Hari:Om! Parents,
We hope that at least a few of you were able to attend and participate in our year end Sampoornaramayana yagna with our Swamiji and the mesmerising Radhakalyanam. It feels like we have been having one break after the other, hopefully after our winter break we will be back with our class at full strength. We know that sometimes we have unavoidable circumstances when we are unable to be at BalaVihar, but we sure hope that we can have all the kids back as we are deep into our content.
For the few who were able to come in early, they were given an opportunity to "try" to view the stereograms. We use this as a time for concentration with some guidance. We are still at 2/27 for being able to view at least one of our stereograms. Hopefully all the kids will be able to figure it out soon. We had some rich conversations about "breaks (winter/summer breaks in particular)" and our expectations (from our parents/of ourselves).
After our daily prayers, we jumped right into our "Key to Success" part of our syllabus. After a brief recap of where we paused, we talked about where this subject is actually leading to and made them see that these are the steps or formula to be successful regardless of how 'Success' is defined individually. Even though we just completed Bharatha's character analysis, and the trio are still in Chitrakoota, we had to leap forward. We asked the kids what the meaning of Gita is. We got several interesting responses and then a few that said "song". Then we asked who Vibhishana is and yes, most of the kids responded by saying that he is Ravana's brother.
We took the kids to the point in the 6th canto on the battlefield.
Vibhisana Gita- From RamcharitManas by Tulsidas ji. The conversation between Vibhisana who was really concerned and showed compassion for Rama who just stood on the battle ground with just His bow and arrows, while Ravana had all magical weapons and blackmagic which does anything to win over the opponent.
Lord Rama told Vibhisana not to worry and He is ready to face Ravana with the Dharma chariot He has. The Lord says anyone having this chariot sees only victory and hence it is also called the Vijaya Ratha. We discussed 'who is Rama" and expressed that what is within is more important than the showy exterior. We then talked about who is "Ravana' and how he is visually so powerful to look at on the battlefield.
Our conduct in the world is either like Rama or Ravana. When we are overcome by negativity like hate, anger, jealousy we become like Ravana, on the other hand, when we are full of love and compassion, we are like Rama.
We talked about watching T.V. it doesn't mean that we are looking at the T.V., what interests us is what the actual program is. likes and dislikes differ for different people and if we don't like the program that;s on, we turn the TV off. We discussed happiness from "within" and about permanent bliss. All in terms of how Rama is the ideal person and was able to be a source of delight to all.
We discussed the story of Lord Shiva and Parvathi's palace housewarming ceremony to further discuss "Ravana's" character traits even though he was probably Lord Shiva's #1 devotee.
We will continue to discuss the various parts of the dharma chariot in detail in our upcoming classes. The kids will put together and present their own Dharma Chariot as our year end assignment. Our class stage performance will be on April 6th as mentioned during our 1st class. Please make sure that all the kids are available as we are all excited to put together our presentation.
Ramayanam
Bharatha's Meeting with Rama:
We discussed Bharatha's heartfelt efforts to convince Rama to return to Ayodhya. His selflessness was evident not only in his symbolic gesture of taking Rama's sandals back to Ayodhya as a representation of Rama's rule but also in his choice to stay outside Ayodhya. This act demonstrated Bharatha's genuine desire for Rama to be the rightful king.
Sita's Courage:
We acknowledged Sita's incredible strength and courage in choosing to share the hardships of exile with Rama, emphasizing her unwavering commitment and resilience.
Introduction to Ayodhya Kanda:
To wrap up, we provided a brief overview of Ayodhya Kanda. After hearing of Dasaratha's passing, Rama expressed his desire to move to a different location for a change of scenery. This marks the moment when Rama, Sita, and Lakshmana leave the outskirts and fully enter the forest, transitioning into the next phase of their journey.
Gita Time- we learned the next 4 verses from chapter 5
We have asked the kids to prepare notes for our next class and they will be able to refer to the notes for our quiz. They are welcome to browse our blog to take notes. We do not have class next week due to winter break. Wishing you all a wonderful holiday season. Have a nice time with friends and family, we will see you all back in 2025 (on Jan 5th) for our next class.
Warm regards,
Rahul and Keerthi
