May 18th - Symbolism of MahaVishnu - BV Picture Day

Hari OM !!

May 18th was the BV class Photoshoot day. Each class participated enthusiastically towards the event at Crossroads School. This year is our last year at Crossroads School before we move to our own Ashram at Cranbury Vrindavan. This class photo will serve as a fond memory of BV at Crossroads.

Symbolism of Maha Vishnu

Bhujaga-Sayanam - Lord Vishnu rests on Adi Sesha (or Ananta) as a bed. The thousand-hooded snake is turned towards the Lord's face. The snake represents our mind. Our mind is constantly filled with thoughts - both positive and negative and is always in a state of agitation. Once we turn our thoughts towards the Lord - just like the 1000-hooded Adi Sesha, our mind will be at peace and will attain calmness.

Ksheera - Sagara (Milky ocean) - The snake-bed of MahaVishnu lies on the Milky Ocean or Ksheera Sagara. The milky ocean represents our heart. It is white in colour and the colour white stands for purity. If our heart is pure, then it will certainly be the resting place of the Lord. 

Neela Varnam - The All pervasive sky above us is blue is colour. When we think of the blue sky, we think of something that is infinite, has neither beginning nor end, omnipresent. Lord Mahavishnu (as in the image above) is described as being blue in colour, meaning that he is all pervasive and omnipresent.

Announcements

- We have 2 more Balavihar classes (June 1st and 8th) before the annual day - June 22nd.

- Please continue writing the Likhita Japa: "Om Namo Narayanaya"

Hari OM!!

April 6, 2014 - Symbolism of Vishnu, Vishnu Sahasranamam

Hari Om!!

March 30th was 'Geeta Chanting Yagnya' Day at Crossroads. The 5th graders got to chant 25 verses of Chapter 14 of the 'Bhagavad Geeta'. Our class got together again on April 6th where we began our discussions on 'Symbolism of Lord Vishnu'.

Vishnu Sahasranamam

The 1000 names of Lord Vishnu or the 'Vishnu Sahasranamam' is one of the most auspicious texts that is chanted by people all over the world. It is part of the epic 'Mahabharata' and was narrated by Bheeshma to Yudhishtra. It was written by Sage Veda Vyasa. 
It appears at the end of the 'Yudha Parwa' of the Mahabharata where Bheeshma who was wounded was lying on a bed of arrows, waiting for an auspicious time to leave his body. Yudhishtra asks his advice on who should one pray to achieve knowledge and auspiciousness. Bheeshma narrates the names of Vishnu and tells him that chanting the names of the Lord will bring peace, auspiciousness and Knowledge to all.

Dhyana Shloka 

We started by learning and reciting the Dyana Shloka for MahaVishnu. We have to first bring to our mind the supreme form of Lord Vishnu, before we start reciting the names. The shloka is as follows:

Om ShuklAmbara-dharam vishNum SaSivarnam chatur-bhujam

                            prasanna-vadanam dhyAyet sarva-vighnopaShantaye

[Meaning: For the eradication of all obstructions, one should meditate upon vishnu, who is clad in white robes, who has a moonlike lustre, who has four arms and who has a beneficient face.]

Announcements

Annadanam - The 5th grade will participate in Annadanam seva on April 19th. An email went out to the parents on April 5th regarding this.

You can find the details and signup at the link below:

http://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C0E44ACAE2EA7F49-5thgrade1

Please have your child bring a copy of Vishnu sahasranamam book for next class. If you do not have a copy at home you may buy one at the bookstore.

Hari Om

March 9th - Shivalinga Project, Geeta Chanting

Hari Om!!

Parts of Shivalinga

Today after Meditation and Opening Prayers, the kids learnt the 3 different parts of a Shivalinga - Brahma Vibhaga, Vishnu Vibhaga and the Rudra Vibhaga as depicted in the figure below:

Shivalinga Project

Chanting the sacred mantra, 'Om Namah Shivaya', they also created their own Shivalingas with Clay. 16 steps of Puja (Shodasa Upachara) were also performed to the deity.

Please click link below to view pictures of the Shivalingas the kids created:

https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/sredir?uname=115413279749194704474&target=ALBUM&id=5989129639586841921&authkey=Gv1sRgCKarxp3Rx7CMYg&feat=email

Bhagavad Geeta - Chapter 14.

We continued our Geeta Chanting of Chapter 14. The kids should try to memorize/recite the first 20 verses.

PLEASE REGISTER ONLINE FOR THE GEETA CHANTING YAGNYA , if you have not already done so.

March 2, 2014 - Lord Dakshinamurti

Hari Om,
We started off with meditation & opening prayers. Then we had a small feedback session on last week's quiz show.
We moved on to the topic of the day - Lord Dakshinamurti - Lord Siva's form. Lord Dakshinamurti is seated facing south.
 

Feb 23, 2014 - Game show

Hari Om!
All of us assembled in the auditorium by 9:30am. We started off setting up the stage for the show. Kasturi uncle helped in setting up audio system & the projector.
We ran through a mock round, and by the time we were finished with it, it was time for the real show. Ass the audience started walking in, all the 5th graders were excited to welcome them. The host team welcomed all for the show & introduced the teams & quiz masters. The quiz masters conducted all the 4 rounds very well and the feedback from the audience was very positive.
After the quiz show, 5th graders lead the aarti & pledge.
We thank our Swamiji & all parent volunteers for a successful game show. Hope the kids enjoyed it. 

Feb 2nd & Feb 9th - 5th grade Quiz Show Planning and Rehearsal

Hari Om !!

