May 31, 2020 - Grade 5 (Sunday AM)

Hari Om!

Here is a summary of class activities for Week 28- May 31, 2020.

1. Started with OM chanting and opening prayers.

2. Mahabharata: We caught up with the Pandavas entering their final year of exile- ajnAta vAsa in the kingdom of Matsya, ruled by King Virata. They enter into service at the palace, introducing themselves as people who served the Pandavas and were now unemployed due to the Pandavas going incognito. Yudhishtra took the name of Kanka and became a courtier. He played dice with the King and whatever winnings he got, shared with his brothers. Bheema became a chef, naming himself Vallabha. He also wrestled and entertained the people, winning many matches. Arjuna took advantage of Urvasi's curse and became Brihannala, and trained the princess Uttara in dance and music. Nakula became Granthika, keeper of horses and Sahadeva became Tantripala, keeper of cattle. Draupadi took employment as Queen Sudeshna's maid and hairdresser, under the name of Sairandhari. 

 - Kichaka, the Queen's brother was also the commander-in-chief of the army of Matsya. No one dared to interfere in his ways. He took a liking to Draupadi. She warned him off, saying she was married to five powerful Gandharvas. He persisted and unable to bear his behaviour, Draupadi secretly met Bheema and complained to him. He asked her to get Kichaka to meet her at a secretive place at night. She did and Bheema showed up in her place and fought with Kichaka and eventually killed him. Shocked and scared at the death of Kichaka and thinking it was the divine husbands of Draupadi, the people of Matsya asked that she be sent away. Draupadi asked for kindness and consideration and assured the Queen that she would leave soon. 

- While the Pandavas were in Virata's kingdom, Duryodhana's spies were searching for them desparately. Bheeshma said that any place that had recently grown in prosperity and good cheer would be where the Pandavas were living. Identifying that Matsya is one such place, Susharma, the king of Trigarta and a friend of Duryodhana, decided to attack the kingdom. All Pandavas, except Arjuna/Brihannala went to help Virata defend his kingdom. At the same time, Duryodhana, Bheeshma, Karna, Drona and other great warriors attacked from another direction. There was no one left to defend the kingdom except Prince Uttarakumara. Full of bravado, he prepared to face the mighty Kuru warriors. Draupadi counsled the queen to send Brihannala as the prince's charioteer saying that she had been the charioteer for Arjuna himself! Once Uttarakumara actually saw the great Kuru warriors, he felt faint and was ready to give up and run away. Arjuna calmed him down and drove him to the tree where the Pandavas had hidden their weapons before entering the kingdom in disguise. Looking at the divine weapons, the prince was inspired. Arjuna also revealed himself and asked the prince to drive the chariot back to face the invading army. Needless to say, Arjuna defeat the Kauravas and recover the cattle they were trying to steal. 

- The king's army also returned back victorious. On learning that the prince was also coming in with a grand victory, the king was beside himself with joy. Yudhishtra said, "Of course, with Brihannala at his side, the prince was assured of victory!". Annoyed that he was giving Brihannala credit and not the prince, the king threw dice at Yudhishtra. Draupadi who was nearby helped him cleanse the blood and did not let it drip from his face. Yudhishtra also made sure that Arjuna did not see him in that state. The prince however, on entering the court and seeing this, begged Yudhishtra's forgiveness.

- On the third day after the victory, the Pandavas reveal their identities to King Virata. Overjoyed, the king offers to marry Uttara to Arjuna. But Arjuna, being Uttara's teacher, said that it would be inappropriate to marry his student and marries her to his son Abhimanyu. 

3. Reminders: 

  - Tomorrow is the last balavihar class for the 2019-2020 session!

  - Please let the children have a snack to eat during class - we plan this to be around 10am.

Regards

Abhirami Shrinivas

Rekha G Pai

May 17, 2020 - Grade 5 (Sunday AM)

Hari Om!

Hope everyone had a relaxing break over Memorial Day weekend. Here is a summary of class activities for Week 27, May 17, 2020.

1. Started with OM chanting and opening Prayers. 

2. Did some stretches and sit-ups (thoppukaranams!) to get the class off to an energetic start!

3. We explored "Breakout Rooms" in Zoom, and split the class into 5 groups - and tasked each group to come up with five questions from the curriculum to ask their classmates. The class had fun with the idea and came up with great questions. We will continue to use the Breakout Room facility to plan more interesting projects in upcoming classes.

4. We watched a short video, in continuation of last week, about Gurudev's teenage years and how he kept up his habit of doing japa and visualization of Lord Shiva.

5. Please note that Zoom client needs to be updated by May 30th. Please update at your earliest convenience if you have not done so already.

Regards

Abhirami Shrinivas

Rekha G Pai

May 10, 2020 - Grade 5 (Sunday AM)

Here is a summary of class activities for Week 26, May 10, 2020.

1. Started with OM chanting and opening Prayers.

2. Reminded the students of online classroom etiquette

3. We had two students prepare online quizzes to challenge their fellow students! Great job by Navneet and Dev - the quizzes were fun and challenging! 

4. As it was the weekend of Gurudev Jayanthi, we watched a short video on Gurudev's teenage years. The class discussed how Gurudev was as a teenager and how impactful his meeting with Ramana Maharshi was.

5. We made a Mother's Day card using the whiteboard and recorded a message wishing all the moms! The kids really enjoyed decorating the whiteboard and writing loving messages to their mothers :)

6. Reminders - Please be on time to class and make sure the children have a paper and pencil - we have some interesting activities planned for them tomorrow!

Regards

Abhirami Shrinivas

Rekha G Pai

May 3, 2020 - Grade 5 (Sunday AM)

Hari Om!

Here is a summary of class activities for Weeks 24 and 25, April 26 and May 3, 2020.

1. Started with OM chanting and opening Prayers.

2. Reminded the students of online classroom etiquette

3. We had three students presenting on April 26th on Swami Ramakrishna Paramahamsa, Samartha Ramadas and Saint Tukaram. Following the presentations, there was a discussion on why they chose these Saints to present on.

4. Mahabharata: 

  - We continued with the story with the Pandavas in exile. Jayadratha, the husband of Dusshala and king of Sindhu, was traveling through the forest areas where the Pandavas were living, and came across Draupadi in the hermitage. Besotted with her, he went over to talk to her. She welcomed him as he was a member of the family. But he spoke ill of the Pandavas and insisted that she come away with him, leaving the Pandavas. Angered at his inappropriate speech, Draupadi asked him to leave immediately. He, however, dragged her and placed her on his chariot and drove away. The Pandavas came to know of this and immediately followed him and defeated his army. Jayadratha was at their mercy and Yudhishtra mercifully decided to leave him alive, as he was their cousin's husband. They shaved his head and let him go. He felt so insulted that he prayed to Lord Shiva for a boon to conquer the Pandavas in battle. Lord Shiva was pleased with penance. He said that he could not offer him his boon of choice, as Arjuna himself was not defeated in war by anybody. Instead, he gave him the boon to hold off the other four Pandavas in battle on a single occasion.

- One day a Brahmin came to the Pandavas for help. He told them that the sticks meant for kindling the fire for performing his daily Yajna got entangled in the horns of stag which fled from the scene and wanted the Pandavas to pursue the fleeing animal and recover the sticks so that he could perform his rituals. As the Pandavas felt that it is their duty to protect those who practice their daily obligatory dharmic karma they proceeded in pursuit of the stag. Their attempts to stop the animal failed. They felt very much exhausted, hungry, and thirsty on account of the long chase. Yudhishthira instructed Nakula to find out if any stream of water was flowing nearby.  Nakula located a crystal clear lake, surrounded by trees, flowers and birds. He was overjoyed and felt like enjoying a cool drink himself first. So he descended near the refreshing water. As he was about to take some water he heard a voice of warning:" Do not dare to touch that water, my dear child. You must first answer my questions". Nakula ignored the warning, drank the water and immediately fell dead. When Nakula did not return Yudhishthira suggested that Sahadeva should go and find out what was the cause for Nakula's delay. Sahadeva arrived on the scene and was shocked to see Nakula lying dead. He thought of quenching his thirst first and when he attempted he also heard the same warning. He ignored it and upon pursuing his attempt to drink he fell dead. Now it was Arjuna's turn to look into what had happened. Apprehending some danger, he proceeded with his Gandiva bow. When he arrived at the lake he was shocked to see his two brothers lying as though dead. Arjuna also tried to quench his thirst and heard the same warning. But Arjuna did not ignore the warning but challenged it. Asking the voice to come before him physically, he shot several arrows in the direction from which it was coming. In reply he received more threats. Arjuna challenged the voice again and proceeded to drink the water when he fell down dead. Later, Bhima arrived and met with the same fate.

