May 19, 2024 - Grade 6 (Sunday AM)

Here is the update for last week's class.

Stotram: We chanted Mahalakshmi ashtakam. 

India, Sacred Land: 

Architecture of a temple: *Naagara (the north Indian- beehive shaped tower) ; * Dravidian (the south Indian pyramid shaped tower)

5 Distinctive portions of the temple-

1. GarbhagRham 2. The Vimanam 3. Ardha Mandapam 4. Prakaaram and 5.Gopuram.

Vimanam attracts holy powers from the cosmos. Gopuram is considered as the gross body of the deity- odd number stories. 3 (awake, dream, deepsleep) 5 (senses, experience of the outer world) 7 (mind+intellect+5 senses) 9 (7+ego+heart)

The garbhagRham (the dark and un-decorated walls) the sanctum reflects the womb.
Temples of 5 elements- The pancha bootha sthalams: 

The 5 elements make up the whole cosmos or the Lord's expressions. We worship the elements as the Lord is all pervading.

1. Formless space at Chidambaram/ Thillaisthanam/Thillai Vanam is the worship of space as a supreme being. He is in the Ananda Tandava posture, (The dance of the delight) with the raised left foot and shows the abhaya hasta on the right palm. He's dancing in the Golden hall of consciousness ,The ponnambalam or the chitsabha or the kanakasabhai. The formless form is the Chidambara rahasyam (chit- consciousness, amber-space and rahasyam the secret)The temple opens for the darisanam -a garland is found hanging in space. The temple lingam is Akasa Lingam- Chidambaram Natarajar is the name of the Lord  and Sivagamasundari ammai is parvathi.

2. A flickering lamp in the Kalahasthi  shows the play of Wind/Vayu/Pavan- emphasizing the worship of Lord as AIR. The movement of air inside the sanctum sanctorum never puts off the deepajyothi /lamp near the lingam- you might see the flicker as if blown by moving air. Vayu lingam is a self manifested lingam, Kalahasteeswara lingam. Gnana prasunambigai ammai is the mother parvati called here.

3. Shiva is worshiped as Arunachalesvara or Annamalaiyar, in the form of agni lingam The lamp at Thiruvannamalai is worshipped as fire (Agni) lingam. The lord takes the fire form which has no beginning or end. The entire mountain is believed that the Lord is within  and shows darsan at the time of karthigai festival in the form of annamalai deepam. Arunachaleswara lingam and mother Parvathi is Unnamulai Ammai. 

4. The water spring in the innermost sanctum of the Thiruvanaikkavil temple near Trichy is the worship of water as the lord. The lingam is called Appu lingam. Underneath the lingam , all the time water keeps flowing and is also trickling over the lingam. The name of the Lord  is  Jalagandeeswarar/Jambukeswarar -Agilandeswari is the name of mother parvati. The daily afternoon pooja is very famous in this temple, the priest dresses up in a saree, representing Goddess Parvathi, and performs Abhishekam on the Appu Lingam.

5. The swayambhu lingam in the sand of Kanchipuram signifies the deity's association with the earth, 'Bhoomi' / "Prithvilingam". The temple has a huge rajagopuram and a huge outer prakaram. Lingam made of sand by matha parvathy. It was the godesses Kamatchi or Elavar Kuzhali  that stopped the water flow from engulfing the lingam. This lingam has no abhishekam.

We are planning our class picnic on June 2.

Regards

Abhirami Shrinivas

Keerthi Kobla

May 5, 2024 - Grade 6 (Sunday AM)

Stotram- We changed the Devi dhyana shloka and Mahalakshmi Ashtakam.

India, Sacred Land: We started discussion on the temples of India. Temples serve as holy halls of retreat for the masses. Temples serve as a speed breaker for lives- source of inspiration and solace during times of depression and disappointment. Constructing temples is considered as a sacred activity, as any other community service- from ancient times. 
Why do we go to the temple? The Idol- Saguna Brahman--helps us focus on the form and creates the awareness of God's presence. Temple visit purifies and calms the mind and fulfills the spiritual needs of a person. A temple visit kindles our senses. Hearing the bell sound, Seeing the Lord in the light of karpoora neerajanam, the smell of agarbathis and flowers, the touch of the deepam and the taste of theertham and  prasadam.

The children continued to present their experiences of India- it is a eye opening experience to listen to similar yet different experiences shared by our friends!

This week, the children will be performing  Guru Paduka Pooja to celebrate Pujya Gurudev's birthday. Please do make sure to have them wear appropriate traditional clothes.

Regards

Abhirami Shrinivas and Keerthi Kobla

 

 

Chinmaya Vrindavan

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Apr 28, 2024 - Grade 6 (Sunday AM)

Hari Om!

Here is the update from last class.

Stotram: We chanted the Devi dhyana shloka and Mahalakshmi ashtakam.

