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  ***

Dec 7th - Lord Shiva - Dwadasa Jyothirlingas

One God, Many Forms

The 5th grade class enjoyed the Bhiksha and Satsang with Swamiji. After re-living the moments spent with Swamiji, we began our discussion about why we have so many 'Gods' in Hinduism. God is one but we worship him in various forms that are to our liking. Just as one is a daughter, sister, friend, niece etc to others in her family, but she is one and the same person assuming different roles. Though we worship God as Rama, Krishna, Shiva, Lakshmi etc , we are indeed worshiping the same supreme being, that is manifest to us in those forms.

Lord Shiva as JyothirLinga

One of the Manifested forms of Lord Shiva is as a Column of Fire or Jyothi. A Sadhaka who has reached the highest level of enlightenment is believed to see the Lord in this form.

Dwadasa (12) Jyotirlingas 

In India there are 12 powerful Jyotirlingas spread across the country, Northernmost being Kedarnath and Southernmost being Rameshwaram. The Puranas and the great teacher Sri Adishankaracharya have praised the greatness of these 12 jyothirlingas. They are:

Somnath - located in Prabhas Patann in Saurashtra, Gujarat

Sree Sailam - Mallikarjuna temple in Srisailam (Andhra Pradesh). Adi Shankara composed the famous Sivanandalahari here.

Ujjain - Mahakaleshwar Shrine in Ujjain , Madhya Pradesh

Omkareshwar - Madhya Pradesh

Vaidyanath - Deogarh , in the Santal Paraganas district in Bihar

Bhimashankar - Located in Sahyadri hills near Pune.

Rameshwaram - Ramalingaeshwar shrine in south Tamil Nadu

Nageshwar - Dwaraka in Gujarat

Varanasi - Kasi Vishwanath temple in Benaras, Uttar Pradesh. One of the most celebrated Pilgrimage site for all Hindus in India

Tryambakeshwar - Nasik in Maharashtra, origin of the River Godavari

Kedarnath - Northenmost Jyothirlinga shrine among the Himalayas. The shrine is open only 6 months in a year during the summer months.

Grishneshwar -Ellora Caves, Maharashtra

Adi Shankaracharya has composed the 'Dwadasa Linga Sthothra' which is known to remove sins of the Sadhaka, when recited regularly.
“Saurashtre Somanathamcha Srisaile Mallikarjunam|
Ujjayinya Mahakalam Omkaramamaleswaram ||
Paralyam Vaidyanathancha Dakinyam Bheema Shankaram |
Setu Bandhethu Ramesam, Nagesam Darukavane||
Varanasyantu Vishwesam Tryambakam Gautameethate|
Himalayetu Kedaaram, Ghrishnesamcha shivaalaye||
Etani jyotirlingani, Saayam Praatah Patennarah|
Sapta Janma Kritam pApam, Smaranena Vinashyati||”

Nov 24th - Swamiji's Bhiksha

Today is a special day for our class, we are hosting bhiksha for Swamiji. Sangita aunty & Asha aunty went to the ashram well ahead of the rest of the class to setup for the bhiksha.
In the balavihar class, after the opening prayers, we reviewed the symbolism of goddesses - Durga, Lakshmi, Saraswati. To understand the virtue of "titksha" we discussed the story of saint Ekanath, how one day a young man spit on him every time he took bath in the river and went past his home, to make him angry. But Eaknath maharaj didn't get angered even once.
Then we chanted the first 4 slokas of  Srimad Bhagavad Gita, chapter 14, in preparation for the Gita chanting competition in March, 2014.      
The kids were given index cards to write any questions they would like to ask Swamiji during the satsang after bhiksha.
We concluded the class a little early so as to be at the ashram before Swamiji arrives.

Swamiji's Bhiksha 

All of us convened at the ashram for the bhiksha. Kids were all excited in welcoming Swamiji with "Hari OM", followed by poorna kumbha.  Kids took turns to serve Swamiji & Ericji.
After the Swamiji  completed his meal, kids started their lunch.
Then we had a very stimulating satsang with Swamiji. Kids asked a wide rang of questions, and Swamiji explained in detail satisfying the minds of both kids & parents. Here are a  few questions:

• Where is God?
• Is God real?
• If God is everywhere, Why do we need to go the temple?   
• Why does Swamiji always wear "saffron" colored clothes?

We concluded the bhiksha by doing Chinmaya aarti to Gurudev's portrait. Each family offered namaskarams & gurudakshina to Swamiji, and got his blessings.

