it. For the benefit of the newcomers, the Daily prayers are in My Prayers Pg,11 of green book. The following are the shlokas
a. Karagrevasathe Lakshmi
b. Gangecha yamunechaiva
c. Saraswati namstubyam
d. Brahmarpanam
e. Subhamkaroti kalyanam
f. Karacharana kratamvaak
g. Kayenavacha manasaindriyeyva
2. Today was 4th grades turn to do Aarti and Pledge in the temple. So we practised all the bhajans in class. We did find some children over the years know the entire aarti memorised. But we did find some children both new and old who need practise. We will work be working with them from now on so they can all learn it well. Request parents not to pickup the kids till aarti is done.
3. Bhagawat Gita : We did Bhagawat Gita chanting verse 19,20 and 21. Please bookmark Swamiji's Bhagawat Gita teaching videos. Please chant regularly. Bookmark the youtube video
4.My 24 Teachers : Water
Riddle : I do not have a definite shape, color or taste. I am extremely important for all living things. Who am I?
Water is sweet and purifies what ever it comes in contact with. The water of the holy rivers like Ganges purifies people by vision, touch and even by uttering the name. Water by its nature is very pure, cool and refreshing. It quenches our thirst and satisfies a thirsty person. Good people are like the river which cleanses. They cleanse and revive others by good deeds and thoughts, and by their sight, touch and words.
Brainstorming on the nature of speech and how we cannot take it back. It is therefore very important what we say. It is very important to think before we speak and speak kindly to one another and never be hurtful.
Telling lies
Exaggerating
Saying difft things to difft people
Using filthy language
These need to be avoided in the way we speak.
Tale : You are known by your words
Once a king, his minister and a servant to the forest. In the forest under a tree sat a blind hermit. First the king approaches him and asks "O Prajnachakshuji have you seen two other men pass this way". To this he replies that he has not noted anyone passing a specific path and so the king moves on.
Next the minister approaches him and asks " O Soordasji have seen any one pass this way". To this the hermit replies yes the king just went this way so you can follow the same to find him.
Next the servant approaches him and asks "O blind man have you seen anyone pass this way". To this the hermit replies yes the king and minister just passed sometime back this trail so you o servant should just go the same way and you will be able to meet them soon.
Once the servant reached the king and he repeated his meeting with the hermit the king and minister are surprised how the old man rightly described everyone. The only difference we see here is how each one addressed the blind hermit. The king addressed him as a man wise because of his minds eye (king who rules is wise and expected the man to have his own mental vision and wisdom) minister being learned addressed him as a learned man like soordas who was visually impaired and the servant as the blind man. So, it is our words which helps others recognize who we are. It is therefore very important to use the right words when we speak.
Tale : The EchoGopal was a young boy. His parents were very poor so they sent him to work for a rich landlord and his duties was to graze the cattle into the nearby forest and bring them back. One day he decided to take the cattle through the mountainous path he heard loud footsteps. He thought someone must be around so he called out "Who is there". Immediately he heard back multiple times who is there? Who is there? Who is there?
To this the boy replied "Come out and meet me". Immediately from all directions it echoed Come out and meet me. Then gopal got annoyed he said "Why don't you come out and meet me". He again heard his echo repeat multiple times Why don't you come out and meet me. He really got annoyed as he felt someone was very bad and he cried out in anger "You are a crook".
Then from all directions he heard "You are a crook" you are a crook you are a crook. This thoroughly frightened Gopal. In great fear he got his cattle together and left the mountains. After two or three days same thing happened again and again. Gopal mother observed that the little boy was becoming absent minded and unable to sleep at night. He lost weight looked sick. She asked Gopal "Why are you behaving this way? Have you quaralled with anyone?"
The mother was surprised gradually when she heard the whole story from him. She understood that the boy was frightened by the echo of his own words. So she said "Don't worry my dear. They are not really bad boys. They are also afraid of you just as you are afraid of them. Today when you go, first you greet them with a salutation. Then say, "You are a nice boy" and see what happens.
Gopal had full faith in his mother and so he went and said "Namaste, my friend". From all directions he then heard Namaste my friend. Then he said "You are a nice boy" Just like his mother and asked him to tell him. From that day onwards he uttered nice words and he got nice words back.
When he grew up he knew that the same method applied in the outer world too. If you are nice to others, others will be nice too.
Water by nature is sweet, refreshing and cleans whatever comes in contact with it. Likewise let us learn to speak sweet words that are refreshing like Gopals words in the story. And when we do that the world will echo back sweet words to us.
Our next day of Balavihar is scheduled for next week (if he had a snowday). Since we did not have a snow day till now maybe we will not meet next week (Since it is a long weekend). Please do check for the Balavihar weekend email for clarity. We will also inform you in class WhatsApp so that you are sure.
Pranaam,
Meena and Viji
