Hari Om parents!
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Here's an update on the 9-28 class - Kids learned about the following two virtues: 'Balam' and 'Yasha' of Hanumanji
After the opening prayers, we did the Rama nama japa and sang the bhajan 'Jaya Hanumana Athi balavana' ( My Prayer Book Pg# 153)
We quickly revised the Dhyana Shlokam 'Budhir Balam' ( Prayer book pg# 152) and the virtue Budhi that we covered in the last couple of classes. It was very refreshing to see the kids bring up the concept of 'Invisible backbone' all by themselves J
Balam ( Strength)
· There are two different type of Strengths - Physical & Mental Strength
o Mental strength is the power we use to do noble actions resulting in a noble character.
o Physical strength is obtained by eating , exercising and resting well. One can become mentally strong by cultivating beautiful qualities such as helping, wanting to share and praying.
· We shared some examples to demonstrate the importance of mental strength – one good one that resonated with everyone was 'Ravana' and the rakshasas who were physical very strong were easily defeated as they lacked mental strength.
· Strory telling: Kids learned two stories related to mental strength
o How Bhima who was blinded by the arrogance of his own strength could not move an old Monkey's tail ( Hanumanji in disguise). He temporarily became mentally weak
o How Gandhiji refused to copy in an exam although his teacher signaled him to cheat. We emphasized Gandhiji's mental strength and how he always lived by the virtues
Yasha ( Fame and popularity)
· Kids named several famous people who they knew. We then started talking about what made them famous – Luck? Magic?
· Fame is earned through hard work, dedication, perseverance and good habits.
· We discussed the following as common traits of famous people : Overcome Obstacles, Persevered, Struggle and triumph, Success in their undertakings, make contributions to the society, bring change and inspire others
· Kids heard the life story of Swami Chinmayanada ji ( 1916 to 1993) and how he worked hard towards what he believed in and how he struggled to establish the mission to share and spread the ageless wisdom of Vedanta
· We also talked about Mahatma Gandhi's mental strength and how he used to say "Silent Prayer is my greatest strength'. He believed in love and forgiveness and used these as weapons to lead all the Indians from 'No Land' to 'Homeland'.
Mahatma Gandhi's quote "Prayer is the key to the morning and the bolt of the evening" emphasizes how chanting the lord's name makes us mentally strong
Jai Bajrang Bali!
-Mythili and Madhuri