India, Sacred Land: We continued with the class presentations. Two students presented today and we had an extensive discussion based on that. It was a fun-filled and enriching experience to listen to the variety in observing traditions. 

Regards

Abhirami Shrinivas

Keerthi Kobla

Apr 21, 2024 - Grade 6 (Sunday AM)

India the Sacred land - Dances of India

*Brahma Ji created "Natyaveda", the fifth Veda, by taking kavyam (poetry) from Rig veda : Sangeetham from saama veda : Abhinayam from Yajurveda and Rasa from atharvaveda. The art of Natya (dance) became the entertainment for devas. Bharathamuni's natya shastra is based on Natyaveda. Dance is a form of communication and brings out the innermost feelings and depicts cultural aspects of civilization. Dance of the mind and soul- traditional in nature.

*Abhinaya (expressions and mudras) Nritta (adavu/footwork) are two sides of the coin- Natya

*9 rasas - Dance forms are structured around nine rasas or emotions that form the integral part in this art form - happiness, anger, disgust, fear, sorrow, courage, compassion, wonder and serenity. The most famous classical dance forms are Kathak of Uttar Pradesh, Odissi of Orissa, Kuchipudi of Andhra Pradesh, Manipuri of Manipur, Bharatanatyam of Tamil Nadu, Kathakali and Mohiniattam of Kerala.  *Kathak originated from Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan.Two major lineages of the art form- Jaipur Gharana and Lucknow Gharana. Concept of Bhakti and dance performance restricted to within family members in Jaipur Gharana and the concept of entertainment to all prevailed in the Lucknow Gharana.
*Odishi- originated from Oriya. Sculpture poses are strikingly unique in this dance form. The temples Bhasveswara and the Konark sun temple have these poses carved in pillars.
*Manipuri- from Manipur. Based on Bhakti bhava and  the RadhaKrsna Rasa Lila more popularized through this form.
*Kuchipudi from kuchelapura in Andhra Pradesh. State of Telengana is also famous for this dance form. Small Pot of water on the head and feet on a brass plate, the dancer proves his/her mettle in displaying balance along with hand gestures and abhinaya (the facial expression)
*Bharathanatyam-Oldest dance form originated from Tamilnadu. Sathir is even before bharatanatyam where the performer sings are dances (more of expressions) The dancers are mostly Devadasis who will dance to please only the Lords. In the later years, bharatanatyam gained prominence and there was a proper setup in the musicians where it is led by the guru who is the conductor or the nattuvanar and a separate singer along with instrumentalists/accompaniments. The art form gives equal importance to both nritta (footwork) and abhinaya (expressions)
*Kathakali and Mohiniattom- originated from Kerala. Kathakali is a Myth and mime drama. God/goddesses themed performances. Loud drums- Maddalam, chenda and Edakkya played depicting the courage of heroes and cunningness of evil. Eye expressions are highlighted. The performers are all males members and follow a strict diet. Makeup takes long hours and the colors used symbolizes the good and the bad characters. Bearded makeup shows the older characters. Mohiniattom is a graceful, womanly dance form derived from the Lord's Mohini avataram.
The forms of folk dances:
Folk music/dance has no written grammar but has been sung/performed for a very long time, deeply rooted with the traditions, customs, religions etc. It talks about the lifestyle, culture, food, nature as well. Most folk dances are sung and performed by the dancers themselves. Some have only drums played, some have sticks to make the beats etc.  The popular folk dances are Hikkat from Kashmir, Bihu from Assam, Bhangra from Punjab, Garba from Gujarat, Kolattam from Tamilnadu/Kerala and Karakattam from Tamilnadu. Some important points to note about the specific folk dances are - Hikkat- from Jammu and Kashmir. No musical instruments played while performing; Bihu- Harvest dance of Assam (happens in the mid April); Bhangra- From Punjab. Famous in the baisakhi festival times. They make loud sounds (hoi hoi) while dancing at super speed. Men dressed in lungis, fancy tops and turbans, Women in colorful skirts, tops and dupatta, both holding scarf-like pieces of cloth tied to each pointer (index finger) The drum/dholak player takes the center spot; Garbha/Garaba- From Gujarat, danced in circular moves around a pot, clapping hands in rhythm- Navarathri, sarad purnima, vasant panchami festivals have garbha. Almost like the Kummi of Tamilnadu, where mostly the dancers sing songs- say stories while singing (with tunes) or express lifestyle. Goomar (Rajasthan) almost on the same lines (Clapping hands and twirling moves with colorful long skirts, sometimes holding a pot of fire -where it talks about the royal lifestyle of Rajput culture as well; Dandia (Gujarat) has sticks, rhythmically played along while dancing- same as Kolattam from Tamilnadu. Pinnal Kolattam rope tied on a roof/ long sturdy rod where dancers braid those colorful cloth ribbons in patterns and un-braid them with timing.; Kavadi and Karagam from Tamilnadu are danced on religious festivals (mostly); Kavadi consists of two semicircular pieces of wood or steel which are bent and attached to a cross structure that can be balanced on the shoulders of the devotee. It is often decorated with flowers and peacock feathers (the vehicle of God Murugan) among other things. Some Kavadis are very heavy to carry. Karagam is an ancient folk dance of Tamilnadu performed in praise of the rain goddess.The ancient Tamil epic says that this type of dance derived from  a mixture of multiple forms of Tamil dance forms like Bharatanatyam postures and mudras. The offering of this dance is to the goddess to bless rain.; Oyilattam- It was traditionally a dance where a few men would stand in a row with two scarfs in each hand and  perform rhythmic steps to the musical instrument- Thavil (percussion) One Oyilattam was performed by a few volunteers this year sankranthi celebrations in our ashram; Theyyam is a popular ritual form of worship in Kerala; Yakshagana literally means the people(gana) who are the Yaksha (nature spirits); Yakshagana is the scholastic name used  for art forms formerly known as Kelike, Ata, Bayalata (North kerala, Tulu Nad and south Karnataka). We also learnt about mudras, which activate different nerve centers and are very powerful tools to help alleviate some nervous conditions.

