Hari Om Dear Parents,
We started our class with Likhita Japa, followed by opening Prayers.
We continued with Gita Dhyanam and completed until verse 6.
Recap :
We recapped introduction of Sanatana Dharma, the 3 values Dhriti, Forgiveness and Dama that were taught in the previous class
Lesson: Values that characterize Sanatana Dharma
Dhritih kshama damo'steyam saucham-indriyanigrahah
Dheer-vidya satyam-akrodho dasakaam dharmalakshanam
We continued with the rest of 7 values that characterized Sanatana Dharma, discussing examples from their lives
- Asteya - Non-stealing
Kids correctly pointed out stealing is taking away what rightfully belongs to others. We discussed how taking more than what we require like from nature is also a form of stealing and how it has cascading effect. Nature has enough for everyone's needs but not enough for even a single person's wants. - Sauca - Purity
When we quizzed kids about purity they not only mentioned physical cleanliness, they also said purity of mind. We discussed how to keep our minds clean of our negative tendencies such as anger, jealousy, hatred. - Indriya nigrahah - Control over sense organs
What we see, hear, smell, touch and taste influences our thoughts and thoughts tend to become habits. Exercising control over our sense organs will help us feel free of certain desires that will otherwise stray us away from Dharma - Dhee - Discrimination
The very ability to differentiate between right and wrong is a great asset. We are what we are surrounded with - Vidya - Knowledge
Knowledge is not merely ability to read and write, but its that knowledge that will liberate us from all psychological entanglements. - Satyam - Truthfulness
We asked kids about how would they rate themselves at honesty. We discussed how being truthful will help better our lives. - Akrodha - Absence of anger
All negative tendencies such as greed, jealousy, etc eventually show up in the form of anger, which will make us react to the situation and not act.
Our life will be a beautiful garden if we implement these values and remove all the weeds (negative tendencies).
Next Class : Feb 9,2024
Thanks and Hari Om
Purnima and Shankar
