Feb 21, 2020 - Grade 2 (Friday)

Hari Om Parents,

Please find the summary of the 2/21 class below.

Topic of the day: "Shri Hanuman, The Victorious

After reciting the Opening prayer, Hanuman Dhyana Shlokas and Rama Nama Japa, we chanted the whole Hanuman Chalisa and repeated the first 20 several times.

We then went over the meaning and the supporting commentary for 20th Caupai with couple of impactful stories

20th Caupais:- Durgam Kaja jagatke jete ..Sugama anugraha tumhare Tate….

Meaning- by your grace, even the most difficult tasks of the world become easy to accomplish. Whatever difficulties or obstacles we encounter in life, they can be overcome by the grace of Shri Hanumanji .

Then we explained to the kids that there are three kinds of people in this world:

1. Those , who do not start any project for fear of obstacles; hence they never get started 

2. Those, who start many projects but the moment they encounter difficultly they at once quit and move to another project.

3. Those, who are fearless like Hanumanji and when they encounter more obstacles they gain more enthusiasm and courage to complete the project.

We emphasized that and learned that Shri Hanumanji blesses the people in the third category and makes their job easier.

To support the above fact, the following story was shared with the children. This demonstrates that fact that - With hard work and prayers, they can overcome the obstacles or difficulties and be victorious.Everything is possible. 

Dave a ninth grader was the smallest and skinniest kid in his class . He wanted to be a star wrestler and win an athlete letter awarded to exceptional athletes. All his friends made fun of him telling him that he was not meant to be a wrestler. Only his grandmother told him, "you can accomplish anything by hard work and prayers. Dave worked really hard to reach his goal. Everyday after school, Dave would lift weights to build his strength. He would practice wrestling to improve his technique and he would run miles to improve his stamina. Midway through the season, Dave's coach expressed how pleased he was with Dave's progress and awarded him the athletes letter. The moral of the story is that 'With hard work and prayers, you can be victorious. 

We then had an activity where Kids shared some of the hardest things that they wanted to accomplish. We assured everyone that having Hanuman ji in their hearts will dispel all fears; Hard work and prayers will let them accomplish their goals

A second tale was also shared that emphasizes the importance of hard work and how God helps those who helps themselves: Once a farmer was taking a bullock cat full of fruits to a nearby village to sell them and earn some money. On his way, he realized that the roads were full of mud because of heavy rains. He had no choice but to go forward. He proceeded singing bhajans.  Just few miles away from destination, his cart got stuck in the mud. He started cursing GOD, exclaiming " Throughout the journey, I have been chanting your name why are you so cruel?" In few minutes, a young boy passing that way asked "Did you even try to pull or push the cart out of the mud ? The boy continues – let's put few baskets of fruits on the roadside to lessens the load and then pushed the cart. This trick worked and the man was successfully able to get the cart out and go to the town on time. he then realized how important it is to use our on intellect( which is god's gift) to get out of trouble rather than blaming god. God helps those who help themselves. 

We wrapped up the class with closing prayers after Hanuman Bhajans and reciting chalisa again

Thanks,

Mythili and Madhuri

Feb 14, 2020 - Grade 2 (Friday)

Hari Om Parents,

Please find the summary of the 2/14 class below. Sorry for the delay in sending the update for this week.

After reciting  the 'opening prayers', Hanuman Dhyana Shlokas and 'Rama nama japa', we chanted the whole Chalisa and repeated first 20 couple times.  Please help the kids memorize the shlokas at home.

Kids are getting better with using the japa mala whiel doing the japa.

 Topic of the day: "Shri Hanuman, The Missionary"

 As part of this, We then went over the meanings and the supporting commentary for the 19th caupai:

 9th Caupai:  Prabhu Mudrika meli mukha mahim….

Meaning: Holding Lord's ( Rama's) ring in your mouth, you flew over the ocean, which is no wonder ( as you are capable of achieving anything

·       This  Caupai provided us an opportunity to go over couple of stories from Ramayana where fearlessness brings success.  One story is when Hanumanji become fearless by chanting Lord's name and crosses the vast ocean. Tulasidas  says in this caupai that this act of Hanumanji is no wonder. Anything can be accomplished with devotion, fearlessness and having full faith in the lord.

·       The second  story we reviewed is how the monkeys were able to build a floating rock bride over the ocean by writing Rama's name on the stones and chanting the lord's name as they worked.  Hanumanji told Rama " Bhagavan, when you hold our hands, we can do anything but when you leave us, we sink to the bottom. This is the power of chanting Rama nama.

·       We also went over the tale of what lead Hanumanji to take up the task of crossing the ocean to find sita ji. As we reviewed this, we talked about how the search began when Sugriva sends groups of monkeys in all directions in search of sita ji. The group that went in the direction of South had Hanmanji, Neel, Angad and Jambavanth. When they reach the ocean, they all get disappointed for not finding Sitaji. But they didn't want to return back without finding her. When a Vulture, Sampati ( brother of Jatayu) helps them by telling that he had seen a huge rakshasa flying across the ocean, clutching a tearful woman.  He also, with his far sight sees Sita ji in Lanka. The monkeys were overjoyed to hear that Sitaji was alive. Hanuman ji was chosen for the task of crossing the ocean to see Sita Ji. Hanumanji knew that when Rama nama is on his lips, he would be able to accomplish anything, regardless of how difficult and impossible the task seemed.

