Hari Om Parents! Please find the summary of the last class ( 2/1) below:
We went right into the topics of the day – Hanuman, 'the Strong' and the 'Divine Messenger' after our opening prayers and the japa. Please remind your kids to get the japa mala every week.
Caupai 2 from chalisa : Rama Duta Atulita baladama…..
· Meaning: Hey Anjani Puthra, You are the divine messenger of Rama, an adobe of incomparable strength known also as pavanasuta.
· We discussed that being an effective messenger is a difficult job as one has to make sure to deliver the message promptly and correctly. This job was even more difficult for Sri Hanumanji as he had to deliver a message to his enemy and also Sri Rama's message to mother Sita concealing himself from all the demons in Lanka. Hanumanji's greatness lies in completing any tasks he undertakes with complete devotion and courage.
· Hanumanji always introduced himself as 'Rama Duta' which means 'Messenger of Rama'. This is a true reflection of his humility and a great reflection of keeping Rama in his heart all the time.
· We discussed the qualities of a good messenger and how one can be precise, clear and prompt in delivering a message to avoid communication issues. We played the popular 'telephone game' to see how a message can easily be transformed as it goes from person to person.
· Sri Tulaidas ji addresses Hanuman as 'Anjani Putra' . We went over the story of Anjana and how she was a beautiful apsara in her previous birth. Because of a Saint's curse, she is born as a female Monkey. She lived a life of Chastity and purity and performed intense tapas for many years worshipping Lord Shiva. Lord Shiva placed his tejas ( brilliance) in Sri hanuman who was born to Anjani. For this reason, hanuman ji is also known as reincarnation of Lord Shiva. Hanumna ji brought so much fame to his parents. So Anajna's good deeds ultimately tuned her curse into a boon and she got a son like Hanuman ji. As a wrap up to this story, we talked about how all the kids can be good, do good deeds and bring fame to their parents like Hanuman ji.
Caupai 3 from the chalisa: Mahabira Bikrama bajarangi
· Meaning: You, with a body as strong as a diamond, are a great warrior of incomparable valor. You are the remover of wicked thought and you grant the company of the wise.
· Hanuman ji is called 'MahaBira', the greatest warrior. This just doesn't mean demonstrating heroism in the battle field. Our Scriptures talk about 5 kinds of Virahs – Thayagvirah, DayaVirah, VidyaVirah, DanaVirah and Ranavirah. Hauman ji has all these 5 kinds of valor. Hence he is Mahabira, the super superman.
· Hanumanji is Bajarangi meaning he is as strong as the thunderbolt of Lord Indra. When mentioning this, we also went over briefly the story of how Indra got his Vajrayudha( weapon that has no match) from the backbone of a great saint Dadichi. ( Kids will learn how saint Dadichi got the strongest backbone as part of third grade curriculum)
· The following two stories were shared with the kids explaining the concepts of Kumati and Sumati that Tulasidas refers to in this Caupai
o Once there was a very jealous man who constantly plagued with negative thoughts of his neighbor. Although he had a boon from a genie that he would get whatever he asks her, he wasn't happy because his neighbor was given twice as much. Out of extreme jealousy and a wish to cause adversity to his neighbor, he asked that his one eye be gone wishing for his neighbor to be blind. This person is a great example of 'Kumati' (with wicked, negative thoughts) who is willing to harm himself so that he could hurt others.
o The next story is about two people who lit up lamps every day but with different intentions. One lit a pure ghee map at a temple to please the lord while the other lit a an oil lamp on a dark and lonely road to help people travel safely without stumbling into something and hurting themselves. The lord one day appears and says that he is more pleased with the poor man's oil lamp than the rich man's ghee lamp. Lord explains that the materiel value is of least importance to him. Actions that benefit the maximum number of people are more pleasing to him. Serving the people in a right way is the service to the lord. This is 'Sumati'
We learned two new shlokams from the 18
th chapter of Bhagavadgita from Swamiji and then wrapped up the class with closing prayers.
Regards,
Mythili and Madhuri.
