Hari Om Parents,
We started off today's class with Likitha japa whilst waiting for all to join in. Please make sure the kids have a notebook to do this. We then continued with 3 om chantings and our regular set of bhajans.
Mahabharata continues- Vichetraveerya is finally of marriageable age. Bhishma hears of a swayamwara to be conducted by the king of Kashi to marry off his 3 daughters, Amba, Ambika and Ambaalika. Bhishma engages in a fight with the other kings, including the king of Salva, and defeats them all. He brings the 3 daughters to Hastinapura. Vichhetraveerya is extremely happy with latest developments. Amba, the eldest, then speaks of her love for the king of Salva. Vichhetraveerya refuses to marry her. Bhishma and Satyawati agree with him and arrangements are made to escort her back to Salva. But this king refuses to accept her as she was rightfully won by Bhishma. Amba again implores Bhishma to marry her, but Bhishma refuses her because of his vow of celibacy. Rejected by all, angry Amba proceeds to the forest, and the sages there are very disturbed by her presence. They approach her grandfather Hotravahana who agrees to speak to his good friend Bhargava ( better known as Parashurama ). Bhargava is the Guru of Bhishma and therefore he is very sure that Bhishma will not disappoint him and will marry Amba, as it is the command of a teacher to his student. Bhishma of course again refuses Bhargava. This enrages Bhargava and he is ready to either curse Bhishma or engage in a duel with him. Bhishma agrees to the latter and after a fierce battle, agrees to withdraw as it is not right to ask the Guru to surrender first. This wins over Bhargava and he accepts Bhishma's decision. Amba is infuriated and she decides to do severe penance. Lord Shanmukha is happy with her and presents her with a garland, and tells her that whoever wears it will kill Bhishma. Amba offers it to all the kings, who refuse it as they are wary of Bhishma. She asks Drupada, the king of the Panchalas, to accept it, but he refuses it as well. In anger, she throws the garland in the court and proceeds to the forest to do penance once again. This time Shiva is happy and promises her that she will take revenge in her next birth. To fulfill the revenge, she lights a huge fire and jumps into it. She is reborn as Shikhandini, Drupada's daughter. One day, she wears the garland which enrages her father. She tells him that she was reborn to take revenge on Bhishma. Drona is her Guru and she eventually becomes a man. He is called Shikhandi and is instrumental in Bhishma's death later on.
The marriage of Vichhetraveerya with the two princesses is duly performed. They are extremely happy but fate strikes them and young Vicheetraveerya is found to suffer from a dreadful disease that no one can save him from, and he soon dies. Satyawati is saddened by the calamity that has befallen her and the fact that the Kuru clan does not have an heir. She finally summons Bhishma and beseeches him to continue the Kuru clan with the wives of Vicheetraveerya. Bhishma is unruffled by the preposterous suggestion and refuses to break his vow. Satyawati doesn't give up and implores him to break the oath as otherwise, it will be the end of the race. Bhishma, finally taking pity on her, asks her to think of a worthy Brahmin who can give them an heir. Satyawati tells Bhishma about how she had borne a son to Parashara before her marriage with Shantanu. This son is Vyaasa. Satyawati thinks of her son and Vyaasa appears before her. Satyawati tells him everything.
Vyaasa agrees to grant her heart's desire. He lays a condition wherein he says it is upto the wives to make him feel welcome and that they should not be scared of his dark complexion. Satyawati agrees to talk to the two princesses. It is a dark night and Ambika is in her room waiting for Vyaasa. His appearance is so terrible that she closes her eyes. In the morning, Vyaasa tells his mother that a strong and powerful son will be born to Ambika. But because she closed her eyes, the son will be born blind. Next , he goes to Ambaalika whose blood runs cold at the sight of Vyaasa. In the morning, he again tells his mother that a handsome and gentle natured son will be born, but he will be white and pale. Satyawati begs for forgiveness and asks him to visit Ambika once more. Vyaasa agrees and leaves Hastinapura. In due course, the two boys are born and are named as Dhirtarashtra and Pandu. Vyaasa again comes to the capital. But Ambika is filled with horror and decides to send her maid instead of herself meeting Vyaasa. The maid is very attentive to every wish of Vyaasa. In the morning, he tells his mother that a son will be born and that he will be the incarnation of Dharma. But he tells his mother that the maid will bear the best of his children. Satyawati is shocked but Vyaasa refuses to grant her any more favors and goes away to the Himalayas. This child is named Vidura.
Again Bhishma has to take up the task of bringing up the children and ruling the kingdom until Dhirtarashtra and Pandu come of age. He teaches them everything considered essential for Kshatriya princes. Dhirtarashtra is endowed with unusual strength. Pandu proves to be highly skilled in archery. Vidura is the wisest of them all. As Dhirtarashtra is blind, he cannot rule the kingdom. Pandu rules in his name, with Vidura assisting him. Once again, Bhishma has to look for brides for the young men. He selects Gandhari, the daughter of king Subala, as the bride for Dhirtarashtra. In the beginning the king is a little apprehensive as the groom is blind but Gamdhari assures her father that she has no objection in marrying the Kuru prince. Her next action is a great deed of selflessness. She is convinced that she should not be better than her lord in anything. She therefore gets a piece of silk and covers her eyes, refusing to see the world which her husband cannot see. The marriage is celebrated in Hastinapur, in the presence of her brother Shakuni. Following this marriage, Kunti, the adopted daughter of the king of Kuntibhoja, selects Pandu as a husband in a swayamvara. Maadri, the princess of the Madra Kingdom, also chooses Pandu as her husband in a swayamvara.
Kunti is the adopted daughter of Kuntibhoja. She is Vasudeva's (Krishna's father) sister. When she is a little girl, she impresses Sage Dhruvasa and he in turn teaches her a mantra by which she can invoke any God. The playful girl decides to test the mantra, invokes the Sun God and to her dismay and shock, is blessed with a baby boy born with kavacha (armor) and kundala (earrings). In desperation, she wraps the baby in a silk cloth and lets the baby float in the river with the hope that someone accepts the baby as their own.
We continued learning the bhajan Ajam Nirvikalpam. We then started our series of Geeta chanting Chapter 4 verse 1. I will send the recording by whatsapp.
See you all next week which is going to be a fun filled class!
Indira and Raji