We saw a video on Indian classical dances.

https://youtu.be/w0gamtoWxnE

 

The following link is about the folk dances of India 

https://youtu.be/ShOLVnxjF8M

Regards

Abhirami Shrinivas

Keerthi Kobla

Apr 14, 2024 - Grade 6 (Sunday AM)

Hari Om!

Here is the class update for last week.

Stotram: We chanted the Devi dhyana shloka and  Mahishasuramardini stotram.

Mahabharata- After Dhritharashtra, Gandhari and Kunti go into Vanaprastha, they live a simple life meditating. Once in the forest fire, they stay calm in the meditative state and are eaten up by the wildfires. Vidura keeps wandering in the forest and Sanjaya turns a sanyasi and goes to the Himalayas. Almost 36 years have passed since the bloody war. In Dwaraka, the Yadavas decide to play a trick on visiting sages. They bring Samba, a man in a pregnant woman's disguise and get blessings from the sage. The furious sage blesses "her" with the birth of the "child" who will eradicate the vrishni clan. To everyone's surprise that person gives birth to a mace and then begins all negativity around. The people think the mace is a bad omen and crushes to pieces and dump in the sea. At the dumped spots all unwanted weed starts to grow, it keeps growing as being plucked each time. Gradually the people in the Yadava vrishnis clan started to show hatred towards one another. Satyaki and Kritavarma start arguing which leads to a big sword fight until they kill each other. Balarama assumes a yogic meditative star and gives up his life. Krishna, before going to the forest, calms the rest and sends a message to Arjuna to save them. The Lord goes deeper into the woods and sits in a meditative position. His feet positioning made Jaraa the hunter think it's the face of the deer. He shoots an arrow and the Lord is killed. Arjuna tries to save the people but he couldn't do it fully as he seems to be losing his capabilities, that's when he understands that the Lord has left the world and he runs to Sage Vyasa for a solution. Sage says, Arjuna and Krishna were born as Nara Narayana and their duties are completed and the purpose of pandavas life in the world is completed. Arjuna goes to Hastinapur and tells Yudhishtra about his meeting with sage Vyasa. Arjuna's grandson Parikshit is crowned the king and the brothers and Draupadi walk towards the Himalayas to ascend to heaven. Out of nowhere, a dog follows them quietly. One by one, each of the group falls down while ascending, the first one to be Draupadi who liked all her husbands, but favored Arjuna. Then Sahadeva fell down as he was proud of his wisdom, then Nakula, who was proud of his beauty. Arjuna fell next as he did not keep his promise to kill the entire Kaurava army in one day and finally Bhima who boasted of his strength and over-ate without concern for others. Lord Indra comes to take Yudhishtra to Heaven but Yudhishtra says he would go only if Indra allows the dog with him. In Spite of Indra's entreaties, Yudhishtra stands firm, refusing to give up someone who is loyal to him and has sought refuge with him. Lord Yama, who took the form of the dog to test Yudhishtra, is pleased with his steadfast adherence to Dharma and blesses him. He enters Heaven and notices Duryodhana there and not his brothers and Draupadi. Shocked, Yudhishtra asks to see his dear ones. The attendants take him over a long and torturous path to Naraka, where every second is painful. Seeing his beloved ones going through such suffering, Yudhishtra decides to stay by their side even though Indra asks him to return. Yudhishtra's innate sense of dharma is lauded by Indra and he clears up the illusion he had created. None of the pandavas or Drauapadi were indeed suffering. A king, due to the inherent nature of his duties, has to suffer through Hell for a period of time. So Yudhishtra had to experience it momentarily. Indra reveals that all the people who had died in the war had attained their deserved position in Heaven regardless of if they were on the Kaurava side or the Pandava side. There are no enemities in the after-life. Thus ends the Mahabharata, the repository of all wisdom that is applicable throughout the ages.

