SECTION 1 & 2- ( 03/16/14 BALVIHAR WEEK :18)

Hari Om!!

We started our class with chanting "Om" and did Guru Stotram. Then we practiced Bhagavad Gita chanting. Please make sure kids are practicing at home and get them registered for the competition by March 20th. Third graders are supposed to memorize up to the 20th verse. The Bhagavad Gita prelims competition is on March 30th.

Today we had combined the third grade class for doing the Trenton Area Soup Kitchen seva project. Thank you all very much for your contributions. We discussed the importance of "Seva" and the importance of sharing with the less privileged. We made the children do the bagging part so that they will feel that they are a part of the project. They enjoyed decorating their bags and writing some nice notes on it. Each child packed four bags which included mac and cheese, a fruit bowl, juice box and crackers. We are posting some of the wonderful work of our kids seva activity. They did such a good job. A big thank you to all our dear little helping hands !!! :-) 










We concluded our class with arati and pledge in the auditorium. 

Warm Regards,

Deepthy Aunty & Rama Aunty (Section 1)

Indira Aunty & Shrinivas Uncle (Section 2)

SECTION 1 & 2- ( 03/09/14 BALVIHAR WEEK :17)

Beginning prayers :

•  Sahanaavavatu
• Meditation for 5 minutes 
• Gurustotram 

Gita chanting :

• Chapter 14 - 1st to 15th verse

Bhajans :

• Raadhe Raadhe 
• Dashaavataram Stotram 

Bhagavatam Time :

• Ajamila
• Indra and Vritasura
• Chitraketu

 Likhita Japa :

• Writing ‘Om’ 

Ending prayers and pledge :

• sarve bhavantu sukhinah
• puurnamadah purnamidam
• arati 
• Pledge

Bhagvatam Time :

Tale : Ajamila

Today we heard the story of Ajamila. He was a Brahmin youth who was well versed in the Vedas. He was a very honest and truthful man. He was married to a good Brahmin girl and was leading a happy and contented life. One day, Ajamila went to the forest to collect some flowers, fruits and some wood for his worship and there he met a young woman with bad habits. He fell in love with her and went to live with the lady forgetting his existing wife and kids. Ajamila was a good man with a pure man but now in the company of his new wife, he gave up all his good thoughts of God and worship and led a bad life. Slowly there came a time when he did not have enough and slowly started to cheat people and thus managed to keep his wife and children happy. His youngest son, who was his favorite was named Narayana. When Ajamila was about to die, his youngest son was playing a little distance away from him. Suddenly, he saw two fierce-looking messengers of Yama (Lord Death) appeared at his bedside, armed with clubs and axes. They had come to drag his soul away from his body.  Ajamila got terrified and shouted for his son, Narayana. While he called for his son his mind unconsciously remembered the Lord.  Just then two attendants of Maha Vishnu appeared and saved him from the yama doothas. He who loves God and completely and surrenders himself is, no matter how bad his deeds are will be saved by the Lord. Ajamila understood his mistakes and he left his wife and children and went to meditate on the Lord. 

Brainstorming:

Bad company ruins one’s life and good company saves one. We also learned even if we do mistakes real repenting for such act is Self-knowledge. Good company saves us; bad company ruins your life. 

Tale: Vinobhaji

To understand more about the moral we told story about Vinobhaji. Please ask kids to retell this story that they heard in class.

Tale: Indra and Vritasura

Lord Indra is the king of the Devas. But Lord Indra often gives way to anger, pride, arrogance, envy just like any man and this gets him into more trouble.

One day Indra was sitting in his throne and was all puffed up with pride and arrogance. Just then the teacher of the Devas, Brishaspathi walked in but Indra all filled up with pride did not get up to receive his teacher. Brihaspathi felt offended by this behavior and left the court. Slowly by the time Indra realized his mistake and went in search of his teacher Brihaspathi made himself invisible from the Devas. Meanwhile the Asuras understanding that Devas were left without teacher started attacking the Devas and the Devas had to suffer a lot of defeat and humiliation and really repented for the act that did to their teacher. All the devas went to Brahmaji for help and suggested to accept Visvaroopa as their teacher. Visvaroopa was a daitya from his mother’s side and a deva from his father’s side. So when he offered pooja he always used to keep a portion to the daityas too. When Indra came to know of this he became angry and chopped his head off. When Visvaroopa’s dad came to know of what the devas did, he became very angry and created a demon, Vritasura and ordered to attack the devas. The Devas became terrified by the demon who was huge and horrifying. The Devas ran to Maha Vishnu for help. Maha Vishnu asked Indra to get the weapon vajra which was made from the bones of Rishi Dadhichi. The Devas did accordingly and thus with the weapon vajra the Devas won the battle with Vritasura. Vritasura though was very powerful couldnot stand the power of the vajra weapon and got killed in the battle.

