Bala Bhagavatam
Bala Bhagavatam Class Listing - Spring 2012 Semester
Bala Bhagavatam Class - Bhagavad Gita Verses taught in the class (PDF)
April 8, 2012 - Week 13 Updates
Opening Prayer: Kids recited the prayer three times
Gnanananda Mayam Devam
Nirmala Spatika Kruthim
Aadharam Sarva Vidyanam
Hayagrivam Upasmahe
Meaning:
I pray to lord hayagreva who bestows the devotees with knowledge and wisdom. His beauty is like crystal,is an auspicious brilliance that never decays.
Song and Verses:
Kids practiced Mudhakaratha Modhakam song first 3 verses. We handed out printouts for the same with meanings. Would greatly appreciate it if children can practice the song at home. Please find below the link to this song rendered by PadmaBhusan Bharatratna M.S.Subbulakshmi amma.
1 Mudakaratha Modakam Sada Vimukthi Sadhakam
Kaladaravathamskam Vilasi Lokarakshakam
Anaayakaik Nayakam Vinashithebha Dhyathakam
Natha shubhashu Nashakam Namami Tham Vinayakam
Meaning: I prostrate before Lord Vinaayaka who joyously holds modaka in His hand, who bestows salvation, who wears the moon as a crown in His head, who is the sole leader of those who lose themselves in the world. The leader of the leaderless who destroyed the elephant demon called Gajaasura and who quickly destroys the sins of those who bow down to Him, I worship such a Lord Ganesh.
2 Nathetharathi Bheekaram Namodhitharka Bhaswaram
Namthsurari Nirjaram Nathadikaa Paduddaram
Sureswaram Nidhishwaram Gajeswaram Ganeswaram
Maheshwaram Thvamashraye Parathparam Nirantharam
Meaning: I meditate eternally on Him, the Lord of the Ganas, who is frightening to those not devoted, who shines like the morning sun, to whom all the Gods and demons bow, who removes the great distress of His devotees and who is the best among the best.
3 Samastha Loka Shankaram Nirastha Dhaithya Kunjaram
Daretharodaram Varam VareBhavakthra Maksharam
Krupakaram Kshamakaram Mudhakaram Yashaskaram
Manaskaram Namskrutham Namskaromi Bhaswaram
Meaning: I bow down with my whole mind to the shining Ganapati who brings happiness to all the worlds, who destroyed the demon Gajasura, who has a big belly, beautiful elephant face, who is immortal, who gives mercy, forgiveness and happiness to those who bow to Him and who bestows fame and a well disposed mind.
4 Akincha narthi marjanam Chirantha Nokthi Bhajanam
Purari Purva Nandanam Surari Gurva Charvanam
Prapancha nasha Bheeshanam Dhananjayadi Bhooshanam
Kapola Danavaranam Bhaje Purana Varanam
Meaning: I worship the ancient elephant God who destroys the pains of the poor, who is the abode of Aum, who is the first son of Lord Shiva (Shiva who is the destroyer of triple cities), who destroys the pride of the enemies of the Gods, who is frightening to look at during the time of world’s destruction, who is fierce like an elephant in rut and who wears Dhananjaya and other serpents as his ornaments.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qTo_fttK6ys - Please click on this youtube link to listen to PadmaBhusan Bharatratna M.S.Subbulakshmi amma.
Story - Matsya Avatar:
Bala Bhagavatham class children learned about Mastsya, the one-horned fish, the first among the Dashavataras in this class. One day Lord Brahma approached Lord Vishnu, and said that He had foreseen a disaster that would occur and wanted to warn Vishnu. Brahma told Vishnu that it was his responsibility to protect people. One day Brahma was in a deep sleep. He kept with him the Vedas. These are really important books, like the blueprints for the whole universe.