We had a discussion on the Yugadi/Tamil New Year/ Vishu celebrations as enjoyed by the children in their homes.

 

Thanks

Abhirami Shrinivas and Keerthi Kobla 

Apr 7, 2024 - Grade 6 (Sunday AM)

Hari Om!

Here is the update from last class.

Stotram: We chanted the Devi dhyana shloka and  Mahalakshmi ashtakam.

Mahabharata:  As promised to Duryodhana, to avenge the actions of Bhima, Aswathama went on a mission to kill Pandavas. He observed owls attacking nests of the crows at night and decided to kill the Pandavas and their allies as they sleep. Kripacharya, and Kritavarma warn him of the indelible infamy of this action but Ashwathama would not be persuaded. They join him and wreak havoc in the Pandava camp. They killed Dristadyumna first and all 5 upa-pandavas,  Shikhandi and all the Pandavas' remaining army including their children.  Having completed this revenge, Ashwathama informs Duryodhana who dies satisfied. 

When the Pandavas and Draupadi discover the devastating news in the morning, Yudhishtra is heartbroken, and Draupadi gets furious as all her innocent children are dead and wants revenge. She asks her husbands to attack Ashwaththaama. Aswathama runs to Sage Vedavyasa and takes refuge after knowing the Pandavas are alive. He wants to fulfill the promise made to his dear friend Duryodhana that he would kill everyone from the pandava family and army. He picks a blade of grass, invokes the most powerful divine  weapon and throws on the Pandavas to cause great destruction. Krishna asked Arjuna to counter the weapon and he readily prepared to neutralize it. Seeing this display of divine weaponry, all the sages cautioned against it as the power of divine weapons would be immeasurably harsh for the world. Arjuna was able to withdraw his weapon but Ashwathama could not. He directed it to the womb of Uthara (Abhimanyu's wife). Krishna immediately used his powers to protect the unborn child of Abhimanyu. That child would eventually be named Parikshit and continue the Pandava lineage. To punish Ashwathama for his horrendous deeds,  Ashwathama is cursed to live forever in pain, relinquishing the gem on his forehead. 

Bhishma waited for the right time to leave his worldly body. Yudhishtra goes with his brothers and Draupadi to learn the art of statecraft and receive as much wisdom from Bhishma. He asks him who is the Lord whose worship will grant one moksha. Bhishma then proceeds to chant the names of Vishnu and this stotra is revered as the Vishnu Sahasranama. Bhishma departs on Uttarayanam day around sankranthi is the auspicious day he picks. He blesses the pandavas as he leaves the world. The Pandavas go to Hastinapura. Gandhari and Dhridarashtra are in extreme grief for losing all their children. Though Gandhari's eyes are covered with the piece of cloth, she could see things through the corner of her eyes and that's how she gets to see Yudhishtra's small toe and the next moment the anger and rage from her vision, from the tiny gap burns a small portion of the toe. That's her rage towards the Pandavas for killing all her children. Dhritarashtra calls for Bhima to give him a hug but Krishna understands that the king is furious with Bhima for killing Duryodhana. Krishna substitutes an iron statue when Bhima was called and Dhritarashtra gives a big crushing hug to the statue thinking it's Bhima and the statue breaks into pieces. Dhritarashtra repents for his anger and then calmly blesses Yudhishtra. Yudhishtra is crowned as the King of Hastinapura. On his way to Dwaraka, Krishna meets his friend Uthanga, who was a brahmin. Uthanga castigates Krishna for letting the war happen and causing the destruction of millions of people. To assuage him, Krishna gives him a boon that he would get water whenever he wished. Once he was walking in dry land and was very thirsty. He called for Krishna and someone shabbily dressed appeared before and offered some water which he chose not to even touch! He again called Krishna and expressed his dissatisfaction. Krishna said, he has chosen to judge the book by its cover. He was offered amrutham by lord Indira who was shabbily dressed and came before him earlier. The moral being- accept when the Lord gives you His blessings in any form. In Hastinapura, King Yudhishtra performs the Ashwamedha yagna. There comes a mongoose into the yagna mandapa and sniffs and rolls around on the floor. It had a golden face and gold parts in the body. The mongoose was blessed with this look when it rolled on the few grains of a poor man with a generous heart who shared his meal with someone who was in hunger. Not only him, his entire family shared their part of the food with the hungry person. They were blessed by Indra who praised their self-control and charity even when they were suffering from the pangs of hunger. The mongoose which was near to this place, sniffed the grain dust and his head became golden! He rolled around in the specs of grain that had fallen on the poor man's floor and part of his body had turned golden. The mongoose said that he had heard great news of Yudhistra's charity at the ashwamedha yagna, but rolling around in that space did not change the rest of his body golden. Yudhishtra was duly humbled. Fifteen years passed and Dhritharashtra, Gandhari and Kunti wanted to retire to the forest for vanaprastha. Kunti before leaving asked Yudhishtra to take care of Sahadeva and remember Karna lovingly - the youngest and the oldest respectively.

