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, Apr 17, 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: https://youtu.be/y96l8zdLhus
Lesson: Vibheeshana Gita :
Dharma Chariot: Horses - Strength, Discrimination, Self Control, caring for others
Reins - Forgiveness, Compassion, Equanimity
Next eBalavihar class: 4/17/20
Announcements: There is no Balavihar next Friday. We will meet next on April 17, 2020
Summary: We started the class by watching a wonderful message from Pujya Swami Swaroopanandaji, the head of Chinmaya Mission Worldwide on coping with the current situation and our connection as humans with nature. The link is given above. Please do watch it. We discussed briefly about the importance of doing our part to help the situation and the need to be more mindful of nature and our surroundings. We then moved on to our discussion of the parts of the Dharma chariot. Today we spoke about the horses and the reins. The four horses represent strength, discrimination, self control and caring for others. Strength does not mean being rigid and inflexible but to know when to be firm and when to be flexible. We should always strive o follow the path of Dharma. Discrimination or discretion should be used for this. We gave the children a few scenarios and a few choices and asked them what they would choose to do and explain why. We told them that there are no right and wrong answers! We are so happy that in each scenario, they made the right choices. They were able explain why too! Caring for others means to put the needs of others first. It is very relevant to our lives especially now! The reins of the horses symbolize forgiveness, compassion, equanimity. True forgiveness is when we actually forget that the other person has hurt our feelings. We should have the attitude of a mother who would forgive her little baby even though the baby may pull her hair or kick her. Love is very essential for forgiveness. Through our act of forgiveness we are the ones that stand to gain. When we practice forgiveness with love, naturally we become a compassionate person. The third rein, equanimity, can be achieved when we are able to calm our mind and accept. Now, more than ever, we should practice this quality, taking the lead from Lord Rama! Within a few hours, he went from being a crown prince to an exiled person having to live an austere life! In both situations, He exhibited equanimity. His life was a lesson on virtuous living for all humans. We will continue to discuss more parts of the Dharma chariot in the upcoming classes. Please stay safe everyone.
Pranam,
Anandhi and Shanthi
