Hari OM.
We started the class with Likhita Japa: ॐ नमः शिवाय, ஓம் நம சிவாய, OM namaḥ śiva̅ya. Some of the students in class chose to write their japa in devanagari and tamil :)
The class then meditated for a few minutes practising stillness in body and mind.
The students recapped what they have learned so far about Lord Shiva. They recalled that Lord Shiva has three eyes. We then discussed the significance of the three eyes. Shiva's thee eyes represent Sun, Moon and Fire: symbolizing that he is Just and disciplinary as a Father, loving and compassionate as a Mother, and knowledgeable and instructive as a Guru, destroying our ignorance.
Kids recalled names of shiva based on the facts they have gathered: trilochanaḥ, gangadharaḥ, neelakanThaḥ, chandrasekharaḥ.
We learned about bhasma or vibhooti that Lord Shiva smears all over his body. We had an interesting discussion on how bhasma or the holy ash is made. The word bhasma has two syllables: bha and sma; bha stands for bhartsnam, destruction of the sins of the devotess, and sma stands for smaranam, remembrance of the Lord at all times. So when devotees apply bhasma or the holy ash in their forehead, they are requesting the lord to destroy their sins and asking for the ability to remember the Lord at all times.
We recalled that Lord Vishnu's crown symbolized his sovereignity, authority or Lordship over the entire universe. In the case of Lord Shiva, his trident or trishul represents his Lordship. It is shiva's astra or weapon with which Lord Shiva destroys evil. The trident also represents that Lord shiva is the master of the three gunas: sattva, rajas and tamas, thus conquering Maya. It represents that he is the Lord of Time: past, present and future.
Research Assignment: What does the word bhagavaan mean? What are the divine qualities that makes humans worship God?
With that we completed the symbolism of Lord Shiva and chanted a shiva bhajan: shiva shambho shambho, shiva shambho mahaadevaa, hara hara hara hara mahaadevaa, shiva shambho mahaadevaa.
We then chanted verses 1-7 from Bhagavad Gita Chapter 13. We reviewed the name of the chapter, Arjuna's question, and how Shri Krishna explains the first term: kshetram.
Krishna analytically breaks down and lists the components with which this universe is made of:
Five Great Elements {space, air, fire, water and Earth} = 5
Ahamkaaraḥ [Ego or a sense of doership] = 1
buddhiḥ [Intellect] = 1
avyaktam [unmanifest, Maya] = 1
sense organs
organs of perception: skin, ears, eyes, tongue and nose = 5
organs of action: hands, legs, mouth, excretory organs, reproductive organs = 5
Mind, THE ONE that brings all the 10 sense organs together and controls the sensory experience = 1
sense objects {touch, sound, form, taste and smell} = 5
These 24 constituents make up this universe, which is also known as matter or field.
There are 7 additional factors which contribute to this field or matter:
desire and hatred, pleasure and pain, grouping as one unit, consciousness (reflected), and firmness to make all the elements work together.
We did an activity to reinforce our understanding of kshetram. Each student took one or two puzzle pieces. They found other kids who had the rest of the pieces in their group. For instance, if one kid got space, they looked for air, fire, water and earth and fitted these pieces together. Once all the logical groups fit their pieces together, they came to the teachers' desk and fit their section to the central puzzle piece.
vola! We figured out what kshetram is for ourseleves !!
Parents, please chant Bhagavad Gita Chapter 13 every day with your kids. Bala vihar learning is incomplete without learning a chapter from Gita every year. Please encourage and inspire the kids to chant the verses every day.
The class dispersed with closing prayers.
Blessings,
Anjana Aunty and Prasad Uncle
We started the class with Likhita Japa: ॐ नमः शिवाय, ஓம் நம சிவாய, OM namaḥ śiva̅ya. Some of the students in class chose to write their japa in devanagari and tamil :)
The class then meditated for a few minutes practising stillness in body and mind.
The students recapped what they have learned so far about Lord Shiva. They recalled that Lord Shiva has three eyes. We then discussed the significance of the three eyes. Shiva's thee eyes represent Sun, Moon and Fire: symbolizing that he is Just and disciplinary as a Father, loving and compassionate as a Mother, and knowledgeable and instructive as a Guru, destroying our ignorance.
Kids recalled names of shiva based on the facts they have gathered: trilochanaḥ, gangadharaḥ, neelakanThaḥ, chandrasekharaḥ.
We learned about bhasma or vibhooti that Lord Shiva smears all over his body. We had an interesting discussion on how bhasma or the holy ash is made. The word bhasma has two syllables: bha and sma; bha stands for bhartsnam, destruction of the sins of the devotess, and sma stands for smaranam, remembrance of the Lord at all times. So when devotees apply bhasma or the holy ash in their forehead, they are requesting the lord to destroy their sins and asking for the ability to remember the Lord at all times.
We recalled that Lord Vishnu's crown symbolized his sovereignity, authority or Lordship over the entire universe. In the case of Lord Shiva, his trident or trishul represents his Lordship. It is shiva's astra or weapon with which Lord Shiva destroys evil. The trident also represents that Lord shiva is the master of the three gunas: sattva, rajas and tamas, thus conquering Maya. It represents that he is the Lord of Time: past, present and future.
Research Assignment: What does the word bhagavaan mean? What are the divine qualities that makes humans worship God?
With that we completed the symbolism of Lord Shiva and chanted a shiva bhajan: shiva shambho shambho, shiva shambho mahaadevaa, hara hara hara hara mahaadevaa, shiva shambho mahaadevaa.
We then chanted verses 1-7 from Bhagavad Gita Chapter 13. We reviewed the name of the chapter, Arjuna's question, and how Shri Krishna explains the first term: kshetram.
Krishna analytically breaks down and lists the components with which this universe is made of:
Five Great Elements {space, air, fire, water and Earth} = 5
Ahamkaaraḥ [Ego or a sense of doership] = 1
buddhiḥ [Intellect] = 1
avyaktam [unmanifest, Maya] = 1
sense organs
organs of perception: skin, ears, eyes, tongue and nose = 5
organs of action: hands, legs, mouth, excretory organs, reproductive organs = 5
Mind, THE ONE that brings all the 10 sense organs together and controls the sensory experience = 1
sense objects {touch, sound, form, taste and smell} = 5
These 24 constituents make up this universe, which is also known as matter or field.
There are 7 additional factors which contribute to this field or matter:
desire and hatred, pleasure and pain, grouping as one unit, consciousness (reflected), and firmness to make all the elements work together.
We did an activity to reinforce our understanding of kshetram. Each student took one or two puzzle pieces. They found other kids who had the rest of the pieces in their group. For instance, if one kid got space, they looked for air, fire, water and earth and fitted these pieces together. Once all the logical groups fit their pieces together, they came to the teachers' desk and fit their section to the central puzzle piece.
vola! We figured out what kshetram is for ourseleves !!
Parents, please chant Bhagavad Gita Chapter 13 every day with your kids. Bala vihar learning is incomplete without learning a chapter from Gita every year. Please encourage and inspire the kids to chant the verses every day.
The class dispersed with closing prayers.
Blessings,
Anjana Aunty and Prasad Uncle
