Hari Om Parents,
We started our class by writing Likhitha jaapa (writing the name of any Ishta devata god's name), then followed by daily prayers (Page 11 of My Prayers book). Ridah led prayers for class this week along with chanting of Ganesha Panchratnam. We request parents to help children to learn the Daily Prayers.
We continued our Mahabharata story.
Story of Bhīma- After Pandu's death, Pandavas started living in hastinapura along with their cousins Duryodhana's and his brothers. Bhīma was always playing pranks on kauravas and showing off his strength. He would shake the trees and make all the leaves, fruits fall down. He would take a couple kauravas and swirl them around. This annoyed Dhuryodhana's and his brothers.
Dhuryodhana's hatched a plan to kill Bhīma so that in he kills Bhīma then he can easily take down other Pandavas. Along with his uncle Sakuni they hatch a plan to kill Bhīma. They keep a completion to swim in the river Ganges, and Bhīma wins all the time, later they challenge Bhīma to eat the food, Bhīma eats all the food which actually has sleeping aid and poison to it, no sooner than he eats he falls asleep.
Dhuryodhana's and his brothers tie him up and throw in a river where there are poisonous snakes.
Bhīma sinks down and is bitten by snakes. The venom in the snake and the poison in food both neutralize and he gains consciousness and starts to hit the snakes. The king of the snakes comes to the scene as he hears about the commotion that a young kid is bashing up the snakes. Then he demands Bhīma on who he was, when he hears Bhīma is Kunti's son. The king of Snakes welcomes him and tells that he knows his mothers and treats Bhīma well and gives him a drink which makes Bhīma get the strength of 100 elephants. He sent Bhīma back to his home along with a lot of presents and gifts.
Back in Hastinapura, Kunti checks with Yudhishthira where Bhīma is? They search for him and find him nowhere. Kunti goes to Vidhura and tells of the disappearance of Bhīma. They both suspect Bhīma's missing to be some plot by Duryodhana's and are very worried. Just when they happen to go in search of Bhīma, Bhīma comes back to the palace smilingly along with the gifts. Kunti and Vidhura come to know what has happened and tell Bhīma to keep this low and not to get into the eyes of kauravas especially Dhuryodhana since they know his hatred towards Bhīma.
The Wax Palace:-
Time passes by and both Pandavas and kauravas grow up under the guidance of Bheeshma, Kripacharya and Dronacharya. As they are growing up the hatred also grows for kauravas towards Pandu's sons.
One day Sakuni tells Duryodhana to tell his father to send Pandavas to the city of Varanavata as Yudhishthira is crown prince of hastinapura and can participate in yearly festivals. At this Duryodhana is very angry and tells his uncle that he is upset with this suggestion. Then Sakuni says that he is building a palace made of flammable materials and once right time he would set it to fire. He appoints a person by name purochana to do this for them in the city of Varanavata.
Dhritarstra likes the proposal of Duryodhana and summons Yudhishthira and tells him to go to Varanavata along with his brothers and mom to attend this annual festival there and represent the king.
Bhīma and Arjuna are very suspicious of this activity. But Yudhishthira says that it is dharma to obey the king. Vidhura then tells Yudhishthira in a dialect that when there is forest fire the mouse digs a tunnel and escapes.
Pandavas leave Vidhura and Dhritarashtra and head to the city of Varanavata. They are welcomed by purochana who shows them the beautiful palace built for them. Everyone suspects the palace and finds it fishy and smelly. One miner comes and greets Yudhishthira one day and tells him he is sent by Vidhura and that when there is forest fire the mouse digs a tunnel to escape.
Yudhishthira understands the reason for the miner being sent by Vidhura. Everyday Pandavas explore the surroundings of Varanavata and purochana accompanies them. When they are all gone out in forests this miner digs tunnels for the escape. After the yearly festival is complete the Pandavas stay in Varanavata for some time until the miner completes the tunnel for escape.
After it is completed, the miner takes leaves and goes back to hastinapura. Yudhishthira tells Bhīma, his brothers and Kunti that they need to disrobe their princely clothes and escape through the tunnel after setting the palace on fire. He suggests his mother to arrange a feast that evening and feed everyone well and after everyone sleeps they need to put their plan into action.
