Hari Om Parents,
Please find the below update from our class on Friday Oct 6th, 2023.
Class began with Opening Prayers - 3 OMs, followed by the chanting of Sahana Vavatu. 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!
We practiced reciting the Mangala Aarati, Aarati, Chinmaya Aarati and the Shanti mantras, in the class.
Mahabharata Summary: We continued with the topics review from last year.
Bhima and Hanuman
The Pandavas yearned for the return of their beloved Arjuna and Draupadi shared in their wretchedness from the separation from the great hero. Sahadeva suggested a remedy to alleviate the sorrow by traveling to distant places and indulging in adventurous jaunts. Yudhishtra welcomed the idea and planned a pilgrimage to many shrines and holy places. They eventually reached Kulinda, the kingdom of Subahu, in the Himalayan regions and enjoyed the hospitality offered by the king. They then proceeded to the dense forest of Narayanasrama and camped on the banks of a river. One day, a north-easterly breeze carried a beautiful and fragrant flower to the proximity of Draupada who gathered it in awe and wonder. Declaring her intent to gift the flower to Yudhishtra, Draupadi implored Bhima to find the plant to take to Kamyaka forest to grow a garden full of those heavenly fragrant flowers.Anxious to please his beloved Draupadi, Bhima journeyed in the direction of the wind and presently came to a forest of plantain trees at the foot of a mountain. His path forward was blocked by a giant monkey that lay across the way, fast asleep. Bhima commanded the monkey to move but the old monkey sermoned on the proper etiquette of the strong behaving benevolently towards the weak, such as himself. Bhima asserted his status as the mighty Hanuman's brother, and threatened to jump over the lazy monkey but stopped short since the scriptures do not advise it. The monkey pretended to be in awe of the mighty Hanuman and implored Bhima to push his tail side and carry on further. Bhima reluctantly flicked the tail aside but was astounded to see it not move an inch, He mustered all his strength and tried to lift the tail but to no avail. Bhima was shocked into a realization that this was no ordinary monkey and upon asking, was overjoyed to discover the identity of the monkey. Hanuman embraced him and directed him to the location of the flowers, away from the path to the spirit world, where unspoken dangers lay. He blessed Bhima with a vision of his Vishwaroopam and promised to accompany him in the war with the Kauravas, by presiding on the flagpole of Arjuna's chariot, guiding them to victory.Duryodhana disgraced
Back in Hastinapura, Dhritharashtra heard many Brahmins recount the living conditions and the plight of the Pandavas, who had visited and traversed with them. Though partially delighted, the blind king worried over the negative implications of this talk being cast over his sons. He fretted over the greed and covetous behavior of Duryodhana and his followers and regretted his inability to prevent the sinful acts that led to that day. Duryodhana and his posse were delighted to share in the spoils of the game and applauded each other for their expert cunningness. Duryodhana seemed a bit dissatisfied and expressed his desire to see the Pandavas in their misery in person and provoke their resentment further, by exhibiting their wealth and acquisitions. Karna devised a master plan to get Dhrithrashtra's permission, by announcing an inspection of the Dwaitavana cattle ranch, which was situated four miles from the Pandava camp.Dhritharashtra reluctantly agreed and the Kaurava entourage set out to the forest. The Kauravas erected their camp and enjoyed games and festivities after completing their inspection and stock-taking of the cattle. They indulged in vigorous hunting trips and on one such occasion, arrived at a beautiful pond with enchanting views. Duryodhana expressed his desire to camp out at that spot and preparations got under way. Chitrasena, the Gandharva King was also stationed at that spot and so the encampment work was halted due to refusal of the aforesaid King. An infuriated Duryodhana ordered the army to march on the intruders and a terrible battle ensued. Chitrasena took Duryodhana captive,bound his hand and foot and threw him on his chariot. The Gandharvas blew their conches to announce their victory, the sound of which reached Yudhishtra's ears. He reprimanded Bhima for his crave assessment of the Kaurava' situation and announced his intent to help their cousins.Bhima and Arjuna rallied the routed karava forces and offered battle to the Gandharvas. Chitrasena showed least interest in battling the mighty warriors, only expressing his desire to teach the arrogant Duryodhana, a lesson in good manners.