We had some quiz and knowledge check games for kids to hp them recall the story of Ramayana, the character names, relationships and content.

 As homework, We also asked kids to think of Rama before they eat every day. Please help kids remember that and emphasize at home the benefits of chanting lord's name.

We wrapped up the class after the closing prayers.

Regards,

Mythili and Madhuri 

Jan 17, 2020 - Grade 2 (Friday)

Hari Om Parents,
Please find the summary of the class Jan 17th below,
1st Topics of the day : 'Sri Hanuman, The Wise Minister'

After  reciting the opening prayers ; Hanuman Dhyana Shlokas and Rama  Nama Japa we chanted full Hanuman Chalisa. Some of our students memorize till 14th Caupai. They are very enthusiastic, they  want to learn and memorize more. Please help the children at home everyday to practice chanting Hanuman Chalisa.
Tuma upakara Sugrivahim kinha
Rama milaya rajapada dinha
Meaning : You help Sugriva in regaining his lost kingdom by making him meet Lord Rama.

To understand how Hanuman gave courage to Sugriva, we went through the tale " Sugriva  Meets Lord Rama". Hanumanji told Sugriva to find out more details before trying to run away when he saw Lord Rama and Lakshmana approaching. Giving Sugriva courage, Hanumanji brought Lord Rama to Sugriva and established a deep friendship between them. Lord Rama then killed Bali, and Sugriva was crowned as the king of Kiskindha.
The children learned in this tale that Hanumaji expected nothing in return and remained a servant of the Lord . This is  the greatness of Hanumanji.
We explained children the meaning of "Rsyamuka mountain " Rsi meaning a wise man. Mukha meaning face . Means towards the rsi, a wise man:, always in the company of saints , wise people. When we listen to the wisdom of saints we too gain wisdom and we learn to perform good deeds. As a result no harm can come to us.  Learn good things from good people; do good things and be happy!

We  also discussed another Tale : " You become the company you keep"
After Tales we played Game: "  Rsyamuka Mountain"
This game is played like the musical chair game. In place of a chair, we had mountains and oceans.
2nd Topics of the day :- "Sri Hanuman, The Advisor"
17th caupai-" Tumharo mantra bibhisana mana
Lamkesvara bhae Saba Jaga jana "
Meaning: Vibhisana heeded your advice. The entire world knows that he became the king of Lamka"
In this verse, mantra means advice. Sri Hanuman advised Vibhisana to surrender to Lord Rama. No sooner, Vibhisana surrendered, and Lord Rama appointed him as the king of Lanka.
Explaining how Hanumaji was an great advisor we reviewed a tale with children "Hanumanji Meets Vibhisana "
While Hanumaji was looking for Sitaji in Lanka he came across a house decorated with many auspicious and holy symbols. Inside was raksasa,  Vibhisana, brother of Ravana who woke up uttering the name of Lord Rama. Hanumaji immediately understood that the one who wakes  up taking the name of Lord Rama must be his devotee. Assuming the form of a brahmin Hanumaji started singing the glory of lord Rama . Vibhisana was overjoyed in meeting the messenger of Lord Rama. It bought hope and reassurance to the troubled heart of Vibhisana who lived in midst of all the terrible raksasas. Vibhisana was concerned that Lord Rama would not accept him but Hanumaji assured him of the love and compassion of the Lord and advised him to go to the Lord just the way he was.
Hanumaji told him that the Lord accepts everyone who seeks refuge in him.
When Ravana kicked Vibhisana out he surrendered to Lord Rama knowing that Lord Rama would accept him even though he might not deserve it. Just as a mother accepts her child, despite mistake .
Rama fully accepted Vibhisana and embraced him as his brother and later crowned him as the king of Lanka after defeating Ravana.
We pointed out to the children how the tongue, so tender, survive in our mouths despite being surrounded by 32 sharp teeth. This is how Vibhisana had to live among all demons.

After understanding how Sri Hanumanji is an great adviser, children learned what is the glory and power of Rama Nama.
Chanting Rama Nama helps us to accomplish difficult tasks with ease.

 Tale: " Narada's Pride"
Lord Vishnu asked Narada to play his vina for a party where all gods and goddess were invited to the party. Narada foolishly felt proud that Lord Vishnu selected him among all of the talented celestial musicians to play for the party. Narada played his vina and poured his heart into all of his songs. Everyone but the lord clapped. Narada was unhappy, sensing the Lords disapproval.  The Lord ask Narada to give his instrument to Hanumaji. Narada reluctantly handed his instrument to hanumanji.
Hanumaji started playing the instrument while singing Rama Nama . Everyone was absorbed in this divine song . Even the stones started melting in devotion.
Narada soon released how his ego had hurt him and made a fool of him.
Narada apologized to the Lord and thanked Him for teaching a valuable lesson.
Inference: surrender at the feet of the lord and be a winner.
After stories Children did Likhita Japa .
We wrapped up the class with closing prayers .

