Hari Om Parents,
We trust that each one of you is well. Please find below, the updates from our class on Sep 8th and Sep 15th.
During our first class we introduced an ice-breaker "Get to know me" activity that enabled the teachers to know about the students and for them to know about their peers. Each of them introduced themselves by their name and the school they attended.
We then played a game with the kids using a thumb ball. The children took turns by passing the ball to each other. They had to respond to the prompt under their thumb. Some of the prompts included "Favorite hobbies, favorite car, movies they love to watch etc. As they passed the ball, they had to remember and say the name of the child they were passing the ball. The children enjoyed the session and they learnt about each other very quickly.
We assembled in the Main Prayer Hall for Aarathi and concluding prayers.
During our second class on Sep 15th, we began the class with Opening Prayers - 3 OMs, followed by the chanting of Sahana Vavatu. We then invoked the blessings of Lord Ganesha, Goddess Saraswati and all our Gurus, by chanting:
Śri Ganeshaya Namah!
Śhri Saraswathyai Namah!
Śhri Sad-Gurubhyo Namah!
Shlokas: (My Prayers Book)
We practiced reciting the following slokas from the Daily Prayers book (page#11):
- Karagre Vasate
- Samudravasane
Our main topic for this year will be Mahabharata (from Virata Parva onwards) interspersed with lessons on Indian culture, temples, festivals etc. Before we started with this year's curriculum, we began to review the initial portion of Mahabharata (before Virata Parva) that they studied in 5th grade.
We have few children who are new to Balavihar this year and this summary review should help bring them up to speed.
Mahabaratha Summary:
The two great epics that purports the values of Dharma to humanity are the Ramayana, written by Sage Valmiki and the Mahabharata, composed by Sage Vyasa. Veda Vyasa undertook the grand task of drafting the story of Mahabharata and Lord Ganesha agreed to be his scribe on the condition that Vyasa needed to dictate continuously without any pause. Vyasa proposed a counter condition that Ganesha should understand the meaning of every verse before writing it down. Vyasa deliberately composed complicated verses so Ganesha would spend time understanding it and that gave Vyasa ample time to compose his other verses. Thus began the composition of this wonderful epic with all the life's lessons one needs to know.
Shantanu and Devavrata: Shantanu, the King of Hastinapura met a beautiful woman on the banks of river Ganga and proposed marriage to her. She agreed to marry him provided he wouldn't pose any questions about her name or origin and interfere with any of her actions, good or bad. After several years of marriage, seven children were born to them, but they were all discarded into the river and killed. King Shantanu, though horrified, held back due to the promise he made to the Queen. As the eight child was about to face the same fate, he asked for the Queen's identity and the reason behind these heinous acts that she had been committing. The Queen disclosed her identity of herself as Goddess Ganga and the children as the eight Vasus who were cursed to descend to earth by Sage Vasishta. The eight Vasus were invited by the Sage to partake in a feast in their honor at his ashram. All of them were captivated by the beauty of the divine cow, Nandini in the hermitage. The wife of a Vasu named Prabhasa, pressured her husband to capture the cow and transport it to the Heavens. Vasu reluctantly agreed and committed this heinous sin. The Sage was enraged by the mere audacity of these Vasus and cursed them to be born as human beings. The Vasu, Prabhasa was sentenced to a longer life on earth, but a glorious one at that. The Vasus hence approached Goddess Ganga and pleased her to liberate them the moment they were born. Ganga promised to return this eighth child, named Gangadatta to the King, at an appropriate time in the future and disappeared.
Many years passed. The King was hunting on the banks of River Ganga and noticed a handsome boy shooting arrows into the water to build a bridge across it. Goddess Ganga appeared before the King and introduced him as their son who was well versed in archery, Vedas, and kingship duties. The king brought him home and declared him as the heir to the throne.
Many years later, the king, enamored by the sweet fragrance emanating from the body of a fisher woman, proposed marriage again. The chief of the fishermen community refused, expressing doubt that the son born to them would never become the heir to the throne since Gangadatta has been crowned as the Yuvaraja. The king, unable to give such a promise, returned to his palace and spent his days in gloom and despair. Gangadatta upon knowing the circumstances surrounding his father's grief, approached the Chief and promised to crown his grandchild, the King upon his father's demise. The Chief was not still convinced, stating that the sons of Gangadatta might overturn this promise and so cast his grandchild aside. Gangadatta took a terrible vow of celibacy and promised to remain unmarried for the sake of his father's happiness. The Heavens sang his praises and showered blessings over him and thus earning him the acclaimed name of Bhishma, which means as one who took a terrible vow. The Chief was overjoyed with the promise made and sent Satyavati to Hastinapura with Bhishma. The marriage of King Shantanu and Satyavati was solemnized and celebrated. King Shantanu rewarded Bhishma with the boon that death would dare to approach him only when his heart desires it.
