We started the class with meditiation & opening praryers. Then we tried to understanding the last stanzaa of guru stotram. That lead to discussion about pujya gurudev Swami Chinmayananda & guruji Swami Tejomayananda. Then we continued our learning about Ganesha & bid farewell to the physical form of Ganesha by chanting
"Ganapati bappa morya, pudcha varsha loukariya"
Children were then asked to talk about the hindu festival happening currently - "navaratri". We learnt that दुर्गा (durgā) means " दुर्गति हरिणि (durgati hariṇi) - the remover of bad qualities within us. Kids looked at Goddess Durga picture and identified that she rides a tiger, holds various weapons. We learnt that the tiger stands for our ego, and when we tame the ego, our true power comes out.
Then we learnt about one of the forms of Durga, Mother Kaali, how the skull garland is a representation of all the bad values being killed. Each kid was given a paper skull, on the back of which they wrote the bad values they want to get rid of. Then we made a garland of it and decorated it to mother Kaali, and prayed with the following prayer to give us the strength to get rid of the bad values
सर्वमंगल मांगल्ये शिवे सर्वार्थ साधिके।
शरण्ये त्र्यंबके गौरि नारायणि नमोस्तु ते॥
sarvamaṁgala māṁgalye śive sarvārtha sādhike |
śaraṇye tryaṁbake gauri nārāyaṇi namostu te ||