While he was asleep, a demon named Hayagriva stole them. Hayagriva swallowed the four Vedas, and hid deep inside the ocean. Without the Vedas, the world was in a lot of danger of going completely dark, like the lights going off when there is no electricity. To protect the world, Lord Vishnu incarnated as Matsya to save all that was good in the world before its destruction.
At that time there was a pious king called Satyavrata who was a great devotee of Lord Vishnu. Satyavrata was down by the river for his morning prayers to the god Vishnu. His morning prayers were his daily ritual to lord Vishnu. After he picked himself up off the grass, Satyavrata went over to the river to wash his hands and cleanse himself. While he was washing his hands a tiny fish swam into the gap of his cupped hands. The fish was extremely small, no bigger than his pinkie, and he assumed it was just a baby. The fish appeared frightened.
Satyavrata spoke the language of the animals and proceeded to try to comfort the small fish so that it did not die from shock. The fish was pleading for his life but Satyavrata told him there was no need because he could never harm such an innocent creature. Once Satyavrata began to talk, the fish immediately calmed down. Satyavrata found out that the name of the little fish was Matsya and that he had been separated from his large family by getting caught in a strong current. Satyavrata felt bad for Matsya, and decided that he was going to take care of him. He cupped Matsya in his hand with plenty of water and walked his many miles home. He was extremely careful the whole trip and never let any of the water leave his hand. When he reached home, Satyavrata showed his wife the small little fish and asked her to find something to keep him safe.
His wife, Neha, brought him a small little cup, which was more than enough room for Matsya. Matsya knew that he would always be safe in Satyavrata and Neha's protection and so he swam around in joy. Matsya was not a normal fish, though, as they would soon find out. Within days, Matsya had grown to the size of Neha's small hand. She moved Matsya to a large bowl to make sure that he always had enough room to swim. A few days later and Matsya had already outgrown the bowl! Satyavrata carried the fish to the small pond that was behind their home. This growing kept happening until Matsya had outgrown the pond, a stream, a lake, and a river. Satyavrata was not going to give up on Matsya because he felt an unnatural devotion to the once small creature. He was extremely drawn to him and felt that he must protect him at any cost. Matsya, in return, was always grateful for the help of Satyavrata. The next move and presumably the last was Satyavrata putting Matsya into the ocean. He was in doubt that this would even be big enough to hold him but Satyavrata was out of options, so he got on his knees and prayed to Vishnu.
This triggered something in Matsya. He revealed himself as Vishnu and he began to speak prophecy. He told Satyavrata that he had one week to prepare for a flood that would cover the entire earth, destroying everything. He instructed Satyavrata to take all medicinal herbs, all the varieties of seeds, and to bring the seven saints along with the serpent Vasuki and other animals, and to build a big boat to put them all in. He told Satyavrata that he would be back at the end of those seven days before the flood begins. Then to restore the Vedas, Matsya dived into the ocean to kill Hayagriva. Afurious battle ensued between Lord Vishnu and demon Hayagriva for seven days, in which Hayagriva was defeated and killed. Vishnu restored the Vedas to Brahma. Because there was so much splashing and fighting, a bigdeluge (rainfall) occurred all over the Earth. Everything was in a big flood! Satyavrata made all arrangements as Vishnu had advised him and at the end of the seven days, Vishnu appeared.The lord advised Satyavrata and others to board the boat and fastens the serpent Vasuki to his horn as a rope to the boat, and sailed all of them to a safe place. Matsya told Satyavrata that he had been chosen because he was the most kind and loving human Vishnu had ever seen. Satyavrata had shown his devotion to not only a god but also to a small helpless creature. Vishnu said there was hope in the world if all men were to show so much love to all creatures.
Gita lecture and symbolism:
Ramji lectured on Gita verses and children are learning them with great enthusiasm. Children have started practicing for their final presentation. Here on we will be focusing on verses that they learned so far. Soon we will send an email to parents regarding final presentation updates.
