Dec 18, 2020 - Grade 8 (Friday)

Hari Om!

Dear Parents,

Here is the summary of our class on  Friday, Dec 18, 2020.

Opening prayers: Om Sahana Vavatu  

Om Sri Ganeshaya NamaH

Om Sri Saraswatyai NamaH

Om Sri Sadgurubhyo NamaH

Vasudevasutam Devam (Krishna Shloka)

Activity: My Vacha, Gratitude Journal

 

Lessons: Mahabharata - Character analysis of Bhima, Arjuna, Draupadi, Kunthi and Yudishtira; Yaksha Prashna

 

Chanting: Gita Dhyana Shloka

 

Additional activity : 9th grade performance

 

Bhagavat Gita: Ch. 2 Verses 8-9

 

Closing prayers

Next Balavihar class: 1/8/2021

 

Summary:  Using the My Vacha exercise we started off the class with reflecting on the week and how effective our speech and usage of words was. We were happy to hear from a couple of kids that the exercise is helping them be little more conscious in their interactions. We continued the discussion with gratitude journal and what little things during the week made us feel happy and thankful for.

 

With that, we started our character analysis. We discussed in detail the following characters: 

1. Kunti : She was the wife of Pandu and the mother of the Pandavas. She was adopted by Kuntibhoja who was childless.  She showed extraordinary courage and inner strength in raising Pandavas despite being a 'single mom'. She was a great devotee of the Lord. It is believed that she once asked the Lord to His surprise 'to give her more suffering in her life' –  so that she would remember Him all the time! Karna, her eldest son was born to her when she was in her teens and before marriage due to a boon given by sage Durvasa. Scared of societal and parental repercussions she let go the baby floating him in the river. This son (later known as Karna) was raised by a charioteer and his wife, Radha.  Her other sons were all born of celestial beings. Kunti shared the mantra given by Sage Durvasa  with Madri (the second wife of Pandu) who also invoked these celestial beings. With time, enmity and jealousy developed between Karna and Arjuna. Duryodhana waged the war with Pandavas mainly depending on Karna's prowess and friendship. The war resulted in such a large scale destruction. many close relatives and cousins, uncles etc. were unnecessarily killed. All of this perhaps could have been avoided if Kunti told everyone that Karna was her first born. 
2. Yudhisthira: He was the eldest of Pandavas. He was also called Dharmaraja as he followed Dharma in thought, word and deed. There are numerous situations which show his greatness – For instance, when his brothers lay in 'coma' during the Yakshaprashna episode, he was asked by the Yaksha  to choose one brother to live – he chose Nakula without any hesitation. He could have chosen Arjuna or Bhima – who could have helped him in a bigger way in the war. But he wanted at least one son of Madri to be alive. He always acted in a Dhaarmic fashion. In order to avoid large scale war and destruction, he was willing to take just 5 villages from Kauravas. – unfortunately his policy of appeasement did not change the heart of Duryodhana. When the Gandharvas captured Duryodhana,  Yudhisthira sent Arjuna and Bhima to rescue him – saying 'we all are still one family.' Such was the generosity of spirit he possessed. After  the war was over,  one of the first proclamations he made was that everyone was to treat Dhritharastra and Gandhari respectfully. Despite all the cruelties meted out by the Kauravas and also Dhritharastra, the thought for revenge never crossed Yudhisthira's mind. He, being this great soul still had a weakness for playing dice game which led to lot of problems and suffering for Pandavas.
3. Bhima: He was thes second Pandava, had enormous physical strength and had the special blessings of Hamunanji himself.  He was the chief protector of Pandavas from demons during their stay in forests. He even carried them when they were all tired! Despite his great strength, he always listened to his elder brother – Yudhisthira and followed Dharma. He was chiefly responsible for killing all the children of Dhritharastra and Gandhari in the war. He was one who can be called a "gentle giant." Despite being huge and powerful, he never resorted to violence unnecessarily. Bhima had a voracious appetite and was a great food lover. This small weakness of his caused him trouble in childhood. 
4. Arjuna was the most skillful archer of the brothers. He was the favorite disciple of Dronacharya – he earned this status through hard work, dedication, service and skill. He once saved Dronacharya from a crocodile and was instrumental in capturing Drupada as Gurudakshina to his teacher. His dedication was so great that he even practiced bow and arrow in the dark –to improve his skill! With guidance and protection of Lord Krishna he was mainly responsible for defeating Kauravas in the war. Despite his prowess , he always listened to his eldest brother and followed Dharma. Arjuna had some pride in him – one of the blemishes in his character.
5. Draupadi: was daughter of King Drupada and wife of Pandavas. She was a devoted wife and a great devotee of Lord Krishna. Like all Pandavas,  she too always followed Dharma. Arjuna won her hand in marriage through a "Swayamvara" during the time the Pandavas were banished to the forest. Inspite of being a Princess, she adjusted to a new lifestyle living in a hut with her husbands and mother in law with humbleness and without any complaint. Draupadi was also known for being a very brave and strong woman who stood for herself when facing troubling situations. 

 

Yaksha Prashnas :

1. By giving up what, one becomes dear?  Arrogance . We should associate with people who are modest and not always show off.  One should always remain humble. To explain this in more relevant terms, we used a d2d example of making a good coffee and how many people are involved in preparing those ingredients before the coffee powder and the milk reaches our kitchen. We tend to ignore all of this and take the full credit of making a good coffee all by ourselves. This simple thought would help us understand how small one is in this world where everyone is interdependent on others.
2. By Giving up what, one becomes free from grief : Renouncing Anger :  Desire causes attachment and any obstacle in achieving or fulfilling that desire will result in anger and eventually grief.  Again, we used some simple examples of how one wishes to obtain something like an Xbox and how this desire if not fulfilled and the attachment to this object leads to anger and grief.
3. By Giving up what, one becomes prosperous? Lust : Lust for money leads to greed. One always remains poor with a desire to earn more and more. By giving up that lust, one becomes more prosperous  with a content feeling that 'What I have is more than what I need'
4. By renouncing what, one becomes happy? Greed:  Wanting for more and never being satisfied with what one has will only lead to grief, unhappiness and sorrow. Learning to let go, not being envious of others and being content with what one leads to happiness. 

 We reviewed the Geeta Dhyana Shlokas followed by Geeta chanting verses with Swamiji's video. We all joined 9th grade performance after the class and enjoyed their very thoughtful delivery of two great character traits and how those traits helped them distinguish from others. 

 

We will see the kids again on Jan 8th. We wish you all a safe, joyous holiday and a very happy new year!

 

Pranam,

Mythili and Anandi