Hari Om!
Here is the class update for last week's class:
Stotrams: We chanted the Devi shloka (sarva mangala mAngalye) and learnt the second verse of the Mahalakshmi Ashtakam.
India, Sacred Land: We looked at a stereogram - was it easy to identify what the picture was without any instructions? No, clearly we needed a lot of guidance to see what was hidden. Similarly, the guidance of a guru is imperative to learning the real Truth that is hidden in plain sight. The guru-shiShya parampara is an integral part of learning in our tradition. The Guru is one who is a trusted counselor through tough times, when we need help the most, who will listen to us without judging. We looked at the gurus in our Guru Parampara who guide us always - from Lord Shiva, to Adi Shankara, and our Pujya Gurudev. We also had extensive discussion on the nature of Hinduism, where it is more a way of life than a religion. As Pujya Gurudev said, just as the subject of Physics has no "founder", Hinduism is not credited to a founder, but is an eternal path that we tread to find our true nature. The children were very enthusiastic participants in the discussion.
Bhagavad Gita: We started with the pronunciation primer to help with chanting the shlokas in the upcoming weeks. We will be starting with Chapter 4 from next week.
Our next class is on September 24th, 9:15am.
Thanks
Keerthi Kobla
Abhirami Shrinivas