-Yudhishthira was then very much upset. Getting himself prepared for the possible harm that might have befallen on his dear and powerful brothers, he decided to go in search of them. When he arrived at the lake, he was stunned to see all his four brothers lying dead on the ground. His hopes of recovering his lost kingdom with the assistance of his brothers were shattered. He grieved for a while and then began to look around to make out the cause of his brothers' death. He wondered "there are no signs of violence on their bodies, no foot-prints anywhere; the killer must be a supernatural being". Ruling out the possibility of Duryodhana's hand in the incidents, he convinced himself that this must have been the handiwork of a supernatural being. He went to fetch some water to begin the last rites for his brothers. He heard a sudden voice declaring: "I am the cause of your brothers' death; you shall be the fifth victim if you do not answer my questions before using the water".
- Yudhishtra questioned "Who are you?  You must be strong to be able to put to death these powerful brothers of mine. Your feat is remarkable because neither gods nor asuras could stand up to my brothers.The voice replied: "I am a Yaksha, Yudhishtra.  As he heard these words, Yudhishtra saw before his eyes a grotesque form. A voice thundered: "I warned your brothers. But they would not listen to me. So now they are dead. This pool belongs to me and unless you answer my questions you shall not even touch this water." Yudhishtra replied: "I have no desire to take what is yours. Ask me and I will reply as best as I can".

-  The yaksha asked Yudhishtra many questions about Dharma, the intricate nature of right living and motivations of human life, what humans hold most precious and the true nature of life itself. Yudhishtra answered everything and the yaksha was pleased. He offered to raise one of the Pandavas to life. Yudhishtra asked for Nakula to be brought back to life. The yaksha was surprised and asked why he did not pick Arjuna or Bheema on whom hopes of victory in battle rested. Yudhishtra said that by Dharma, he had to get Madri's eldest son brought back to life, as he, Kunti's eldest son was alive. Impressed with Yudhishtra's adherence to Dharma in even the most difficult circumstances, the yaksha revealed himself to be Lord Yama. He raised all the four Pandavas back to life and  blessed them with success in their thirteenth year of living incognito.

5. We ended the class  with Aarthi and Pledge.

Apr 19, 2020 - Grade 5 (Sunday AM)

Hari Om,

Here is a brief summary of class activities for Week 23, April 19, 2020.

This was an online Balavihar session and the students were allowed into the ZOOM meeting with a password, and after their identities were confirmed by the teachers.

1. Started with OM chanting and opening Prayers.

2. Reminded the students of online classroom etiquettes.

3. We then had three students present about the lives and teachings of Saints of India. They researched on the Saints of their choice and had the Google slides to help the audience connect to the content that they were presenting. Lives of Saints that were presented during this week's session :

- Shree Kabir Das
- Sant Thyagaraja
- Meera bai
4. We had two Junior CHYKs (high schoolers) join us to teach our students. The students were very excited with their interaction with the new teachers. We continued with the Mahabharata story after Arjuna's reunion with the Pandavas.

- In the twelfth year of exile, the Pandavas were engaged in asceticism and lived in the Dwaitavana, far away from civilization. One day a certain brahmana came to meet them, and then visited the court of Dhritarashtra and told him about the plight of the Pandavas. Listening to this Dhritarashtra became sad, and started thinking about the insult after the deceitful game of dice, and how the Pandavas must be waiting for the opportunity to avenge the insult. Shakuni heard the outburst, and told Duryodhana about it.
- Duryodhana wanted to go and meet the Pandavas, look down upon them in adversity, humiliate them, and mock at their misfortunes. He knew Dhritarashtra would not allow him to go to Dwaitavana to meet the Pandavas. Duryodana started thinking of a plan to convince his father and Bheeshma. With the help of Shakuni, Karna and Duhshana he comes up with the pretext of counting cattles/annual census at Dwaitavana, and to go hunting. Dhritarashtra is persuaded to grant permission to Duryodhana to go to Dwaitavana after Shakuni assures him that they will avoid any close encounter with the Pandavas.
- They reach Dwaitavana and set-up their camp, and went hunting. One day Duryodhana's men strayed into the forest, and were stopped by the Gandharvas, as their King Chitrasena was camping there. Hearing this Duryodhana sent a band of soldiers to settle the matter. The Kaurava army was rushed back by the Gandharavas. Duryodhana was filled with rage. He along with Karna, Dushashana, other sons of Dhritarashtra, along with the big Kuru army marched to defeat the Gandharva warriors. The Kaurava soldiers were overpowered, and started deserting the field.
- Gandharva king, Chitrasena had magic powers and he leased them on the Kaurava soldiers. The Gandharvas overpowered the Kauravas, and took Karna, Duryodhana, and a host of other Kauravas as prisoners.
- Seeing Duryodhana being taken captive, some of his men approached the Pandavas and asked for help to release them from the Gandharvas. Bheema didn't want to help them; however, benevolent Yudhishthira agrees to offer help inspite of knowing Durodhana's evil intention, since the honor of the family was at stake. And he considered this it was the path of dharma, as his duty as a Kshatriya to protect, and help the needy in distress. He asks his other four brothers to try winning Gandharva king over through peaceful negotiations and rescue Duryodhana and his army.
- Bheema, Arjuna reluctantly gathered their weapons and made their way to rescue the Kauravas. First the Gandharva soldiers are not ready to release Duryodhana, and they engage in a battle. Arjuna slews them with his celestial weapons. As the battle continues, Chitrasena realizes the damage done to his forces, and rushes to Arjuna. He fought with illusory forces, and Arjuna with his celestial weapons, and after they were exhausted by the battle, Chitrasena appeared before the Pandavas, and agrees to set Duryodhana and his brothers free.
After the humiliating defeat at the hands of Gandharva, and taken hostage by them, Duryodhana is embarrassed and finds it very difficult to return to his capital. He is even more humiliated that he was released from captivity through the efforts of Yudhishthira. He preferred to have died in the battle, rather than have been saved as a result of a favor done by the Pandavas.
- Even after being consoled by Shakuni and Karna, he decides to forego food, and fast unto death. The daityas and the danavas come to know of Duryodhana's intentions, and commenced a yajna to summon Duryodhana to their presence. After the rites had ended, a female diety arose from the fire, and brings Duryodhana. He is told that there are many danavas to help Duryodana destroy his enemy - the sons of Pandu. And they ask Duryodhana to go back and run the earth. The diety then carried Duryodhana back to the spot on the banks of the river where he had been meditating.
- The following morning, he is approached by Karna, who promises to slay Arjuna in the battle and defeat the Pandavas. Hearing Karna's resolve, and remembering the words of the danavas, Duryodhana agrees to go back to Hastinapura. After this incident, Duryodhana decides to leave the Pandavas alone till the thirteenth year of their exile.

The story telling was followed by a question and answer session, and the students exchanged their thoughts on what they liked and learnt from this story.

5. Three more students took turn to talk and present on the Saints of their choice that they had signed up for. The Saints that were presented were:

Gautam Buddha
Mahavira
Sant Kabir

At the end of each presentation, the students asked questions, shared what they liked about the Saint's life, and teachings, and why they chose the saint to talk about.

6.  We ended our class with the Aarthi, closing prayers and Pledge. Our students joined.

Our next class will also be online on April 26, 2020.
Reminders:

Please share the presentation "Saints of India" to our group email ID shared in our WhatsApp group
Please encourage children to participate and earn house points - story telling and likhita japa. Email for submitting this has been shared in our WhatsApp group
Continue to chant Geeta verses, record and send them to the email that was shared in our WhatsApp group
Please sign-up to present about the Saints of India, if not done already. The students/along with their parents are welcome to present on any Saint of their choice - they can dress up and speak or present with Google slides.
We may have a Kahoot game in our next class, so request parents to work out the logistics of this with their kids

The zoom link has been shared with the parents in the WhatsApp group and the meeting ID has been saved as the group's description.

