7th Grade Balavihar – Friday PM Class Summary
Date: Nov 14th - Friday PM
Class: 7th Grade Balavihar
Hariom,
Today's Balavihar session was engaging and reflective, with students actively participating throughout. We began today's session with Likhita Japa and the opening prayers, helping everyone settle into a calm and focused mindset. Following topics / discussion was covered in todays class.
Discussion: What Is Happiness?
Students reflected on what happiness means to each of them. Through sharing and discussion, we reached the understanding that happiness is unique for everyone—what brings joy to one person may not have the same effect on another. This helped them appreciate individual perspectives and experiences.
Discussion: What Is Success?
We then shifted to exploring the idea of success. Students shared their definitions, and together we identified three key elements of success:
- Hard Work
We narrated the story of a fruit seller whose cart was stuck in a pothole. He had given up hope of earning for the day, but a young boy noticed his struggle, suggested unloading the cart, and helped move it out of the ditch. This showed how effort and willingness to try can transform a situation. - Capacity to Laugh / Positive Attitude
We spoke about Thomas Edison, who experienced nearly 2000 failed attempts while trying to invent the electric bulb. Instead of calling them failures, he cheerfully described them as "2000 steps" toward success. His story highlighted the importance of optimism and perseverance. - Knowledge
We discussed how knowledge plays a crucial role in achieving success. Students explored how we gain knowledge through the "instruments" available to us—our body, five senses, mind, and intellect—working together to help us learn and understand the world.
Is Shri Rama a Successful Person?
We then reflected on whether Shri Rama could be considered successful, leading to thoughtful and meaningful insights from the students.
Geeta Chanting
The class spent a few minutes listening to chanting from the Bhagavad Gita, Chapter 15 – Verses 13 and 14, helping students connect to the spiritual essence of the lesson.
Ramayana – Ayodhya Kanda
We began the Ayodhya Kanda portion of the Ramayana. The class covered events leading up to the Kaikeyi episode, including Kaikeyi invoking her two boons
- Her demand that Bharata be crowned king
- And the difficult decision that Shri Rama be sent to the forest for 14 years
We will continue the story from this point in our next session.
Pranams and Hariom
Anupama and Shankar.
