Hari Om! Parents,
We started class with the beginning prayers followed by meditation.
Last Friday, May 21st was World Meditation Day. It felt good to have a
class on this special day. We repeated our Chit meditation by first
noticing the objects of the senses around us and after that abiding as
the silent witness to them.
For this week's class some of the children participated in talking
about a few of the 16 samskaras or purificatory actions performed in
an individual's life as prescribed by Vedas. It was wonderful to
listen to them.
Started the discussion with the 5 stages in a human life which are:
Prenatal years
The childhood years
The student years
The adulthood years
Old age and the wisdom years
Samskaras are turning points of life which needs to be celebrated as
laid out in the shastras. Families and friends get together and convey
their blessings to the person/persons whose life is being celebrated.
Since the children are in the Brahmacharya ashrama we started with the
1st Samskara from that ashrama and continued. The 16 samskaras in our
discussions were
1. Upanyanam or the thread ceremony
2. Samavartana or the graduation ceremony. Talked about our Balavihar
graduation and how our Swamiji conducts it with the Saraswathi Pooja
and the chanting of a part from the Taittiriya Upanishad.
3. Vivaha or wedding ceremony. This is the first samskara in the
grihastha ashrama. It is performed when the person is ready to take on
responsibilities. The children mentioned the Sapthapadi or the 7 steps
which the bride and groom take. Each step is symbolically taken to
reinforce the friendship and strengthen the bond of marriage.
Next a few prenatal samskaras which some children presented and discussed.
4. Garbhadhana
Talked about Prahalada and the Arjuna/Subhadra story. How Prahalada
imbibed the teachings in his mother's womb while living in Rishi
Narada's ashrama. Inspite of being born an asura, he was the biggest
bhakta of Sri Narayana. Abhimanyu could get into the chakravyuha but
didn't know how to get out because going into chakravyuha was the only
part he heard when in the womb.
5. Pumsavana, ceremony performed for the mental growth of the unborn child
6. Simantonnayana, ceremony where the husband seeks Mother Lakshmi's
blessings to remove all evils and prays for a pure mind for the unborn
child
7. Jatakarma, ceremony performed asking for blessings at birth of the
child to provide mental and intellectual growth.
8. Namakarana or naming ceremony. Discussed why a name is so important
for an individual and the connection between the 'name' and the
'named'.
The children talked about the number of the syllables in a girl's
versus a boy's name which was interesting.
9. Nishkramana, or going out of home for the first time for the new baby.
10. Annaprashna, or offering solid food for the first time to the
baby. Annam offered to the Lord is mixed with ghee and honey is fed to
the child. Honey symbolizes sweetness.
11. Chudakarma, or mundana ceremony performed between 1 and 3
12. Karnaveda, ear piercing ceremony performed at the age between 3 to 5 years.
Educational samskaras
13. Vidyarambha, or aksharabhyasa, ceremony is the beginning of the
primary education of the child.
Vanaprastha ashrama
13. Vanaprasta or withdrawing from the world and living a life of
learning and contemplation
14. Sanyasa or life of renunciation which means living life in austerity
We will continue some more on this topic and wind up in our last class.
Our next Balavihar class is on June 4th. This will be our last class
followed by annual day on June 12. Please check your emails for
details of annual day
Pranams
Uma and Nirmala
