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:
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 after we finished our Pattabhishekam part of our story. Most of the kids have gotten familiar with the bhajan and it's sounding great. Thank you all for sending in your child's or your children's recordings.
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 had our very successful "YEAR END CELEBRATION!" All the kids dressed up as either the character that they were assigned to prior to us beginning our distance learning or they had the choice of picking any character from the Balaramayana. Their smiling faces and excitement as they showed up for class said it ALL!
As a part of our year end celebration, families were asked to set up a small altar with a picture of Ram Parivaar or Ram Pattabhishekam. The kids were told to make or help their parents make a simple prasad as an offering at the end of our story and virtual pooja. Apart from the fact that we were unable to physically be together, we all were still able to receive Lord Rama's blessings as we felt the presence of Lord Hanuman as we completed the tail end of our story together.
Once our short and simple pooja was complete, we all had prasad and shared our prasad virtually :)
We colored our LAST page in our Balaramayana coloring book towards the end of class. If you have some extra time at home, please have the kids complete their coloring pages. 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 began our story with a brief recap of where we were last week. It was really wonderful to watch the kids all very enthusiastically answering the questions! Their keen concentration to hear the end of the story was surprising and obviously noticeable! Our setting this class began in Lanka, where Rama has defeated Ravana, Vibhishana has been crowned as the new king of Lanka and finally after such a long duration of separation, Rama and Sita have been reunited! Rama's fourteen year exile to the forest is nearing its end. With four days left, Rama, Lakshmana, Sita, Hanuman, Sugriva and Vibhishana mount the Pushpaka Vimana and begin their journey up North. As their journey continued they could see flashbacks both good and bad as they flew over the Dhandaka forest. The whole class enthusiastically participated in recapping their favorite occurrences. It was delightful to watch how the kids were able to take a walk down memory lane. The passengers of the Pushpaka Vimana eventually reached Sage Bharadwaja's ashram and messengers were sent to inform Guha and Bharatha of their arrival.
Ayodhaya could not be more happy! At this point, Bharatha and Rama meet, and the outpouring of brotherly love was unmatched. Everyone was crying tears of joy. The four brothers seeked the blessings of their beloved Guru Vasishata who had been eagerly awaiting their arrival. The queens could not contain their happiness. Kausalya, Sumithra and Kaikeyi embraced, kissed and blessed their four princes. Bharatha immediately requests Rama to take back what was rightfully His from the beginning, namely His crown, His people, His kingdom and His throne. Everyone could see Rama's slippers sitting on the throne, as Bharatha took care of all of the responsibilities but never once thought of taking the throne for himself. Bharatha truly wanted to be relieved of his duties. It was heartwarming to watch the kids keenly listen to the story with their eyes wide open:)
Rama and Sita were ushered to their chambers to be dressed and prepped for the long awaited coronation ceremony. They had special Pattabhishekam attire ready for them. Sita was decked out in jewelry and was glowing beautifully like a queen after all the hardship she had encountered.
Rama and Sita were seated on the throne, Lakshmana stood a few paces away from Rama. Bharatha and Shatrughna stood holding the royal white umbrella behind Rama. Sugriva and Vibhishana were in charge of the fans that they held and gently waved, making sure that the Royal couple were comfortable. Vediac mantras were being chanted by priests. They were all blessed with holy water and flower petals. Fragrant incense sticks were burnt and the people of Ayodhya were overjoyed. Guru Vasishta had the honors of crowning RAMA as KING. Everyone's long awaited dream had finally become a reality. There were signs of joy everywhere. There was a cool breeze and the sweet smell of fragrant flowers drifted through the air. The talented musicians were playing joyful tunes. Sita was pleased by everything that was going on and was particularly grateful to Hanuman who was kneeling at Rama's feet. She took a pearl necklace and placed it around Hanuman's neck. Hanuman gracefully accepted it but clasped onto Lord Rama and Sita's feet making a humble request. He wanted forever love of Rama's feet and wanted his mind to never waver from them. He also asked that he may forever live on to hear the story of Lord Rama wherever and whenever it is sung with whole hearted love and devotion. Lord Rama smiled and blessed Hanuman. Everything was set right. All was well in the world. Rama and Sita live on in our hearts and the ever present Hanuman was watching over us as we completed our story of Balaramayana!
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
