Hari Om,
Following is summary of Balavihar session on "Mar 7, 2021 - Grade 5 (Sunday PM)"
We started the session with 2 minute silence followed by Guru Stotram, Ganesha Pancharatnam, Mahabharat story and Saints of India, Bhagavat Gita Chanting, Aarti and Pledge.
· Kids started their presentations on Saints. Today’s presentation was on Bhakta Tukaram. More on that below.
· Practiced with Bhagavad Gita Chapter 2 - Playlist - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-d4EIe2V-Vc&list=PLwv-WSJSokEORu2iEsVanXQhQHOoiiQIy
Mahabharat
Marriage to Draupadi and Pandavas move to Indraprastha
The news of the marriage of Pandavas to Draupadi spread everywhere and also reached Hastinapur. Dhritarashtra, though a little disappointed with Duryodhana and other sons for not winning Draupadi’s hand was happy for the Pandavas. He made arrangements to welcome the Pandavas and Draupadi. He also consulted with Bheeshma and Dronacharya on giving half the kingdom to Pandavas to keep both the Pandavas and Kauravas satisfied. Bheeshma and Drona agreed to this proposal as it was the fairest thing to do.The Pandavas arrived at Hastinapur and were given a royal welcome. They sought the blessings of all the elders in the family. Dhritarashtra, Bheeshma and Drona told them that they would separate the kingdom into two and give a half of it to the Pandavas, to which the Pandavas agreed.
The Pandavas asked the help of their cousin, Krishna to help set up their capital city. In the half of the kingdom given to Pandavas, there was a piece of land called Khadavaprastha surrounded by the Khandav forest. This forest was cursed by Lord Indra to be an infertile land and was inhabited by the Nagas (snakes) and Rakshasas.The forest was under the reign of the Naga ruler, Takshaka. At the same time, Lord Agni, the Fire God reached out to Krishna and Arjuna to help him devour the forest to satisfy his hunger. They agreed to help Agni since it would be a good chance for them to set up the capital city in that land. Since it was a land cursed by Indra, they were sure that Indra would try to protect the forest. Arjuna asked Agni to hence give him proper weapons to combat with Indra easily. Agni called Varuna, the Water-God and asked him to give Arjuna, the Gandiva – the most powerful bow and an inexhaustible quiver of arrows. A chariot was also given to Arjuna which always drove in top speed.
The Khandava forest was then burnt by wildfires from Agni. Most of the inhabitants [Nagas and Rakshasas] were killed.
Indra was angry with Arjuna and Krishna for helping Agni to devour the forest and engaged in a fight with them. He used many weapons and illusions during the fight, but he was no match for Arjuna’s might and the Gandiva. Indra, in the end was pleased with Arjuna and gave him the entire forest to be set up as their Capital City – duly named as Indraprastha! Arjuna was widely called as Gandivadhari (the Wielder of the Gandiva Bow) since this famous duel with Indra.
Krishna called Vishwakarma, the architect of the Devas to help the Pandavas construct Indraprastha. Vishwakarma, also called Maya also built the royal palace. The palace was famous for its grandeur and illusions. The floor of the palace was built with illusions and walls were encrusted with precious stones.
India Sacred Land – Saints – Bhakta Tukaram
· Tukaram was born in 1608. Born in village called Dehu in Puna district in Maharastra, India.
· Tukaram came of a well-to-do family belonging to the tradesman class called Moray.
· They had accepted Vithoba of Pandharpur for worship and they had also constructed a temple of their own dedicated to Vithoba.
· The family members, since many generations, had also accepted the 'Wari' of Pandharpur, i.e., the annual pilgrimages to Pandharpur on the eleventh day of the month of Ashadh (June-July) and again on the eleventh day of the month of Kartik (October-November). The childhood of Tukaram was almost uneventful.
· He has 2 brother, one elder and other younger brother. His father was religious and devoted to Vithoba of Pandharpur.
· His father and his elder brother had no interest in family business.
· He married to Rukmabai, but as she was of weak health, he was soon married again to Jijabai of Pune.