The dishonored Kauravas return to Hastinapura in humiliation and shame. A dejected Duryodhana expressed desire to give up his life by fasting to overcome the humiliation suffered at the hands of the Pandava brothers. Sakuni provoked his inner hatred and jealousy towards the Pandavas by stating that defeat should be accepted by inviting the pandavas and handing the kingdom back to them. Duryodhana immediately shirked off the idea of defeat and defiantly declared his desire to fight his cousins to death. Karna reassured Duryodhana by undertaking a terrible vow to forsake meat and wine and promising to fulfill the desire of anyone who approaches him.Vaishnava Yagna
During the Pandavas' stay in the forest, Durayodhana celebrated the Vaishnava Yajna with great pomp and splendor. He initially proposed conducting the Rajasuya sacrifice but was advised against it since the honor belongs to Yudhishtra, that moment in time. Duryodhana was disappointed but grew hopeful, once Karna reiterated his promise to vanquish the Pandava brothers, especially Arjuna. Karna, with much bravado declared his abstinence from wine and
meat and his resolve to grant anyone their wish if they approach him with one. Though the event was successfully conducted, the attendees couldn't stop themselves from comparing this to the Rajasuya sacrifice performed by Yudhishtra deeming it inferior to the one performed by the older Pandava brother. Of course, the court sycophants cheered Duryodhana as a great King and shouted with joy as if the Pandavas had been slain already.Krishna's hunger
One day, Sage Durvasa, during his travels across the land with his ten thousand disciples, happened to visit Hastinapura and was warmly welcomed by the state officials. Fully aware andwary of the Durvasa's terrible temper, Duryodhana took care of the guest' every single need and was so incredibly lavish in his hospitality, that he earned a boon from the renowned Sage. Though tempted immensely to ask for things to benefit his own personal gain, he advocated that the Sage visit his cousins in the forest and grant them audience. He particularly insisted on a mid-day visit, since he was sure the Pandavas along with Draupadi, would have consumed their meal and the Akshya Patra would have exhausted its merit for that day. The Sage bid his farewell and proceeded towards the Pandavas' humble dwelling in the jungle.The Pandavas welcomed the Sage and his entire entourage and offered salutations to him. Sage Durvasa asked them to prepare food to appease their hunger and proceeded to the river to refresh themselves. Draupadi was greatly troubled and prayed earnestly to Lord Krishna to come to their rescue. Krishna appeared in front of her and expressed his intent to eat as well. Draupadi was annoyed thinking that her savior had also joined the enemy's camp instead of delivering her from the wrath of the Sage. Krishna insisted on inspecting the Akshyapatra himself and instructed Draupadi to bring it to him. A tiny piece of cooked vegetable and a grain of rice was sticking to the rim of the vessel and Krishna consumed it readily. He was replete with satisfaction and requested Bhima to escort the Sage back to the hut from the river for food. Though perplexed, Bhima did as he was told but was extremely surprised to see the guest' hunger satisfied that they decided to leave at once. The explanation is that the whole universe is contained within Lord Krishna and his satisfaction with a single grain of rice satisfied the hunger of all beings in the entire universe at that moment in time, including the Sage.The Enchanted pool
Once, the pandavas lost track of their surroundings while chasing a deer, they fell exhausted, thirsty and tired. Yudhisthira sent Nakula to find water. He went in search and discovered a lake, and immediately jumped to take a drink of water. A loud voice asked him not to drink the water unless he answered his questions. Nakula paid no heed to the voice, drank the water and fell down dead. Yuthisthira then sent Sahadeva, who also met with the same fate. Arjuna and Bhima also did not listen to the voice and died. Finally, Yudhisthira came to the spot, and was shocked to see his brothers lifeless. But he too was drawn to the glimmering water by his monstrous thirst. As soon as his hand touched the water, a voice bellowed out asking him not to do so, and
he instantly gathered it to be a Yaksha's doing. He agreed to the terms of the game and hence the voice started asking a series of questions, one after the other.