Warm regards,
Madhuri and Mythili

Jan 10, 2020 - Grade 2 (Friday)

Hari Om Parents!  

Please find the summary of the last class  ( 1/10) below: 

Ps: We sent 'Likhita japa' books with kids to home. Please send those book along with a pencil to every class. We will spend few minutes doing the Likhita japa in the class. The kids can also do this at home. This also helps with house points. 

Topics of  the day: 'Hanuman, The Life Saver' and 'Hanuman, The Glorious' 

After reciting  the 'opening prayers', Hanuman Dhyana Shlokas and 'Rama nama japa', we chanted the first 20 caupais of the Chalisa.  Please help the kids memorize the shlokas at home as well.  This will help get their attention more when we explain the meanings . We see the pride in their faces  when we praise them  for chanting the caupais from memory.

We then got into the topics of the day and went over the meanings and the supporting commentary for 11 - 14 caupais.

11^th  Caupai:  Laya Samjivana Lakhana Jiyaye…

Meaning: You fetched Sanjivani herb to revive Lakshmana and pleased Sri Rama who embraced you with love.

·         To understand how Hanmanji was a life saver,  we reviewed the part of Ramayana where Lakshmana gets injured when fighting against Indrajit, son of Ravana.  Hanumanji comes to the rescue and gets the required sanjivani herb. He brings the whole mountain to ensure he neither wastes time nor picks the wrong herb. Lord Rama overwhelmed with love and gratitude, embraces Hanumanji with tears of joy.

12^th Caupai:  Raghupathi Kinhi Bahuta Badai….

Meaning: Sri Ramachandra praised hanuman ji and said "You 'very highly', you are as dear to me as my brother Bharata

·               This again gave us an opportunity to go back to Ramayana and discuss Bharatha's role and his sacrifice of leading a vanavasi life although staying at the palace. He took the responsibility of protecting Ayodhya while Rama completes his vanavasa.  Lord Rama always remembers Bharata and his sacrifice. He was very dear to Sri Rama. Lord Rama compared his love for Hanuman to be on par with his love for Bharata , his own brother.  Unless someone does something so special and dear to oneself, they wouldn't love that person as a sibling. 

·               We brainstormed with kids  ways to appreciate someone who has done something special for them going above and beyond.

·               As homework, we asked them to do something very nice for a friend, sibling or a family member.

13^th Caupai: Sahasabadana Tumharo jasa gavaim…

Meaning: Lord Rama continues to praise him saying  'Even Seshanaga, the thousand headed serpent sings your glory'

14^th Caupai: Sanakadika Brahmadi Munisa…

15^th Caupai: Jama Kubera digapala jahan te…

Meaning for both : The great sages like Sanaka and gods like Brahma, Seshanaga, Narada, Goddess Saraswathi, Yama, Kubera and the 8  Digpalakas, poets and scholars have not been able to praise you adequately.

·               Reminiscing the glories of Hanumanji, we got the kids to talk about 'How does one gain glory' – tie themselves to a rising balloon to rise up and gain glory? Gaining glory is not simply a git given but has be earned through hard work, dedication and practice. To emphasize this, we went over a story where the popular musician 'Beethoven' tells a woman that his glory was achieved through dedication and practicing piano for 8 hours a day for 40 years. It didn't happen overnight, Practice makes a man perfect. 

·               We also discussed another story of 4 boys wishing for different things when the magical genie appears in front of them. One asks for genie to complete his homework every day , other asks for food for life so he never has to work etc. The last boy asks for the Genie to disappear before granting any of these wishes. Our kind God  has given us eyes, ears, arms and legs as gifts We should make full use of these gifts to make ourselves and others happy.  

·               We wrapped up the discussion with the moral – God has given us so much. Do not beg but work hard and achieve. There are no shortcuts to success and glory. 

We wrapped up the class with Closing prayers after learning couple of Bhagavad-Gita shlokas from Swamiji.  The class ended few minutes early to watch 7th grader's play on 'Ramayana quiz' 

Regards, 

Mythili and Madhuri

Jan 03, 2020 - Grade 2 (Friday)

Hari Om parents!

Happy New year to you all! Hope everyone had a great holiday.

Please find the summary of the last class  ( 01/03) below. 

 Topics of  the day: 'Hanuman, The Life Saver' and 'Hanuman, The Commander'

After reciting  the 'opening prayers', Hanuman Dhyana Shlokas and 'Rama nama japa', we chanted the first 17 caupais of the Chalisa and repeated the same multiple times to help kids feel comfortable with pronouncing and chanting,   We then learnt the meanings of 8^th, 9th and 10^thcaupais

 8^th  Caupai:  Prabhu charitra Sunib ko rasiya…

Meaning: You always take delight in listening to the glories of Prabhu ( Sri Rama) and you have Sri Rama, Lakshmana and Sitaji residing permanently in your heart.