Amba and Bhishma: Satyavati gave birth to two sons- Chitrangada and Vichitravirya, the former brave and clever, the latter proficient in archery and warfare. The older Prince, Chitrangada passed away in a terrible duel with a Gandharva and so the younger prince became the king. Bhishma embarked on a hunt to find brides for his younger brother which led him to the kingdom of Kashi. The King has arranged for the Swayamvara of his three beautiful daughters, Amba, Ambika and Ambalika. The entire assembly of prospective grooms ridiculed Bhishma for forsaking his terrible vow of celibacy. An enraged Bhishma defeated all of them in terrible duels and carried away the Princesses to Hastinapura. Amba disclosed her affection for King Salva and pleaded with Bhishma to follow the rules inscribed in the scriptures and send her to the kingdom of Saubala. Bhishma did the same and proceeded to wed his brother to the other two princesses. King Salva proclaimed defeat at the hands of Bhishma as a dishonor and refused to marry Amba. Amba implored Bhishma to marry her after multiple futile attempts to convince either Salva or Vichitravirya to wed her. Upon Bhishma's refusal, she vowed to avenge her dishonor and tried to convince other able warriors to kill him. They, clearly intimidated by the prowess of Bhishma, refused to do so which prompted Amba to perform a severe penance to appease Lord Subramanya. He granted her a garland of ever fresh Lotus flowers and instructed that the person who agrees to wear this magnificent garland would vanquish Bhishma. Again, disheartened by the numerous rejections, she tried to convince King Drupada to accept the garland. The mighty warrior rejected her affair and so, in a fit of rage, she hung the garland on the palace gates and retired to the forest. She performed a great penance that appeased Lord Shiva who granted her a boon that her wish will be fulfilled in her subsequent birth. Impatient and driven by vengeful feelings, she built a pyre and perished. In her next life, she was born to King Drupada and hoisted that garland of flowers onto her neck. King Drupada feared for her safety and so sent her to the forest where she performed severe austerities and transformed herself into a male warrior named Shikandhi. In this role, she was instrumental in bringing upon the demise and the death of Bhishma in the Kurukshetra war.
Pandu, Kunti and Madri : Vichitravirya fell sick and died childless leaving the royal family in grief. Satyavati implored Bhishma to marry and produce an heir to the throne. Upon Bhishma's staunch refusal, she turned to Vyasa for help, who blessed Ambika, Ambalika and a friend of Ambalika with three sons. They were Dhritarashtra, known for his physical strength, Pandu, an excellent archer and Vidura, renowned for his religious pursuits. Since Dhritarashtra was born blind, Pandu was crowned the King of Hastinapura. When the boys grew older, Bhishma arranged the marriage of Dhritarashtra with Gandhari who had been granted the boon of begetting a hundred sons. Pandu was married to Kunti, who was ordained with a special mantra by Sage Durvasa that she could birth a child by the mere invocation of a deity and chanting the mantra. Out of curiosity, she invoked the Sun God and was blessed with a child adorned with armor and earrings. Afraid of social criticism, she placed the child in a basket and floated him away. This child was discovered by a charioteer Athiratha, who named him as Radheya and brought him up as his own.
Bhishma also arranged the marriage of Pandu with Madri, who was the sister of King Shalya, the illustrious KIng of Madra. Gandhari had one hundred sons and one daughter by the boon of Lord Shiva. The oldest one of them all, Duryodhana brayed like a donkey as soon as he was born, to which the jackals and crows cried in response. A strong storm swept through the kingdom and fire broke out in many places. Vidura saw these inauspicious signs and predicted the demise of the Kaurava race. He implored Dhritarashtra to cast away this child to save humanity and the whole world as such. But the attachment to his first born prevented the Blind King from ignoring Vidura's warnings.
