Hari Om! Parents,
Reminder: Registrations are open for the BV Houses Contests. Please register using the links posted in the Parents WhatsApp Group.
Week 12 Class
We began with likhita japa, followed by opening prayers. The class learned verse 6 of the Mahishasura Mardini Stotram today.
Mahabharata
Karna Parva: After the death of Dronacharya, Duryodhana is overjoyed to finally make Karna his commander-in-chief. We quickly spoke about the curses that Karna had before going to battle.
The 16th day of war began, and the rest of the Pandavas protected Arjuna from Karna. Karna battled them all and defeated them one by one. He spared their lives since he knew they were his brothers.
Finally, on the 17th day, Karna faced Arjuna in a fierce battle. Karna's chariot was stuck in the mud, and he got down to lift the wheel. Upon Lord Krishna's order, Arjuna killed Karna.
The children shared their thoughts about some of the good qualities of Karna - great warrior, charitable, brave, and loyal friend.
Duryodhana is filled with grief at the loss of Karna but still refuses to surrender. He appoints king Shalya as the next commander-in-chief.
We paused the story here, and the children discussed whether Duryodhana had any good qualities - determination and a great friend were a few they came up with.
India The Sacred Land
Topic: Our Emblems and India's Republic Day
India celebrates its 76th Republic Day on January 26, 2025. We spoke about the special parade that was held in the capital city, Delhi. Here is a link to this year's parade.
The children correctly identified all the national symbols of India and we spoke about the reasons those symbols were chosen. Class heard stories about king Ashoka, the Dharma Chakra and the Saranath emblem.
We also spoke about the highest honor of Padma Bhushan given to Kshama Didiji of Chinmaya Mission in 2008. This was to recognize her work for CORD, rural development and women empowerment.
We discussed the lines in the pledge - "the service of our country...".
Gita Chanting
Today, we learned verses 17 and 18 from our Swamiji and revised verses 1-16 of chapter 5.
More details at: https://www.chinmayavrindavan.org/activities/geeta-chanting
We ended class early to go and watch the Grade 1 performance on stage. The session ended with pledge recitation.
- Rashmi Kuroodi and Sangeetha Srikanth
Supplies needed for every class:- Bala Vihar Handbook, My Prayers book, the Junior Class Workbook Part 1 & 2, a notebook and pencils for likhita japa; everything in their Bala Vihar bag.
*Reference books - Mahabharata by Rajagopalachari / Mahabharata by Kamala Subramaniam