Tale: Chitraketu

Chitraketu was the king of Surasena. He had everything he wanted. He had rich lands, jewels, lot of wives and everything he wished for but didn’t have a son. And this made him very sad. So then, one day sage Angira visited the king and seeing the king lost in thought asked him what was worrying him and Chitraketu told him he had everything that he wanted but didn’t have a son. Hearing this sage Angira blessed him that he will bear a son who will bring happiness, but also much sorrow. In due course of time, a son was born to Chitraketu and the whole kingdom was rejoicing the birth of the baby. Days became very happy for them and seeing this happiness the other queens became very jealous and poisoned the baby to death. The King could not stand the grief. Sage Narada and Angira tried to console him and taught him the paths of worship and meditation. Chitraketu learned a lot from them and got Bhagavan’s blessings and retired to meditate upon the Lord. One day while passing mount Kailash, he saw Parvathi sitting of Lord Siva’s lap. On seeing that Chitraketu passed a rude remark. Parvathy heard the remark and felt very much insulted and cursed him saying that he’ll have to take birth as an asura for this bad behavior and thus Chitraketu was born as the asura, Vritasura. So Vritasura though a demon was a Vishnu devotee and when he was killed he went to the Lord.    

Gita Chanting :  

The Gita Chanting registeration is open till March 20th. Please see that you register your child for the competition. Most of the kids are doing very good in chanting. Make sure that they practice at home too. Kids are supposed to memorize up to the 20th verse for the competition. 

We concluded with arati and pledge in the classroom.

Important Announcement :

Seva Project : 

Next week the third graders will be bagging the food items for the TASK project. We will be bringing in brown bags and food items and will be making the kids pack the bags to make them a part of the seva and kindle the value of service in them. 

Note : Kids are supposed to bring their "My Prayers" book and their Gita Chanting handouts every week for their balavihar classes. They are supposed to bring in a note book and pencil for their likhita japa. For the Gita Chanting please do practice at home too. You can log on to Chinmayavrindavan.org.

Warm Regards,

Deepthy Aunty & Rama Aunty (Section 1)

Indira Aunty & Shrinivas Uncle (Section 2)

SECTION 1 & 2- ( 03/02/14 BALVIHAR WEEK :16)

Beginning prayers :

•  Sahanaavavatu
• Meditation for 5 minutes 
• Gurustotram verses 1-14th verse

Gita chanting :

• Chapter 14 - 1st to 15th verse

Bhajans :

• Raadhe Raadhe 
• Dashaavataram Stotram 

Bhagavatam Time :

• Priyavrata

 Likhita Japa :

• Writing ‘Om’ 

Ending prayers and pledge :

• sarve bhavantu sukhinah
• puurnamadah purnamidam
• arati 
• Pledge

Bhagvatam Time :

Tale : Priyavrata

Priyavrata was the second son of Manu. At a very early age Priyavrata learned the spiritual truth from sage Narada and was ready to renounce the world and take sanyasa. His father, Manu wanted him to rule the kingdom but Priyavrata would not listen. One day Brahmaji appeared before him and advised him to surrender to the Divine Will of the Lord. He said that a human birth must go through the birth and death cycle, pleasure and pain, happiness and misery but should always remain unattached to the karmas. Brahmaji then added that even if man runs away from the world and its attractions, but if his mind is obsessed with passions, they will follow him where ever he goes. And thus Brahma Ji advised him to rule the land and become the king by keeping himself free from passions and desires. Priyavrata accepted His advise and became the king. He ruled the kingdom without getting attached and after long years of ruling he handed the kingdom over to his son and took the vow of sannyasa and attained moksha. 

Brainstorming: 
We should have the attitude of surrendering unto the Divine Will. 

To explain more we told them a story of an old lady who had one son and how she took it when her only son was bitten by a snake. 

Tale: God does it For Our Own Good
We heard the story of a king who had a loyal minister who would always say, "It is the Lord's wish and everything that happens, happens for the best." We learned that we should not complain and whatever happens to us is the Divine wish. When we  do not complain it shows our faith in His wisdom. Please ask your children to retell the story that they heard in class. 

Gita Chanting :  
The Gita Chanting registeration is open till March 20th. Please see that you register your child for the competition. Most of the kids are doing very good in chanting. Make sure that they practice at home too. Kids are supposed to memorize up to the 20th verse for the competition. 

We concluded with arati and pledge in the classroom.

Important Announcement :

Seva Project : 

Our class is doing a Seva project this year during the month of March. We are preparing lunch bags for TASK (Trenton Area Soup Kitchen). For this, we need kids to bring in a donation of 10$. We got contribution from many kids and for those who missed to give please try to bring in the coming weeks so that we can start purchasing the required items.  We'll buy the food for the collected amount and then will make the kids pack the lunch bags in the class so in this way the kids will also get involved and understand the importance of sharing. 

Note : Kids are supposed to bring their "My Prayers" book and their Gita Chanting handouts every week for their balavihar classes. They are supposed to bring in a note book and pencil for their likhita japa. For the Gita Chanting please do practice at home too. You can log on to Chinmayavrindavan.org.

Warm Regards,

Deepthy Aunty & Rama Aunty (Section 1)

Indira Aunty & Shrinivas Uncle (Section 2)