Regards
Abhirami Shrinivas
Rekha Pai

Apr 5, 2020 - Grade 5 (Sunday AM)

Hari Om,

Here is a brief summary of class activities for Week 22, April 05, 2020.

This was an online Balavihar session and the students were allowed
into the ZOOM meeting with a password, and after their identities were
confirmed by the teachers. The meeting was locked around 09:30AM to
keep uninvited guests out of the ZOOM meeting.

1. Started with OM chanting and opening Prayers.

2. Reminded the students to:

- maintain classroom decorum - no eating, no drinking, limit bathroom breaks
- have daily prayers/ handbook handy
- limit online chatting to classroom topics discussed in class
- have their video on

3. Students were asked about what came first to their minds when they
heard the word "rituals"?

Most of them said, it was performing pooja, chanting mantras, doing
yagnas, and praying to God
- We discussed that simple things, and even mundane activity that we
do everyday such as: getting up in the morning, taking a shower,
brushing your teeth, maintaining personal hygiene, praying to God,
saying a simple prayer/ mantra, touching the feet of your parents,
being good to your siblings, helping someone who is in need, doing
chores, taking care of nature, being a responsible citizen, putting a
smile on your face, studying, waiting in a queue for the school bus,
are all rituals.
- We can improve our rituals by improving our attitude.
- We should do everything whole heartedly, with a good intention, and
regard every action that we do (big and/or small) as an offering to
Bhagawan -prasaad buddhi
- We will only appreciate rituals in the temples when we understand
OUR rituals in daily LIFE
Our students then verbalized their understanding

4. We then had three students take turn to present about the lives and
teachings of Saints of India. They researched on the Saints of their
choice and had some key talking points on the powerpoint slides.
Saints that were presented were:

- Andal
- Saint Gynaeshwar
- Ramana Maharishi

Students appreciated the efforts that went into preparing, and
presenting on these saints. And students talked about how young some
of these saints were when they decided to start the spiritual
journeys.

5. We then watched a video "Have Faith... WE can Change, WE MUST!" by
Pujya Swami Swaroopananda- Global Head - Chinmaya Mission
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y96l8zdLhus

In this video Pujya Swamiji's pragmatic message tells us how the
current crisis in Mother Nature's way of ensuring we begin to lead
lives of greater substance and offers guidance on radiating goodwill
to the world through prayer, positivity, and inspired service.
The students enjoyed watching the video. To retain the key takeaways
from this video, we engaged our students with the following open-ended
questions and with multiple choices to pick:

-What can wonderful chants like Hanuman Chalisa do?
-During the current times like this, what can you do from a practical
view point?
-How can we continue to show Karuna in the times of Corona and serve?
-What is the meaning of the shloka:

Om Sarve Bhavantu Sukhinah
Sarve Santu Niraamayaah |
Sarve Bhadraanni Pashyantu
Maa Kashcid-Duhkha-Bhaag-Bhavet |

6. As part of the Saints of India curriculum, three more students took
turn to talk and present on the Saints of their choice that they had
signed up for. The Saints that were presented were:

-Swami Vivekananda
-Tulasidas
-Swami Sivananda

At the end of each presentation, the students asked questions, and
shared what they liked about the Saint's life, and teachings.

7.  We ended our class with the Aarthi, closing prayers and Pledge.
Our students joined.

Our next class will also be online on April 19, 2020 !
Reminders:

Please continue to recite the Gita verses, and send the recordings to
us via email shared in class WhatsApp group
Our Junior CHYKs (high schoolers) will be teaching the next online
class. Two students have been assigned and the class
topic(s)/assignments have been shared with them to prepare. They are
very excited with their assignment and are looking forward to this
experience.
Please sign-up to present about the Saints of India, if not done
already. The students/along with their parents are welcome to present
on any Saint of their choice - they can dress up and speak or present
with Google slides.

The zoom link has been shared with the parents in the WhatsApp group
and has been saved as the group's description.

Regards
Abhirami Shrinivas
Rekha Pai

Mar 29, 2020 - Grade 5 (Sunday AM)

Hari Om,

Here is a brief summary of class activities for Week 21, March 29, 2020.

This was an online Balavihar session and the students could connect using the ZOOM link without any difficulties.

1. Started with OM chanting and opening Prayers.

2. We went over the classroom etiquettes with our students.

3. Wished the students a very happy Ugadi and a happy Gudi Padwa. The students shared how they greeted each other on this festival, what rituals they performed on that day with their family, food that they enjoyed, and what they liked about it. Discussed briefly why this spring (Vasant) Hindu festival is observed, and which states in India celebrate this as a traditional new year. It is the first day of the Hindu Lunar calendar month of Chaitra, and the first day of the Chaitra/Vasant navaratri, and the nine days of the festivities culminates on Ram Navami. People celebrate by drawing colorful rangolis, visit temples, prepare special dishes, buy gifts, new clothes, eat pachadi- that combines all flavors (sweet, sour, bitter, astringent, salty)

4. As part of our learning of Saints Of India, one of our students presented about the life and teachings of Guru Nanakji. After the presentation, the students asked questions, and shared what they liked about Guru Nanakji's life, and teachings.

5. Quizzed the students about the Mahabharata topics- Indraprastha Lost, Pandavas in the Forest, Arjuna's Quest for Weapons, and Arjuna in Indraloka. Students enthusiastically participated in this online quiz.

