Beginning prayers
· 'om' chanting - 3 times
· 'om' chanting - 3 times
· Meditation
· sahanaavavatu
· gurustotram
Gitaa chanting
· bhagavadgItaa 12th adhyaaya 1 - 20 shlokas
Story time
· indra and vRutraasura
· chitraketu
Ending prayers and pledge
· pUrNamadaH pUrNamidam
· chinmaya aarati
· om jaya jagadIsha hare
· pledge
Rashmi Aunty and Indira Aunty:
All of our chantings are coming along very well! We finished learning the words to all the 20 verses of the 12th chapter! We still have a whole month to practice before the competition. The children have promised to practice regularly and by April 1st class, they will chant in class, without looking at the script. Good luck everyone. Practice well!
Today we heard the story of indra and vRutraasura, as well as chitraketu. Once when indra got proud and arrogant, he ignored his teacher bRuhaspati. So, the teacher abandoned the devas and went away. So the devas got a 'substitute' ;) teacher vishwaroopa (son of tvaShTa). He was part deva and part asura. So he was teaching the asuras on the side. On learning this, indra was angry and killed vishwaroopa. In turn, his father tvaShTa performed a yagna and created a very powerful asura called vRutra. vRutraasura's task was to fight the devas. He was destroying the devas very easily. On shiva's advise, indra made a weapon (vajra-aayudha) with the bones of a dadIchi (a great devotee of Lord viShNu). Although vRutra was a demon, when he saw the weapon made of the bones of viShNu's devotee, he was willing to be killed with it. So he swallowed indra and the weapon, so indra had to rip him open to come out.
It does seem strange why vRutraasura was being so honorable. That brings us to the background story, that of chitraketu. He was a very good man. But one day, when he was travelling around mount kailash, he saw Lord shiva and paarvati sitting together and made a rude comment. At this, Lord shiva did not respond, but mother paarvati cursed him that he will be born as an asura, for having not had a hold on his tongue. Hence, he was born as vRutraasura. With this, we learnt that our tongue can be our very best friend as well as our worst enemy, depending on how we use it!
Along with these stories, we also discussed about our last week's story of ajaamiLa and the thoughts we were talking about. Please talk to your children more about their thoughts in this regard.
Happy ugaadi/gudi paaDwa to you all.
________________________________________________
Today we heard the story of indra and vRutraasura, as well as chitraketu. Once when indra got proud and arrogant, he ignored his teacher bRuhaspati. So, the teacher abandoned the devas and went away. So the devas got a 'substitute' ;) teacher vishwaroopa (son of tvaShTa). He was part deva and part asura. So he was teaching the asuras on the side. On learning this, indra was angry and killed vishwaroopa. In turn, his father tvaShTa performed a yagna and created a very powerful asura called vRutra. vRutraasura's task was to fight the devas. He was destroying the devas very easily. On shiva's advise, indra made a weapon (vajra-aayudha) with the bones of a dadIchi (a great devotee of Lord viShNu). Although vRutra was a demon, when he saw the weapon made of the bones of viShNu's devotee, he was willing to be killed with it. So he swallowed indra and the weapon, so indra had to rip him open to come out.
It does seem strange why vRutraasura was being so honorable. That brings us to the background story, that of chitraketu. He was a very good man. But one day, when he was travelling around mount kailash, he saw Lord shiva and paarvati sitting together and made a rude comment. At this, Lord shiva did not respond, but mother paarvati cursed him that he will be born as an asura, for having not had a hold on his tongue. Hence, he was born as vRutraasura. With this, we learnt that our tongue can be our very best friend as well as our worst enemy, depending on how we use it!
Along with these stories, we also discussed about our last week's story of ajaamiLa and the thoughts we were talking about. Please talk to your children more about their thoughts in this regard.
Happy ugaadi/gudi paaDwa to you all.
________________________________________________
Alka Aunty and Prasad Uncle:
Here is the blog for March 17th 2012
We started today's class with 5 minutes meditation followed by chanting Guru stotram. The children are learning the Dasavtar stotram.
We revised the story we did in last class - the story of king Bharata who gets attached to a small deer and think of the deer at the last moment of his life, because of which he takes next birth of a deer. The children learnt that what person thinks at the last moment of his life the same desires he carries to his next birth.
Through the story of Ajamila we leaned how the bad company can change the person and makes the person get in to the trouble. Also how the person thinks of the lord a t the last moment of his life and gets the blessing of the lord.
The children learned the story of Indra's pride and Chitraketu taking birth as Vrtasura.
We chanted chapter 12th of Geeta upto 15th shloka.
Wish you all a happy new year on the celebration of yugadi and Gudhi padva on March 23rd
See you next Sunday March 25th, 2012.
Regards
Alka Aunty and Prasad uncle.
