Hari Om Parents,
We started our class by writing Likhitha jaapa (writing the name of any Ishta devata god's name) and chanted Nirvana Shatakam and Chapter5 of Bhagavad Gita all Slokas and we recorded the same and shared it with Parents. All the kids chanted most of the shlokas looking at it very well. Please help kids memorize the shlokas.
We continued with India the sacred land. We talked about the Saints of India.
Sant Gyaneshwar:- He was born in 1275 AD near Maharashtra and lived for a very short period of 21 yrs. His parents died very young and he and his siblings were left alone. He wrote gynaeshwari which is in Bhagavad gita. He is believed to have brought a dead man back alive.
Sant Tukaram:- Tukaram was born in 1608 AD in Maharashtra and lived near Pune and was a great devotee of Panduranga Vittala. He was a farmer. He was against all the norms of the society during that time. The songs composed by Tukaram are called Abhangs.
Sant Kabirdas:-Sant Kabir das was born in 1440 AD near Varanasi to a Brahmin family, but his mother left him as soon as he was born and he was raised by Muslim family. His compositions are called Dohas. Kabirdas believed that true devotion is not about rituals but about pure love for God. One day, people from different religions argued about which one was the best. Kabirsdas taught them that God is in every heart, regardless of religion.
Sant Meera bai:- Meera bai was a princess of the Rajput clan. She always used to carry the idol of Krishna wherever she used to go. She was married off to a prince and her in-laws never liked her devotion to Krishna always and immersed in ever singing on the lord Krishna. Once they tried to poison her and she drank it thinking it was Prasad from lord and her devotion to Krishna turned it into Nectar just like prahlada.
Sant Surdas:- Surdas was born in 1478 AD in uttar pradesh and was born blind and was immersed in worship of Krishna. The poems composed by him on lord Krishna are called Sursagars. Even though he was blind he was getting visions of Lord Krishna.
Saint Thyagaraja:- Saint Tyagaraja was born in 1767 AD in tamilnadu , he was a very great devotee of Lord Rama. All his compositions are very famous and are sung by all Carnatic musicians. He composed about thousands of songs. Tyagaraja is one of the trinity of Carnatic music.
Saint Purandardas:-Purandardas was born in 1484 AD in Karnataka , he was a very wealthy merchant and never believed in god. He turned to spirituality after experiencing a life-changing moment. He gave up his riches and started composing devotional songs for Lord Vishnu. He is credited with simplifying Carnatic music to make it accessible to everyone.. All his compositions have the signature of Purandar Vittala. He is called the Father of Carnatic music, he structured Carnatic music on how to learn and be taught.
It was time for Grade 6 play and we all headed to our Prayer hall.
We encourage parents to help kids to learn Chapter 5 of Bhagavad Gita along with other prayers taught in class. Attaching the presentation discussed in class.
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 (Printouts were shared)
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 link to Gita by our swamiji is as below.
https://youtu.be/1RnjJPiI9y0?si=_IeXKqpWjrPoqNbO
Please make sure to send the below to every Balavihar class.
1. An empty notebook to write Likhitha jaapa and notes.
2. Two sharpened pencils.
3. Daily Prayers book.
4. Balavihar Handbook
With Regards,
Shivram & Anuradha