6. Our students then took turns to chant the Bhagavat Geeta shlokas from 11 through 20. 

7. We then continued with the story in Mahabharata till Arjuna's reunion:

• Rishi Lomasha arrives at Indra's assembly and starts wondering what merit Arjuna had done to get the privilege to sit on the throne beside Lord Indra. Perceiving Rishi Lomasha's thoughts, Lord Indra explains that Arjuna and Lord Krishna were re-incarnations of Nara and Narayana and were born as mortals to cleanse the Earth of all evils, and to ensure prevalence of Dharma. Lord Indra then requests Rishi Lomasha to go to Kamyaka forests, and accompany the Pandavas on the teertha yatra and to go and visit the various shrines.
• In the meanwhile, in the Kamyaka forests, Rishi Narada arrives and sees Draupadi and the four Pandavas lamenting and missing Arjuna. He comforts them and tells them Rishi Lomasha will be arriving there shortly and then should go with him on the pilgrimage, and explains them the merit of visiting the teerthas, to cleanse themselves of all sins by means of penance, sacrifices, and regain prosperity. As told, Rishi Lomasha appears, and tells them that he was there at the behest of Lord Indra and Arjuna. Lord Indra had suggested the Pandavas undertook the pilgrimage to the holy shrines. He reassured them that Arjuna was doing well in Indraloka, had acquired celestial weapons, and had learnt the art of music and dance. On an auspicious day, after taking bath and performing their daily rituals, the Pandavas set out East on their pilgrimage. Rishi Lomasha accompanied them to protect them from the rakshasas, demons, they could encounter during their pilgrimage.
• They reached the holy spot of Prabhasa, where they engaged in penance, charity. Hearing about the news of the arrival of the Pandavas, Lord Krishna and Balarama came to visit them with the Vrishnis from Dwaraka. Seeing the bodies of the Pandavas covered in dirt, and Draupadi sad and tired, Balarama is very upset and says to Lord Krishna, 'just by being righteous, and following the path of dharma, doesn't mean one will get happiness'. Look at the Pandavas, how miserable they are; whereas, the sons of Dhrithrasthra, who are enjoying all the worldly pleasures, ruling the world, and are living in the palace. Lord Krishna consoles Balarama and says that this wasn't the time to lament, and when the right time comes, he will be there to inflict defeat on the enemy. 
• After leaving Prabhasa, the Pandavas proceed onwards on their pilgrimage, and reach the foothills of the holy Himalaya mountains. Rishi Lomasha suggests that only Yudhistira and he should proceed further and the other three Pandavas should stay back with Draupadi at the mouth of Goddess Ganga, as the tenure is very difficult and challenging. However, Draupadi and the other Pandavas insist they continue on the teertha yatra. They offer their prayers to Goddess Ganga, and start ascending mount Kailasa. As they start walking towards the Gandmadana forests, Draupadi who is not accustomed to travel on foot, slips and fall and hurts herself. Yudhisthira is very sad, that everyone had to go through this ordeal because of his addiction to the game of dice. He knows that there are greater perils ahead on their journey through the snow-clad mountains, and starts wondering what to do. 
• Bheema's face lighted up, and he closes his eyes, and remembers his son Ghatotkacha, who appears immediately with his attendants and carries them all over the mountains. Till one day, they reached the hermitage of Nara and Narayana, they are welcomed by the inhabitants. The Pandavas dwelt there for some time. Then one day, Draupadi and Bheema were walking in the beautiful forest, where she spots a beautiful red Saugandhika flower, she asks Bheema if he could get more of those flowers to take them back to the Kamyaka forest. Bheema goes in search for them in the forest, when he is suddenly halted by a monkey with a long tail. He roars and asks the monkey to move, and the monkey only moves slowly, sees lazily, and asks Bheema to move his tail instead. When Bheema is not able to move the tail after many attempts, he realizes that he is no ordinary monkey and asks him for the introduction. The monkey tells that he is Hanuman, and that he shall sit on Arjuna's flagstaff, and his roar will strike fear in the hearts of the enemies during the war. After Hanuman hugs Bheema, his fatigue is gone, and Bheema is filled with strength.
• Bheema then proceeds on the path shown by Hanuman and reaches the lake full of Saugandhika flowers that belonged to Lord Kubera. The soldiers protecting the lake did not let Bheema drink water and to pluck the flowers without Lord Kubera's permission. Fight ensued in which Bheema killed several hundreds of the soldiers, some of them fled and reached the abode of Lord Kubera, and narrated him the incident. Lord Kubera smiled and let Bheema collect the celestial Saugandhika flowers.
• When Bheema reached back, they continued on their journey remembering Arjuna. Then one day, the Pandavas see a bright, illuminated object in the sky. Soon Lord Indra's chariot drawn by hundred horses appeared in front of them. Arjuna decked with garlands alighted from the chariot, and bowed to the elders. The Pandavas and Draupadi are rejoiced seeing Arjuna. Arjuna then narrates his time at Indraloka, and how he acquired the celestial weapons. As Arjuna began to exhibit his celestial weapons, the Earth trembled, sun seemed blotted, air was hushed. Then Lord Indra, Lord Shiva, brahmarishis, maharishis, gandharvas, and all gods arrive at the Gandamadana forests. And then Rishi Narada appeared and tells Arjuna to not to discharge his celestial weapons without a reason, and to only use it for a good cause, in the right manner. After Arjuna was dissuaded from demonstrating his celestial weapons, the others return to their abode. Pandavas continued to dwell in the Gandamadana forests.

8.  We shared the Aarthi video, and our students joined in, followed by Pledge.

Our next class will also be online! 

- Our students have been asked to sign-up to present about the Saints of India of their choice -about the saint's life, teachings, what aspect touched them the most, and to share any personal experiences (e.g. visit to their ashrams during their visit to India)

The zoom link has been shared with the parents in the WhatsApp group and has been saved as the display picture.  

Regards

Abhirami Shrinivas

Rekha Pai

Mar 22, 2020 - Grade 5 (Sunday AM)

Hari Om,

Here is a brief summary of class activities for Week 20, March 22, 2020.

This was our first online Balavihar session. With HIS grace, Gurudev's blessings, Swami Shantanandaji's blessings, the parent's cooperation, and our student's interest the class was conducted smoothly.

1. Started with OM chanting and opening Prayers.

2. We went over the few guidelines to be followed with our students to make the best of our learning time.

3. Quizzed the students by showing some pictures of scenes from Mahabharata till what was covered so far. The students enthusiastically participated narrating the incidents leading upto the scene depicted in the picture shown, identified the characters, and narrated what was happening in the scene.

4. After a quick recap of the Arjuna's Quest for Weapons till he accepted the Pashupatha astra, we continued with the story in Mahabharata:

  - After handing over the Pashupatha astra, Lord Shiva asks Arjuna to proceed to the heaven and disappears. The Lokapalas- Lord Varuna, Lord Kubera, and Yama- God of Death appear, followed by Indra on his elephant Airavata, and all the devas descend on the peak of the great mountain and watched Arjuna. Yama tells Arjuna that in his previous incarnation Arjuna was Nara, The Great soul, and was reborn as a man to kill the danavas . Yama hands over the weapon, Danda, and the knowledge of its art of application and control. Lord Varuna gave the Varunapasha, the inescapable noose.Then Kubera, The Treasurer of the devas gave the powerful and burning Antardhana- which could burn and destroy the entire army of Duryodhana. After Arjuna received all these great weapons along with the knowledge of how to use them, Indra said - you have attained divinity and must proceed to Swargloka- the abode of the devas.There Arjuna will have to perform certain duties. Arjuna worshipped the Lokapalas and Lokapalas then left and went to their respective worlds. 

Arjuna in Indraloka

 - Indra's charioteer Matali comes to get Arjuna to the Indraloka and tells him that Lord Indra, Rishis, Apsaras, and Gandharvas are all waiting for Arjuna's arrival. Before getting on to the chariot, Arjuna purifies himself by a bath in the Ganga, repeated his customary prayers, and gratified his pitris -souls of forefathers, and prayed to King of Mountains - Mandara.

-When Arjuna reached the city of Indra - Amaravati, he was welcomed with flowers, and was greeted. Arjuna proceeded to pay his respects to Lord Indra, and was made to sit beside Lord Indra on his throne.The apsaras danced and sang to them, and after all the celebrations to welcome him, Arjuna proceeded to his palace. Arjuna continued to acquire knowledge of the great weapons for a while, and Indra gave away his favorite weapon Vajra to Arjuna.

-Lord Indra asked Arjuna to learn the Art of dance and music from Chitrasena, and the two became great friends. One day, Lord Indra convened a huge assembly, and the rudras, apsaras, yakshas, gandharvas, sages all came to attend this. During the performance, Arjuna looked at Urvashi and glanced at her beauty a little longer, seeing this Lord Indra asks Chitrasena to go and meet Urvashi, and ask her to wait upon Arjuna. 

-Urvashi prepares herself for the visit, and sets out to Arjuna's palace. Upon seeing her at night, Arjuna got up to receive her with respect and closed his eyes in modesty and offered her worship. Hearing Arjuna speaking like this, Urvashi was raged and curses Arjuna to bide his time among women, unrespected and as a dancer, and that he shall be an eunuch. 

-Having cursed Arjuna, Urvashi leaves, and Arjuna rushed to Chitrasena to narrate the whole incident. Chitrasena then narrated the happenings and curse to Lord Indra. Indra called upon Arjuna and said that Urvashi's curse will be for benefit to Arjuna during the thirteenth year of exile, when Arjuna has to be incognito. The spell cast by Urvashi will come to an end of the 13th year, and Arjuna will regain his manhood. Arjuna was relieved listening to this, and continues his learning.

5. Our students then took turns to chant the Bhagavat Geeta shlokas from 1 through 23. 

6.  We shared the Aarthi video, and our students joined in, followed by Pledge.

Our next class will also be online! The zoom link has been shared with the parents in the  WhatsApp group. 

Regards

Abhirami Shrinivas

Rekha Pai

Mar 8, 2020 - Grade 5 (Sunday AM)

Hari Om,

Here is a brief summary of class activities for Week 19, March 8, 2020

1. Opening Prayers

2. Spirit Day on March 1, 2020: The children had a blast with all Spirit Day activities, enjoying all the hands-on activities and acing the quizzes. 