Regards

Abhirami Shrinivas

Keerthi Kobla

Mar 24, 2024 - Grade 6 (Sunday AM)

Hari Om,

Here is the update for the last class. 

We chanted the Devi dhyana shloka and Mahishasuramardini Stotram.

Mahabharata: Salya, the king of Madra and maternal uncle of Nakula and Sahadeva is now the new commander in chief. He faces a one on one with Yudhishtra and after a fierce battle, Yudhistra kills Salya. At the other side, Sahadeva and Shakuni fight and Shakuni is killed by Sahadeva.

Sanjaya comes to the war front to check on the details and wants to report to Dhritarashtra. He observes the armies are reduced much in numbers. He meets Duryodhana who is leaving the field of war, burning with rage. Duryodhana gets into a lake and is hiding and creates an illusory feel of a frozen surface of the lake. Ashvatthama, Kripa and Kritavarma come to meet him there and he sends them away, wanting to rest and recoup. Bhima's food suppliers notice this act of Duryodhana and report to Pandavas about Duryodhana's hideout. Pandavas go to the lake shore and ask Duryodhana to come out of the lake. Duryodhana tells Yudhishtra to take all the kingdom as his gift and Yudhishtra taunts Duryodhana. He tells Duryodhana to fight any one of the Pandavas and promises him that if they lose to Duryodhana, the war declares Duryodhana's victory. Krishna says that this is a bad idea, as anyone other than Bhima would lose to Duryodhana. Duryodhana picks Bhima as he thinks only Bhima is equal to him in valor and strength. They both fight like terror never seen before. Duryodhana breaks Bhima's armor and throws him down to the ground. Krishna keeps reminding about Bhima's vow and subsequently Arjuna pats his thighs. Bhima, having fallen into the ground, almost loses consciousness but gathers strength and picks his mace and jumps on a flying Duryodhana and knocks a blow on his thigh that makes Duryodhana fall with a great pain and broken thigh. Balarama, who chose to stay away from this war gets to the spot and is mad for Bhima's act of hitting Duryodhana on his thigh, which does not come into the grammar of war with maces. At the same time, he is very sad about Duryodhana's misbehavior and act of underhandedness. Duryodhana lies dying on the banks of the river. Ashvattama swears to avenge the fall of Duryodhana. He gets inspired by the attack of the owls on a crow's nest at night and decides to kill the Pandavas as they sleep. Kripa and Kritavarma try to talk him out of this evil deed unbecoming of any known limits of human conduct but he does not listen.

India, Sacred Land: We started to talk about the grains, spices and lentils used in Indian cooking. It was a hilarious session with the children piping up with their favorite foods. They are all quite aware of the different types of rices (idli rice, basmati rice and plain raw rice). We had voted for National vegetable last week ( Okra won by a good margin!), and this week we settled the idli vs dosa debate - Dosa won! We have asked them to explore the pantry at home (with your permission and supervision) and check out the grains, pulses and spices section in the Indian grocery stores to get more familiar with the immense variety.

Our next class is on April 7th.

Regards

Keerthi Kobla

Abhirami Shrinivas 

Mar 17, 2024 - Grade 6 (Sunday AM)

Hari Om!

Stotram: We chanted the Mahalakshmi Ashtakam in class.

Mahabharata: On Day 16, Karna, the new commander in chief, valorous and eager to prove his capabilities, wreaks havoc on the Pandava army. Due to his promise to Kunti that he will not kill any Pandavas but for Arjuna, he causes severe injuries to the other Pandavas in battle, but does not kill any of them. Major battles happen between Ashwattama and Arjuna, Yudhishtra and Duryodhana. Most of the kaurava brothers are dead. Sakuni's son Ulluka is also seen fighting with the pandava army. Samasaptakas keep challenging Arjuna. Bhima and Dushasana get into a battle. Dushasana's improper behavior flashes in Bhima's mind every second. He is in extreme anger. He breaks every weapon of Dushasana until he stands with no weapon on the ground after his chariot was also broken by Bhima. In the terrible face-off with Dushasana, Bhima jumps on him, hits with the mace, wrestles with him and fulfills his promise by ripping his arms, breaking his chest and drinking the blood again and again. It was indeed a gruesome scene in the battle field. Aswaththaama pleads to Duryodhana to stop the war but Duryodhana is still in the fighting mode until he wants every Pandava to be killed. The 16th day thus gets over . Karna requests Shalya, the Madra king to be his charioteer to prepare for his battle with Arjuna as Shalya is equal to Krishna in his knowledge of steeds and navigating the battlefield. Initially Shalya hesitates and shows his disinterest in being a charioteer to a non kshatriya. Duryodhana explains the equivalence with Krishna and the importance of the role and Shalya agrees.

