Hari Om Parents
We started our class with Likhita japa and our daily prayers (Page 11 of My Prayers book).
After the daily prayers were completed, we recited Ganesh Pancharatnam, and shared the video recording of the same to parents in Whatsapp group as well. We will start Nirvana Shatakam in our next class. We discussed Deepavali which was celebrated by everyone in various ways.
We divided the class into 3 groups and played Pictionary on Deepavali, everyone played really well and were able to draw the pictures and guess and the words as well. Later we recapped what we did in the last class, starting from king Shantanu's meeting of Ganga until the episode of birth of Dhritarashtra, Pandu and Vidhur. We did pop-corn reading in continuation of the story of Kacha and Devayani.
Kacha is the son of Brahaspati, the Guru and leader of Devas (heavenly people). Devayani is the daughter of Sukracharya, Guru of Asuras (Demons). Frequently Devas and Asuras went to war with each other. Every Time anyone of the asura was Sukhraachrya brought them back to life as he knew the technique of Sanjivani. All the devas requested Kacha to go and learn this technique from shukracharya. Kacha comes to shukracharya and bows in reverence and introduces himself as grandson of Angirus and son of Brihaspathi and wishes to learn from Sukracharya.
Ausras suspect that Kacha comes to shukracharya with intention of learning sanjivani.But shukracharya being a guru does not send back or reject Kacha and decides to teach him no matter what his intention is,as a wise guru he must teach any one who comes to him for learning. Sukhracharya has a daughter named devayani, who falls in love with Kacha.
One day kacha takes the cattle for grazing. Asuras go behind kacha and kill him and chop into pieces and feed his flesh to dogs. All the cattle come back and devayani notices that kacha didn't come back and suspects something wrong or bad might have happened with kacha and requests her father to rescue and bring kacha back. Sukracharya then uses his sanjivani mantra and brings kacha back to life. When devayani asks kacha what happened, he tells that he went to graze cattle and asuras came and later he doesn't know what happened.
After a few days devayani sends kacha to bring some flowers from the forest. Asuras kill kacha and make a paste of his body and mix it in the sea. When kacha does not return after some time, devayani suspects again something went wrong with kacha. She requests her father to bring kacha back to life as she loves him dearly. Her father shukracharya brings kacha back to life.
When devayani asks kacha he tells her what has happened and how he went to forest to bring flowers and how asuras attacked him but how he doesn't know what happened later.
For the third time asuras kill kacha and burn his body and mix the ashes in a wine and give it to shukracharya.when devayani realizes that kacha didn't return back home and requests her father to bring kacha back. Shukracharya consoles and persuades devayani that life is not permanent and asuras are bent on killing kacha and he has been trying to bring him back to life.
But Devayani vows to fast until her father brings back to life kacha. Shukracharya goes into vision and realizes that kacha was killed and burnt, his ashes were mixed into the wine and shukracharya drinks the same. He tells kacha that he would have to teach the art of sanjevani since if he brings kacha back to life shukracharya would die and devayani might not be happy about it. Since devayani wants both to be alive and for her happiness he would teach kacha the art of sanjeevani so that after he comes out he would have to use it to bring shukracharya to life.
Kacha agrees to this. Sukhracharya brings kacha back to life. Once Shukracharya invokes sanjivani, Kacha breaks through the stomach of shukracharya and comes to life and shukracharya dies. As promised kacha brings shukracharya to life using sanjivani art. Kacha then bows to shukracharya and tells him since he gave him life he is like his mother and after staying and serving shukracharya for few more years goes back to Deva loka and while he is going back Devayani tells kacha that she is madly in love with him and requests him to marry her.kacha then refuses her and since shukracharya brought him back to life he is like his mother and she would be his sister. Devayani gets very upset on this and shukracharya consoles devayani and lets kacha go back.
We had to stop here as it was the end of chapter 5 in the Mahabharata book and it was almost time for our swamiji's Gita chanting video. We learnt 6 and 7 shlokas from chapter 4.
Requesting parents to make children practice daily prayers/Ganesha Pancharatnam and Gita shlokas Chapter 4 until 7th. Please also record and send them to the gita chanting team so that kids and the Balavihar houses get points.
email:- geeta@chinmayavrindavan.org
Until we meet next time (i.e December 1st 2023). Happy Thanksgiving to you and your family.
With Pranams
Shivram & Anuradha
Important Information:
List of things that we need the kids to bring to the class
1. An empty notebook to write likhita japa and notes
2. Two sharpened pencils
3. Daily Prayers book
4. Curriculum for 5th graders
1. Mahabharata By Raja Gopalachari
2. India the sacred land (handouts will be provided by teachers)
3. Bhagavad Gita - Chapter 4. Sholkas 1-28
4. Slokas- Ganesha panchartnam and Nirvana Shatakam
4.1 Ganesha Panchratnam
4.1.1 Link to rendition with lyrics in english https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B4lZCKxeJFE or
4.1.2 Link: https://youtu.be/Oyo0FWP9fB8?si=ZaYVDepNkX0YWShI (play at lower speeds for kids to follow lyrics and hear clearly
4.2. NirvanaShatakam
Link to chant
https://youtu.be/rKx7K13OvQ4?si=lM6g_ZtX0kdF5Sfo - Uninterrupted Line Guided Chant - YouTube