Nov 17th - Goddess Lakshmi Symbolism (Contd)

After the Morning prayers and Meditation session, we continued about the positive qualities and Real wealth that Goddess Lakshmi bestows upon us. The 6 inner wealth according to Adi Shankarcharya are Shama, Dama, Uparati, Titiksha, Shraddha and Samadana. To illustrate each of these qualities clearly, the children heard a story about Self Control.

We also did a Recap of the 16 steps of Puja or Puja Vidhi.....

Geeta Chanting - We recited the first 3 verses of Chapter 14. The kids have copies of Chapter 14 now (1 sheet). They should try to recite this every day, this way it is easy to memorize.

Bhiksha with Swamiji - Nov 24th

Our 5th grade class has the opportunity to Serve Swamiji this Sunday. Emails have gone out to all parents regarding this. Please pickup your kids from the classroom at 11 am in order to assemble at the Ashram at 11:40 am.

Hari Om

Nov 10th - Diwali - Symbolism of Goddess Lakshmi

Symbolism of Goddess Lakshmi

November is the month of Deepavali and all hindus perform Lakshmi Puja and pray to the Goddess to bless us with wealth and prosperity. We always tend to think that Wealth means just Money and Dollars. Today the children learnt that Goddess Lakshmi symbolises INNER wealth and virtues and what those virtues are and how to cultivate them.

Six forms of inner wealth - Symbolised by "Suvarnahasta"

Adi Shankaracharya in his book "Vivekachudamani" has stated the six forms of inner wealth as follows:

• Sama ( Calm Mind)
• Dama (Self Control)
• Uparati (Self Withdrawl)
• Titiksha (Forbearance)
• Shraddha (Faith)
• Samadhana (Single - Pointedness)

The Golden hand or "Suvarnahasta" of Mother Lakshmi that is shown to shower gold, actually symbolises the above 6 forms of wealth. Only with a calm mind, self control, faith, forbearance and one pointedness can we achieve anything worthwhile in life.

Kanakadhara Stotram

We learnt the story behind Adi Shankaracharya 's Kanakadhara Sthotram, which he composed to Mother Lakshmi when he was young boy, to help a very poor lady. This poor lady did not have anything but one gooseberry to give to Shankaracharya as bhiksha. He was so moved by the poor lady's condition that he composed Kanakadhara sthotra to Mother Lakshmi and it is said that golden goose berries rained on the poor lady....

Lotus - "Sarasijanilaya" - seated on a lotus

The lotus on which Goddess Lakshmi is seated upon, is known to grow in marshy lands and unclean surroundings, but its beauty and purity are unaffected by its surroundings. We also should strive to remain pure in any situation or circumstance. 

Class Activity - Making and decorating Diyas

Since Deepavali is a festival of lights, the children made "Diyas" with white clay and decorated with sequins etc. 

October 13 & 20 - sarasvati pūja (सरस्वति पूज)

In the last two classes we tried to understand the procedure of pUja by doing worshipping goddess sarasvati in the class, being navaratri days, we felt it is the right time to seek the blessings of devi.

Puja Vidhi - 16 steps to performing a Puja

After our Morning Prayers and Meditation, the 5^th graders learnt an important aspect of our Hindu Culture - Puja Vidhi or 16 steps in doing Puja. Though kids must have witnessed Pujas being performed at home or at a temple, most often they are unaware of the “vidhi” or what the priests are doing to the idols. We hope that by explaining the various steps that are involved in a puja, they will better understand the procedure.

16 steps in a Puja (or “Shodasha Upachara”)

Today we performed puja to Goddess Saraswati - the Goddess of Learning. The kids were given some materials that are required for a simple Puja - such as picture of Goddess Saraswati, a seat, flowers etc. As our Swamiji says, performing a puja to the Goddess is similar to how we welcome and treat a guest at home. We start the puja after having a bath and wearing clean clothes. Then with a calm and focused mind we do the following:

1 - Avahanam - Welcoming the Goddess to our home

2-Asanam - Offering a Seat to the Goddess

3 - Padyam - Offering Water to wash the feet

4 - Arghyam - Offering Water to wash the hands

5 - Acamaniyam - Offering Water to drink

6 - Snanam - The Goddess is bathed in Water

7 - Panchamrutham - Offering a mixture of 5 “nectars” (in place of  5 yajnas )

8 - Vastram - Offering new clothes

9 - kumkumamam - Offering of  kumkumam

10 - Gandham - Offering of sandalwood paste

11 - Akshatah - Offering of rice grains

12 - Pushpam - Offering of flowers

13 - Dhoopam - Offering of incense

14 - Deepam - Showing a lighted lamp to the Gooddess

15 - Naivedyam - Offering food that has been specially cooked

16 - Arati - Conclude with the Arati

After the Puja is completed , we ask the Goddess to forgive us if we have missed out / or have mistaken in any of the above steps, by reciting the kshamaa prardhana.

