Hari Om!
Dear Parents,
Please find below the summary of our class on Friday, Mar 22, 2019.
Opening prayers:
Om Sahana Vavatu
Vakratunda Mahakaaya
Saraswathi Namastubhyam
Guru Brahma Gurur VishnuH
Neelambuja Shyamala Komalaangam (Rama Shloka)
Discussion: Dharma Chariot: Shield and Sword
Shield - Dispassion
Sword - Contentment
Aarati and Pledge : Temple - Lead by Grade 3
Next Balavihar class: 4/5/19
Announcement: Our class presentation will be on Friday, April 12th
Summary: This week's topics were dispassion and contentment
Passion in life is a good thing to have but it should not be one that consumes the person. Passion should be for a higher goal. Attachment to our passion will not elevate us. Just like climbing up the stairs to go to the top, as we grow and evolve we should let go of the lower tendencies and practicing dispassion is needed for this purpose. It is the shield in the Dharma chariot that protects. we asked the kids to make a list of their top 10 most important things that they think is absolutely essential for them. We had a few interesting items, which included hot showers, video games and Taco Bell to name a few! When we practice dispassion we will be able to leave lower attachments and hold on to higher goals.
Another enemy for us is greed. We discussed about greed being something that can never be fed. The more a greedy person has, the more he/she wants. Greed, if we allow it, would keep growing and it will hinder our better judgement. A good symbolization of greed in the Ramayana is Kabandha. Kabandha was a Rakshasa who used to be a Gandharva and due to a curse turned into a monster with two long arms and a mouth in the middle of a big stomach. The only thing he would do was grab whatever came his way and put it in his stomach without using discretion. Rama and Lakshmana met him when they were looking for Sita. They first cut off his arms and destroyed him. From the body of the monster rose the beautiful form of the Gandharva. We played a game in class where 2 or more kids would hold each others' hands in such a way that only one hand for each person at the end of the line is free and they had to grab as many items strewn about as possible. The team with the most number of items was Kabandha. It was easier for them to move around when they didn't have to hold on to so many items. Hopefully, the children enjoyed the game and were able to learn that greed brings us down and can never be satisfied. The sword of contentment is needed to cut the cords of greed that chain us. Such a sword is one of Rama's weapons in the Dharma Chariot. We then watched Grade 1's sweet presentation on Ramayana and finished with Aarati and Pledge in the Prayer Hall. We will continue to learn about more parts of the Dharma chariot in the upcoming classes.
Shanthi and Anandhi