·         Hanuman ji never gets tired of listening to the glories of Sri Rama and he always looks for Rama himself or his name in everything he uses.

·         To demonstrate the dedication and love towards Rama, we reviewed a story with Kids where Sita ji once presents a lovely pearl necklace to Hanuman ji. He immediately breaks the necklace and bites every pearl in it. Sitaji offended by this demands for explanation. Hanumaji innocently replies that he was looking for Rama or his name in the pearls but could not find it. So,  he found it useless. When Sita ji asked whether he has Sri Rama in him, Hanumanji immediately tore open his chest. To her dismay, Sitaji saw Lord Rama and herself glowing in the heart of Hanumanji and every pore of his skin was singing the name of Lord Rama.

·          Lord Rama always dwells in the heart of Hanuman and hence , by worshipping Hanumanji, we are automatically worshiping Lord Rama and Sitaji

·         We also went over a story of how Hanmnaji applies sindhur all over his body because Sitaji mentioned that she puts Sindhur on her forehead to please Rama. Such is the love of Hanumanji for Sri Rama

9^th Caupai: Sukshma rupadhari Siyahimdikhava….

Meaning: You assumed the smallest form when you revealed yourself to Mother Sita and you assumed a fierce form to burn down the Lanka.

·         To understand the meaning of this deeply, we went over the tale of Hanumanji burning Lanka. We discussed how Hanumanji assumed a miniature form to hide from all rakshasas and reveal himself to Sitaji when he entrusted the ring that lord Rama gave him.  After this, he wanted Raavana to know Rama's power. So he expanded himself into a huge form and roared. He jumped all over the garden and ruined every part of it. As a messenger of Rama, he warned Ravana and asked him to return Sita. When his tail was set to fire, he burnt all the buildings in Lanka. After the city was set ablaze, he returned to his normal size to get the burning rags off his tail. Such is Hanumanji's resourcefulness and intelligence.

10^th Caupai: Bhima Rupa dhari Asura samhare…

Meaning: You accomplished the mission of lord Rama by destroying several demons assuming a dreadful form.

·         While remembering Hanumanji's valor when destroying demons, we also talked about different kinds of demons we all have inside us. They are anger, jealousy, hatred etc. Under the influence of these monsters/demons, we behave like Ravana. 

·         When we use our senses and limbs only for selfish motives, we are like Ravana and all demons inside us are alive and happy. When we learn to put others first in our lives, we are eradicating the demons within. We brainstormed some d2d examples on how we can put others first and be selfless. 

·         We talked though some of the bad qualities all of us have within us and how we should eradicate those ravanas within us.  We all agreed that every one of us will choose a bad quality and will work on getting rid of it. Several kids chose Lying, laziness and jealousy as the qualities that they will let go.  Kids thoroughly enjoyed  the exercise and at the same time made a promise to themselves that they will get rid of those demons inside them.

We wrapped up the class with Closing prayers after learning two Bhagavadgita shlokas from Swamiji.

Our class lead the Aarthi in the main temple hall. All the kids were very enthusiastic about have the microphone and leading the aarthi, especially the pledge. They all did a fantastic job!

Regards,

Mythili and Madhuri

Dec 20, 2019 - Grade 2 (Friday)

Hari Om Parents! Please find the summary of the last class ( 12/20) below:

After opening prayers and Rama nama japa, the class chanted the chalisa upto 15 caupais. We then got into the topics of the day 'Sri Hanuman -  The Attractive'  and 'Sri Hanuman – The Brilliant'.  Under these topics, we discussed the meanings of 4, 5, 6 and 7 Caupais of the Chalisa in detail

Caupai 4 from chalisa : – Kanchan bharan Biraja…

·       Meaning: Your golden complexion shines more with the attractive clothes, the glittering earrings and your curly hair.

·       Hanuman ji being the strongest is not fierce but has a pleasing and radiant personality. His piety makes him very attractive with noble, divine and humble character

·       We had a discussion with Kids about what makes different parts of our body beautiful: Eyes allow us to see the splendor of the world and ears provide the ability to hear beautiful things etc.

·       Children went through an exercise of completing sentences on how they are going to use their eyes, ears, hands, lips etc. going forward so that they all look beautiful :)

·       We went through a story of two young boys who in spite of being physically disabled, leveraged their other strengths to help each other out  to go to schools and study. Everyone around them viewed the boys as beautiful!

Caupai 5 from chalisa : Hatha Bajra au Dhvaja….

·       Meaning: Continuing to describe his physical appearance, Tusaidas ji says - ;You have a Thunderbolt ( Bajra) in one hand and hold a flag in another. The sacred thread of mumja grass adorns your shoulders.

·       The Gada that Hanuman J holds is as strong as Vajra and kills whoever it is used on. The gada represents Strength while the flag represents success and fame.

