Nov 16, 2025 - Grade 5 (Sunday AM)

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

Nov 2, 2025 - Grade 5 (Sunday AM)

Hari Om Parents,

Hope you and your families are doing well.
Here is a brief summary of our Bala Vihar class on 11/2/25:

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 Mahābhārata storyline, picking up from where we left off:

• King Shantanu and Ganga

• Marriage to Satyavati

• Her sons:

• Chitrangada – the eldest, who became king but passed away early

• Vichitraveerya – who later attended a swayamvara

• The three sisters: Amba, Ambika, and Ambalika

• Their children:

• Ambika's son: Dhritarashtra

• Ambalika's son: Pandu

• Maid's son: Vidura

We also discussed Kunti and the birth of Karna, emphasizing this part of the story.

3. Story Time: Karna, Parashurama, and the Spirit of Dāna (Selfless Giving)

We moved forward into the life of Karna, focusing on two powerful episodes:

Karna and Parashurama

Karna wanted to learn advanced warfare and archery, so he went to Parashuram, the greatest teacher of weapons. But Parashuram only taught Brahmins, and Karna—who was actually a Kshatriya by birth but raised as a charioteer's son—feared being rejected. So he lied and said he was a Brahmin.

Parashuram accepted him and trained him with great affection. Karna became an unmatched warrior.

One day, Parashuram was resting with his head on Karna's lap. A stinging insect bit Karna deeply, causing severe pain, but Karna didn't move, fearing he would disturb his guru. When Parashuram woke up and saw the blood, he realized Karna couldn't be a Brahmin—only a Kshatriya could endure such pain.

Feeling deceived, Parashuram cursed Karna that the knowledge of the Brahmastra would fail him when he needed it most. Heartbroken, Karna accepted the curse and left, always honoring his guru.

This curse later played a major role in the Mahabharata war.

The children listened with great interest as we explored:

• How Karna trained under the great sage-warrior Parashurama

• His dedication, humility, and courage

Karna Gives Away His Kavacha and Kundala

Karna was born with Kavach (divine armor) and Kundal (earrings) granted by his father Surya. These made him invincible.

Before the Kurukshetra war, Lord Indra (Arjuna's father) feared that Arjuna would not be able to defeat Karna. So he went to Karna in the disguise of a poor Brahmin and asked for his Kavach and Kundal as alms.

Karna instantly understood the truth but still chose generosity over safety, because daan (charity) was his greatest principle.

He cut off his armor and earrings with his own hands and gave them to Indra. Moved by Karna's unmatched sacrifice, Indra granted him the Vasavi Shakti, a powerful divine weapon that could kill anyone—but could be used only once.

This act made Karna famous as Daanveer Karna, the greatest giver in the Mahabharata.

We discussed the famous moment when Karna selflessly gave away his divine armor and earrings, even though he knew it would weaken him.
This led to a meaningful conversation about dāna — true giving.

Class Discussion:
We explored questions like:

• What is easy to give? (money, toys or things we don't need)

• What is hard to give? (time, energy, effort, resources)
  The children shared thoughtful examples of generosity and kindness.

4. Geeta Chanting

We practiced Chapter 15, Shlokas 11 and 12 of the Bhagavad Gita.
The students are steadily improving in pronunciation, understanding, and rhythm. Wonderful progress!

5. Aarti and Pledge

We concluded in the temple hall with Aarti and the Bala Vihar Pledge, ending the morning with gratitude and unity.

🙏 We encourage you to continue the conversation at home — especially about the meaning of giving and how even small acts of generosity can make a big difference.

Warm regards,
Chitra & Rupa

Oct 26, 2025 - Grade 5 (Sunday AM)

Hari Om Parents,

Hope you and your families are doing well.
Here is a brief summary of our Bala Vihar class on 10/26/25:

1. Opening Prayers

We began class with our opening prayers:

• Om Sahanāvavatu

• Saraswati Namastubhyam

• Guru Brahma

2. Review of Previous Class

We briefly reviewed last week's lesson — the story of King Shantanu and Ganga, the birth of Devavrat (Bheeshma), and the powerful vow he took when Shantanu married Satyavati, the fisherman's daughter.After marrying King Shantanu, Satyavati's sons continued the royal lineage:

• Chitrangada – eldest son, became king but died young.

• Vichitraveerya – younger son, later participated in a swayamvara where princesses chose their husbands.

Vichitraveerya's Swayamvara:
We discussed how the swayamvara worked and its significance in the royal family. The children were fascinated by the idea of princesses choosing their husbands!

Bheeshma took three sisters — Amba, Ambika, and Ambalika — to Hastinapur.
Amba loved another king(King of Shalva), but he wouldn't marry her, so she promised she would someday defeat Bheeshma.
The other two sisters married Vichitraveerya, and their children became important in the Mahābhārata. Here they are - 

• Ambika's son: Dhritarashtra – born blind, later became king.

• Ambalika's son: Pandu – born pale and weak, became a good king.