3. Mahabharata:

  - The Pandavas started their exile in Kamyaka forest. Meanwhile in Hastinapura, Dhritarashtra was worried about the Pandavas returning with a vengeance after the 13 years. He asked Vidura for counsel and Vidura wisely advised him to return them their kingdom and if Duryodhana disagreed, to punish him and make Yudhishtra king of all of the Kuru lands. Infuriated by this, Dhritarashtra ordered him to leave Hastinapura and be with the Pandavas. Vidura left and met with the Pandavas, but Dhritarashtra soon sent a messenger to get him back. Duryodhana and Karna, wanting to put down the Pandavas for good, prepared their armies to march on the Pandavas but Vyasa dissuaded them. Sage Maitreya came to Hastinapura, and narrated how Bhima singlehandedly destroyed Kirmira, Bakasura's brother and Hidimba's friend. He advised the Kauravas to befriend Pandavas. Duryodhana kept silent, but slapped his thigh in defiance. He was cursed by Sage Maitreya that Bheema would break that thigh with his mace, and the curse would be nullified if Duryodhana befriended the Pandavas. 

 - Krishna , Dhrishtadyumna and many other kings and princes came to visit the Pandavas in Kamyaka forest and counseled them to not grieve and that ultimately, they would emerge victorious. Once in a coversation, Draupadi asked how Yudhishtra could live without anger at Duryodhana and not plot to attack him. Yudhishtra said the virtue of forgiveness is superior and practically, the Pandavas had to acquire skills and strength to match the might of the Pandavas. He gave the knowledge given to him by Vyasa to Arjuna which would enable him to obtain blessings from Lord Shiva and Arjuna, with his trustry Gandeeva,  set off on a quest for weapons.

 - Walking incessantly over the Himalayas, Arjuna reached a place called Indrakeela. There he met a sage, who stopped him and said that having reached this divine place, he should not keep his weapons. Arjuna stood firm that he needed them in his journey. Pleased with his determination, Indra revealed himself and granted him his blessings that Arjuna would indeed behold Shiva. Arjuna performed great penance, eating very little and as time went on, nothing but air. Pleased with his determination and devotion, Lord Shiva along with Parvati and his ganas, came in the form of a hunter and his associates. H engaged Arjuna in a contest to kill a boar (an asura by name Mooka had taken this form). Arjuna asked the hunter why he shot at the boar after Arjuna, and the hunter claimed it was his arrow that hit first. Angered, Arjuna engaged in a contest with the hunter, but was not able to make a mark on him.He tried with various weapons, to no avail. Bruised by the hunter's counter attacks, he went to steady his mind by worshipping Lord Shiva. He saw the flowers he offered the Shiva Linga on the hunter and immediately realised who the hunter was and fell at his feet. Lord Shiva granted him divine vision, blessings of assured victory and the Pashupatha astra. He advised him to not use the divine weapon on an impulse.or on anyone inferior in strength.

4. Our next class will online! Please make sure you are in the WhatsApp group to get the zoom link. 

Regards

Abhirami Shrinivas

Rekha G Pai

Feb 16, 2020 - Grade 5 (Sunday AM)

Hari Om,

Here is a brief summary of class activities for Week 17, Feb 16, 2020.

1. Opening Prayers

2. Mahabharata:

  - The Pandavas arrived at Hastinapura to play the game of dice. At the game, Duryodhana said that Shakuni will play for him and he will front all the items to play with. Yudhishtra does not dispute this and sits down to play. As expected, he lost a lot. He lost jewellery, cattle, and other valuable items, and eventually his kingdom. Goaded on by Shakuni, he gambled every one of his brothers and loses them also. Angered but silent, the brothers watch on mutely, surrendering their royal selves to the game. Yudhishtra gambled himself and loses his own self. The elders in the court watching were aghast at the turn of events. Further goaded by Shakuni, Yudhishtra gambled Draupadi. The whole court was shocked at this brash act. He lost Draupadi also much to the Kauravas' joy and Bhima's fury. Bhima vented his anger against Yudhishtra, but Arjuna calmed him. The Kuru elders cautioned against proceeding after this, but Duryodhana with Karna's support was almost delirious with the victory so complete and easily won against the Pandavas. He sent a charioteer, Pratikami, to fetch Draupadi to the court from her chambers. She refused to comply, asking if Yudhishtra had lost himself first, what right did he have to even stake her? Infuriated at her response, Duryodhana commanded Dusshasana to go and drag Drauapdi into the court. Dragged in much against her will, Draupadi's sorry state was too much for the elders to bear, but all they could do was to voice their concerns.  

Karna  insulted Draupadi as a slave and suggested that she should be disrobed. Dusshasana attempts this, but with  Krishna's blessing, Draupadi stays robed and protected. Duryodhana indicated that she sit on his lap and hearing this and roaring in fury, Bhima swore an oath to break this thighs in battle. Gandhari and other court elders heard a lot of bad omens like wolves howling and the sound of fire and thunder. Alarmed that this predicted  awful things in the future, Gandhari, Vidura and the other elders counseled Duryodhana and Dhritarashtra to make peace with the Pandavas. Forced to this end and fearful for his children's lives due to the wrath of the Pandavas, Dhritarashtra offered Draupadi two boons. She asked for Yudhishtra's freedom with one boon and for the rest of the Pandava brothers' freedom with the next. She refused any more boons. Dhritarashtra forcibly gave back their kingdom and all the wealth that Yudhishtra had lost in the game. As the Pandavas were leaving, Duryodhana counseled by his coterie, called them back again for another game, with the loser having to go into exile for 13 years, one of which should be spent undercover (not being identified as to who they really were).  Yudhisthtra, bound by the code of conduct, agreed again and lost this game also. As they were leaving, the Kauravas made fun of them. Angered, Arjuna swore to kill Karna in battle, and Sahadeva swore to kill Shakuni. Bhima had already marked Duryodhana and Dusshasana as his targets in the battle to come. 

Seeing the Pandavas leave, the citizens were all saddened and many wanted to go with him. He asked them all to return as he could no longer afford to take care of their food arrangements. One of the brahmins advised him to pray to Surya. Accordingly, Yudhishtra worshipped Surya and pleased with his devotion, Surya gave him the akshaya patra and said that this copper bowl would be inexhaustible, with meats, grains, vegetables and fruits coming from it everyday, until Draupadi eats for the day. Delighted with this, the Pandavas made preparations to spend the next several years in exile. 

3. Reminders:

    - Tomorrow, March 1st, is Spirit Day. Wear Green!!

    - No need to bring bags for bala vihar classes, but language classes are on. Please plan accordingly.

    - Geeta Chanting Yajna is March 28th at the ashram. Please register the children and keep them practicing chanting at home. 

Regards

Abhirami Shrinivas

Rekha G Pai

Feb 9, 2020 - Grade 5 (Sunday AM)

Hari Om!

Here is a brief summary of class activities for Week 15 and 16 - Feb 2 and Feb 9, 2020.

1. Opening Prayers

2. Mahabharata:

- We caught up with the Pandavas in Indraprastha - Yudhishtra was well-loved by the people and well-regarded by all the kings. He ruled for 36 years, and was at the time visited by Sage Narada. He blessed the Pandavas and relayed to Yudhishtra a message from Pandu from Indraloka  - Yudhishtra should perform the Rajasuya yagna and establish himself the Emperor. Motivated by this and the support of his brothers, Krishna and his counselors, Yudhishtra decided to proceed with the yagna. Krishna advised that Jarasandha, the king of Magadha had to be defeated as he will not accept Yudhishtra as a sovereign. He had also imprisoned many kings to perform a sacrifice.  With Krishna's sage guidance, Arjuna and Bheema went to Magadha in disguise and requested one-to-one combat with Jarasandha. He chose Bheema to fight and after many gruelling rounds, Bheema killed Jarasandha. After crowing Jarasandha's son Sahadeva ,king, the Pandavas and Krishna left. Invitations were sent to all kings and they all joyously greeted the news. The elders and family members from Hastinapura took part in helping administer the yajna. At the beginning of the yajna, the first honors were decided to be given to Krishna. But Shishupala, Krishna's cousin was angered by this. He insulted Krishna and was on the verge of instigating a fight inspite of Bheeshma's acceptance of Krishna as the chief honoree. Listening to his string of insults, Krishna forgave him up to a 100 times on account of a promise he made to his aunt (Shishupala's mother). But as Shishupala continued beyond, Krishna killed him with his Sudarshana chakra. 