Thank you parents for sending your kids to Gurukulam regularly. We have become one big family now and kids have bonded with us very well. We teachers look forward to Sundays and interacting with such wonderful and enthusiastic children.
Bhagavad Gita and our life Philosophy:
This is parents corner. We will post each week excerpts, quotes or philosophy for parents and children to enjoy.
In the Bhagavad Gita Chapter 15 Verse 15 Lord Krishna says:
"sarvasya chaham hridi sannivisto"
God is seated in everyone’s heart.
Quote: "The Bhagavad-Gita is a true scripture of the human race a living creation rather than a book, with a new message for every age and a new meaning for every civilization."
- Sri Aurobindo
March 4 and 18, 2012 - Week 8 & 10 Updates
Opening Prayer:
Gyananda Mayandhevam, Nirmala SpatikaKrithim
Aadharam Sarva Vidhyanam, Hayagrivam Upasmahe (3 times)
Song and Verses:
Kids practiced Mudhakaratha Modhakam song Verse 1. We handed out printouts for the same with meanings. We would greatly appreciate it if children can practice the song at home. Please find below the link to this song rendered by PadmaBhusan Bharatratna M.S.Subbulakshmi amma.
Mudakaratha Modakam Sada Vimukthi Sadhakam
Kaladaravathamskam Vilasi Lokarakshakam
Anaayakaik Nayakam Vinashithebha Dhyathakam
Natha shubhashu Nashakam Namami Tham Vinayakam
Meaning: I prostrate before Lord Vinaayaka who joyously holds modaka in His hand, who bestows salvation, who wears the moon as a crown in His head, who is the sole leader of those who lose themselves in the world. The leader of the leaderless who destroyed the elephant demon called Gajaasura and who quickly destroys the sins of those who bow down to Him, I worship such a Lord Ganesh.
Nathetharathi Bheekaram Namodhitharka Bhaswaram
Namthsurari Nirjaram Nathadikaa Paduddaram
Sureswaram Nidhishwaram Gajeswaram Ganeswaram
Maheshwaram Thvamashraye Parathparam Nirantharam
Meaning: I meditate eternally on Him, the Lord of the Ganas, who is frightening to those not devoted, who shines like the morning sun, to whom all the Gods and demons bow, who removes the great distress of His devotees and who is the best among the best.
Please Note: We did not upload the video nor does it belong to us. We're providing a link to help the kids practice the song at home. If you have access to MS Amma's song on CD or tape, please feel free to use that instead.
Story and Moral:
Children patiently and keenly listened to Churning milk in the ocean story on 03/04. They learned about cause and effect in life. Once we completed the story we had a highly interactive session where children participated and came up with some cause and effect theories.
http://bhagavatham.bravehost.com/bhagavatham1.htm - Chapter 11 gives a description of the story.
Quiz: We conducted a short quiz on 03/18 on The great churning chapter. Kids dazzled us by their participation. They enjoyed the highly interactive question and answers session. We will be conducting these pop quizzes after every few chapters to refresh them and they look forward to it.
Project 2: We are continuing to work on the project. Currently children are deeply focusing in the Gita lectures and learning the verses taught by Ramji. They will be implementing the project in their final presentation.
Gita Lecture & Symbolism: So far (as of 3/18), we have learnt the following verses: 1-1 to 1-5, 1-21, 1-24, 1-25, 1-29, 1-30, 1-34, 1-47, 2-2.
Please download the Bhagavad Gita document here to help the children practice.
We have briefly discussed the literal meaning of each of the verses. We have significantly more time on trying to understand the deeper meaning of these slokas. We have discussed the following questions at a level that is relevant for the kids, and also what the kids can understand.
a) Who is Gita for? For Arjuna? Sanjaya? For us?
b) Why was a great warrior like Arjuna overcome with sorrow, even though in the beginning he was ready and eager to fight?
c) What causes joy or sorrow in us?
d) Even though Bhisma, Drona, Karnan, etc. were good people, why did they get killed? What choices did they have, and what did they chose to do?
e) Expanding on d), we are asked to do our duty which can be towards God, parents, friends, family, community, etc. We are also instructed to lead a righteous life - Dharmam Chara. Can there be conflicts between these different things?
