Hari Om Dear Parents
Happy Ganesh Chaturthi! It was wonderful to meet our lovely 1st grade children on Sunday. Thank you for visiting our classroom, here is a recap of everything we covered during class:
Our topic for year: Bala Ramayana.
Bhagavad Gita Chanting: Chapter 6 (Yoga of Meditation)
Our Team: Durga’s Daredevils - Color(Red), Song (Amba Parameshwari), Cheer (Durga Mata Ki Jai), Qualities (Courage & Compassion)
Class Activities: 9/13/26:
We started the class with shloka recitation (see below) and explained the significance of each one. Then we got to learn each other's names and everyone shared a fun summer experience. We began our introduction to the Ramayana, covering chapters 1 & 2 (see below). It was wonderful to see that many of the children were already familiar with the main characters in the Ramayana. We talked about God, asking: “Where is God?”, “Is God in everyone?”, “Why is Rama blue/green?”.
The kids gave beautiful answers, they all said “God is everywhere and in everyone”. We explained that when Lord Vishnu takes a human form as an avatar he is shown as blue in color. Like the infinite blue sky, Vishnu avatars are blue in color to remind us that God is infinite, everywhere and in everyone.
As we had our parents meeting the kids colored a picture of Ganesha for Ganesha Chathurthi.
Our next class is on 9/20/26. Thank you for bringing your lovely children to Balavihar. See you all soon!
Jai Shree Ram!
Warmly
Vijaya & Neha
Shokas - From “My Prayers” Book:
3 Oms, Saha navavatu (Page 8), Vakrathuda Mahakaya (Page 27), Gururbrahma Gururvishnu (Page 61)
Ramayana Story Time:
Chapter 1: Ayodhya
In the northern region of the land of Bharath situated on the banks of the shimmering Sarayu River there stood a magnificent city called Ayodhya. Ayodhya was the capital of the great Kingdom of Kosala that was ruled by a wise and brave warrior, king Dasharatha. The king and his three queens Kausalya, Sumitra and Kaikeyi cared for Ayodhya deeply and together they ensured that the kingdom was peaceful and happy. The people loved their king and the king loved his people. However deep in king Dasharatha’s heart was an unfulfilled longing. Although his kingdom was rich and joyful, he had no children. Dasharatha dreamed of having children of his own who would one day care for Ayodhya. Seeking to fulfill this longing, Dasharatha turned to the wisest teacher in the land, guru Vasishtha and shared his sorrow. Guru Vasishtha listened carefully and advised the king to perform a Putrakameshti Yagna. Preparation for the yagna began immediately.
Chapter 2: Putrakameshti Yagna
News of the yagna spread throughout Ayodhya and the whole city buzzed with excitement. The people of Ayodhya celebrated with lively music and dance. The streets were decorated with intricate rangoli designs, children collected baskets of flowers for making garlands and the best cooks in the city made sweets treats for everyone. Sage Rishyasringa advised them to build a large havan kunda for the yagna beside the Sarayu river. The priests melodically chanted sacred hymns as they added ghee into the fire. Suddenly something wondrous happened. Out of the glowing flames stepped out a yagna purusha holding a bowl of payasam. He handed the bowl to Dasharatha instructing him to give it to the queens. Dasharatha immediately gave the payasam to queen Kausalya and queen Kaikeyi and the two queens gave a share of their payasam to queen Sumitra. In time, the palace was filled with the sweet sounds of four baby princes. Kausalya’s son was the eldest of the four and was named Rama. Next the youngest queen Kaikeyi had prince Bharatha and then there was a big surprise, since both Kausalya and Kaikeyi gave Sumitra a share of their payasam, queen Sumitra was blessed with twins, Lakshmana and Shatrughna. The princes grew strong and noble as the years passed. They mastered skills in archery and they learned the wisdom of the Vedas from wise teachers. Young prince Rama stood out amongst them as the most skillful warrior. Never quarreling, the brothers loved each other dearly and always protected one another. Rama and Lakshmana became very close, staying by each other’s side always. Bharata and Shatrughna also shared a special bond. The people of Ayodhya adored Rama and they knew that one day he would become a great king.