Pandu had a total of five sons, deemed as the Pandavas - three were Kunti's children and the youngest two were Madri's children.
Many years later, the king, enamored by the sweet fragrance emanating from the body of a fisher woman, proposed marriage again. The chief of the fishermen community refused, expressing doubt that the son born to them would never become the heir to the throne since Gangadatta has been crowned as the Yuvaraja. The king, unable to give such a promise, returned to his palace and spent his days in gloom and despair. Gangadatta upon knowing the circumstances surrounding his father's grief, approached the Chief and promised to crown his grandchild, the King upon his father's demise. The Chief was not still convinced, stating that the sons of Gangadatta might overturn this promise and so cast his grandchild aside. Gangadatta took a terrible vow of celibacy and promised to remain unmarried for the sake of his father's happiness. The Heavens sang his praises and showered blessings over him and thus earning him the acclaimed name of Bhishma, which means as one who took a terrible vow. The Chief was overjoyed with the promise made and sent Satyavati to Hastinapura with Bhishma. The marriage of King Shantanu and Satyavati was solemnized and celebrated. King Shantanu rewarded Bhishma with the boon that death would dare to approach him only when his heart desires it.
Amba and Bhishma: Satyavati gave birth to two sons- Chitrangada and Vichitravirya, the former brave and clever, the latter proficient in archery and warfare. The older Prince, Chitrangada passed away in a terrible duel with a Gandharva and so the younger prince became the king. Bhishma embarked on a hunt to find brides for his younger brother which led him to the kingdom of Kashi. The King has arranged for the Swayamvara of his three beautiful daughters, Amba, Ambika and Ambalika. The entire assembly of prospective grooms ridiculed Bhishma for forsaking his terrible vow of celibacy. An enraged Bhishma defeated all of them in terrible duels and carried away the Princesses to Hastinapura. Amba disclosed her affection for King Salva and pleaded with Bhishma to follow the rules inscribed in the scriptures and send her to the kingdom of Saubala. Bhishma did the same and proceeded to wed his brother to the other two princesses. King Salva proclaimed defeat at the hands of Bhishma as a dishonor and refused to marry Amba. Amba implored Bhishma to marry her after multiple futile attempts to convince either Salva or Vichitravirya to wed her. Upon Bhishma's refusal, she vowed to avenge her dishonor and tried to convince other able warriors to kill him. They, clearly intimidated by the prowess of Bhishma, refused to do so which prompted Amba to perform a severe penance to appease Lord Subramanya. He granted her a garland of ever fresh Lotus flowers and instructed that the person who agrees to wear this magnificent garland would vanquish Bhishma. Again, disheartened by the numerous rejections, she tried to convince King Drupada to accept the garland. The mighty warrior rejected her affair and so, in a fit of rage, she hung the garland on the palace gates and retired to the forest. She performed a great penance that appeased Lord Shiva who granted her a boon that her wish will be fulfilled in her subsequent birth. Impatient and driven by vengeful feelings, she built a pyre and perished. In her next life, she was born to King Drupada and hoisted that garland of flowers onto her neck. King Drupada feared for her safety and so sent her to the forest where she performed severe austerities and transformed herself into a male warrior named Shikandhi. In this role, she was instrumental in bringing upon the demise and the death of Bhishma in the Kurukshetra war.
Pandu, Kunti and Madri : Vichitravirya fell sick and died childless leaving the royal family in grief. Satyavati implored Bhishma to marry and produce an heir to the throne. Upon Bhishma's staunch refusal, she turned to Vyasa for help, who blessed Ambika, Ambalika and a friend of Ambalika with three sons. They were Dhritarashtra, known for his physical strength, Pandu, an excellent archer and Vidura, renowned for his religious pursuits. Since Dhritarashtra was born blind, Pandu was crowned the King of Hastinapura. When the boys grew older, Bhishma arranged the marriage of Dhritarashtra with Gandhari who had been granted the boon of begetting a hundred sons. Pandu was married to Kunti, who was ordained with a special mantra by Sage Durvasa that she could birth a child by the mere invocation of a deity and chanting the mantra. Out of curiosity, she invoked the Sun God and was blessed with a child adorned with armor and earrings. Afraid of social criticism, she placed the child in a basket and floated him away. This child was discovered by a charioteer Athiratha, who named him as Radheya and brought him up as his own.