Sample of questions…
1. What makes the Sunshine every day? - the power of the Brahman
2. What rescues man in danger? - Courage
3. What is nobler than the Earth? - A Mother
4. What is higher than the sky? - A Father
5. What is fleeter than the wind? - Mind
6. What accompanies a man in death? - Dharma
7. What is the biggest vessel? - The Earth
8. What is that, abandoning which man becomes loved by all? - Pride
9. What is that the loss of which yields joy and not sorrow? - Anger
10. What is that, by giving up which, man becomes rich? - Desire
Thus, the Yaksha posed many questions and Yudhishtra answered them all. Pleased, the Yaksha offered to bring one of the Pandava brothers back to life. Yudhishthira pondered for a few minutes, and requested Nakula to be revived out of all, lying on the ground. The Yaksha was curious as to why not revive Bhima who is endowed with the strength of sixteen thousand elephants or Arjuna, the favorite archer of all times, to which the older Pandava answered that to let Madri have a son alive and save her from bereavement of losing both her sons. The Yaksha was pleased with Yudhishtra's impartiality and brought all the brothers back to life. The Yaksha revealed his true form, and it was none other than Lord Yama himself, in disguise as a deer and then as the Pool owner, who wanted to meet his son and test his resolve. Lord Yama warmly embraced Yudhishtra and blessed him with a boon that their life in the forest and incognito would go without a hitch.In the thirteenth year of their exile, the Pāṇdavas had to take on a disguise and remain hidden from the Kauravas. They decided to spend this year in the Matsya kingdom which was ruled by King Virāta, exactly as the Yaksha had advised. Most of the power in that kingdom was in the hands of Keechaka and other brothers of Queen Sudeshṇā. These brothers of the Queen lived in Matsya itself.
Dhaumya and others who were with the Pāṇdavas did not have to disguise themselves and decided to go to the Panchāla kingdom of Drupada for another year. The Pāṇdavas requested Rishi Dhaumya not to reveal their whereabouts even to King Drupada. But before Dhaumya said goodbye to the Pāṇdavas, he gave them the following suggestions to be followed in Matsya so that people do not become suspicious of them:
1. The Pāṇdavas and Draupadi should not be seen with each other too much. They should not talk a lot to each other. This will make people believe that they do not know each other.
2. They should keep all their conversations with others to a minimum.
3. They should give advice to King Virāta only when he asks for it.
4. They should praise King Virāta at the right occasion.
5. They should not go far away from the King without informing him and not do any action without his knowledge. This way, the Pāṇdavas will gain King Virāta's trust.The Pāṇdavas Hide their Weapons
Before going to the palace of King Virāta, they decided to hide their weapons. At the advice of Yudhishthira, the Pāṇdavas tied up all their weapons in a piece of cloth and then wrapped it in animal hide. They shaped it to resemble a dead human body and placed it on a tree close to a crematorium. When someone asked them what they were doing, they replied, "It is the corpse of our mother who
died at the age of 180 years. Our family custom is that when a person lives that long, he or she is not cremated. Instead, their dead body is wrapped up and placed on a tree." People in that area started avoiding that tree thinking that their corpse was haunted and the ghost could attack them.The Pāṇdavas arrived at the court of King Virāta Yudhishthira said that his name was Kanka and he was a good advisor and player of dice. Therefore, King Virāta asked him to keep him entertained by playing dice, and teaching him religious scriptures. Bheema took on the name of Ballava or Valala , an excellent cook and wrestler. Therefore, King Virāta gave him a job as a cook in the royal kitchen. Arjuna had transformed into a woman because of the curse of Urvashi. He had learned the art of dancing and singing from Chitrasena. Therefore, he disguised himself as Brihannalā and was appointed to teach dancing to Princess Uttarā. Nakula introduced himself as DharmaGranthi, who was very knowledgeable in horses. He was appointed as the caretaker of Virāta's horses. Sahadeva said that his name was Tantripāla and that he was experienced in looking after cows. Therefore, he was asked to look after the cows in royal
cowsheds. Draupadi took on the name Sairandhrī and said that she used to be a maid in the court of Indraprastha. She claimed to be an expert in making perfumes and dressing hair into beautiful styles. Therefore, Queen Sudeshṇā hired her as a maid to do these activities. She agreed to serve Queen Sudeshṇā on three conditions – first, she will not clean any dirty dishes. Second, she will not eat anyone's left‐over food. And third, she will not be asked to wash or press anyone's feet. In addition to these names, the Pāṇdavas and Draupadi decided that they will use code names when they want to say something to each other secretly.
