Hari Om!
Dear Parents,
Here is the summary of our class on Friday, Jan 29, 2021.
Opening prayers:
Om Sahana Vavatu
Om Sri Ganeshaya NamaH
Om Sri Saraswatyai NamaH
Om Sri Sadgurubhyo NamaH
Vasudevasutam Devam (Krishna Shloka)
Activity: My Vaca, Gratitude Journal
Lessons: Dharma, Sanatana Dharma; Yaksha Prashna
Bhagavat Gita: Ch. 2 Verses 19, 20
Quote of the day: Dharma sustains people. Whatever sustains living beings' life, where no living being is hurt is Dharma.
Pledge: led by Student
Next Balavihar class: 2/5/21
Summary: We had an important topic for today's discussion - Dharma! What is Dharma? more importantly what is a human being's Dharma? As always, we started our class with the opening shlokas, followed by our reflections on our words (My Vaca) and Gratitude Journal. We then watched a short video of Pujya Gurudev's talk on what is Dharma. Here is the link if you would like to watch it
In the Mahabharata, it has been established that wherever there is Krishna, there is Dharma and wherever there is Dharma, there is victory! We attempted to analyze the meaning of Dharma. As Gurudev says in his talk, if we opened a Sanskrit dictionary to look up the meaning of Dharma it runs up to 3 pages and even after that it is still not conclusive as to the meaning of the word! Dharma refers to that which supports the innate and essential nature of a living being. For example, the Dharma of fire is heat and the Dharma of a sugar cube is to be sweet! Our scriptures say that the Dharma of a human being is to become divine! That may sound to some as a bit abstract and almost impossible even, but if we dig deeper into the meaning of this, we have learnt that the life that is within us making us function is the same life that enlivens all living beings! Our Dharma, as a human being, is to realize and internalize this concept! Of course, it's easier said than done! All beings have essential and non essential properties. Taking the example of the sugar cube, we can say that it can come in different flavors or colors but the very core of it there is sweetness! The flavors and colors are also part of the sugar cube but they are non-essential properties and sweetness is the essential property. Similarly, the fire can be a vast one, the flame can be a tall one or a small one as in a candle or a lamp. These are non-essential properties but heat is the essential property of fire. Without sweetness, sugar doesn't exist and without heat fire doesn't exist. If we put this in the context of living beings (including humans), the essential property within is the very life! That very life is the divinity within each being. We all come in different shapes,sizes, colors,ability, creativity, etc. These are our non-essential properties and they fade away when we realize the divinity within! This is our Dharma! Dharma is also our duty towards our family, friends, community, nation, environment. Our scriptures prescribe these as the right(eous) way to conduct our lives. This is Sanatana Dharma - our ancient Dharma. Hence we should always abide in our essential Dharma and never swerve from its path! Our specific Dharma for each individual depends upon the texture of thought which, in turn, is influenced by our Vaasanaas (past impressions) that we have collected in our past. Abiding in our specific Dharma is the way to exhaust our Vasanas and thereby realize the Bhagavan in each of us. We then discussed the importance of Sanatana Dharma which prescribes 10 values. We will discuss these values in detail in the upcoming classes. Today's Yaksha Prshnas were:
What is Tapas (austerity)?
Tapas is to abide in one's own Dharma
What is Dama (self discipline)?
Dama is the control of the mind. A thought appears first before action and actions bring specific results. If we want the results to be good, our actions should be good which means that the thoughts influencing these actions. Therefore we should control the mind.
What is the best mode of Kshama (forgiveness)?
Kshama doesn't just mean to forgive but to rise above the dualities and maintain equanimity. In essence, we should not be affected by the extremities and get overwhelmed by our emotions.
What is Lajja (shame)?
Lajja or shame is the result when we stay away from our duties. Any action that is not aligned with Dharma is bound to bring us shame and disturb our inner peace.
After the discussion we practised Geeta verses with Swamiji's video and ended our class with Pledge. We will continue these thought provoking discussions in the next classes. Please discuss these topics with the children to know their understanding and perspective. Until we meet next week, stay safe and warm!
Pranaam,
Mythili and Anandhi