·       We talked about what is jeneu and that children have a thread ceremony and a jeneu is worn signifying the end of playful days and the need for disciplined life.  

Caupai 6 from chalisa :Samkarasuvana Kesari Nandana…..

·       Meaning: Oh Son of Kesari, You are an incarnation of Lord Shiva. Everyone in the world respects you for your luster and great valor.

·       Tulsidas refers to anumanji as son of Kesari, Son of Vayu, the wind god and also son of Shiva in several places. We reviewed again the stories ( already covered in previous classes)  and reasons for Hanuman ji's relation to all these great individuals. Also, this led into the discussion of how kids acquire qualities of their parents. Hanumanji got all his qualities and virtues from Kesari, Vayu and lord Shiva.

·       Kids have homework to interview their parents. We will discuss in the next class to make kids understand how they are like their mom/dad

Caupai 7 from chalisa : Bidyavana guni…..

·       Meaning: You are well versed in all lore, you are highly intelligent and full of virtues.  You are ever ready to carry out the missions of lord Rama.

·       We reviewed the stories of all the obstacles that Hanuman ji faced while crossing the ocean to reach Lanka.

·       Referring to how hanumanji didn't rest until he completed the assigned task, we discussed how kids should first complete their tasks like homework etc. before they rest and watch TV.

We learned three new verses ( 14,15 and 16)  from the 1st chapter ( Arjuna Vishada Yoga) of Bhagavad Gita through Swamiji's telecast. After closing prayers, the class headed to the Aarthi.

Regards, 

2nd grade teachers

Dec 13, 2019 - Grade 2 (Friday)

Hari Om Parents! 

Please find the summary of the last class ( 12/13) below:

We went right into the topics of the day – Hanuman, 'the Strong' and the 'Divine Messenger'  after our opening prayers, Hanuman Dhyana Shlokam  and the Rama nama japa. We chanted 13 chaupais from the Chalisa. Please remind and work with the kids to memorize these.

Caupai 2 from chalisa : Rama Duta Atulita baladama…

·           Meaning: Hey Anjani Puthra, You are the divine messenger of Rama, an adobe of incomparable strength known also as pavanasuta.

·           We discussed that being an effective messenger is a difficult job as one has to make sure to deliver the message promptly and correctly. This job was even more difficult for Sri Hanumanji as he had to deliver a message to his enemy and also Sri Rama's message to mother Sita concealing himself from all the demons in Lanka. Hanumanji's greatness lies in completing any tasks he undertakes with complete devotion and courage.

·           Hanumanji always introduced himself as 'Rama Duta' which means 'Messenger of Rama'. This is a true reflection of his humility and a great reflection of keeping Rama in his heart all the time. 

·           We discussed the qualities of a good messenger and how one can be precise, clear and prompt in delivering a message to avoid communication issues. We played the popular 'telephone game' to see how a message can easily be transformed as it goes from person to person. 

·           Sri Tulaidas ji addresses Hanuman as 'Anjani Putra' . We went over the story of Anjana and how she was a beautiful apsara in her previous birth. Because of a Saint's curse, she is born as a female Monkey. She lived a life of Chastity and purity and performed intense tapas for many years worshipping Lord Shiva. Lord Shiva placed his tejas ( brilliance) in Sri hanuman who was born to Anjani. For this reason, hanuman ji is also known as reincarnation of Lord Shiva. Hanumna ji brought so much fame to his parents. So Anajna's good deeds ultimately tuned her curse into a boon and she got a son like Hanuman ji. As a wrap up to this story, we talked about how all the kids can be good, do good deeds and bring fame to their parents like Hanuman ji.

Caupai 3 from the chalisa: Mahabira Bikrama bajarangi

·           Meaning: You, with a body as strong as a diamond, are a great warrior of incomparable valor. You are the remover of wicked thought and you grant the company of  the wise.

·           Hanuman ji is called 'MahaBira', the greatest warrior. This just doesn't mean demonstrating heroism in the battle field. Our Scriptures talk about 5 kinds of Virahs – Thayagvirah, DayaVirah, VidyaVirah, DanaVirah and Ranavirah. Hauman ji has all these 5 kinds of valor. Hence he is Mahabira, the super superman.

·           Hanumanji is Bajarangi meaning he is as strong as the thunderbolt of Lord Indra. When mentioning this, we also went over briefly the story of how Indra got his Vajrayudha( weapon that has no match) from the backbone of a great saint Dadichi. ( Kids will learn how saint Dadichi got the strongest backbone as part of third grade curriculum)

·           The following two stories were shared with the kids explaining the concepts of Kumati and Sumati that Tulasidas refers to in this Caupai

o    Once there was a very jealous man who constantly plagued with negative thoughts of his neighbor.  Although he had a boon from a genie that he would get whatever he asks her, he wasn't happy because his neighbor was given twice as much.  Out of extreme jealousy and a wish to cause adversity to his neighbor, he asked that his one eye be gone wishing for his neighbor to be blind. This person is a great example of 'Kumati' (with wicked, negative thoughts) who is willing to harm himself so that he could hurt others. 