October 6th,2013 - Goddess Durga

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 || 

September 29, 2013 - gaṇeśa

Hari Om,
We started with chanting OM three times, and continued with meditation, and the opening prayers.
All the kids finished their word search from last week, and took turns to read the twelve names in the word search. In the process the kids learnt the need for transliteration, while writing Sanskrit alphabets (49) in English, which has only 26 alphabets.

एकदन्त गजकर्ण गजानन गणपति गणेश लम्बोदर महेश्वरपुत्र मोदकहस्त पार्वतिपुत्र फालचन्द्र विघ्नराज विघ्नेश्वर

ekadanta gajakarṇa gajānana gaṇapati gaṇeśa lambodara maheśvaraputra modakahasta pārvatiputra phālacandra vighnarāja vighneśvara

We reviewed the symbolism of Ganesha from the last class. Couple of kids questioned how a broken tusk can represent "discard bad & retain good"? Will continue this aspect in next class.
Kids made a small origami booklet about the Ganesha symbolism, and filled in the blanks. After that they took turns to read out each page. The whole class chanted the Ganesha prayer in the booklet.

वक्रतुन्ड महाकाय  सूर्यकोटि समप्रभ।
निर्विघ्नम् कुरु मे देव  सर्व कार्येशु सर्वदा॥
vakratunḍa mahākāya  sūryakoṭi samaprabha |
nirvighnam kuru me deva  sarva kāryeśu sarvadā ||

We heard the "Ganesha pancharatnam" audio of Mrs. M.S. Subbalakshmi  one more time. Some of the musically inclined kids enjoyed the audio, and tried to identify the raga of the song. We learnt that Sri Adi Sankaracharya wrote the "Ganesha pancharatnam", and a lot of other beautiful mellifluous prayers.

Then we chanted "saṁkaṭanāśana gaṇeśa stotraṁ" on the last page in prayer booklet; most of the kids already knew this from the previous balavihar classes. We concluded the class with "पूर्णमदः पूर्णमिदं....pūrṇamadaḥ pūrṇamidaṁ" followed by pledge.

September 22, 2013 - gaṇeśa

We started the class with setting up the altar, kids who come early get a chance to help setting up the altar. Kids picked their nametags, and the whole class chanted OM three times, followed by meditation. After meditation, we chanted sahanavavatu, saraswati namstubhyam, shuklam bardharam, guru stotram.

Today's class we discussed what a symbol is, kids gave a few examples of popular symbols : peace sign, swastik, etc. Then we discussed about flag of a country - how it is also kind of a symbol, representing the values of the country, and when we salute a flag, we are also remembering the great leaders who sacrificed their lives for that country.
Then we heard a story about how Swami Vivekananda has dispelled the doubts a king had as to why we should worship a god's picture. Swami Vivekananda asked the servant to bring down the portrait of the king's grandfather, and made the servant spit on it. seeing this, the king got mad - and Swami Vivekananda told the king that it's just a picture of his grandfather, and why he is getting angered by it. At that point the king realized as to why we should worship god's picture or idol (murti). Just like the king has emotional attachment to his grandfather's picture, Veda Vyasa gave us various gods so that we can get attached to the all pervading God.
Hearing this story, some of the kids who had a doubt  similar to the king got convinced and could get the connection between the picture in front of them & the quote of "God is everywhere".
Then we started to learn more about Lord Ganesha. Kids who knew the story of the birth of Gajanana, narrated it to the class. Then we learnt the symbolism in Ganesha, what Veda Vyasa wants us to understand when we see a picture / murti of Ganapati.

Then  we heard the audio of M.S Subbalakshmi's  rendition of Adi Sankaracharya's "Ganesha Pancharatnam". All the kids were given a folder of prayers we will be learning in 5th grade. As the audio was playing kids followed it in their prayer file. Those who missed can download the file here grade5-prayers.pdf 
Then we learnt the important names of Ganesha,

• ekadanta
• gajakarṇa
• gajānana
• gaṇapati
• gaṇeśa
• lambodara
• maheśvaraputra
• modakahasta
• pārvatiputra
• phālacandra
• vighnarāja
• vighneśvara

and there was a word search homework on finding all these names, the word search is available here. We chanted
वक्रतुन्ड महाकाय कोटिसूर्यसमप्रभ।
निर्विघ्नं कुरु मे देव सर्वकार्येशु सर्वदा॥
vakratunḍa mahākāya koṭisūryasamaprabha |
nirvighnaṁ kuru me deva sarvakāryeśu sarvadā ||

to seek the blessings of Vinayaka.
Wow! we didn't realize that it was almost time to conclude, as the kids who knew lead, the rest of the class joined in chanting pledge & poornamadah.


