Hari Om Parents,
We started our class with our opening prayers: Om three times, followed by Sahana Vavatu, Vakratunda Mahakaya, and Saraswati Vandana.
As you know, we held our House Inaugural activity on September 27th. In class, we discussed this special day and asked the children about their experience making the rath for Jagannath Ji, Balbhadra Ji, and Subhadra Ji.
As part of our class, we also took a moment to remember and learn about our Pujaniya Gurudev, Swami Chinmayananda Ji. The children watched a short and inspiring video highlighting his remarkable life, his service to the nation, and his lifelong dedication to preserving, teaching, and spreading the timeless wisdom of Sanatana Dharma, our scriptures, and the knowledge and values of our culture and tradition.
A short introductory video on the Geeta Chanting Primer was also shown to help the children get started.
We then continued our journey into the Ramayana. We followed Rama and Lakshmana as they reached Vishwamitra's ashram.
We learned how the Shree Rama and Lakshmana protected the ashram and helped Vishwamitra complete his yajna.
We discussed the battle at the ashram. Rama killed the rakshasa Subahu and used a powerful arrow to send Maricha far away into the ocean.
We also listened to Vishwamitra's inspiring story. We learned how he was once a powerful king who gave up his kingdom and performed intense meditation and penance to transform himself into a revered Brahmarishi.
Next, we talked about Vishwamitra taking the Rama and Lakshmana to Janakpur. On the way, Rama touched a stone with his foot and freed Ahalya from her curse, restoring her to human form.
We then reached the beautiful city of Janakpur, where Maharaja Janaka had arranged a special challenge with the divine bow of Lord Shiva. Many powerful kings stepped forward to try, but none of them could even move the bow.
We learned how Rama approached the bow with utmost humility and lifted it effortlessly with one hand. As he pulled the string to bend it, the divine bow broke in half with a majestic sound like thunder.
Because he successfully completed the challenge, Rama won the right to marry Princess Sita. Maharaja Janaka happily sent messengers to Ayodhya to share the joyous news with King Dasharatha.
At the end of the class, we had a short quiz to see what the children remembered and learned from our class.
The children participated very well and shared their thoughts as we continued our journey through the Ramayana step by step.
Hari Om
Best Regards
Namrata and Shreekruthi