o    The next story is about two people who lit up lamps every day but with different intentions.  One lit a pure ghee map at a temple to please the lord while the other lit a an oil lamp on a dark and lonely road to help people travel safely without stumbling into something and hurting themselves. The lord, one day appears and says that he is more pleased with the poor man's oil lamp than the rich man's ghee lamp. Lord explains that the materiel value is of least importance to him. Actions that benefit the maximum number of people are more pleasing to him. Serving the people in a right way is the service to the lord. This is 'Sumati'

We chanted three new verses ( 11,12 and 13)  from the 1st chapter ( Arjuna Vishada Yoga) of Bhagavad Gita through Swamiji's telecast. After closing prayers, the class headed to the Aarthi.

Regards,

2nd grade teachers

Dec 06, 2019 - Grade 2 (Friday)

Hari Om parents! 

   Following is the update from last class: 

After opening prayers, we kicked off the class revising what we learnt about Chalisa what Hanuman Chalisa in the last class. We then delved right into learning the meaning and significance of the first two Dohas and also the first Caupai of the Chalisa.  In the first two dohas, Sri Tulasidas ji offers his prayers to the lotus feet of his Guru and also Sri hanuman ji to purify his heart , mind and bless him with Strength, wisdom and discriminating knowledge.  With this, he feels ready to describe the unblemished glory of the Sri Hanuman, 'The Untained' and 'The Bestower'.

·               In the first doha, Tulasidas ji refers to Sri Hanuman as Raghubara  ( who is part of Raghu Dynasty). This is demonstrate the love of Lord Rama and matha Sita towards Hanumanji and how they referred him as 'Suta'( My son)  in recognition to the fact that he was the greatest devotee of Sri Rama.

·               We brainstormed the importance of Guru and why Sri Tulasidas ji started his work  by offering his prayers to his Guru. We helped Kids understand that their parents are their first gurus teaching the basics of life and how we should pay our respect s to them.

·               Similarly, we also discussed the importance of praying and how it helps connect our mind with a higher force resulting in attaining a more glorious, powerful and visionary person.

·               In the second Doha, saint Tulasidas ji calls Hanumanji as Pavanaputra, the son of the Wind God. The main virtue of wind god is to flow continuously and servers us all 24 hours, 7 days and 365 days but Invisibly. Without it, all life would be dead in the matter of minutes. Since we cannot see it, we often take it for granted and do not give the credit it deserves.

·               Hanumanji inherited this virtue of serving all invisibly from his father. He served lord Rama to the fullest, invisibly – meaning, he performs all his duties without any pride, arrogance and ego. His only ambition is to serve the lord with humility and devotion.

·               Explaining the above, we encouraged children to learn and develop this virtue of Hanumanji and strive to serve others without expecting any praise or reward/recognition.

·               We brainstormed some things Kids can start doing at home and school to fulfill one's duties silently (cleaning spills, organizing book and other stuff, cleaning their rooms, picking up trash etc. )

·               We then recited the first Caupai and explained the meaning of it. Tulasidas ji refers to Hanumanji as Guna Sagara ( Ocean of virtues) and Kapisa ( Lord of monkeys). We explained to the kids why he was referred to as lord although he was not the king. Lordship is an uncrowned king who is worshipped and adored by all.

·               We wrapped up the discussion by going over the story of how Hanumanji got his name ( Hanu means 'Chin'). We went over the story of Sri Hanumanji as a child swallowing the Sun thinking it was a fruit.

We chanted the first 8 chaupais multiple times and some of the kids memorized few of them. Please work with your kids in memorizing the chaupais. They are very easy and Kids can memorize in no time with little help. 

Before we wrapped up the class, We learnt the 9^th and 10^th verses of the 1^st chapter of Bhagavad Gita through Swamiji's telecast. After closing prayers, the class headed to the Aarthi.

Thanks and warm regards!

Nov 22, 2019 - Grade 2 (Friday)

Hari Om parents! 

 In this class, We moved to the next section of this year's curriculum – 'Hanuman Chalisa'.  While we started reciting chalisa  at the beginning of the year and kids are memorizing it, this class marks the beginning of the Chalisa  section of the syllabus where we go into each of the verses and explain the meaning of it with examples and stories.

After opening prayers, we did the Rama nama japa and recited our Dhyana Shloka.. Budhirbalam Yasodhiryam. I am very glad that most of the kids in the class memorized the Dhyana Shloka and understands the meaning of all the virtues mentioned in the shlokam. 

We started Hanuman Chalisa with an activity that will help refresh the story of Ramayana in their minds. Everyone very enthusiastically shared what they know in the story of Ramayana.

We reviewed the meaning, author and the benefits of reciting this very popular prayer  

·         Sri Goswamy Tulasidas, who is also the author of 'Tulasi Ramayana' has composed Hanuman Chalisa.  It is said that his singing in praise of Hanuman helped him recover from illness that he had for a long time.