    

Welcome Class 2014

The Auditorium was packed with kids & parents excited to be back for the 2013-14 balavihar year. As each one was looking for their friends, teachers walked kids in groups as each grade was announced.

All of the 5th grade assembled in room A-116, where they were allotted to each section. All the kids allotted to Section-1 followed Prasad uncle to room A-115. Kids in section-2 stayed back in room A-116. We started off with chanting OM three times, followed by meditation. We recited the opening prayers

1. sahana vavtu 
2. shuklam bharadaram 
3. sarswati mastubhyam 
4. guru stotram - akhanda mandalaakaaram 

We went over the class rules, that during meditation, lights will be turned off & if the kids are coming in late & see the lights are turned off, they should wait outside the door till the lights are turned on.

The class then got introductions of each one, with each one telling their name, which school they go to, their favorite subjects, and what they did during summer. There was an interesting mix of activities ranging from a visit to India, Six flags, Disney World, Niagara Falls, Toronto, London, Paris etc.,
After the introductions, we discussed what we will be studying this year. All the kids made their nametags. We went back to the auditorium for arathi & pledge.

Contact Teachers

Below are the email id.s of the volunteers of 5th grade class. Please feel free to contact any of us if you have any questions or concerns.

Prasad Bapatla -- prasadbcs [..at..] gmail [..dot..] com 

Sangita Patankar -- patankarp [..at..] hotmail [..dot..] com

Prabhu Vellore -- pvellore [..at..] gmail [..dot..] com

Note : The e-mail addresses above have been ciphered ;), to prevent automatic e-mail parsing software from deciphering for mass e-mailing purposes or spams. Please translate them accordingly.

June 2, 2013 - Final 5th grade Class

Hari OM.

We started the last class with the Likhita Japa of the mantra - Sri Ramajayam. After chanting OM, the class meditated. We chanted the opening prayers.

We then moved on to the topic of the day: Ramayanam and Lord Sri Rama. Starting from Rama's birth in Ayodhya, we reviewed events in Rama's childhood, his marriage with Sita in Mithila, unfortunate turn of events that led to Rama, Sita and Lakshmana's heart wrenching exit from the palace and stay in the forest, Sita's kidnapping, Rama's acquaintance with Sugriva and Hanuman and the victory of Rama over Ravana.

Now with our symbolism hat, we revisited the story of Rama and discussed the morals to be learned from the events in the story. Here is a summary of our discussions:

1. The kids related to Manthara's poisoning of Kaikeyi's mind, to peer pressure at school and how one has to think through the consequences of one's actions and evaluate carefully what they are tempted to do. Because at the end, each one of us are responsible for our actions, good and bad.

2. We discussed how Rama is a role model son, brother, disciple, husband, friend, etc. We should carefully analyze Rama's actions through out the story and learn from his life story. This lead to the summer assignment: Read or Re-Read the story of Ramayanam, follow the trail of Rama in the India map handed out in class today, and analyze the actions of Rama. You can hand the filled in map to Anjana Aunty or Prasad Uncle when you return to BV next year. You can email the teachers if you have any questions.

3. We then discussed how Ravana was a very talented, powerful, and a great devotee of Shiva. Later when  he was blinded by his desire for Sita, he did not heed to the advice and warnings of his ministers, brothers, sons and other well wishers. We need to listen to the advice of our close friends and family members, and decide carefully, when we are on a track that is contradictory to the socially acceptable norms laid out in our society.

Jay Ram! With that we concluded our topic of the day: Symbolism of Rama Avatar.

We took group pictures of the class. It was a pleasure to spend sunday mornings with this group of intelligent and well-behaved kids. Hope you all learned to appreciate the symbolism of our mUrtIs, and developed an inquisitive attitude to question and understand our practices and rituals.

We took a mini survey from the students to know their comments, and understand what they liked about the Balavihar classes and what they would change if given a chance. Thanks for sharing your thoughts.