Bhishma also arranged the marriage of Pandu with Madri, who was the sister of King Shalya, the illustrious KIng of Madra. Gandhari had one hundred sons and one daughter by the boon of Lord Shiva. The oldest one of them all, Duryodhana brayed like a donkey as soon as he was born, to which the jackals and crows cried in response. A strong storm swept through the kingdom and fire broke out in many places. Vidura saw these inauspicious signs and predicted the demise of the Kaurava race. He implored Dhritarashtra to cast away this child to save humanity and the whole world as such. But the attachment to his first born prevented the Blind King from ignoring Vidura's warnings.
Pandu had a total of five sons, deemed as the Pandavas - three were Kunti's children and the youngest two were Madri's children.
- Yudhishtra, born through the invocation of Lord Dharmaraja
- Bhima, through the blessings of Vayu, the wind God.
- Arjuna, blessed by Lord Indra
- Nakula and Sahadeva through the blessings of the AshwiniKumaras.
Pandu's death: Once on a hunting trip, Pandu shot a stag with an arrow, who, in turn happened to be the son of the great Rishi Kardama. On the death bed, the stag cursed Pandu that the God of Death would claim his life if he ever were engaging in marital bliss. Shortly after, Pandu passed away. Madri cast away her life along with Pandu. Kunti along with the five children went to live in the palace of Hastinapura.
Bhima poisoned: The Pandavas were well received by all and earned fame with their military prowess and adept sensibilities. The Kuravas, Duryodhana, harbored resentment towards their cousins and harassed them in many ways. Once, Bhima was poisoned and thrown into a river full of venomous snakes. The poison in the snakes served as an antidote and he merely suffered a fainting spell. Vasuki granted an ambrosia to Bhima, who after consuming eight cups gained the power of eight thousand elephants. Yudhishtra convinced his brothers to keep this entire episode a secret to not invite the wrath of their cousins.
Kripacharya and Dhronacharya: The young Princes were taught archery and martial arts by their teacher, Guru Kripacharya. The teacher's sister was married to a renowned and respected teacher, Dronacharya who was the son of Sage Bharadwaja. King Drupada and Drona developed great affection as friends during their times in a Gurukula. in due course of time, King Drupada ascended the throne and Dronacharya begot a son named Ashwatthama. Driven by poverty, Drona pleaded with King Drupada for monetary help to help take care of his family. Drona recalled their childhood fondly and reminded the king, even his promise to grant half of his kingdom to Drona. King Drupada ridiculed Drona and cast him aside as the one who is unequal in status to the king. Drona was enraged and left the Kingdom of Panchala to take refuge in the city of Hastinapura.
One day, a ball that the young Princes were playing with fell into a well. After many futile attempts to retrieve the ball, they sat in desperation.Drona cast a blade of grass into the well that struck the ball like an arrow. He threw down subsequent blades of grass that formed a chain and thus he pulled out the ball from the bottom of the well. He then proceeded to retrieve Yudhishtra's ring from the well by shooting an arrow from a bow. News of his feat spread, and Bhishma engaged Drona to be the teacher of the Pandavas and the Kauravas. Many years passed but the rage in Drona's heart towards the insulting words of Drupada did not subside. He ordered Duryodhana to capture Drona and bring him to Hastinapura but to no avail.
This feat was later accomplished by Arjuna who was lauded for his prowess by Drona. Drona returned half of the Panchala kingdom to Drupada and proclaimed them as equals. Drupada returned to his kingdom in shame and performed austerities to beget a son, who would avenge his dishonor.
One day, a ball that the young Princes were playing with fell into a well. After many futile attempts to retrieve the ball, they sat in desperation.Drona cast a blade of grass into the well that struck the ball like an arrow. He threw down subsequent blades of grass that formed a chain and thus he pulled out the ball from the bottom of the well. He then proceeded to retrieve Yudhishtra's ring from the well by shooting an arrow from a bow. News of his feat spread, and Bhishma engaged Drona to be the teacher of the Pandavas and the Kauravas. Many years passed but the rage in Drona's heart towards the insulting words of Drupada did not subside. He ordered Duryodhana to capture Drona and bring him to Hastinapura but to no avail.
This feat was later accomplished by Arjuna who was lauded for his prowess by Drona. Drona returned half of the Panchala kingdom to Drupada and proclaimed them as equals. Drupada returned to his kingdom in shame and performed austerities to beget a son, who would avenge his dishonor.