On the 17th Day, Karna enters the battlefield determined to kill Arjuna. His mind is filled with foreboding, as he remembers his guru Parashurama's curse. He knows that it will be his crucial war with his sworn enemy and the inevitable curse by his own guru - Bhargava Rama. His horses stumble right as they start out and other bad omens foretell his own defeat, but despite all that Karna proceeds. Shalya, keeps praising Arjuna and his might and how Karna is inferior to him in every way. He makes sure that he unsettles Karna's mental balance by praising Arjuna again and again : that was the promise he had given to Yudhistra after he accidentally accepts Duryodhana's hospitality for Yudhistra's and promises to give his best to the one who gave him the best welcome and hospitality. But Karna never looks back, keeps fighting and giving all his strength and putting full focus on the war. Karna faces Yudhistra and they both fight. He severely injures Yudhistra who is returned to his camp for first aid and rest. Arjuna also is creating havoc in the Kaurava forces. Krishna advises Arjuna to just check on Yudhistra, in order to give Arjuna a brief respite before facing Karna. He turns the chariot towards Yudhistra's camp. Yudhistra thinks the battle with Karna is over and he is dead and Arjuna has come to give him the good news. Yudhistra loses his temper and berates Arjuna for leaving the battlefield, telling him to give his Gandiva to whoever can kill Karna. Arjuna has a vow to kill anyone who insults the Gandiva and therefore goes to kill Yudhistra. Krishna counsels Arjuna that insulting an elder is the equivalent of killing them and Arjuna then speaks insultingly of Yudhishtra. Having said those harsh words, he feels distraught and goes to kill himself. Krishna again prevails upon and tells him that singing one's own praises is the equivalent of suicide. Arjuna then sings his own praises! He also explains Arjuna's strange behavior to a confused Yudhishtra. Arjuna gets Yudhistra's blessings and leaves back to the warfront.
Arjuna goes back to the battle field, where Samasaptakas are again ready to fight with Arjuna, but Bhima takes them on. Karna's son Vrisasena comes to fight with Arjuna and is subsequently killed by Arjuna. Karna is shattered and is even more angry and wants to kill Arjuna. Though Lord Surya's blessings are with Karna, he has more curses than blessings, mother earth's curse, Brahmin's curse, guru's curse and some limitations in relation to certain promises made. Arjuna on the other hand, has the blessings of Indira, Devas and Gandharvas and the Supreme Lord as his Mentor. Karna aims the Nagastra for Arjuna's head. Salya advises to aim at his chest, but Karna would not listen to Salya. Aswasena, the offspring of the pregnant snake which was burned by Arjuna in the process of transitioning Khandavaprastha to Indraprastha, gets into the astra and is ready to kill/take revenge on Arjuna. The Lord makes the chariot to get into the ground a good few inches, the astra along with Aswasena, hits Arjuna's crown and he is unharmed. The snake pleads with Karna to release the nagastra one more time but Karna refuses as it is not in the warrior's code of conduct to reuse the same astra or to take another's secret help. As fate would also play a part against Karna, his chariot gets stuck into the mud and he has no help to release the wheels. Salya leaves the place as he can't help in this situation and he is just acting as a charioteer. Karna gets down and tries to pull the wheels out of the muddy ground. Arjuna keeps talking about all Karna's bad acts. Krishna asked Arjuna to shoot the arrow and Arjuna aimed the Anjalika astra on Karna and killed him. After Karna's death, Kunti declares that he is her oldest son and asks Yudhisthira to do the last rites. He gets shocked and mad with mother for not telling him earlier. He says he always felt when looking at Karna's feet that reminded him of his mother's feet. He curses the womanhood that they cannot keep up any secret, anytime. Thus the Karna parva ends.

India, Sacred Land: It was an eye-opening experience for the children to learn about the contributions of ancient India to the world.

Universities: Takshashila- was the oldest university, established in 700 BCE. The kings governed the universities and each teacher had full autonomy in their respective subjects (Teachers were recognized authorities). Chanakya, Paanini and Acharya Charaka learned and became renowned teachers in the university. Nalandha - located in current day Bihar. It was internationally recognised at the time and more than 10500 students studied at a time. 60 subjects and more were taught here. Students came to learn from India and all over the world. It had a huge library and huge dorms for students with all facilities. It was founded by King Shakraditya of the Gupta Dynasty in 5th century AD.

Geniuses: Indian astronomers knew that the earth was round and it revolved around the Sun, 1000 years before Copernicus. The approximate speed of light is mentioned in the Rg Veda . "Zero" is mentioned in the Chandas shastra of Pingala in 200 BC. There were several towering intellects who contributed greatly to the knowledge systems prevalent to this day.