   The yajna proceeded and was completed successfully. Duryodhana spent some time in the magnificent palace built by Maya. It was filled with special features like a pond like floor and floor-like water features. Duryodhana slipped and fell into the water feature thinking it was a floor. He felt thoroughly insulted by this and it further fueled his jealousy at all the wealth and respect the Pandavas had gained. He went back to Hastinapura and vented to Shakuni, Karna and Dhritarashtra. Against their advice to be content with what he had, he insisted that he should have everything that the Pandavas had. Karna wanted an open war but Shakuni advised more clever means. He asked Duryodhana to invite the Yudhishtra to a dice game. By the code of conduct of the Kshatriyas, he could not refuse. He was not very good at the game, and Shakuni being an expert could easily make him bet and lose a great deal. Against his own better instincts, Dhritarashtra agreed and sent Vidura to invite Yudhishtra to the game.

   Vidura went to Indraprastha with the invitation . Yudhishtra fully  realized that this was not a simple invitation. He had been warned by Vyasa at the Rajasuya yajna that a troubling period was upon the Kurus. Due to this warning, he (Yudhishtra) had also taken an oath  that he would not disagree with anyone in the family to avert any major fights.  Bound by his own oath and the Kshatriya code of conduct, he, with his brothers, Draupadi and Kunti left for Hastinapura.

3. Stage Performance: 

 - The children did a brilliant job with stage performance on Feb 9th. Pictures and videos are shared in the WhatsApp group.

4. Geeta Chanting:

 - Registrations for Geeta Chanting Yajna are now open. 

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSc-vwjXd0JcjPT8yEAVsWbydY7INMQKUHJfNP_ZQFkRq17N4A/viewform

Regards,

Abhirami Shrinivas

Rekha G Pai

Jan 26, 2019 - Grade 5 (Sunday AM)

Hari Om,

This update is for weeks 14 and 16 - Jan 12 and Jan 26, 2020.

Geeta Chanting:

- We learnt up to verse 23 in Chapter 1. This completes the required number of verses for the       Geeta Chanting Yajna for the grade level. 

The rest of the class time was taken with practicing for the stage performance on Feb. 9th.

Regards,

Abhirami Shrinivas

Rekha G. Pai

Jan 5, 2019 - Grade 5 (Sunday AM)

Hari Om!

Here is a brief summary of class activities on January 5th, 2020 -  week 13.

1. Beginning Prayers:

   - We finished learning Ganesha Stava. Please have the children practice at home.

2. Mahabharata:

   - On the advice of Sage Narada, the brothers decided that Draupadi should never be the cause of separation between them. So they came up with the rule that when one of them was with Draupadi, the others should not disturb them. Any one who did should spend twelve years in the forest. One day, a brahmana came to Arjuna asking for help to recover his stolen cows. But Arjuna's weapons were in the place where Yudhishtra and Draupadi were at that time. Arjuna was torn between keeping his promise to the brothers and doing his duty to help the brahmana. Overcome by sense of duty, he walked in and got his weapons and helped the brahmana get back his cows. To honour his promise, he set out on a pilgrimage even though Yudhishtra asked him not to. On his travels, he came across the naga maiden Uloopi who was determined to marry him. On her request, he agreed to marry her. She gave him the boon that water creatures will always obey him and that he shall be invincible in water. He took leave of her and journeyed towards the Himalayas and visited many sacred sites. He walked along the seashore to Manipura, where he called on the King. He saw the princess Chitrangadha there and desired to marry her. He stayed there for three years and after the birth of a son (Babruvahana), left again on his journeys. He delivered five apsara maidens who were cursed to be crocodiles of their curse. He went back to Manipura and ceremonially gave Babruvahana to Chintrangadha's father as his heir. Then he travelled to Gokarna and eventually reached Prabhasa where he met Krishna. Krishna took him to Dwaraka, whre Arjuna saw Subadhra, Vasudeva and Rohini's daughter. He asked Krishna permission to marry her and Krishna happily offered to talk to their father. He also suggested that Arjuna elope with Subadhra. Arjuna agreed to this and took away Subadhra on her visit to the Raivatak mountains. Angered by this, the yadavas including Balarama wanted to fight Arjuna, but Krishna pacified them saying Arjuna was the right match for Subadhra. At the end of his twelve years exile, Arjuna brought Subadhra back to Indraprastha, where Draupadi made peace with her. Krishna visited Arjuna in Indraprastha. 

3. Stage performance on Feb 9th:

    - We have shared the script in the WhatsApp group - please make sure children have the lines memorized.

4. Geeta Chanting:

   - We have learned up to verse 18 in class. Do keep the children practicing.

5. Reminders:

    - Please make sure children are in class by 9:15am

    - Children should have a notebook for likhita japa.

Thanks

Abhirami Shrinivas

Relha G  Pai

Jan 5, 2020 - Grade 6 (Sunday AM)

Hari Om Parents,

Below is the update from our class grade 6 Sunday AM this week.

5th January  2020 / 9:15AM

Shlokas

We started with regular opening prayers. We reviewed first 5 verses of Guru Sthothram

Lesson-Mahabharatha

Recap- Gita Saaram and life lessons from Gita

Battle begins. First day of the war.
With 11 akshaunis and Bhisma pitamah as the commander in cheif, the kaurava army gets ready.

With 7 akshaunis and Dhristadyumna as the commander in chief, the Pandava army gets ready.
Bhisma and Arjuna attackig each other in the battle. Abhimanyu fighting fiercely.
Uttarakumara gets killed  by Salya, Sveta gets killed by Bhisma

End of the day1, Yudhistra is upset for the young boy's death ad Krishna peps up the Pandavas to look forward.

Day 2 of the battle – Krauncha (the crane) formation of the army by the pandavas. Eagle formation of the army by the Kauravas. Fierce Fight between Bhishma and Arjuna, Drona and Dhristadyummna, loss for Kauravas

        
Day 3 of the battle – Bhima  attack Kauravas.
Bhima fights with Duryodhana and makes him hurt badly, subsequently Duryodhana retires to his camp.
Bhisma's rage against Arjuna.
Krishna raises his Chakra on Bhishma eventually stopped by Arjuna.

     

Day 4 of the battle – Enter Gatothkacha. Casualties on kaurava army by the mighty Rakshas. More loss for Kauravas.
Bhima kill 8 brothers of Duryodhana.

Duryodhana is upset and flees away from the field

King Bhagadatta throws a javelin on Bhima that makes him wounded and he gets back.

In the camp an upset Duryodhana blames Bhisma for his loss. Bhisma gets ready for the next day with even more power and energy.

India the sacred land

Firstly we had an activity where each child gets to talk about themselves in their native Indian language.

Each one of them were at ease and expressed about themselves very beautifully and skillfully.

Languages of India –
*18 officially recognized languages of India, names of the languages spoken in different states, Ancient languages of India, National language of India.

*Official and classical language

· Sanskrit – Sanskrit the Devabhasha.

Mother of all European languages.

Classical standard language of Ancient India

Vedas are in Sanskrit. Rig, Yajur, Saama, Atharva- 4 vedas

Brahmanas- collection of vedic texts with commentaries.

Arayakas- Philosophies behind the ritual sacrifice of the Ancient Hindu Sacred Text.

Upanishads-the central philosophical concepts and ideas of Hinduism

Villages in Shimoga, Karnataka- Maddhur and Hosahalli and Jhiri in Madhya Pradesh speak Sanskrit as daily language.

Paanini, the ancient grammarian who gave the code for better understanding of the language.

It is believed that Lord Siva Himself gave clues for 14 sutras to His Devotee Paanini from the sound of His Damaru.

Gita Time- Today we learned verses 17 and 18 from our Dear Swamiji.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pi5gH8mGkLk&list=PLVaQ1AsTFVEK4MvW4zOX3dd7ct-7nFwWC&index=1

Please kindly sign up for the house contests.

https://temple.chinmayavrindavan.com/index.php/house-contests

Please have children bring in the likhita japa notebook to the class, thanks.