Kunti makes a great feast and feeds everyone. After everyone sleeps Pandavas leave in incognito dress and leave through the tunnel after Bhīma sets the palace to fire.
Everyone thinks that Pandavas are burnt alive including purochana this news is reached to hastinapura and silently Dhritarashtra Sakuni and Dhuryodhana are happy silently while everyone grieves at the loss of kunti and her sons. Pandavas actually escape through the tunnel into forests which they were exploring all the while.
Story of Banasura:-
While walking for long distances all the sons of pandu and kunti are exhausted and Bhīma being mighty tries to carry his mother and brothers and starts walking in forests.
After some time, Kunti says that she can no longer travel and needs to rest. Yudhishthira tells Bhīma and Arjuna to go and see how the village which they see nearby is safer to go or not. Bhīma and Arjuna go into the village and enquire about it, they meet villagers who invite them to come and stay in their village EkachakraNagari. Bhīma and Arjuna go back and tell Yudhishthira that the village looks safe and they found a place to stay in a Brahmin family who are ready to spare a room and kitchen to live.
The Pandavas disguise themselves as Brahmins and start living in villages. Kunti tells her sons that they need to share anything they get equally, living as Brahmins the Pandavas also go begging for food in the village of Ekachakra nagari. One day Kunti overhears her hosts talking and in grief.
The Brahmin hosts are discussing who needs to take food as it was their turn to take food to the rakshasa Bakasura. The man tells his wife that being head of the family he would take this responsibility. Wife tells the husband that she cannot live without him. The older daughter says that she would want to help the family. The mother and father tell the girl that it is very sweet of her to think of them but the girl is Lakshmi of the house and they cannot do this to her. Their little son turns up and tells them that he is going to slay bakasura and everyone laughs their sorrow.
When kunti tells Brahmin hosts that she wants to help and understand initially they refuse but later tell that their village was cursed and a rakshasa by name Bakasura used to come and kill everyone and anyone and attack the village of Ekachakra Nagari. The ruler of the place flees, unable to protect it from Banasura's clutches. People of ekachakra nagari make a deal with bakasura that they would send a cart load of food from one home every week and to spare them. This week was the host's turn.
Kunti says that she would send her son and in this way help the hosts. Yudhishthira and Kunti ask Bhīma to help out and Bhīma who is always eager for challenges is ready to go fight Bakasura. Bhīma takes a cart load of food to Bakasura and on the way is hungry with the smell of food. Bhīma thinks it is ok to eat some food since he was not given a full meal after leaving Varanavarta.
Bhīma starts to eat one box and then goes on to empty the entire cart. He goes to Bakasura and seeing the cart with no food angry Bakasura fights Bhīma. Bhīma defeats Bakasura and kills him and the entire people of Ekachakranagari thank Kunti and her sons.
It was time for our Gita Chanting by Swami Ji, we learnt shlokas 10, 11 from chapter 5, and also we practiced chanting from 1-9 slokas of chapter5. It was time for our Aarthi hence we headed to Prayer hall.
PLEASE NOTE NO BALAVIHAR UNTIL JANUARY 3RD 2025.
Happy holidays and A Very Happy New Year 2025
Few Links for learning to chant.
1. Ganesha Panchratnam (Page 30 in My Prayers).
1.1. Link to rendition with lyrics in English https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B4lZCKxeJFE or
1.2 Link: https://youtu.be/Oyo0FWP9fB8?si=ZaYVDepNkX0YWShI (play at lower speeds for kids to follow lyrics and hear clearly
2. Nirvana Shatakam (we will handover Printout in December.)
2.1 https://youtu.be/rKx7K13OvQ4?si=lM6g_ZtX0kdF5Sfo - Uninterrupted Line Guided Chant - YouTube
3. Bhagavad Gita Chapter 5 (1-29 shlokas) is available in the 2024-25 year handbook. The handbook was given to all kids. If your child doesn't have a handbook please collect it from the book store.
With Regards,
Anuradha
