Next classes: April 10-12, 2015
Venue: Chinmaya Vrindavan Ashram
95 Cranbury Neck Rd., Cranbury, NJ
Please arrive no more than 10/15 minutes before the time slot your child is registered for. There will be classes in session before us. Thank you!
Friday@ 7:00 p.m.
Saturday @ 2:00 p.m.
Sunday @ 8:45 a.m.
Sunday @ 12.45 p.m.
Sunday @3:15 p.m.
On A Quest
Venue: AMC Hamilton
325 Sloan Ave, Hamilton Township, NJ 08619
Shlokas
Geeta Chanting: Chapter 15, Shlokas 1, 2,3,4, and 5. 6, and 7 and 8, and 9
Here is an audio blog that has archived all the Bhagavad Geeta chapters. It is a wonderful learning tool... and we highly recommend that you check it out. Also, please note that tutoring classes are being held at the ashram. We highly recommend that you sign your child up for this wonderful opportunity!
Concentration/Shell Game
Two and a half minutes of sitting silently, while focusing on the number of shells that are being dropped into a bowl.... with eyes closed, of course. :-)
Yoga Stretches/Exercise
5 to 10 minutes of stretching
Circle Time/Activity Time
This week's lesson was "R for Right"
In the last class we learned about the letter "O" which stands for obedience. In the Vedanta alphabet, "R" comes after "O" because we first need to learn all the values of the alphabet except "P" and "Q". After we learn all these values, we become fit to do prayers, and learn about the letter "P" which stands for prayer. When we offer prayers to the Lord, we become quiet, and learn about the letter "Q".
Therefore, after "Z", are letters "P" for prayer and "Q" for quiet. Since we had to take letters "P" and "Q" out of the normal order, letter "R" comes after "O".
Story Time: The Rock on the Road
Long ago, there was a noble king who ruled his people benevolently and looked after their welfare. One morning the king went around his kingdom. Suddenly he stumbled on a big rock lying in the middle of the road. This was a very busy road on which many people traveled daily. The king thought, "I wonder how long this rock has been lying in the middle of the road. Let me see if anyone will move it away from the road." With this thought, the king hid himself behind the tree. Soon the king saw a farmer coming along with his cart. He saw the rock, turned his cart away, bypassed the rock, and went merrily along. Next, the king saw a milkman coming with a pail of milk in his hand. He did not see the rock lying in the middle of the road and stumbled and fell. His pail of milk went flying to the ground. After a while, he got up holding his leg, and grumbled, "Such a big rock is lying in the middle of the road and no one even moves it away." "Now what am I going to give to my customers in the village?" Limping slowly, the milkman went on his way without trying to remove the rock. Next came a soldier on a fast galloping horse. Suddenly the horse bumped against the rock. The soldier almost fell to the ground, but somehow managed to steady himself. The soldier said, " Everyday I pass by and see this rock lying in the middle of the road, but nobody removes it from the road The people in this town are very lazy." He whipped his horse and went galloping down the road. Soon there came an old man with a basket of fruits on his head. His foot hit the rock and he fell to the ground. All his fruits were scattered on the road. Seeing this, a small boy came running and helped the old man, asking him, "Uncle, I hope you did not hurt yourself?" The old man replied "No, son, but all my fruits..."Don't worry, Uncle, I will get all the fruits back into the basket," the little boy assured. He gathered the fruits and helped the old man put the basket on his head. The old man blessed the little boy and went on his way. The boy started to push the rock away from the road. He gave a great big push but the rock was very heavy and it would not move. The king quickly emerged from his hiding place and helped the boy remove the rock from the road.
The king was very happy that there was at least one person who was willing to do the right thing. He was very pleased with the boy. He gave the little boy a handsome reward for looking after the needs of other people.
Moral: Do the right thing, even if nobody else is doing it. Doing the right thing always brings good rewards and happiness in the end.
Likhita Japa
Some children performed their likhita japa with tracing papers, while others wrote "Raama" on the background of their coloring page of Gurudev.
Ending Prayers
Aarti and prayers were conducted with all the other classes/study groups in the Mandir/Temple.
