Beginning prayers
· 'om' chanting - 3 times
· 'om' chanting - 3 times
· Meditation
· sahanaavavatu
· gurustotram
Gitaa chanting
· bhagavadgItaa 12th adhyaaya 1 - 15 shlokas
Story time
· Recap of previous stories
· sage Rushabha
· King bharata
· King bharata
Ending prayers and pledge
· pUrNamadaH pUrNamidam
· chinmaya aarati
· om jaya jagadIsha hare
· pledge
Rashmi Aunty and Indira Aunty:
Our class started with the prayers, meditation and gurustotram. In the gItaa chanting, we learnt till the 15th verse. Parents please be reminded to register your children for the gItaa chanting. The link is in the announcements above.
During story time, we revisited the story of pura~njana beautifully. Then we learnt the story of sage Rushabha. He was a king who, after ruling the kingdom well for a long time, handed over his kingdom to his son bharata. He then became a sage and meditated so intensely that he became a jIvanmukta (free from all attachments). He attained this by doing the right things.
To know what is the right thing to do, we heard another story where there was a king who had 3 questions in mind -
1. What is the most important work?
2. What is the best time to start the work?
3. Who is the most important person?
In quest for his answers, he went to a sage disguised as a common man. The king asked his 3 questions, but the sage was busily planting a bush. So the king bent down and helped him. Suddenly a wounded man, came to them bleeding and fainted in the king's arms. The sage and the king nursed him and took care of him through the night. Next morning, the wounded man fell at the king's feet begging for pardon. He was actually an enemy who had come to kill the king, but had got wounded by the king's soldiers at the bottom of the hill. But unknowingly, the king had saved him and saved himself in turn! The sage then answered his 3 questions. He said, the answers to your questions are right there
- the most important work is - that which is in FRONT of you
- the best time to do the work is - RIGHT NOW
- the most important person is - the person in FRONT of you
If we remember this, we will do the right thing always and become like sage Rushabha!
His son king bharata, after being a good king, came to a forest to meditate. While meditating, he saw a fawn (baby deer) drowning in a river. He saved it. But then, he got so attached to the deer that he even forgot his meditation. So, he was born as a deer in his next birth. He regretted his actions and wanted to get back to meditation. He was born as a human being in his following birth and he constantly meditated on the Lord. He achieved mokSha eventually! This showed us the importance of human birth, for, an animal can not meditate! Already blessed with a human birth, it becomes our prime goal to meditate and work towards the higher goal!
With that thought in mind, we finished with the ending prayers and a reminder to register for the gItaa chanting competition!
See you all in two weeks.
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Alka Aunty and Prasad Uncle:
As usual we started our class with 5 minutes of meditation, followed by chanting Guru Stotram. The children really enjoy singing the Dashavtar stotram.
We started a new story - the story of Priyavrata, the second son of Manu. In young age Priyavrata had decided to take sanyasa. But then his guru Naradji and his father convinced him. He got married and had 10 children, He ruled the land and he was a very riteous king.
The children listened to the story of a minister who was a great devoty of lord and always believed that "Every thing that happens, happens for the best"
Who is Jivanmuktah? One who is free from life. The one who always does right thing. Sage Rsabha was a jivan muktah. He had trained himself to do every action a right way. We explained the children how every action can be done right and wrong way, by making a right choice you can be free.
We chanted 13th shloka of the geeta chapter 12th.
The next Balavihar class will be on March 11th , 2012.