Requirements for class *We start at 9.15 with opening prayers and it will not be nice if kids walk in while the chanting is going on. Kindly please be inside the class room on or before 9.15. *Please send in a notebook and a pen or pencil and kindly remind them to note down important pointers which are written on the smart board as we explain. *Noting on a solid notebook is optional (kindly no loose papers, please. If yes, please file them accordingly then and there) Please remind kids to make a good choice. Next class is on 01/12/2020. Please write back or text with questions or queries you may have. Thank you all. Grade 6 teachers Sunday AM Latha Kakani and Vidhya Aiyer

Attachments area

Preview YouTube video Geeta Ch1 Verses 17 - 18

Dec 22, 2019 - Grade 5 (Sunday AM)

Hari Om!

Warm wishes for a blessed 2020!

Here is a brief summary of class activities on December 15th, week 11.

1. Beginning Prayers:

     - We are now learning Ganesha Stava, practiced verse 2 this week.

2. Mahabharata:

      - News of Pandavas being alive and having gained a powerful ally in Drupada through marriage to Drauapadi reached Hastinapura. Concealing his disappointment, Dhritarashtra pretended to welcome the news. Duryodhana and his cohorts thought about different ideas to separate or kill the Pandavas. Karna advocated outright attack. Dhritarashtra sought the advice of Bhishma and he advised giving the Pandavas half the kingdom. Drona and Vidura too concurred and asked Dhritarashtra to invite the Pandavas back. Much against the wishes of Duryodhana, the Pandavas received Khandavaprastha. With Sage Vyasa's blessings, they established a beautiful city called Indraprastha,  well-planned and well-protected. Many people came to settle in this city, making it prosperous and well-established. Yudhishtra ruled over Indraprastha, assisted by his brothers. One day, Arjuna and Krishna left for a trip. On their way, they were met by a brahmana who was really Agni in disguise. He asked for their help in burning down the Khandava forest. It was designated by Lord Shiva as a medicine for his ailment (he suffered from diminished vitality as he was overfed by too much offerings from years-long yagna!). Indra protected the forest as his friend, the snakeTakshaka lived in the forest with his family. Every time, Agni tried to burn the forest, Indra sent down rain. Arjuna asked Agni for a divine bow and inexhaustible quiver and divine chariot to help him do his best to help Agni.  Agni asked Varuna to give Arjuna the divine bow Gandeeva, the everfull quiver and a divine chariot and Krishna, the mace called Kaumodaki.  Agni gave Krishna the discus. With these divine weapons, Krishna and Arjuna thwarted all efforts by the devas to protect the Khandava forest. After much effort, the devas were told by a divine voice to give up the fight as Takshaka was away and safe, but the rest of the forest was destined to be burnt.  Indra graced Arjuna with his presence and blessed him that when he gets Shiva's Grace, he is destined to get divine weapons. Arjuna also gave asylum to Maya, an asura. Grateful to Arjuna, Maya revealed himself to be the architect of the Asuras. Krishna asked him to build a magnificent hall for Yudhishtra. Maya agreed and in the process of gathering his supplies for the hall, he also gifted a mace for Bhima and a conch, the Devadatta for Arjuna. 

3. Geeta Chanting:

    - We completed verses 14-16. Please have the children practicing at home.

4. Reminders:

      - Please have the children in class by 9:15am

      - We are doing likhita japa in class - children should have a notebook with a few pages dedicated to writing the        japa. Those who are registered for likhita japa can bring those notebooks.

      

Regards

Abhirami Shrinivas

Rekha G Pai

Dec 15, 2019 - Grade 5 (Sunday AM)

Hari Om!

Here is a brief summary of class activities on December 15th, week 11.

1. Beginning Prayers:

     - We started learning the Ganesha stava (Ajam nirvikalpam) and practiced the first verse. A recording of the prayer is attached.

https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B8meAAJoW4KZQUczOE5hVkZvNTJNU090RldidmViaWFCbjVR

2. Mahabharata:

    - As the Pandavas eagerly went to Kampilya to attend Draupadi's swayamvara, we learnt about Draupadi's birth and the interesting boon she had received from Lord Shiva. Drupada who was infuriated by his defeat at Drona's hands, wanted to have a son who would slay Drona. He went to Jaya and Upajaya, two brahmana brothers and asked them to perform a yagna that would grant this boon. They agreed and as the yagna progressed, the queen was not ready to receive the sanctified offering. As the offering should not be kept waiting, the brothers put it in the sacrificial fire. From that fire emerged a young man with full armor and a divinely beautiful young woman - the children that Drupada wanted. They were named Drishtadyumna and Krishnaa (Draupadi). Drishtadyumna was educated by Drona in warfare. Sage Vyasa visited the Pandavas and told them  that in her past birth, Draupadi had requested a boon of Lord Shiva to have a virtuous husband, but as she repeated it five times, she was blessed to have five husbands!He blessed that they would win her and earn much happiness.

   - Draupadi's swayamvara was set up to be an archery contest, where the one who would hit the moving target with five arrows shot at once through a mechanism would win her. All the assembled kings including Shishupala and Jarasandha tried and failed. Karna stepped up to try but Draupadi stopped him, saying she would not marry a charioteer's son. Furious, he went back to his seat. All the kings and princes withdrew and then Arjuna, who was in the guise of a Brahmana stepped up. Krishna and Balarama were present as invited guests and Krishna immediately recognized the Pandavas. Arjuna succeeded in the contest and this made the kings and princes who were present very angry. They decided to fight Drupada, but Bhima and Arjuna warded them off. Karna too withdrew after meeting his match in Arjuna. Krishna declared Draupadi to be properly won and the skirmishes stopped.The Pandavas returned to their dwelling with Draupadi and told Kunti to see the "alms" they had brought in for the day.  Without seeing, Kunti told them to share it. Once she noticed Draupadi, she was startled at her own words, but did not want her words to be proven false. Thus it was decided that all the Pandavas wed Draupadi. Krishna and Balarama who had followed them, and were gladly received by Kunti and the Pandavas. Drishtadyumna too found out the real identity of the Brahmana who had won his sister and Drupada invited them for a feast. At this feast, the true identity of the Pandavas was known by all.

3. Saints of India:

   - We learned about Avvaiyar, the poetess who was a staunch devotee of Lord Ganesha. She decided not to marry and prayed to become as an old person even while she was young. She was greatly revered for her felicity with the Tamil language. She was free to travel even between warring kingdoms and counsel kings. Her creations in the Tamil language are taught to this today in schools.

4. Geeta Chanting:

    - We completed verses 11-13. Please have the children practice at home. 

Regards,

Abhirami Shrinivas

Rekha G

Dec 8, 2019 - Grade 5 (Sunday AM)

Hari Om!

Here is a brief summary of class activities on December 8th, week  10.

1. Beginning Prayers:

     - We revised the Ganesha Pancharatnam, please have the children practicing this at home.

2. Mahabharata:

     - We started with the story from the escape of the Pandavas from the wax palace. The people in the town of Varanavrata were shocked that the palace had burned down and blamed Dhritarashtra and Duryodhana for this event. They intimated the King of the Pandavas' and Kunti's passing. He arranged for the last rites to be performed for the deceased. Meanwhile the Pandavas crossed the Ganga and reached a dense forest. They were tired and exhausted to travel anymore. Then Bhima gathered them all and carried them and started traveling. They all had a hard time, with physical exhaustion and hunger. Once when they were sleeping, a rakshasa by name Hidimba saw them and thought they were fit to be eaten. His sister Hidimbi however became really fond of Bhima. As Hidimba attacked the sleeping Pandavas, Bhima fought with him and killed him. Hidimbi requested Kunti to permit Bhima to marry her. Kunti agreed, and Bhima and Hidimbi got married.She had a son, Ghatotkacha and she promised that she and her son would always come and help them as and when needed. All they had to do was think of them. Kunti and the Pandavas left them and moved on in their journey. They wandered across many regions, belonging to various famous kings.  Once, they were met by Vyasa who offered them words of comfort and directed them to Ekachakrapura to the house of a brahmana. The Pandavas lived there, begging for their food and engaged in simple austerities. One day, they heard the father in the household cry out and they came to know that it was the family's turn to feed the demon Bakasura. Kunti offered Bhima, as she wanted to repay the host's generosity in taking care of them. Reluctantly they agreed. Bhima killed Bakasura and the townspeople began to wonder who did this great deed. The brahmana host just told the it was some one who was highly skilled in divine mantras who took pity oh him and did this deed. Time passed and one day, through visitors, Pandavas came to know about the princess Draupadi and her upcoming swayamvara. Draupadi was the daughter of Draupada, born from the sacrificial fire fro the yagna which Draupada performed to beget a son who would kill Drona. She was dark-skinned and fragrant, the most beautiful woman of her time. The Pandavas were eager to attend the swayamvara and so they took leave of their host and journeyed towards Kampilya. Vyasa met the Pandavas and informed them that Draupadi was destined to have five husbands and they were meant for her. 

