Hari Om!
Dear Parents,
Hope everyone is safe and enjoying the warm weather. Please find below the summary of our class on Friday, May 15, 2020.
Opening prayers:
Om Sahana Vavatu
Om Sri Ganeshaya NamaH
Om Sri Saraswatyai NamaH
Om Sri Sadgurubhyo NamaH
Neelambuja Shyamala Komalaangam (Rama Shloka)
Lesson: Vibheeshana Gita :
Dharma Chariot:
Arrows: quiet mind (Sama),
(Yama): Ahimsa
Satyam
Brahmacharya
Asteya
Aparigraha
(Niyama): Austerity
Study of Scriptures
Purity of Mind
Contentment
Worship of God
Armor: Devotion to Guru
Next eBalavihar class: 5/29/20
Announcements: There is no Balavihar next Friday (May 22, 2020) due to Memorial Day weekend. We will meet online on May 29th. June 5, 2020 is movie night.
Summary: It was a busy class this week as we had a lot to discuss. We started with a quick recap of Dharma chariot. The next part is arrows. we discussed in detail about the importance of a quiet mind in achieving clarity of thought. Our example was about filling 2 glasses, one with a mixture of coke and salt and the other plain pure water. When we drop a coin each in each of the glasses, the coin is visible only in the one that had just clear water. The clear water symbolizes a quiet mind and the coin symbolizes a gain in life. So too, we can clearly analyze our thoughts and actions with a quiet mind or Sama.
The five noble values of life, known as Yama, are:
Ahimsa - Non-violence: When we think of violence, we generally think only about physical or verbal abuse. Negative thoughts are also considered violent as repeated thoughts lead to action in the future and the spread of negativity. So it is very important to practice non-violence in thoughts, words and deeds.
Satyam - Truthfulness: As Mark Twain once said, "If you tell the truth, you don't have to remember anything." The truth is always constant but a lie keeps changing its path. We have to spend unnecessary energy in fabricating stories when we speak the truth. It is always easier to tell the truth than lie.
Brahmacarya - Self Control: Self Control is Self-discipline. Most of the famous achievers have reached their position due to their rigorous discipline and self control. We observe this in our kids who are into various performing arts and sports. When they are passionate about it to excel in it, they are willing to go through the rigor that it entails.
Asteya - Non-Stealing: Stealing, as we understand is stealing physical and intellectual property of a person. Most of us, who are innocent in this respect are guilty of a different kind of stealing. The resources and energy that we steal from Mother Nature brings about lasting damages unseen. Nothing can be a better example than the present Pandemic situation that the world is finding itself in today. we discussed briefly the part of the pledge we chant everyday, 'giving more than what we take'. We should try to give more of ourselves to others and to Mother Nature as well.
Aparigraha - Not Hoarding: Greed is a bottomless pit. There more we try to satisfy it the deeper it gets. Keeping others in mind, we should avoid hoarding.
Niyama or Daily Discipline: Contentment leads to a feeling of gratitude. Prayer should be an offering of our gratitude to the Lord. Such prayer, like the study of our scriptures is the only way to purify the mind. Gurudev was once asked if Prayer was like begging God. Gurudev responded that if Prayer was doe asking for things from God then it is definitely equal to begging. Prayer, in his words, is a means to invoke the divinity within us. Everyday we have the ritual of brushing our teeth and showering, etc to keep our bodies clean. Prayer is an everyday ritual for cleaning and tidying our mind. Mind too requires everyday cleansing. Our scriptures have prescribed prayers for every action we do. such as waking up, studying, eating, stepping on Mother Earth and at the end of the day requesting forgiveness for any of our actions that may have caused harm knowingly or unknowingly.
Armor is an important part of the Dharma chariot. In the battlefield, the armor protects the warrior from arrows/weapons shot at them. Similarly, in the Dharma Chariot, our armor is our devotion to our Guru. Guru plays a very important role in our lives. Guru is the one that removes the darkness of our ignorance and enlighten us with knowledge. Our Guru helps break the shackles of our own likes and dislikes that bind by imparting the knowledge of the values given in our scriptures and thus enabling us the freedom we desire always. We are eternally grateful to our great Gurus like Adi Sankara, our Pujya Gurudev, Swami Chinmayananda and our Pujya Swamiji and all the great saints and sages of our great country, Bharat. The Gurustotram beautifully describes the importance of Guru in our lives!
We ended the class with ending Shloka and Pledge. We are almost at the end of our learning in 7th grade. In the upcoming class we will be reviewing everything we have learnt this year. On June 5th,(the last Balavihar class of this academic year) we will be watching a movie on zoom. Parents are welcome to join. Until then, please stay safe and well.
Shanthi and Anandhi
