Dear Parents
Hari Om!
A very warm welcome to our grade 8 Sun PM class of 2024-2025.
On Day 1, we were very happy to meet & greet our new and returning students in the Madhava classroom with a hearty Hari Om. After the Pranayama, 3 Oms & Sahanavatu, we briefly introduced ourselves as the class teachers. Then we moved on to the beginning prayers - Green book pages 11,12,13) & 3 verses of Gurustotram. Soon it was time for an icebreaker game of " Name Chain" - to get to know each other.
Ice Breaker Game : Students & teachers sat in a circle. One person said his/her name & a favorite thing. The next person repeated the name & the favorite thing of the person who went before him, and added on his/her own name & favorite activity. It continued, with each person building on. It was fun & very challenging - our students enjoyed it as they challenged their memories.
We then went over some ground rules to make the class run smoothly. We requested that the students bring their My Prayers book, two notebooks (one for Likhita Japa & another to jot down key points), and a pen or pencil. Later provided an overview of the class curriculum for this year.
Stotras: Gita dhyanam, Tapovan Shatakam
Topics: Yato Dharma Tato Jayah (developed from Mahabharata), with a focus on Dharma and moral lessons.
Symbolism in Hinduism, with an in depth exploration of what our Deities stand for & the meaning/significance of the festivals attributed to each of them.
Bhagavad Gita: Chapter 5 chanting (29 verses).
The reference book is the Mahabharata book by C Rajagopalachari (can be purchased from Amazon).
We gave an overview of the topic of this year's Yato Dharma Tato Jayah, the summary of which is outlined below.
In order to be victorious one has to
- Avoid Sins (of Body, Mind, Speech)
- Perform Right Actions. We will learn about Performing Right Actions through
- Key events and characters from Mahabharata.
- We will learn the cause, effect and lessons learned from each of them.
- The answers of Yudhishtra to all of the Yaksha Prashnas constitutes the second part of learning from Mahabharata.
- Sanatana Dharma Values teach us a lot on how to Perform Right Actions.
- How fixing a goal and developing a road map and following it to achieve the goal can help with Performing Right actions.
- We will end the course by learning all the 35 values prescribed by Lord Krishna which when followed will qualify anyone to become the Lord's darling devotee.
This section of the class was quite interactive with kids participating enthusiastically.
After this overview, we shared the context around which this title of the topic was first used in Mahabharata. Bhishma Pitamah had mentioned to Duryodhana before the war began that there is Dharma where there is Krishna and where there is Dharma there is Victory. Therefore he advised him to make peace with Pandavas with the help of Lord Krishna. Duryodhana refused to listen to him and everyone had to bear the negative consequences of his arrogance.
To be victorious, we must know how to act (karma) and live by Dharma. This sagely-wise advice constitutes the core essence of this curriculum.
We handed the students handbook which contains the BV calendar, Class curriculum, Geeta Chapter 5, Aarti, Pledge, Coordinators' info & other BV related information.
Our class WhatsApp is active with relevant information. Please use the below link to join whatsapp if you have already done so.
https://chat.whatsapp.com/FzH3ize2EnS9zNtt0hd2gS
Key Events & Dates:
- Thanksgiving Seva project- November 16, 2024 , Saturday
- Annadanam- March 25, 2025, Saturday
- Gita chanting Regionals : April 26, 2024, Saturday
- Monthly program- May 18, 2025, Sunday
Adding additional dimensions to the learning, we will try to include Virtual games, discussions, videos, enactments, and other creative activities. We hope to enhance our classroom learning further with field trips. We encourage each student to participate actively in all activities, and strive to attend all the sessions for the year. Every year students with perfect attendance will receive a Special Recognition Award at the annual graduation ceremony.
Our next class is on September 22, 2024. Looking forward to a lot of learning, growth and a rewarding time together this year!
Hari Om.
Vyjayanti ji and Sapna ji