On their way to Drupada's kingdom, Arjuna ran afoul of a gandharva named Angaraparna (Chitraratha) who was bathing in a river with his wife. In the battle that followed, Arjuna destroyed his chariot and defeated him, but spared his life. The grateful gandharva granted him divine vision and each of the brothers  hundred horses and promised to help him whenever he was in need.

Then, the Pandavas and Kunti reached Panchala and the Pandavas went to participate in the swayamvara. 

3. Geeta Chanting:

   - We have now learnt upto 10 verses in classes. Please have the children continue to practice at home, as we will continue to record and submit the verses to the Houses team.

4. Reminders:

   - Please make sure the children are in class by 9:15am

   - Remember to sign up for the stage performance on Feb 9th

   - Please send a note book (old/half-used is fine) or the likhita japa note book for writing in class.

Thanks

Abhirami Shrinivas

Rekha G Pai

Nov 24, 2019 - Grade 5 (Sunday AM)

Hari Om!

Here is a brief summary of the class activities from Week 9

1. Beginning Prayers:

         - We learnt the sixth verse of Ganesha Pancharatnam and completed the stotra. Please have the children continue to listen and practice it. 

2.  Saints of India: 

         - We had an open-ended discussion on the topic of "Guru", "Belief/Faith/Logic in Religion", "Asking Questions" and the like. It was an enriching experience with robust discussion all around. The children were interested to know that philosophies were established and defended by vigorous debate and Adi Shankara travelled around the country engaging in highly intellectual debates. They all seemed well aware of the value of a Guru in our lives, as someone who gives us peace and keeps us calm. We continued our discussion on Saints of India, learning about the selfless services of Mother Teresa and the unwavering devotion of Mira Bai. 

       -Mother Teresa was born as Agnes Gonxha Bojaxhiu in Skopje, Yugoslavia, in 1910. She was 12 when she felt a deep calling to become a missionary to spread His word. She trained to do missionary work and came to India in 1931. She was a teacher for several years, but strongly felt the need to serve. In 1948, she got permission from her Superiors and started serving the poor and the under-served ill people. Over course of time, her work expanded and she established " The Missionaries of Charity" in Calcutta. This is now an internationally respected service organization that cares for the poor and neglected people around the world. Mother Teresa has been awarded the Medal of Freedom (US), Magsaysay Award and the Nobel Peace Prize (1979).  After years of suffering from a weak heart, she breathed her last on 5th September, 1997.  

       - Mirabai was born in a royal family in Rajasthan, India. When she was 5 years old, she was given an idol of Krishna and she was inseparable from it. She believed that Krishna was her partner in life and developed an unwavering devotion towards Krishna. Even after she was married to the King of Chittor, Bhojaraja, she continued her worship of Krishna. The King respected her devotion and built a temple for Krishna where she could pray. But her other relatives resented this behaviour of hers and tried to harm her, even going to the extent of poisoning Mira. The poison had no effect on her and she continued, writing soul-stirring Bhajans in praise of Krishna. These bhajans are to this today extremely popular. It is said that even Emperor Akbar was very moved by her singing. The story of Mira's devotion spread far and wide. Towards the end of her life, she set out on a pilgrimage to Mathura and Dwaraka in Gujarat. She stayed at Dwaraka and one day in the middle of a prayer meeting, went into trance and left her bodily presence. 

3. Bhagavad Geeta Chanting:

         - We continued with Geeta chanting this week, working on verses 7 and 8. We will record the class chanting verses 5-8 this upcoming class, so please make sure the children practice the verses at home.

 Here is the youtube playlist for the children to listen to Swamiji chant and practice at home -

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rgiT0MDPnYU&list=PLVaQ1AsTFVEK4MvW4zOX3dd7ct-7nFwWC

There is also coaching for those interested,on (before the Friday session) and Saturday (2-3pm). Here is the link to register: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScwvWASOVvVJLOe4rc6LClWV4Mn9jRVkOxCb4eVaDu_vX_Eaw/viewform 

4. Reminders:

        - Please make sure the children are in class by 9:15am 

         - Registrations for Art contest, Shlokathon and Likhita Japa submissions are now open. 

         - Class stage performance is on Feb 9th, 2020. Please sign up in the attached spreadsheet to confirm your availability for              that date. Parents willing to help out with practices, costumes, props, AV are very welcome!

 https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1p1ecz2urWUMkeA-7udYHn_hlD9rrMnqeydZdQjKmycA/edit?usp=sharing

Thanks

Abhirami Shrinivas

Rekha G Pai

Nov 17, 2019 - Grade 5 (Sunday AM)

Hari Om!

Here is a brief summary of the class activities from Week 8

1. Beginning Prayers:

         - We learnt the fifth verse of Ganesha Pancharatnam and the children are doing well, following the words and singing along. If you still need the audio, let us know. 

2.  Mahabharata:

                - We continued with the story of the Pandavas, now completing their training under Drona. Drona decided to test them by pretending to be caught by a crocodile as they were all going along a river. Only Arjuna fought as well as he could with the crocodile to free Drona. Satisfied with his worth, Drona gave Arjuna the Brahmastra (this led to some discussions about nuclear weapons and the idea-  "with great power comes great responsibility!). 

               - As Gurudakshina, Drona requested that the princes avenge his insult at the hands of Drupada. They went immediately and defeated Drupada in war, giving Drona half the kingdom. Drona thus avenged was satisfied, but Drupada decided then and there that he would beget a son who would defeat Drona in war. He performed a yagna and out of that fire came Drishtadyumna, a strong warrior son and Draupadi, the most beautiful woman of her times. 

               - Meanwhile, in Hastinapura, Duryodhana, Karna and Shakuni were plotting on how to get rid of the Pandavas. They had very cleverly spread far and wide in the kingdom news of a famous festival for Shiva in the town of Varanavrata. They also had a house built of wax in that town. They then asked Dhritarashtra to let the Pandavas visit the town for the famous festival. The Pandavas happily agreed, but on their way out of Dhritarashtra's court, Vidura said something cryptic about moles and how they survive digging underground. Yudhistra caught that and gave it a lot of thought. When they reached the palace in Varanavarata, the Pandavas and Kunti could immediately smell something in the palace that made them doubt the safety of the palace. Yudhistra realized that this was what Vidura's warning was about. Soon, an expert in tunneling, sent by Vidura came to help them. He started work unknown to anyone digging a tunnel for the Pandavas to safely leave the house. They went about during the day, seeming carefree. One day, a poor woman with her five sons came looking for alms. Realizing this was a great opportunity, the Pandavas and Kunti offered them food and rooms in the palace to stay the night. As the visitors fell asleep, they set fire to the palace and escaped through the tunnels to a safe place chosen by Vidura. Everyone who saw the palace burning, found the skeletons of the poor woman and her five sons and thought it was the Pandavas and Kunti who had died in the fire.

3. Bhagavad Geeta Chanting:

         - We continued with Geeta chanting this week, working on verses 5 and 6. We recorded the class chanting verses 1-4, and sent it to the Houses team. The class earned full score of 30 points for Arjuna's Arrows! 

 Here is the youtube playlist for the children to listen to Swamiji chant and practice at home -

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rgiT0MDPnYU&list=PLVaQ1AsTFVEK4MvW4zOX3dd7ct-7nFwWC

There is also coaching for those interested,on (before thesFriday session) and Saturday. Here is the link to register: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScwvWASOVvVJLOe4rc6LClWV4Mn9jRVkOxCb4eVaDu_vX_Eaw/viewform

4. Reminders:

         - Please make sure the children are in class by 9:15am 

         - No class Dec 1st.

         - Registrations for Art contest, Shlokathon and Likhita Japa submissions are now open. 

Regards,

Rekha G Pai

Abhirami Shrinivas