Hari Om!
Dear Parents,
Please find below the summary of our class on Friday, May 3, 2019.
Opening prayers:
Om Sahana Vavatu
Vakratunda Mahakaaya
Saraswathi Namastubhyam
Guru Brahma Gurur VishnuH
Guru Stotram
Discussion: Dharma Chariot: Armor
Armor - Devotion to Guru
Aarati and Pledge : Temple
Next Balavihar class: 5/10/19
Announcements:
Our class' turn for Annadanam is on Saturday, May 18th. Please use the link below to sign up for an item to donate. Please bring the items you signed up for on May 18th morning and leave it on the table marked Annadanam in the kitchen.
Please use the link below to register the kids for contests for Geetotsavam on Saturday, May 18th.
Please save the date for our annual Vrindavan Mela on Saturday, June 8th. It will be fun filled day with fun, games and food and competitions with opportunity to win prizes. Please use this link to register the kids:
Summary: It was a short class last Friday since we got the opportunity to perform Guru Paduka Pooja in celebration of Pujya Gurudev Swami Chinmayanandaji's Jayanti which is on Wednesday, May 8th, 2019.
It was really apt that today's topic was devotion to Guru. We started by chanting Guru Stotram. We then went on to discuss that in the Dharma Chariot Guru Bhakti serves as an Armor that protects us by showing us the right path. Choosing the right path help us move forward towards success with a pure and steady mind. A Guru/teacher is anyone who has helped us learn to better ourselves. We should always be thankful and respectful of our Gurus (parents, teachers etc.) We discussed a story about a student in a Gurukula on the day of his graduation after 12 years of education on the scriptures. The boy had to chant in front of a special tree that would shed a leaf for each mistake he made. The moment he started chanting all the leaves fell because he didn't invoke the grace of his Guru before chanting. The inference is that even if we have mastered a certain subject, it will be of no value to us if we don't remember our Guru who taught us. We also discussed the story of Surdas. He was such a great and noble person. He had one shortcoming which was his anger. He learnt to overcome his anger by interaction with a sweeper. He saluted the sweeper calling him his Guru in this matter. Such is the greatness of our Gurus and the role they play in shaping us to be better persons.
After this we went to the Prayer Hall to perform Guru Paduka Pooja. The children were very well behaved and did an awesome job. Please see the pictures in the link below:
Shanthi and Anandhi
