Here is this week's update.
Brainstorming situations like screaming at friends, eating candy for dinner, playing when parents ask to study , sharing snacks/toys etc.. identifying not just what was wrong, but what was the right thing to do and why.
Story time : The rock on the road
Once in a village there was a busy road. All the time there was traffic. There was a big rock right in the middle of the road. people who pass through will face this rock on their path, feeling unhappy they keep moving but no one thought of removing it so that others need not get hit in the middle of the road. A farmer's produce goes waste once his truck was hit, A milkman's cans full of milk were spilled all over after hitting the rock, a soldier on the horse tripped and fell, a man selling fruits also had all his fruits fall and get wasted. A small boy ran hurriedly and tried to move the rock with all his power. The king of the country was looking at all these from behind a tree. He felt in his heart, at least there is 1 person who cares for others. By then the small boy slowly tried to push the rock towards the edge of the roadside. The king came out from the hiding spot and congratulated the small boy. The king also gave a reward to the boy who did the right thing!
Through the story of 'The rock on the road', we understand the importance of doing what is right even if nobody else does it and that Doing the right thing always brings good rewards and happiness in the end.
List of the right things to do such as : Make your bed when you wake up, clean up after play time, turn off lights when you come out of a room, Put on plates what you can eat - Don't waste food, Listening to teachers at school etc..
RESPONSIBILITY- The duty to own your actions and tasks and do them with honesty and sincerity.
*Lord Hanuman and the Ram Setu Bridge*: Hanuman leads the Vanara Sena to build a bridge to Lanka, showcasing dedication, team effort, and responsibility in serving a righteous cause.
*Lord Ganesha as Guardian*: Ganesha dutifully guards his mother Parvati, refusing entry even to Lord Shiva, demonstrating responsibility in performing his duty without fear.
S is for Smile. A smile is the facial expression of joy and pleasure. smile make us feel happy, make new friends and make people want to talk to us.
Benefits of smiling: Keeps you looking young, can make friends, everyone will like you, you will feel happy, people would like to talk to you, stay healthy, make the world a little happier.
The learnings from H for Happiness - such as smiling can make friends, Smiling makes you look prettier, it will help you stay healthy /happy and it will make the world a little happier. frowning, angry faces take so much more energy and muscles to be angry and very little when you smile! We should always Keep Smiling (Balavihar motto)
STORY Million Dollar Smile
S for Seva or Service. Service is when we do something for someone, without expecting anything back.
Waiters in restaurants bring water which is a job that they get paid for...
Children giving grandparents a glass of water or to their parents who just returned back from a long work day.
What is seva?
Sravana Kumar, Our Gurudev, Gandhiji, Mother Teresa etc.. are all people who focussed on Seva/Service. The cow serves us by giving many things including the skin. Tulsi (the plant is considered mother) ma serves us by healing us and they are worshipped in many parts of India for these reasons.
STORY: Panduranga waiting for Pundalik
Pundalik was a great devotee of Krishna. For years his routine was to visit the Krishna temple close to his house every morning and evening to say hello to Krishna. Even when he was very sick he would not miss his visit, even when it was very cold he would not miss a visit, even when it was raining very, very heavily he would wade through the flooded road, but would not miss a visit. One day Pundalik did not come in the morning. Krishna waited and waited. He did not come in the evening either. Krishna waited some more. He did not come the next morning also. Krishna could not wait any more and he himself went to his devotee's house himself.
Lord Krishna knocked at the door and a voice inside asked, 'Who's there?' Lord Krishna answered "It is me, Panduranga." "Oh, Lord Krishna, you have come! Lord Krishna please wait a moment. I am feeding my mother her breakfast and cannot come to the door." Suddenly a thought that it rained at night occurred to him. The ground must be muddy and Lord Krishna's clothes must be soaking and getting dirty from the mud. So he threw a brick from the window and said "Lord Krishna stand on the brick." Lord Krishna could not balance on the brick so he put both his feet down and his hands on his hips. That is why when you go to the temple Lord Krishna is standing like this and not his usual pose of one leg across another and hands crossed to one side.
Rukmini noticed Krishna was gone so she went looking for him. Pundalik heard the ringing of her anklets and said "Who's that?" and threw another brick for her. Pundalik's parents were very sick and he was serving them and giving them their breakfast. When you serve people who are in need even God understands and does not require you to go to him and He will gladly come to you instead.
Even today you can see Krishna in this pose in a temple in Pandharpur.
Through the story of Panduranga waiting for Pundalik, we learned that When you serve people who are in need even God understands and does not require you to go to him and He will gladly come to you instead.
Gita- We practiced chanting the first verse from chapter 12. Link given below.
https://youtu.be/rO6yshuE5aI?feature=shared
After the session we headed to the temple hall for Arati and pledge.