·         Chalisa means forty. The Hanuman Chalisa for forty Caupais ( verses) and is written in Avadhi Language, a dialect of Hindi  spoken in Ayodhya.

·         This prayer is sung by millions of hindus all over the world with great love and devotion

·         Singing Hanuman Chalisa makes us fearless and purifies our mind. 

·         The importance of pure speech was explained through a story of  'A Man and an Ox '. The story demonstrates how the Ox behavior changes based on his master's way of talking and treating him.  The man at the end realizes the benefit of pure and sweet speech. Purse speech reflects pure mind.  You may ask the kids to narrate the story to refresh their memory.

 We learnt the verses 7 and 8  from the 1st chapter of Bhagavad Gita from Swamiji. In the next few classes, we will focus on memorizing these verses of the chapter. We wrapped up the class with closing prayers.

Thanks, 

Mythili and Madhuri

Nov 01, 2019 - Grade 2 (Friday)

Hari Om Parents,

Here is a quick update for you on what was covered in the Nov.1st class.

We covered Ajadyam ( Alertness)and Vakpatuthvam( Eloquence) the seventh and eighth virtue described in the Hanuman Dhyana Sholka

• We started the class with opening prayers, Rama nama japa, the Dhyana shloka and Hanuman Chalisa - Doha and First 5 Caupais. We encourage everyone to memorize. We are running a memorization challenge in the class to encourage the kids learn and memorize as much as possible.
• We then reviewed the virtue discussed in previous session.
• We then started talking about Ajadyam ( Alertness):-
• Physical Alertness is being watchful and being aware of the surroundings.
• Mental Alertness is mentally being aware of our actions and feelings
• By asking few general  questions, we explained how we are usually not very watchful of our surrounding
• We played 'Posture and Smile Check' game to learn how to be alert. The goal of this game is to learn to be alert , be aware of surroundings because in life only when we notice, we can act; only when we act rightly, we get the benefit.
• The Story of 'Lazy Misty' helped kids understand that lazy people cannot be alert. We learned together the moral of the story as ' Be  lazy to lose. Be alert to win'
• Vakpatutvam (Eloquence ):- The ability to communicate effectively and pleasantly.
• We slowly got the kids involved in the topic of Eloquence by asking them 'How they would go about sharing the information regarding 'Balavihar' to their friends.
• We also discussed how Hanumanji mastered the art of eloquence  several times in the Ramayana. To convey Hanumanji's skill, Valmikiji uses phrases like " Hanumanji thought and said...or Hanumanji always waited for the right time and said...." 
• We also discussed how Shri Ram himself has praised Hanumanji's abilty to speak in the Ramayana.
• To be an effective speaker like Hanumanji one must know- 1) When to speak, 2)What to speak, 3) How to speak and 4) How much to speak
• We reviewed the story of 'Yes, The fees are Doubled'  in which the great Greek Philosopher 'Socrates' works with a student and teaches him how to be quiet and listen first  before learning to talk effectively. An effective speaker is the one who can deliver his message with maximum impact using minimum words.
• We wrapped up the class with closing  prayers.

Hari Om and Warm Regards,

Madhuri and Mythili 

Oct 25, 2019 - Grade 2 (Friday)

Hari Om Parents!

Here's a quick update for you on what was covered in the Oct 25th class. we covered 'Arogatha' (Arogatha-Free From Diseases)the sixth virtue described in the Hanuman Dhyana Shloka 

• We started the class with opening prayers, Rama nama japa, Dhyana shloka and Hanuman Chalisa -Doha and first 5 Caupais. More then 50% students memorized Dhyana Shloka  We encourage everyone to memorize this by next class. We are running a memorization challenge in the class to encourage the kids learn and memorize as much as possible.
• We then reviewed all the virtues discussed in the previous sessions and started talking about Arogatha ( Good Health)
• Good physical health results in a body that is free of all diseases. "Health is Wealth". When our physical health is good, we can enjoy our life.
• Good mental health  is also required for us to have a peaceful and happy life. Some of the diseases of  mind are Pride, arrogance, Stealing and rudeness.
• We brainstormed how we can physically remain healthy
• Eat Nourishing food and Exercise regularly
• Keep oneself clean and live in a clean environment
• To remain mentally healthy and avoid germs of laziness, greed and anger we should:
• avoid harmful television shows
• avoid friends who negatively influence you
• read appropriate books 
• Pray to God daily 
• We wrapped up the class with closing  prayers.

Hari Om and kind regards,

Madhuri and Mythili 

Oct 18, 2019 - Grade 2 (Friday)

Hari Om parents!

Following is the update of last Friday's class ( 10/18):

Since we had Balavihar House inaugural, we had a short 45 minute class. During that time, we delved into the virtue 'Nirbhayatvam' from the Dhyana Shloka.

After Opening prayers, we spent some time doing  'Rama nama japa'.  During memory time, we chanted  'Bhudhir balam'. Few kids in the class memorized this completely. We encourage everyone to memorize this by next week's class. We are running a memorization challenge in the class to encourage the kids learn and memorize as much as possible. 