Aryabhatta was a master in Astronomy and Math. He was a student of Nalandha- later became the Head teacher. He postulated the earth is round and the Moon is dark and shines  because of the sun, the scientific explanation for eclipses, the value of Pi (3.1416), value of Sines and the Sine function and expression of large numbers in words. Acharya Charaka was an exponent of medical system "kayachikitsa". He believed in the theory that "Physicians entering the body of a patient with a lamp of knowledge and understanding, could treat diseases better". He prescribed medicines to restore the imbalances created by the Doshas- Vaada, pitta and kapha. He practised preventative medicine (Great timing as we're taking precautions to prevent the prevailing CoronaVirus). He authored the Charaka samhita and Agnivesa tantra. He was a master in genetics and anatomy. Acharya Susruta was the father of surgical medicine. He was an expert anesthesiologist. He conducted surgeries for Cataract, brain surgeries, plastic surgeries,Artificial limbs, c-sections. His susruta samhita gives tips for more than 300 types of surgeries/operations. He designed over 125 types and more instruments from jawbones of animals and birds. Bharathwaja Rishi was a contemporary of SriRama. He was an expert in Aeronautics and wrote the book "Yantra sarvasva.". Bhaskaracharya the 2nd- He was a master in Algebra, Geometry and astronomy. His works are compiled as "surya siddhanta". He wrote on the force of gravity and defined the center of gravity. Patanjali was the father of yoga, to control the fluctuating thoughts in the mind. He postulated the 8 points-Yama, Niyama, Asana, Pranaayama,Pratyahara,Dharana, Dhyana and Samaadhi.

We saw a video of the genius contributors on our Ancient India

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F2KsoNr1Ryl

Bhagavad Gita: We learnt verses 29 and 30.

Regards

Keerthi Kobla

Abhirami Shrinivas

Mar 3, 2024 - Grade 6 (Sunday AM)

Hari Om!

Here is the update for the session on March 3.

It was the day of our long-awaited stage performance. The kids did an amazing job and the play was very well-appreciated by our Swamiji who watched the play and blessed the children. It was the culmination of a lot of hard work by the children and the parents and we are very grateful to be able to showcase such talented children and supportive parents.

Regards

Keerthi Kobla

Abhirami Shrinivas

Feb 25, 2024 - Grade 6 (Sunday AM)

Hari Om,

This is the class update for the class on Feb 25.

It was Spirit Day! We had two great team building activities (Making a garland with likhita japa on paper strips, and Writing nama japa with pen tied to strings) in class, in addition to an overall House activity in the temple hall. The children did an amazing job working together as a team, while coming up with innovative ways to problem solve and play the games. Our House, Durga's Daredevils, did such a good job as a whole, that we are now the leaders in points for House contests!!

Regards

Abhirami Shrinivas

Keerthi Kobla

Feb 11, 2024 - Grade 6 (Sunday AM)

Hari Om!

Here is the update from last class.

Stotram: We chanted the Devi dhyana shloka and the Mahalakshmi ashtakam.
Mahabharata: Drona was single handedly destroying the Pandava army and was focused on capturing Yudhishtra. Bhima was very frustrated that Arjuna was not taking on Drona with his full power out of deference and Drishtadyumna was also not being successful in attacking Drona. Many fierce battles happened between Bhima and Karna, Nakula and Duryodhana and Sahadeva and Dusshasana. Duryodhana has a moment of wistfulness when in combat with Satyaki, recalling times when they were friends. He regrets the nature of Kshatriya dharma which pits friends against each other in battle. 

Looking at the carnage caused by Drona's prowess, Krishna tells the Pandavas that the only way to defeat Drona is to get him to lay down his weapons. This could be accomplished only if he believes that Ashwattama, his son, is dead. Bhima agrees and decides to kill an elephant named Ashwattama and say that fact out loud near Drona. Yudhishtra very reluctantly agrees, but Arjuna cannot bring himself to agree with this.  Bhima kills the elephant called Ashwathama. He screams that he has killed Aswathama. Dronacharya continues to fight, somewhat confused that Ashwattama could so easily have been killed. Bhima continues to taunt him saying he first went against his Brahmana dharma by being a warrior and now fights even after the death of his son. Drona wants confirmation from Yudhistra since he has never lied. Dharmaputra says Aswathama (the elephant)is dead. His statement was partially camouflaged (the elephant) by the sankha nadham made by Krishna. 
A helpless and grief-stricken acharya sets to a meditative state and Dristadyumna grabs this opportunity to chop his head off. Everyone who witnessed this vile act berates Drishtadyumna. Arjuna enters into  a furious argument with Drishtadyumna. Bhima intervenes and tells Arjuna that as a kshatriya, they have to do what is necessary to win. 