Keechaka loses his life for harassing Draupadi
Almost ten months passed quietly without any major incident. One day, Keechaka, the brother of Queen Sudeshṇā, noticed that Sairandhrī was a very beautiful woman. He started troubling Sairandhrī with words like, "You are so beautiful. Marry me and I will make you my Queen. Why do you want to live as someone else's maid?" Draupadī got very annoyed and told him that she was already married although her husband was not present in the Matsya Kingdom at that time. But this still did not stop Keechaka from troubling her. Sairandhrī complained to Queen Sudeshṇā. But, the Queen just ignored her complaint because she did not want to displease her brother. In fact, the Queen asked Sairandhrī one day to go to the apartment of Keechaka for an errand. As expected, Keechaka was waiting for her. As soon as Sairandhrī arrived, he started misbehaving with her. Draupadī freed herself from the arms of Keechaka and ran towards the court of King Virāta. At that time, Ballava (Bheema) and Kanka (Yudhishthira) were also there. Keechaka soon came running after her and kicked her several times in anger in front of everyone! Sairandhrī begged the King to protect her from Virāta, but he was scared of Keechaka who was very powerful. He just gave lame excuses for why he did not punish Keechaka for his behavior. But even her own husbands who were there did not come to her defense. They kept quiet thinking that if they start fighting Keechaka and kill him, everyone will discover their real identity because only Bheema was powerful enough to kill Keechaka. Draupadī felt very hurt at the silence of her husbands. She had no one else to turn to for help. Therefore, she just left the court with tears in her eyes. That night, she approached Bheema and said, "If you do not kill Keechaka, I will commit suicide. I do not care about whether someone will find out our disguise or not. How can my husbands keep quiet when I, their wife, is being insulted and beaten up in front of everyone?" Bheema then promised to take revenge for Keechaka's behavior, and he worked out a secret plan with Draupadī to kill him.
As per the plan, Draupadī told Keechaka that she wanted to meet him alone that night in a new dancing hall that had been built in the town. Keechaka thought that perhaps Sairandhrī had changed her mind, and wanted to marry him now. Bheema put on women's clothing and went to the dark dancing hall, pretending to be Sairandhrī. As soon as Keechaka came close to Bheema (thinking him to be Sairandhrī), Bheema beat him up and killed him. The next morning, when the word of Keechaka's death spread, everyone got very scared because Keechaka was a very powerful man. Queen Sudeshṇā and her other brothers had the suspicion that Sairandhrī must have had something to do with Keechaka's death. Therefore, they forcibly tied her with the body of Keechaka and started walking towards the crematorium, to burn her alive with him!Sairandhrī cried for help and Ballava (Bheema) heard it. Immediately, he disguised himself as a demon and attacked the funeral procession. He killed the remaining brothers of Keechaka as well, and freed Sairandhrī. Now, King Virāta and Queen Sudeshṇā really got scared of Sairandhrī because she appeared to have some very strong people defending her. As long as Keechaka and her brothers were alive, no one had dared to attack the Matsya kingdom. But now, some people who knew Sairandhrī had killed them all!
Queen Sudeshṇā thought that as Sairandhrī was very beautiful, some other men in their kingdom may try to harass her. This will then lead to more killings. Therefore, she begged her maid Sairandhrī to go to some other place as soon as possible. But Sairandhrī requested that she be allowed to stay for about two more weeks, after which, she will leave on her own.
Bhagavad Gita: Verses 2 & 3 from chapter 4 were taught and rehearsed this week, following our Swamiji Swami Shantanandaji's chanting video.
https://bit.ly/Ch4verse2-3
- Class participation: The children have been given topics from last year's portion of the Mahabharata. They were divided into two groups. Each group was assigned a topic and they will be presenting that in the class when they return on Friday, Oct 27th. The presentation format can either be a News article or News Desk or a mini play.
- The content has been posted in Google classroom. Please remind the children to review their topics and be prepared to present them in the class.
Aarathi: Our class did the Aarathi and pledge.
Please have the children do their daily prayers regularly and also practice the ślokas and Gita chanting.
Thank you! See you back on Friday, Oct 27th 2023.
Pranāms,
Viji Lakshmi Hari and Anupama Sivakumar
Friday Grade 6 sevikas