To conclude the class, we had a quiz round to review and recap what we learned all through this year in our sunday sessions. Krishna Iyer, Kasturi Uncle's son who is a BV graduate, attending college, helped to set up the projector to view the quiz presentation. The kids took turns answering the questions, and remembered most of the facts that they had learned.

With closing prayers we departed to the auditorium. Some of the kids had written and brought thank-you cards for the teachers. Thanks for the kind gesture. It made us feel special.

Let us cherish our memories and practice what we have learned. Have a great summer.

Love & Blessings,
Anjana Aunty & Prasad Uncle
"Every beginning has an end. And all endings lead to new beginnings."

May 12, 2013

Hari OM.
Classroom A115 was dark and quiet.  When the door was opened the kids sprung up from their chairs and screamed "Surprise! Happy Mother's Day". There were Mother's Day wishes written on the board, with a creative likhita japa "OM Mother's Day namaH" :) LOL. "That was awesome. Thank you kids! for the sweet surprise."

The class then discussed how each one of them had partnered with their siblings and Dad to treat their mom extra special on Mother's Day. All moms were lucky today receiving cards, poems, flowers, breakfast in bed, perfumes, candy, etc. We discussed how one can never repay a mom for all the love and kindness she showers on us through all her daily actions. We agreed that the goal was to make MOM happy and special and convey our gratitude. Prasad uncle mentioned that this attitude should not be restricted to Mother's day alone, but should continue on all days :) It is nice to devote a special day for all the MOMS, but every day and moment is to be cherished.

We discussed few sayings of Tamil Saints and Telugu Poets reinforcing that Mom & Dad are living GODs, giving us an opportunity to love and be loved. We had an interesting discussion on how at various time periods women were considered inferior and banned from going to school or learning vedas, and many learned scholars and social activists worked hard to remove this bias. We reminded ourselves that all of us are endowed with different skills, but none inferior or superior to another, and we shall be vigilant to ensure that we do not develop any bias based on gender, caste, wealth, nationality, skills, etc.

Like the Hardware and Software that come together and function as a technology device that empowers us; like the Siva and Parvati in the form - ardhanaareeshwar, like the Yin and Yang, we have to be in harmony and realize our collective potential and contribute to the community welfare.

We sang our opening prayers after the Mother's day special segment.

We reviewed what we had learnt about Durga and Lakshmi, and moved on to Saraswati. All the kids knew that Saraswati is revered as the "Mother of Knowledge". We discussed the significance of the name.

         "Swa" - means Self

          "saara" - means essence
Thus Saraswati, is the Goddess who bestows upon us the Knowledge of the Self. We related this to the words of Sri Krishna in Bhagavad Geeta Chapter 13, when Krishna answers Arjuna on what has to be known. Goddess Saraswati holds a Veena in two of her hands, a japa mala in one hand and the vedas in the other hand, thus representing she is the Goddess of Arts, Spiritual Knowledge and Technology. She is the consort of Lord Brahma, providing the knowledge required for creation. In this context, we discussed how Japa Mala is a great meditation tool: How our body serves as a feedback loop to train the mind to focus on one thought and then helps us move on to an interval with no thoughts. That lead to the kids standing in Tree Pose, Nataraja pose, aiming for stillness and perfect balance :)

The kids were curious about why the sari Goddess Saraswati is wearing is white and the lotus she is seated upon is also white. The color White indicates purity and knowledge, hence as the mother of knowledge she is represented adorning white clothes.

She is seated on a rock, and there is a river flowing in the surrounding symbolizing that in this life there are always different flow of events, some pleasant and easy and some painful and difficult, but we have to be seated firmly like Goddess Saraswati, acquiring the knowledge of the self, despite the flow of events.

We discussed about the Swan and Peacock accompanying Goddess Saraswati. Kids were surprised to know that Swans could separate milk from a mixture of milk and water. Swans thus symbolizes the power of discrimination between the REAL and the UNREAL. We had a good brain storming session on what is REAL, by the way.

We had an announcement: Fifth Grade Bala Vihar Team shall sponsor the Soup Kitchen Dinner, the coming saturday, May 18th. An email shall be sent to parents with the sign up sheet. Please sign up to indicate what you can contribute and drop off the items in the Vrindavan Ashram before 3PM.

We then wrote the likhita Japa - OM Sri Saraswatyai namaH in a leaf cut-out, decorated and offered our leaf to Mother Saraswati, requesting her to bless us with knowledge.

The class then dispersed to the auditorium for Aarti and pledge.

Happy Mother's Day to all moms,
Anjana Aunty & Prasad Uncle