Hari Om Parents,
Hope you and your families are doing well.Here is a brief summary of our Bala Vihar class on 11/16/25:
1. Opening Prayers
We began our session with our regular opening prayers to invoke blessings, peace, and focus. The children chanted beautifully and settled into the class with devotion.
Om Sahanāvavatu
Saraswati Namastubhyam
Guru Brahma
2. Review of Previous Class
We revisited the qualities of Karna, focusing especially on his special virtue of dāna (selfless giving).Few takeaways are -
1. Dāna means sharing with a happy heart.
2. Even small kindness makes a big difference.
3. Give without expecting anything back.
4. A smile, help, or kind words are also dāna.
5. Karna shows us that true giving is courage.
With the grace of Bhagwan, our Ashram recently offered us an opportunity to practice what we learned—please encourage the children to participate in such seva opportunities whenever they arise.
3. Story Time: Drona and Drupada's Story
We continued with the Mahābhārata and shared the story of Drona and Drupada, helping the children understand themes of friendship, ego, and revenge.
Drona and Drupada were best friends when they were young. They studied together in the same gurukula.
Drupada was the son of the King of Panchala, while Drona was the son of a wise sage. Even though their backgrounds were different, they cared for each other deeply.
One day, a young Drupada told Drona,
"When I become king, half my kingdom will be yours. We will always be friends—equals forever!"
Drona trusted this promise with all his heart.
Years passed.
Drupada became a powerful king, while Drona struggled to support his family. Life was difficult, and he remembered his friend's promise. Hoping for help, Drona went to the court of King Drupada.
But things had changed.
Drupada, now proud and royal, did not treat Drona like a friend. He said:
"Friendship is only between equals. A king and a poor man cannot be friends."
Drona felt hurt, disappointed, and insulted.
Later, he became the teacher (guru) of the Pandavas and Kauravas. His students loved him and wanted to help him regain his honor.
To please their guru, the Pandavas defeated King Drupada in battle and brought him as a prisoner to Drona.
Drona told Drupada:
"I only wanted to show you that your words were unkind. I do not want to hurt you."
So he took half the kingdom—to make them equals—and returned the other half to Drupada.
Drupada felt ashamed, but he also kept anger in his heart. He later performed a special yajna (sacrifice) and prayed for a child who would defeat Drona.
From this yajna were born:
Dhrishtadyumna — destined to defeat Drona
Draupadi — who would later marry the Pandavas
This story teaches us about friendship, ego, forgiveness, and the consequences of pride.
The kids listened with interest and engaged thoughtfully in the discussion.
4. Class Activity — Hangman
We played a fun round of Hangman based on vocabulary from our stories. The children enjoyed the challenge and participated enthusiastically.
5. Geeta Chanting
We practiced Chapter 15, Shlokas 13 and 14 of the Bhagavad Gita.
The students are showing steady improvement in pronunciation, confidence, and rhythm. Wonderful progress!
6. Aarti and Pledge
Since our class was scheduled to lead the Aarti today, we practiced once beforehand in class.
The children did a wonderful job leading both the Aarti and the Bala Vihar Pledge in the temple hall. We are very proud of them!
🙏 We encourage you to continue conversations at home—especially about the value of selfless giving and how even small acts of kindness can make a meaningful difference.
Warm regards,
Chitra & Rupa
