Hari Om!
Dear Parents,
Hope everyone is safe and following the recommendations of safety and social distancing. Please find below the summary of our class on Friday, Mar 27, 2020.
Opening prayers:
Om Sahana Vavatu
Om Sri Ganeshaya NamaH
Om Sri Saraswatyai NamaH
Om Sri Sadgurubhyo NamaH
Neelambuja Shyamala Komalaangam (Rama Shloka)
Quote of the day: Courage is not the absence of fear but the mastery of it.
Lesson: Vibheeshana Gita : Dharma Chariot: Wheels - Courage, Valor, Fortitude and Patience
Flags - Truthfulness and Good Character
Next eBalavihar class: 4/3/20
Announcements: As Zoom is tightening its security due to Privacy issues, there will be some changes to accessing the class link. Please watch out for updates regarding that in the WA group.
Summary: We started with the Opening shlokas and discussed the quote of the day. We discussed the difference between Courage and recklessness/foolishness. In today's scenario, recklessness or foolishness is when we ignore the restrictions of social distancing and go about meeting people and crowding, whereas, the health care workers and front line workers being up and about helping and taking care of people denotes courage. In the Dharma chariot as explained by Rama to Vibheeshana, courage, valor, fortitude and patience are the four wheels. We discussed various stories depicting courage and valor, notably that of the transformation of Ratnakara, a professional robber to Sage Valmiki who gave us the Ramayana! We then discussed the importance of patience. The classic story of the golden egg is a very good example. Gardening is also a good example of patience. When we plant a seed or a small sapling, we have to tend to it patiently everyday until it starts sprouting and growing into a beautiful fruit bearing tree. We have to not give up easily and keep at it everyday patiently and we will definitely reap the fruits! Now, the flags of the Dharma Chariot represent Truthfulness and Good Character. The famous story of the boy that cried wolf that we all know is one of the best example of the importance of being truthful! We should never compromise on our integrity and credibility. Good character is developed by repeatedly choosing to do the right/good thing consistently. Being in the company of good people is called Satsang. The greatness of Satsang was described in a story about the divine sage Narada. He asked Lord Vishnu about the power of Satsang. Lord Vishnu told him to ask a new born baby parrot in a forest. When sage Narada did, the baby parrot fell dead. He was then asked to go ask a baby calf and the same thing happened. He then was asked to go to a baby foal in the royal stables with his question. Yet again, the same thing happened. Finally, Lord Vishnu told Sage Narada to go ask the new born prince in the king's palace. Reluctantly the sage went, a little worried about what will happen to the prince. The baby prince then told Sage Narada that he was indeed the parrot, the calf and the foal and the brief interaction with the great Narada had elevated him from a mere parrot in the forest to the son of the king! That is the power of Satsang. True to the famous saying, " Show me your friends and I will tell you who you are!", it is very important to keep the company of good people with values and virtues, be it peers or adults in our lives! Finally, if we want to build a strong wall, we have to make sure every brick is equally strong. Similarly in order to build a good character, every action and choice we make should be consistently good! We had one of the students lead the pledge and we ended with closing prayers. We will meet again on 4/3/20. Until then, let us pray to Bhagavan to get us through these trying times soon! Please stay safe everyone.
Pranam,
Anandhi and Shanthi