Bhagavad Gita and our life Philosophy: This is parents corner. We will post each week excerpts and philosophy for parents and children to enjoy.
In the Bhagvad Gita Chapter 15 Verse 15 Lord Krishna says:
"sarvasya chaham hridi sannivisto"
God is seated in everyone’s heart
February 26, 2012 - Week 7 Update
Opening Prayer:
Gyananda Mayandhevam, Nirmala SpatikaKrithim
Aadharam Sarva Vidhyanam, Hayagrivam Upasmahe (3 times)
Song and Verses:
Kids practiced Mudhakaratha Modhakam song Verse 1. We handed out printouts for the same with meanings. We would greatly appreciate it if children can practice the song at home. Please find below the link to this song rendered by PadmaBhusan Bharatratna M.S.Subbulakshmi amma.
Mudakaratha Modakam Sada Vimukthi Sadhakam
Kaladaravathamskam Vilasi Lokarakshakam
Anaayakaik Nayakam Vinashithebha Dhyathakam
Natha shubhashu Nashakam Namami Tham Vinayakam
Meaning: I prostrate before Lord Vinaayaka who joyously holds modaka in His hand, who bestows salvation, who wears the moon as a crown in His head, who is the sole leader of those who lose themselves in the world. The leader of the leaderless who destroyed the elephant demon called Gajaasura and who quickly destroys the sins of those who bow down to Him, I worship such a Lord Ganesh.
Nathetharathi Bheekaram Namodhitharka Bhaswaram
Namthsurari Nirjaram Nathadikaa Paduddaram
Sureswaram Nidhishwaram Gajeswaram Ganeswaram
Maheshwaram Thvamashraye Parathparam Nirantharam
Meaning: I meditate eternally on Him, the Lord of the Ganas, who is frightening to those not devoted, who shines like the morning sun, to whom all the Gods and demons bow, who removes the great distress of His devotees and who is the best among the best.
Please Note: We did not upload the video nor does it belong to us. We're providing a link to help the kids practice the song at home. If you have access to MS Amma's song on CD or tape, please feel free to use that instead.
Project 1: Children are requested to write up on any avatar we have been discussing so far. They can even write up, google or sketch one page information of even Gajendra Moksha story and moral. Doing so will help them retain information and also gain new thoughts and views on the topic. It is a good mind exercise. Many kids have turned in their work and it is amazing what they have come up with. We would highly encourage all the children to turn in their work during their next session.
Project 2: Children have been working on recreating the battlefield scene in Bhagavad Gita. They will be making 3D models of chariot and also learn the the Significance of the Chariot with Krishna and Arjuna. They also chant shlokas during the project time. This will help them stay focused.
SuryaNamaskaram: Children did SuryaNamaskaram along with Ramji. We will make this mandatory in class so that children can relax their muscles and also learn it's significance. SuryaNamaskaram is highly beneficial for them.
Closing prayer: We chanted Sarve Bavanthu Sukhinaha.
February 19, 2012 - Week 6 Update
Opening Prayer:
Gyananda Mayandhevam, Nirmala SpatikaKrithim
Aadharam Sarva Vidhyanam, Hayagrivam Upasmahe (3 times)
Song and Verses:
Kids practiced Mudhakaratha Modhakam song Verse 1. We handed out printouts for the same with meanings. We would greatly appreciate it if children can practice the song at home. Please find below the link to this song rendered by PadmaBhusan Bharatratna M.S.Subbulakshmi amma.
