Hari Om Parents,
We began with the Opening Prayers. We continued to learn to chant Bhagavad Gita chapter 2 verses, Swamiji's video – Verses 23, 24 & 25 was shown. We continued with chanting of Shiva Panchakshari Stotram.
Today was short class as we had Balavihar Spirit Day. Children participated in various activities depending on the grade. High school children were given specific tasks - https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1fVdmGznrJ1M4Nh9hkc21WMxbWiiIMRqGW12Kl1hRWps/edit?usp=sharing – as shown in this link, to come up with creative ideas, hope some of you watched it, children did excellent job coming up with some very creative ideas from the challenges they were given.
We briefly talked about the importance of prayer. We generally misunderstand and misuse prayer. We are either begging God for certain specific things we want or look up to God in fear and despair. We consider God as remaining somewhere high in heaven or above the clouds, and One who gives out various punishments for our actions. Pujya Gurudev says this is wrong understanding of prayer. Prayer is not begging it is an invocation. It is an invitation to invoke the divine essence in us. It is an attempt to connect with a higher and divine essence within us. Rituals, pujas, prostration and congregational prayers either in our house or in temples are all means to give up our lower nature and assert our higher nature. By doing this we experience inner expansion in our being which will enable us to live a more meaningful life.
Normally when we have a friend or a guest coming to our house we invite him, give him a place to sit, give him an opportunity to clean and refresh himself, offer him food and entertainment. This is exactly what is done in our temples when we perform ritualistic pooja. We went over with the children the 16 steps of pooja - Shodashopachara pooja. Priest while chanting mantra - invites God, offers Him a seat, His hands and feet are washed; then we offer bath/abhishekam, vastram etc .. till final magala aarthi and pradhakshina namaskaram. More to follow …
Pranam,
Rukmani Sriram
Devender Akula