Drona promised to make Arjuna a proficient archer and paid special attention to his training. One day, the Kauravas and the Pandavas went on a hunting trip with their dog. The dog strayed away from the camp and was heard barking furiously. Ekalavya, a Nishda Prince, annoyed at the dog's incessant barking, shot seven arrows into its mouth. The entire camp was astonished to see the arrows and started making inquiries as to the shooter's identity. Drona was astonished to see a statue erected in his honor and the young boy declare himself as his student. He pondered for a moment and then asked for the boy's right-hand thumb as Gurudakshina. The boy gladly offered his with no hesitation.
Arjuna grew up to be a great warrior beyond Drona's expectations. His focus and courage exemplified by the simple test that Drona placed in front of the young Princes. He put a bird statue on the topmost branch of the tree and asked those assembled to shoot the bird's head. He then proceeded to ask them as to what they saw. The entire scenery was described by everyone present but Arjuna saw "nothing but the head". Drona was delighted. Arjuna was even awarded the coveted "Brahma Astra" by Drona as a reward for saving his life from crocodile while bathing in the river. The Pandava and the Kaurava Princes concluded their training under the tutelage of Guru Dronacharya with great honors and acclaim.
A special event was arranged to enable the princes' to showcase their talent and prowess, in an arena teeming with notable dignitaries and citizens. The crowd was amazed at the flair exhibited by the Pandava Princes' especially, Arjuna. He effortlessly performed plenty of tricks showcasing his archery skills that the crowd was left astounded. His Kaurava cousins Duryodhana was seething with anger, hatred and jealousy over this show of talent by Arjuna.
Karna: The ceremony chugged along and was about to end, when a tall, well-built youth with a radiant smile walked into the arena. Though dressed in simple clothes, his demeanor and stance reflected that of a stately, royal prince or King. His voice resonated through the arena, as he challenged Arjuna for a duel in archery and promised to perform feats that far surpassed the latter in skill and superiority. He managed to outdo all of Arjuna's tricks and some more. The crowd applauded and the most exuberant of all those present was Duryodhana, who embraced the young warrior and offered his whole kingdom in his service. Karna was the name of the warrior, the long-lost son of Kunti.
Arjuna grew up to be a great warrior beyond Drona's expectations. His focus and courage exemplified by the simple test that Drona placed in front of the young Princes. He put a bird statue on the topmost branch of the tree and asked those assembled to shoot the bird's head. He then proceeded to ask them as to what they saw. The entire scenery was described by everyone present but Arjuna saw "nothing but the head". Drona was delighted. Arjuna was even awarded the coveted "Brahma Astra" by Drona as a reward for saving his life from crocodile while bathing in the river. The Pandava and the Kaurava Princes concluded their training under the tutelage of Guru Dronacharya with great honors and acclaim.
A special event was arranged to enable the princes' to showcase their talent and prowess, in an arena teeming with notable dignitaries and citizens. The crowd was amazed at the flair exhibited by the Pandava Princes' especially, Arjuna. He effortlessly performed plenty of tricks showcasing his archery skills that the crowd was left astounded. His Kaurava cousins Duryodhana was seething with anger, hatred and jealousy over this show of talent by Arjuna.
Karna: The ceremony chugged along and was about to end, when a tall, well-built youth with a radiant smile walked into the arena. Though dressed in simple clothes, his demeanor and stance reflected that of a stately, royal prince or King. His voice resonated through the arena, as he challenged Arjuna for a duel in archery and promised to perform feats that far surpassed the latter in skill and superiority. He managed to outdo all of Arjuna's tricks and some more. The crowd applauded and the most exuberant of all those present was Duryodhana, who embraced the young warrior and offered his whole kingdom in his service. Karna was the name of the warrior, the long-lost son of Kunti.
The detailed documents are available in our Google classroom. Kindly join our google classroom so you can access the class resources.
We telecast in class a Primer video on Sanskrit alphabet review with emphasis on proper pronunciation.
Chanting Primer
We then assembled in the Main Prayer Hall for Aarathi and concluding prayers.
Next class is on Friday, Sep 22nd at 7 pm. Please do not hesitate to reach out to us with any questions you may have.
Thank you!
At His Service
Friday Grade 6 Sevikas
Viji Lakshmi Hari & Anupama Sivakumar