The last two Sundays the 5th grade class has been very busy discussing and planning for the upcoming QUIZ SHOW which is scheduled for FEB 23rd. As you may know by now, the topic of the show is what we are learning now in 5th grade - SYMBOLISMS in HINDUISM. 

QUIZ SHOW DETAILS

Date: Feb 23rd, Auditorium. Our class will also lead Arati/Pledge after the show.
Topic: Symbolism in Hinduism
Roles: This was assigned to the kids via 'chit picking', so everyone has a fair share in the show. Every Role is important in making the Quiz show a Success!
Teams: There are 4 teams: Ganesha, Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva
Total time for the show: 10 - 12 minutes
Attire: Traditional Indian
Practice: We had one rehearsal in the auditorium on Feb 9th. We did one mock show in class on Feb 2nd. We will have one more on 23rd before the actual show.


It is Mandatory that all kids who are part of the show in any capacity attend Balavihar on Feb 23rd !!!!!!!!

GEETA CHANTING

We are continuing to practice and recite chapter 14 Geeta in the class. The children are encouraged to memorize the verses until at least the 14th Shloka.

HARI OM

Jan 26th - Symbolism of Nataraja, Quiz Show Discussion

This week, we started the class with chanting of the 'Shiva Panchakshari Sthotram' and re-visiting the various names and symbolism of Lord Shiva, that were covered during the previous week.

Symbolism of Nataraja

• Lord Nataraja literally means 'King of Dance', and depicts Shiva doing the cosmic dance. He is shown standing on the Asura 'Mulayaka' and is a symbolism of Shiva crushing everything that is evil and wicked, like the Asura. 
• In one of his right hands he holds the 'Damaru', which is 'Nada Brahma' or Sound of Creation. In one of his left hands he holds fire, that stands for Destruction. This is to say that Creation and Destruction is a cycle and goes hand in hand.
•  One of his other right hands is the 'Abhaya Hasta' or the hand that bestows blessings upon us. The other left hand is the 'Gaja Hasta', which is positioned like the trunk of an Elephant. This symbolizes discrimination. The elephant trunk is known to pick up objects as big as a truck and also as minute as a needle!

A bronze statue of Lord Nataraja on the stage before any dance performance is a very common sight. He is first worshiped before any performing art.

Geetha Chanting - Children should memorize chapter 14 up to the 12th verse.

QUIZ Show on February 9th

We are having our 5th grade quiz show on Feb 9th, based on what they've studied in the class. The kids who were present picked up their 'Roles' from random chits. Parents must have received email communications regarding this event. February 2nd is the final rehearsal for the show, so make sure all participating kids attend Balavihar without fail. 

HariOM!!!

Jan 12 - Symbolism of Lord Shiva

The 5th grade BV class met today after a LONG winter break. So the kids needed some memory refreshing....After our morning prayers and quiet meditation, we did a quick recap of the 'Dwadasa Jyothirlingas' and recited the 'Jyothirlinga Sthothra' by Adi Shankaracharya.

Symbolism of Lord Shiva

Gangadhara - Lord Shiva has Mother Ganga trapped in his matted hair. This is really 'Gnana Ganga' or the flow of Knowledge from the teacher to the disciple. Water on the head keeps the head cool. This is for us to remember that we should not be hot headed or ill tempered, but always try to maintain a calm mind and a cool temperament.
We discussed the story of how Bhagiratha's tapas to Brahmaji made Mother Ganga come down to the Earth from the heavens, to wash away the sins of his ancestors, whose ashes were strewn in 'Patala'. Since the Earth would not be able to withstand the force with which Mother Ganga would descend from the heavens, Bhagiratha prayed to Lord Shiva to sustain her. Lord Shiva contained her in his locks and let her down in 7 gentle streams. This way Bhagiratha's wish was fulfilled and Mother Ganga also came to be known as 'Bhagirathi'.

Sashidhara - The Crescent Moon on his head symbolizes Life, Nourishment and Health.
Neelakanta - The Blue Necked One - Symbolizes Poison and hence Death.

Lord Shiva bears the moon that symbolizes life and also holds poison ('Halahala') in his throat. Though these two are opposite aspects, still the face of the Lord is always serene, composed and calm. This symbolizes that though our life has both pain/sorrow, success/failure, honor/dishonor we should maintain an equipoise and calmness just like Lord Shiva.

Nagendra Haaraya - A Snake Garland. The snake spitting poison and fear stands for a mind that has negative thoughts and hence leads to negative words/actions. Lord Shiva has the snake around his neck and has become an ornament for him. We learn from this that we have to control our mind and negative tendencies and attain the calmness that the Lord's face emanates.

Trilochana - One with Three Eyes - The two eyes stand for Love and Justice and the third eye in the center is the eye of Wisdom and Knowledge. When Lord Shiva opens his third eye he burns down ignorance and hence brings forth Knowledge.

Shiva Panchakshari Stotram

We recited the Panchakshari Stotram, composed by Sri Adi Shankaracharya. This is based on the Moolamantra of Lord Shiva “Namashivaya”. Each stanza starts with one of the five syllables, Na, Ma, Shi, Va, and Ya.

[Please refer to the "My Prayers" book for the lyrics of this Stotram, they can also listen to this on youtube]

Geeta Chanting - We recited Chapter 14 of the Geeta. Kids should memorize atleast the first 10 verses.

                                   ***  WE WISH YOU ALL A VERY HAPPY SANKARANTI  ***