Junior/ Senior Balavihar:
This week, we talked about Hanuman as the wise minister. We recollected the story we learnt in Ramayana, of how the monkey King Sugriva met Lord Rama due to his wise minister Hanuman. Sugriva was in hiding on top of Rishimuka mountains, in fear of his estranged younger brother, Bali, who had usurped the kingdom of Kishkindha. When Rama and Lakshmana were passing the base of the mountain in search of Sita, Sugriva saw them approaching from a distance and immediately assumed that his brother had sent them to kill him. Hanuman, on the other hand, assessed the situation and offered to go and speak to the strangers at the mountain base. It was due to Hanuman’s wisdom that Rama and Sugriva met, and soon became the best of friends, helping each other – Rama helped Sugriva to get back his kingdom, and Sugriva helped Rama in search of Sita. Hanuman had used his wisdom and influenced people around him in a positive way. We then heard the story of a king lost in the forest, who came across a tribe of hunters and their pet parrot who squawked “Steal from the king, Snatch from the king, Let him not get away.” The king ran away from them, only to find another parrot near a hermitage of sages speaking softly, “Here’s a king who is tired and lost. Welcome him and give him food and shelter. Let him not go away hungry.” Surprised at the contrast, the king asked this parrot what the secret behind the two parrots’ speech was. The second parrot explained that the two parrots were brothers born to the same parents, but while he was raised by the sages, his brother was raised by the wild hunters. So, the children learnt that we become what company we keep. So, always try to be in good company and around wise people. We also discussed how our siblings and friends influence our behaviour, and very often, we can copy them without using our wisdom or thinking. We chanted the related caupai together:
Tum upkaar Sugrivahi kinha
Rama Milaaya raajpat dinhaa
You helped Sugriva in regaining his lost kingdom by making him meet Lord Rama.
Homework: Practise chanting of the chalisa till caupais learnt. During the week, practise thinking before acting or reacting to a situation by counting to ten in your head, especially when your heart tells you that it is not something right to do.
This week we went through chapter 16, “What is Religion”. In this chapter we learnt that there are two important aspects of religion – its philosophy and ritualistic injunctions. If we only follow rituals, with the absence of philosophy, we are left with superstition. However, if we do the opposite, then what we are left with is equivalent to madness. Both aspects must go hand in hand. The external practices of rituals are strengthened by philosophy and hence these rituals are given purpose and a goal of realisation is found. Ritualism is not just physical performance of ceremonies but is also includes all forms of practical religion, applicable to mental and intellectual levels of out personality.
This week we studied verse 2 in Chapter 12. In response to Arjuna’s question in verse 1, the Lord explains that the path of devotion is in his opinion the best Yoga path. The path of devotion requires the devotee to 1) fix and immerse their thoughts on to the Lord with sincerity. 2) be ever self-controlled and disciplined in their worship of the Lord. 3) have supreme faith in the Lord. Supreme faith is explained as having two components. The first is absolute belief and the second is having a deep understanding of the spiritual texts in order to cement this belief.
Chanting: To revise up to Verse 19 of Chapter 2 of the Gita.