Nirbhayatvam: (Fearlessness): A state being free from fear

We explained what is Nirbhayatvam and

·         The kids were asked to answer  'what they are most afraid of'.  we had variety of answers - some funny and silly ones as well :). 

·         We discussed with the kids that we are either afraid of  the unknown or we are afraid when we don't live by our duties. When we are afraid, we imagine and we project. We are unable  to think straight and function normally. 

·         When we live honestly, keep God in our heart like Hanumanji, we become fearless.

·         To emphasize how one can become fearless by living honestly and having faith in God, we reviewed three stories - "The wandering saint of the Himalayas", "My Daddy will Save Me' and 'The foolish, Timid Rabbit. 

o    The wandering Saint of Himalayas is about'  Swami Tapovanji' and how he used to be fearless and wander all the forests across Himalayas in freezing cold weather. He is a great saint who sees unity in the universe. Our Upanishad's say " From the Other, fear arises".

o    My daddy Will save me is a story about a little girl who trusts his daddy completely and remains fearless when the ship gets very rocky in a severe storm. She says- He is not going to let the Ship sink. I know he loves me very much'. Just like the girl has faith in her dad, have faith in Hanumanji. Pray to him. H is our father, the Super Superman and he will help us conquer our fears.

o    The Foolish, Timid Rabbit story explains how a timid rabbit having 'unreal' fears makes all animals in the forest believe that the earth was breaking. The wise and courageous  lion comes to rescue and clears the confusion. Through this story, we learned that ' Before we say 'I am sacred', determine whether the fears are real. Having Hanumanji as our friend, there is nothing to fear. By praying to him, we become strong and fearless like him.

We then did our closing prayers and headed to the temple hall for the house inaugural. 

P.S-  please send the kids on time. 

Thanks and regards,

Mythili 

Oct 11, 2019 - Gr 2 (Friday)

Hari Om parents!

Following is the update of last Friday's class ( 10/11):

After Opening prayers, we spent some time doing  'Rama nama japa'. We also discussed the significance of the 'Rama' nama and how chanting the name of Sri Rama just three times is equivalent to reciting the entire list of lord Vishnu's thousand names (sahasranamam).   During memory time, we chanted the dhyana shloka  'Bhudhir balam'. Please help kids memorize this by next week's class. We are running a memorization challenge in the class to encourage the kids learn and memorize as much as possible.

We then discussed the next two virtues described in the Dhyana Shloka : Yasha and Dhairyam.

Yasha ( Fame and popularity):

We got into the topic with a group discussion around famous people, names of few famous personalities and why they are famous.

Kids named several famous people who they knew. The class brainstormed what made them famous – just by birth? Luck? Magic?

·       Fame is earned through hard work, dedication, perseverance and good habits.

·       We discussed the following qualities as common traits of famous people : Overcome Obstacles, Persevered, Struggle and triumph, Success in their undertakings, make contributions to the society, bring change and inspire others

·       Kids heard the life story of Swami Chinmayanada ji ( 1916 to 1993)  and how he worked hard towards what he believed in and how he struggled to establish the mission to share and spread the ageless wisdom of Vedanta

·       We also talked about our famous Bapu 'Mahatma Gandhi' and his mental strength.  He always used to say "Silent Prayer is my greatest strength'. Gandhi ji believed in love and forgiveness and used these as weapons to lead all the Indians from 'No Land' to 'Homeland'. We discussed  his famous quote "Prayer is the key to the morning and the bolt of the evening" to emphasize how chanting the lord's name should be a key part of our d2d lives.

Dhairyam (Courage):  Courage helps to do the right things despite of difficulties and obstacles

·       We discussed with the kids what Courage means to them ? And why it is necessary.

·       Everyone faces challenges in their day to day lives and courage helps them face these challenges with patience and poise. 

·       We went over the story of Maharshi Valmiki ( How he turned from Ratnakar, the thief to Valmiki, the great Saint). The story helped us explain how he demonstrated courage to change despite of all the obstacles he had

·       We also discussed the story of 'Rosa Park's ( a lot of kids know her story ) and how she is recognized for her tremendous act of  bravery. Her courageous act was the catalyst that started the Civil rights Movement.  This story resonated well with all the kids on the topic of Courage.

·       We then had a quick exploration activity: "Am I courageous? " where we discussed some bad habits that kids may have such as biting Nails, putting hands in the mouth, not saying 'Please' and 'Thank you' and reviewed that courage is necessary to change even small and trivial things in our lives

We had our first Gita chanting broadcast from Swamiji. We learnt the first 2 verses from the 1st chapter  of Bhagavad-Gita. The 2019-20 Balavihar handbook has the first chapter in it. The YouTube playlist shared last week is also a great way to learn the verses accurately. 

We then had the quiet time and closing prayers before all of us headed to the Aarti.  

Thanks and Regards,

Mythili and Madhuri