Hari OM
Parents,
Our class started with chanting "Om" and was followed by our opening prayers-
· saha naavavatu
. Vakratunda Mahakaya
. Saraswathi Namasthubhyam
. Gururbrahmaa
. Budhir Balam
· Guru Stotram (all verses)
Yoga Time
We continued with the poses that Raji Aunty had taught us the previous week. Kids had fun practicing them. We tried the chair pose, happy elephant and butterfly pose. The Happy elephant pose was a super hit yoga pose in class.
Gitaa chanting
We revised verses 1-5 and recorded verses 9-12. The recorded verses have been sent to Chinmaya Geetha chanting team for points. Please make sure kids practice at home.
Story time
Ø The Royal Sage Rsabha
Ø King Bharata
Comments:
Rsabha was a descendant of Priyavarta. He was born to his virtuos parents after they offered many prayers to Sri Visnu. Rsabha grew up to be a lovable, gifted, and self-controlled young man. He had great control over his body and his mind.
Rsabha had a pure heart, he engaged in activities for the welfare of his subjects. He was the friend of all beings. He was kind and loving to all. His rule was a happy one. There was peace and contentment everywhere. He taught his sons to be not only good kings but also men of truth and perfection.
We then heard about a Tale: Yes, I know the Answers.
Once a king asked his ministers these 3 questions-
1) What is the most important work?
Answer- Now
2) What is the most important time to start work?
Answer- The work that's in front of you.
3) What is the most important person?
Answer- The person in front of you.
Please ask your kids to narrate the story of how the king got his answers for these questions.
King Bharata
Bharata, the son of Rsabha was a mighty monarch of his time. After fulfilling his duties to his people, children and country, he left his palace, gave up all his wealth and power and went to the forest to meditate. Bharata went to banks of the river Gandaki and built a small hut. He chose for his meditation the most sacred Gayatri mantra. Bharata enjoyed perfect peace and tranquility in his heart, and thus, passed many days, months & years.
One day Bharata while in meditation noticed a fawn stuck in the river. He rescued it and kept the animal & kept it safe.
This was a beautiful act, was it not? It proved to be the spiritual downfall of Bharata. He became very fond of the fawn. He looked after it with care, fed soft green grass and fruits till it grew up to be a beautiful deer. It happened that instead of turning more and more towards God, his mind turned more & more towards the deer. He completely stopped his devotional practices!
When the mind is associated with the three gunas- sattva, rajas and tamas it causes bondage and suffering. When it's freed, brings peace and happiness, and consequently freedom.
We should learn to depend on ourselves to be happy.
**Important Announcements**
Next Balavihar Weekend
Fri Feb 7 / Sun Feb 9
Upcoming Balavihar Sessions
Fri Feb 14 / Sun Feb 16
Fri Feb 21 (Cancelled) - (Make up : March 13th)
Sun Feb 23 (Cancelled) - (Make up : March 15th)
Regards,
Indira/Raji
