Hari OM.
We started the class chanting OM followed by meditation. Few kids who had come in earlier than 10AM had remembered Likhita Japa and got stamps for their exemplary behavior :) We sang the opening prayers and revised the first shloka of Ganesa Pancaratnam.
We quickly reviewed what we had learned in our last class, leading to the discussion of the research assignment. We then looked up and found out that the highest civilian honor bestowed by the U.S.Government is the "Presidential Medal of Freedom". The kids wanted to know about the recipients of this Award, leading to the discussion of Stephen Hawking, who received this award from President Obama in August 2009. Some of the kids were really excited to explain how inspiring Stephen Hawking is. Click here to know more about this award.
We resumed our discussion of Ganesha. We discussed about the trunk of Ganesha and how it is an efficient and highly adaptable tool. We also discussed about what Ganesha holds in his four hands. Kids quickly remembered Modakam and the blessing mudra. We then discussed about the significance of holding an axe and a rope. In some pictorial representations, Ganesa is also found to be holding a lotus along with a rope, and we briefly discussed the significance of the lotus flower. We also learned that in the state of Tamil Nadu, one of the many names of Ganesa is "Aingaran", meaning one with five hands; as the trunk is also considered as another hand. It is known as tumbikkai, kai meaning hand in Tamil. We discussed about Ganesa's pot-belly, and how it represents that all the knowledge he has acquired has been assimilated or digested. We talked about how knowledge is useful, only when one can apply it in the correct situation.
We then talked about C.O.R.D, the walkathon that we are going to participate on October 28th, and why it is part of the Chinmaya Mission Tradition. Kids were excited that this year, they could walk together with their BalaVihar class-mates, provided their parents permit. Parents please register as early as possible for the walkathon. Please refer to the Announcements section for the link to register.
We talked about the story of Kubera and Ganesa. We also talked about the story of how mouse became Ganesa's vehicle.
After attendance, the class dispersed to the auditorium for Aarti and Pledge.
Take care until we meet next on Oct 21st. Please remember to look for an item that you could donate to the CORD Silent Auction program, and bring it with you next sunday.
Regards,
Anjana Aunty & Prasad Uncle
We started the class chanting OM followed by meditation. Few kids who had come in earlier than 10AM had remembered Likhita Japa and got stamps for their exemplary behavior :) We sang the opening prayers and revised the first shloka of Ganesa Pancaratnam.
We quickly reviewed what we had learned in our last class, leading to the discussion of the research assignment. We then looked up and found out that the highest civilian honor bestowed by the U.S.Government is the "Presidential Medal of Freedom". The kids wanted to know about the recipients of this Award, leading to the discussion of Stephen Hawking, who received this award from President Obama in August 2009. Some of the kids were really excited to explain how inspiring Stephen Hawking is. Click here to know more about this award.
We resumed our discussion of Ganesha. We discussed about the trunk of Ganesha and how it is an efficient and highly adaptable tool. We also discussed about what Ganesha holds in his four hands. Kids quickly remembered Modakam and the blessing mudra. We then discussed about the significance of holding an axe and a rope. In some pictorial representations, Ganesa is also found to be holding a lotus along with a rope, and we briefly discussed the significance of the lotus flower. We also learned that in the state of Tamil Nadu, one of the many names of Ganesa is "Aingaran", meaning one with five hands; as the trunk is also considered as another hand. It is known as tumbikkai, kai meaning hand in Tamil. We discussed about Ganesa's pot-belly, and how it represents that all the knowledge he has acquired has been assimilated or digested. We talked about how knowledge is useful, only when one can apply it in the correct situation.
We then talked about C.O.R.D, the walkathon that we are going to participate on October 28th, and why it is part of the Chinmaya Mission Tradition. Kids were excited that this year, they could walk together with their BalaVihar class-mates, provided their parents permit. Parents please register as early as possible for the walkathon. Please refer to the Announcements section for the link to register.
We talked about the story of Kubera and Ganesa. We also talked about the story of how mouse became Ganesa's vehicle.
After attendance, the class dispersed to the auditorium for Aarti and Pledge.
Take care until we meet next on Oct 21st. Please remember to look for an item that you could donate to the CORD Silent Auction program, and bring it with you next sunday.
Regards,
Anjana Aunty & Prasad Uncle