Mudakaratha Modakam Sada Vimukthi Sadhakam
Kaladaravathamskam Vilasi Lokarakshakam
Anaayakaik Nayakam Vinashithebha Dhyathakam
Natha shubhashu Nashakam Namami Tham Vinayakam
Meaning: I prostrate before Lord Vinaayaka who joyously holds modaka in His hand, who bestows salvation, who wears the moon as a crown in His head, who is the sole leader of those who lose themselves in the world. The leader of the leaderless who destroyed the elephant demon called Gajaasura and who quickly destroys the sins of those who bow down to Him, I worship such a Lord Ganesh.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qTo_fttK6ys - Please click on this youtube link to listen to PadmaBhusan Bharatratna M.S.Subbulakshmi amma.
Please Note: We did not upload the video nor does it belong to us. We're providing a link to help the kids practice the song at home. If you have access to MS Amma's song on CD or tape, please feel free to use that instead.
Story and Moral:
Children patiently and keenly listened to Gajendra Moksha story. They learned about cause and effect in life. Once we completed the story we had a highly interactive session where children participated and came up with some cause and effect theories. Please find below link to the story and Gajendra Moksha verses. These web links are not connected to Gurukulam but we found them useful for children to repeat the story at home with their parents.
- http://bhagavatham.bravehost.com/bhagavatham1.htm - Chapter 10 gives a description of the story.
- http://www.esamskriti.com/essay-chapters/Salvation-to-the-King-Elephant~-Gajendra-Moksha-from-the-Bhagavat-Mahapuran-1.aspx - verses can be found here.
Project 1:
Children are requested to write up on any avatar we have been discussing so far. They can even write up, google or sketch one page information of even Gajendra Moksha story and moral. Doing so will help them retain information and also gain new thoughts and views on the topic. It is a good mind exercise. Many kids have turned in their work and it is amazing what they have come up with. We would highly encourage all the children to turn in their work during their next session.
Project 2:
Children have been working on recreating the battlefield scene in Bhagavad Gita. They will be making 3D models of chariot and also learn the the Significance of the Chariot with Krishna and Arjuna. They also chant shlokas during the project time. This will help them stay focused.
Closing prayer: We chanted the closing prayer and children dispersed to their respective language classes.
February 12, 2012 - Week 5 Update
Hari Om!
We started the class with the story of Jaya and Vijaya, the dwarapalakas of Vaikuntham, the abode of Lord Vishnu and Goddess Lakshmi. The beginning of the story sparked off some very interesting and lively questions as the kids remembered the details of Matsyavatar, the first of the Dasavatars.
The kids wanted more detail on the concept of kalpas and manavantaras. We were able to discuss it in brief. Here is a link to some more detail if parents would like to discuss this with their children: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manvantara
In brief,
- Manavantara = 1 lifespan of Manu
- 14 Manavantaras = 1 Kalpa or 1 day of Lord Brahma
Significance of Mantras and Idol Worship: Ram Ramchandran ji presented a slideshow about the various forms we worship God in: Idols or images, Shaligrama, Yantras and other forms. He talked about the power generated by repetition of a mantra and how this power is embedded or charged in the idols installed in a temple. This was followed by another lively and interactive Q & A session between Ram ji and the children. This is a highly intelligent group of children and it is a joy to see them think through what they learned and ask relevant questions. The more the kids learn, the stronger their core belief system becomes - that is the goal of these discussions.
Mudhakaraatha Modhakam song: Reviewed and recited the first verse of the song Mudhakaraatha Modhakam. Children will be learning this song orginally rendered by PadmaBhusan Bharatratna M.S.Subbulakshmi amma. We would highly encourage parents to play it their kids at home to listen and practice. Please find the youtube link below for the same. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qTo_fttK6ys
February 5, 2012 - Week 4 Update
Hari Om!