Aswatthama, hearing of his father's death, is furious. He invokes the Narayanastra to kill everyone in the battlefield.  Krishna tells everyone in the Pandava army to drop their weapons and prostrate , as the weapon will not harm those who surrender to it. Bhima refuses to surrender and slowly feels the effects of it and Arjuna tries to protect with the Varunastra in the process of convincing him to drop his weapons. On Day 15, Karna becomes the Commander in chief. He starts the war on the backfoot, having used the Shakti astra he had received from Indra on Ghatotkacha, having given up his invincible armor and having the curse from Parashurama weighing on him. 

Bhagavad Geeta: We learnt verses 24 and 25 from chapter 4.

Regards

Keerthi Kobla and Abhirami Shrinivas

Feb 4, 2024 - Grade 6 (Sunday AM)

 Hari Om!

Here is the update for last week.

Stotram: We chanted the Devi dhyana shlokam and Mahalakshmi ashtakam

Mahabharata: The battle on the thirteenth day ended, with Drona still unable to capture Yudhishtra. Arjuna returned from defeating the Trigarta brothers. He noticed the eerie silence in the Pandava camp and is worried about the safety of his brothers. He finds out about Dronacharya and the Padma Vyuha and how Abhimanyu is trapped by the Kauravas. Yudhishtira took the blame with a heavy heart and told Arjuna that Jayadrata is the one who stopped the Pandavas from entering the Padmavyuha. Arjuna vowed to slay Jayadrata before the sunset on the following day, failing which, he vowed to do Agni pravesam (self immolation). Krishna told His charioteer Daaruka to keep His chariot ready as he was preparing to fight if Arjuna were to fail his oath.

On Day 14, Drona constructed three vyuhas- chakra, sakata and suchi to protect Jayadrata. With Arjuna off to kill Jayadrata, Satyaki and Satyajit protect Yudhishtra. Yudhishtra,concerned for Arjuna's safety sent Satyajit and Satyaki after him. In a one on one battle with Bhurisravas, Satyaki was about to be killed by Bhurisravas when Arjuna stepped in and shot and severed Bhurisravas' arm to save Saryaki. Arjuna defended his actions by saying it was his duty to protect Satyaki who is under his care. Disappointed at this breach of war rules by Arjuna, Bhurisravas gave up fighting and sat down in meditation. Satyaki, rushed towards Bhurisravas who was weaponless, and beheaded him. He was looked down upon by all the warriors. Meanwhile, Bhima and Karna faced each other one on one. First, Bhima won, injuring Karna severely. Duryodhana sent his brothers to help Karna move away and fight with Bhima. Vikarna, Durjay, Durmukha and seven others fought with Bhima. Bhima killed all of them and Karna entered back with more fire and injured Bhima heavily, but he remembered the promise given to Kunti mata that he would not kill other brothers, but for Arjuna. Just then, Arjuna came in and rescued Bhima. With sunset time imminent, Lord Krishna then took the chariot in a flash towards Jayadrata. The Lord used his Sudarshana chakra to eclipse the sun and create the effect of sunset. Jayadrata and the others relaxed and Jayadrata came out of hiding to get a good look at the setting sun. Arjuna used this opportunity to strike and behead Jayadrata and on Krishna's advice, the Sindhu king's  head was carried far away, all the way to the meditating King Vridakshatra's (Jayadrata's father)lap. The shocked older king stood up and the head rolled down in a split second and his head burst into pieces. Vriddhakshatra had a boon which caused the head of a person who causes his son's head to roll (away from his body) to burst into pieces. As Krishna was aware of this, he counseled Arjuna wisely.

The war continued after Jayadratha's death and the subsequent sun set. As the day turned into a darkening evening and night, the rakshas got more power in the dark. Bhima and Hidimbi's son Ghatotkacha was in full form and showed no mercy to the Kaurava camp. With his increasing power, he wreaked havoc on the Kaurava's army, and Duryodhana was devastated. He accosted Drona and Karna and regretted giving them permission to continue the battle beyond sunset. He insisted that Karna kill the demon using the Sakthi astra. Karna, to keep his friend's word, used the Sakthi astra, given by Indra,which was meant to destroy Arjuna .Gatotkacha succumbed to the astra and fell on part of the Kaurava army and crushed it. Vyasa consoled the grieving Pandavas. The war went on, even after the fall of Ghatotkacha. As the armies grew increasingly tired, Arjuna made a common announcement to both armies to call a very temporary halt to the hostilities and rest a while. Soldiers in both camps appreciated this call and rested for some time. Duryodhana and Karna even fruitlessly considered killing their opponents even during the brief respite. After a while the war continued into the next sunrise.

Bhagavad Gita: We learnt verses 22 and 23 from Chapter 4.

Regards

Keerthi Kobla and Abhirami Shrinivas