• Maid's son: Vidura – very wise and fair, helped the kingdom but was not a king.

3. Story Time: Kunti's Boon and Birth of Karna

We continued with the Mahābhārata and focused on the next generation.

Long ago, there lived a kind and brave princess named Kunti. When she was young, she had the great fortune of meeting Sage Durvasa, a very wise and powerful saint. The sage was pleased with Kunti's respect and devotion, and he gave her a special blessing, called a boon.

This boon was very unusual: it allowed Kunti to call upon any god she wished, and that god would give her a child. Kunti was amazed! She wondered what it would be like to have a child with the blessings of the gods.

Out of curiosity, even though she was not married yet, Kunti decided to try the boon. She recited the sacred mantra and called upon the Sun God, who was mighty, bright, and full of energy. The Sun God appeared before her and, impressed by her devotion, blessed her with a son, who was strong, brave, and generous. This son was named Karna.

Even though Kunti had Karna before her marriage, she promised to keep this secret until the right time. This story shows that with devotion, respect, and faith, we can receive great blessings, but it also teaches us to use them wisely.

Discussion:
We asked the children: "If you could have a power, what would it be and why?"
The kids shared so many creative ideas:

• Flying like a bird

• Invisibility

• Super strength

• Telepathy to read minds

• Healing powers to help people

• Teleporting

It was wonderful to hear their imaginative ideas and reasoning!

4. Geeta Chanting

We practiced chanting Chapter 15, Shlokas 9 and 10 of the Bhagavad Gita.
The children are gaining confidence in their pronunciation and rhythm — excellent progress!

5. Aarti and Pledge

We concluded class with our Aarti and the Bala Vihar Pledge, fostering a sense of unity and devotion.

🙏 We encourage you to continue the conversation at home — even a short discussion about the story or powers the children imagined can help reinforce the lesson and values.

Warm regards,
Chitra & Rupa

Oct 12, 2025 - Grade 5 (Sunday AM)

Hari Om Parents,

Hope you and your families are doing well.
Here is a brief summary of our Bala Vihar class on 10/12/25:

1. Opening Prayers

We began class with our opening prayers:

• Om Sahanāvavatu

• Saraswati Namastubhyam

• Guru Brahma

2. Review of Previous Class

We briefly reviewed last week's lesson — the story of King Shantanu and Ganga, the birth of Devavrat (Bheeshma), and the powerful vow he took when Shantanu married Satyavati, the fisherman's daughter.

3. Story Time

We continued with the Mahābhārata and learned about the next generation in the royal family.

After learning about King Shantanu, Ganga, and Bheeshma, we had a beautiful and thoughtful discussion about Amba — a key figure whose story sets the stage for many important events in the Mahābhārata.

Who was Amba?

Amba was the eldest daughter of the King of Kashi, and she had two younger sisters, Ambika and Ambalika.

One day, Bheeshma came to the swayamvara (princess choosing her husband) of the Kashi princesses. He took all three sisters by force to marry them to his half-brother Vichitraveerya — a practice that was sadly common in those times, though we now understand the importance of consent and fairness.

Amba's Dilemma

Amba was already in love with another king — King Shalva — and had hoped to marry him.

When Bheeshma learned of this, he respectfully allowed her to go back to Shalva. But unfortunately, King Shalva rejected her, saying she had already been taken away by another man. Amba was left heartbroken, humiliated, and angry.

She returned to Bheeshma and asked him to marry her, saying he was responsible for her fate. But Bheeshma, due to his vow of celibacy (Brahmacharya), could not agree.

 Her Vow

Feeling betrayed and wronged by both men, Amba took a powerful vow — she would be the cause of Bheeshma's death.

Discussion 

1. Was Amba right to feel angry?

2. Why did King Shalva refuse to marry Amba?

3. Do all princesses have to get married to the same king?

Queen Satyavati wanted to ensure the kingdom had heirs after the king passed away. Her sons were Chitrangada and Vichitraveerya.

From Vichitraveerya's lineage came three important figures:

• Dhritarashtra (son of Ambika):
  Born blind. Though strong, he could not become king because he couldn't see.

• Pandu (son of Ambalika):
  Born pale and weak, but he grew up to be a just and capable king.

• Vidura (son of a maid):
  Not a prince by birth, but known for being wise, fair, and always truthful.

4. Class Activity

We played a game of Charades using names of characters and situations from Mahābhārata.
The kids enjoyed it and it helped reinforce their learning in a fun way!

5. Geeta Chanting

We practiced chanting Chapter 15, Shlokas 7 and 8 of the Bhagavad Gita.
The children are gaining confidence in their pronunciation and rhythm — wonderful progress!

6. Saraswati Pooja 

All the grades assembled in the prayer hall to do Saraswati Pooja. It was a wonderful feeling to see everyone doing the pooja together.

6. Pledge

We concluded with the Bala Vihar Pledge.

We encourage you to continue the conversation at home — even a small discussion about the story or values can make a big impact on your child's understanding and connection to our culture.

Warm regards,
Chitra & Rupa