Hari Om Dear Parents,
Here is this week's update: Apr 23rd 2021
As always we begin our class with Likhita Japa, Opening Prayers,
We heard the caupais of Ramayana which represents the Vibhishana geeta – Lord Rama responding to Vibhishna's question.
We also did Surya namaskar in the class and explained the 10 steps of the Surya Namaskar.
Keys to Success:
After a quick recap of last class, we discussed weapons that are needed in the battlefield when we are in front of the enemy. Although the Chariot is complete the weapons are key to fighting the battle. In the last session we covered one such Weapon – The Shield. In this session we covered Sword and Axe and their symbolism.
Sword – Sword of contentment (Santosha)
Another enemy in the battle of life is Greed – Greed has no limits. Scriptures in fact say that greed is the root cause for the commission of all sins. The scriptures do not say not to work or produce wealth, but they tell us that after we have put our best efforts, we should learn to be contented with what we have, and then turn the mind towards the higher goal of knowledge.
Story : We discussed the story of Brahmaji distributing Wealth and the Khabanda story from Ramayana to help understand the nature of greed and greedy behavior.
Contentment (Santosha) is the sword we need to fight this enemy of greed. When we are not content, we are sorrowful and we would be tempted to cheat, loot, and lie to get what we desire.
We discussed the quote "Earth provides enough to satisfy every man's needs, but not every man's greed." By Mahatma Gandhi
Axe: (Axe of Charity - Dana)
Our other Enemy in the battle of life is Miserliness. Miserliness means stingy; the word is used for people who are not generous. We are miserly with money when we have to give it to someone or give for a good cause. We are miserly not only just with money but we are quite stingy when it comes to forgiving people for their behavior. We are very quick in criticizing, which shows our miserliness of being kind to people. Let us not be miserly when it comes to living by values.
The Lord tells Vibhíshana that "Charity (dana) is the axe (parasu) "Dana Parasu Budhi Sakthi Prachanda"
Charity comes from generosity and is the opposite of miserliness. Generosity is giving to others without expecting something in return. When you are generous, you want to help others. You are not thinking of yourself. You give because you want others to feel good. Generosity is an expression of kindness to others.
Story : We discussed the generosity of Mother Nature – The ever giving attitude. We also discussed the story of the king looking for a heir and how he examines the greedy nature of a rich merchant who gives out his wealth to gain more out of it as against the generosity of the a poor weaver. Finally the king finds his heir in the weaver and makes him the king.
The class adjourned early to wathc the Grade 3 monthly program. The Aarti and pledge was part of the monthly program.
Next Class : Apr 30th 2021
Thanks and Hari Om
Purnima and Shankar