Mudhakaraatha Modhakam song: Commenced the class with the song Mudhakaraatha Modhakam. Children will be learning this song orginally rendered by PadmaBhusan Bharatratna M.S.Subbulakshmi amma. We would highly encourage parents to play it their kids at home to listen and practice. Please find the youtube link below for the same. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qTo_fttK6ys
Project: We commenced a mega project based on Bhagavad Gita chapters. Children will be learning as they design a huge battle field scene. The scene will show the yudh with Krishna and Arjuna on the chariot. As they progress we will talk them through the principles of Krishna's preachings. Children are thrilled and are eager to continue their work next Sunday. Ramji gave the meaning and significance behind the battle, the chariot and the five horses. Now they are coming up with their own designs to recreate the battlefield.
Review Prahalada story: Ramji reviewed Prahalada story and we have highly interactive Q and A session with kids. It is amazing to see thier enthusiam and involvement.
January 29, 2012 - Week 3 Update
Hari Om!
We started our class by studying the first two verses of Gita Dhyana Shlokas.
The Story of Sri Prahalada: We discussed the story of Sri Prahalada and also the inner meaning of the story.
Question and Answer Session with Students: We encouraged the students to think, discuss and ask questions. This lively Q & A session sparked off more topics of discussion:
- Meaning of Saint Thirumular's verse "maraththai maRaiththathu mAmadha yAnai" verse and how Ishvara pervades every thing - using a story
- Briefly about Ishavasyopanishad's first verse
- Distance between Ishvara and Jiva
- Sankara's "eko vArija bAndhavAH" verse
- How to offfer and what to offer to Ishvara
- Story of Nilakantha Deeksita and the cobbler
January 22, 2012 - Week 2 Update
Hari Om!
We started our class with Gyanandha Mayandevam Shloka.
This semester, our children in Bala Bhagavatam will learn to recite slokas from the Bhagavad Gita. The main purpose of this is to continue to develop our students ability to recite samskritham and pronunciation. Initially, we will recite two slokas per class and we expect to do more as the semester progresses. We will also explain the literal meaning of collection of slokas. We will also be discussing the inner meaning of Bhagavad Gita as it is relevant to kids of the age group in the class.
Bhagavatam Section: Every Sunday starting this week kids will come up and read their homework. They are writing up information they collect on Varaha Avathara. This will help them get additional information on each avathara. Kids enjoyed this activity and were happy to read it to the class. Once they complete Varaha Avathara we will display them in the classroom. Children will be learning Mudhakaratha Modhakam song this semester. They will be learning four lines each Sunday.They did a very good job repeating.
Project: Throughout this semester children will be working on a project. They will be building 3D models of the chariot and also create an entire battlefield background. As they create this project at every stage they will learn in detail the significance and purpose behind their creations.
Suryanamaskaram activity for 10 min: Suryanamaskaram is a special sequence of yoga postures for traditional sun salutation.
Closing Prayers: We concluded the class with the closing prayers.
January 15, 2012 - Week 1 Update
Hari OM !!
We started our first class of the semester with opening prayers.
This semester, our children in Bala Bhagavatam will learn to recite slokas from the Bhagavad Gita.
The main purpose of this is to continue to develop our students ability to recite samskritham and pronunciation. Initially, we will recite two slokas per class and we expect to do more as the semester progresses. We will also explain the literal meaning of collection of slokas. We will also be discussing the inner meaning of Bhagavad Gita as it is relevant to kids of the age group in the class.
Topic for the day:
Symbolism- In our religion, everything we do has a deep inner meaning and purpose. The goal is to explain the significance and purpose of our rituals and ideas, so that the students can use them in their everyday life.
Some examples of topics include:
a) Why do we have different forms of Gods?
b) What is the purpose of prayer? Ideally, what should we ask God for?
c) Why do we perform Abhishekam?
Bhagavatam story:
Naradji remedy “Singing glories of God” and Varah Avatara. Then we narrated the story of King Pariksits Curse
Suryanamaskaram activity for 10 min:
Suryanamaskaram is a special sequence of yoga postures for traditional sun salutation.
We concluded the class with the closing prayers.