Hari Om Parents,
The following is what we did during today's class.
Shlokas:
1. "Om Saha navavatu" (page 8 in My Prayers book)
2. "Vakrathunda Mahakaya" (page 27 in My Prayers book)
3. "Karegre vasate" (page 11 in My prayers book)
4. "Akanda-mandalakaram" (page 61 in My Prayers book)
5. "Ajnana-timirandhasya" (page 61 in My Prayers book)
6. "Gururbrahma" (page 61 in My Prayers book)
7. "Thvameva Maathacha" (page 62 in My Prayers book)
8. "Samudra vasane devi" (page 11 in My Prayers book)
9. "Saraswathi namasthubyam" (page 12 in My Prayers book)
10. "Subham karothi kalyanam" (page 12 in My Prayers book)
11. "Karacharana krithamva" (page 12 in My Prayers book)
12. "Bhramaarpanam bhrama havih" (page12 in My Prayers book)
13. "Srirama Rama Ramethi" (page 129 in My Prayers book)
14. "Manojavam Maaruta" (page 152 in My Prayers book)
Activities:
We have introduced the Dainikaprarthanah (means Daily Prayers) and 4 slokas from the Gurustoram. Please have the kids make it a habit to chant the above shlokas every morning, (lighting the lamps / evening) after their bath/shower. This will help them learn, memorize as well as develop a lifelong habit of morning prayer and daily prayer.
We sang our Rama bhajan "Jaya Jaya Tulasi" (page 141 in My Prayers book) together today. Most of the kids have gotten familiar with the bhajan and it's sounding great.
We played the Concentration Game. After the chanting of 3 "Om's kids keep their eyes closed. They count the number of stones being dropped into a box during the quiet time. Later they give the count of the stones dropped. The game quiets the mind and improves concentration. I muted everyone so that the kids wouldn't have any potential distractions from each other. Several students got the count correct! The rest of them were very close. They all were visibly thrilled!
We did some coloring towards the end of class. If you have some extra time at home, please have the kids complete their coloring pages in their Bala Ramayana coloring books. Please stop on Lesson 37. Please reiterate that the kids are recalling the story as they are coloring.
Please have the kids continue writing their Likitha Japa. You can send photos of them in to earn house points.
We had a mini discussion regarding how many instances can we recall from our story where someone had to agree to follow instructions given to them even though they were hesitant to do what was asked of them. The kids did an amazing job! They came up with Dasharatha, Bharatha, Lakshmana (Golden Deer), Maaricha (Golden Deer), Kumbakarna (when asked to fight Rama), Hanuman (when Sita tells him not to harm the rakshasis who were guarding Her), Lakshmana (when Sita asks him to kindle a fire for Her).
The kids are all very excited about getting set for our year end celebration!
We began our story with a brief recap of where we were last week. It was really awesome to watch the kids who were all very enthusiastic about giving answers! With Ravana defeated, Rama entrusted Hanuman to deliver the news of their victory to Sita. Hanuman approached the Ashoka vana, glancing around at the rakshasis that were guarding Sita. As soon as he saw Sita, he immediately bowed before Her and got Her blessings. On hearing the news of their victory, Sita was flushed with a sense of immense happiness. She shed some tears of joy and immediately wanted to be in the presence of Rama. Hanuman told Her that she was to be decked up and to arrive to see Rama looking like a queen. She agreed to do so.
In the meanwhile, Hanuman wanted to take down all the rakshasis that were keeping guard of Sita. They began to tremble with fear. Sita immediately intervened by saying that it was not their fault that they were guarding Her. They were just following their king's orders. Sita did not want them hurt and requested mercy. That showed how noble She was. Hanuman humbly agreed.
Sita bathed and dressed up. She had signs of immense suffering in her eyes but she looked like she had matured gracefully from a young princess to a queen. She was carried to the battlefield in a palanquin. As She slowly got out, She had tears in Her eyes as She envisioned her "Aryaputra" for the first time in a year. Everyone was anxious to see the person that they had risked their lives to rescue. To everyone's shock, Rama made no attempt to approach Sita to embrace or console her. He stood there still, cold and unmoved by Her presence! Hei justifies Himself by saying that He has fulfilled His duty of a Kshatriya, by taking Ravana down. He says that Sita is now free to go wherever She may please. He then says that She has been away from Him for way too long and that was not right. Lakshmana is truly appalled by what he was witnessing. The rest of them who were there in their presence and the Lords witnessing from above were all awestruck. Sita was furious beyond words. She immediately called Him out for His un-kshatriya-like reaction. She said if He thinks that He's the proud son of Dasharatha, She reminded Him that She's the daughter of the wise Janaka. Sita felt so insulted that she demanded Lakshmana to collect wood to kindle a fire.
Lakshmana still could not believe his ears! He takes one more look at Rama's emotionless and stern face, then heads out to fulfill Sita's demand. He prepares and kindles the fire, Sita paced around Rama three times and She still sticks with Her claim that She only had Rama on Her mind during the entire duration of their separation. She prays to Lord Agni and enters the fire. Everyone watched with their jaws hanging and feared for what would happen next! Sita remained cool and untouched by the flames. Lord Agni emerged from the fire and put Sita's hand in Rama's and testified to Her purity. Rama lovingly accepted Her. Brahma and the other devas showered their blessings as everyone on the battlefield witnessed Lord Vishnu and Goddess Lakshmi hand in hand in front of them. We paused our story here.
Please go to the link below to check out the pictures from this week's class
Each week's update is maintained on Google docs, if for any reason you are unable to attend class on a certain Sunday, you are requested to check for weekly updates so that your child does not miss out. Below is the link
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1Zeus7FhUTvnCfUB7BxhnTYFr4lHq5R7mMh5HVwL_8_Q/edit?usp=sharing
Regards,
Keerthi Kobla and Dipti Chauhan