· He lost his parents in 1625, when he was 17 years. He was shocked with loss of his parents for 4 years.
· He lost his brother and sister in-law shortly. Since that time, he lost interest in his daily activities and people around him (including family, friends, business people) started to take advantage of his situation.
o The debtors would not repay whatever due to him and the creditors began to press him for the money due to them.
o Tukaram tried his hand in several ventures of trade and always came back either with empty hands or with a loss.
o Once, on the way home, he was robbed of everything by confidence-tricksters who gave him gilt brass ornaments in exchange for all the money he had with him.
o On another occasion, returning home, he came across a poor Brahmin who was starving; he made the Brahmin very happy by giving him everything—the profit as well as the principal which his wife had borrowed. After those bitter experiences, Tukaram was not entrusted with anything valuable when he went far from home.
o Jijabai helped him again to set up a small shop in his own village, but she counted without Tukaram's state of mind. Tukaram used to sit in the shop doing Bhajan and being very kind and honest to his customers. Soon therefore, he became bankrupt
· As a consequence of the many misfortunes, Tukaram was so much disgusted with life that he left his house and village and disappeared into the Bhamnath forest nearby. For fifteen days he stayed there concentrating on the Almighty without food, water or sleep. After the fifteenth day, he realised his Supreme Self and Vithoba visited him in His true form.
· In the meantime, Tukaram's second wife was searching everywhere for her husband and when she found him at the hill, she brought him back to the house; but it was Tukaram different from the one who had left her a fortnight earlier. Now Tukaram had no love for his household, wife or relations. Immediately after he came back, he gathered all the promissory notes which were in the house, and all the account books, and threw them into the Indrayani river, in spite of the protests of his relatives. Then, with his own hands, he reconstructed the temple which had fallen into disrepair and began to spend his life—day and night—in Bhajan and Kirtan. His mind at that time was described by him thus: "O God! Kindly grant that I should never forget You. My body is made up of the five elements which I have to return with interest at the end. My conclusion is that there is no well-wisher for me other than You, O Pandhuranga!"
· As a result of his whole-hearted devotion, Bhajan and Kirtan, Tukaram was rewarded with Guru Upadesh. The Guru visited him in a dream. Tukaram now began to spend his life more and more in devotional practices, study of the poems and works of Jnanadev, Namdev and Ekanath, Gita, Bhagavata, etc., with the result that slowly, but unconsciously, he began to make poems. Then one day, he had a dream in which Namdev appeared with Panduranga, woke him and advised him to make devotional songs. They would not hear of any excuses. Panduranga gave him the necessary inspiration and Namdev told him to complete the one hundred crores of poems which he had intended to make and of which he had completed ninety-four crores and forty lakhs, leaving a balance of five crores and sixty lakhs for Tukaram.
· Whenever Tukaram began to perform Bhajan or Kirtan, people began to flock to the place, and with very few exceptions, people of all classes began to consider him as a saint and treat him with respect.
· Brahmins in the community who were jealous of Tukaram’s achievements, told him he is not from Bramhin community and not allowed to write songs/poem asking him to destroy all his poems. He had great reverence for Brahmins and he immediately brought out all the poems, tied a big stone round the bundle, and threw it into the river.
· Tukaram then sat on the bank of the river Indrayani in constant prayer to Panduranga to show him the correct path. For thirteen days he thus sat unmoved, without water, food or sleep. On the 14th day, one of Tukaram's followers, had a dream, saw Panduranga coming to him and telling him, "Go to the river; there you will find the poems of Tukaram floating on the surface intact." At once the man went to the river and brought to the bank the bundle of poems. Tukaram was moved by the mercy of God and delivered five poems blaming himself for doubting the word of God and for putting Him to so much trouble of having to preserve the poems in water for thirteen days.
· Key Messages of Tukaram’s life
o Share
o Be Kind
o Be Courteous
o Be forgiving
Hari Om
CMTC - Sunday PM Balavihar - Grade 5 - Sevak and Sevika.
Harish and Priya
