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Home , Ahalya, Gautama Maharishi, Janaka, Mandodari, Mayasura, Panchakanya

BALABHAVAN NEWSLETTER VEDIC CULTURAL AND SPIRITUAL CENTER OF SAN DIEGO December 2014

Balabhavan Coordinators BBC Announcements:

Lalitha Krishnamoorthy Ahalya is the wife of sage . The Balabhavan program for Sushma Natarajan The word Ahalya means without any 2014 is nearing completion. Kumar Gowda deformation. created Ahalya as the Thanks to all the parents, [email protected] most beautiful woman. All the Devas including kids and volunteers for wanted to marry her. Brahma decided supporting this program and that whoever could go around three worlds first could marry her. Indra used his magical making it another successful Class Coordinators year. powers to do so. However, decided that Gautama had in fact already done that Super-Senior Class: We would like to solicit your Lavanya Kadiyala when he went around the cow at his hermitage doing his when the cow gave birth to a continued support for 2015 [email protected] without which this valuable calf. As per the , the cow at the time of Senior Class: bearing a calf is equivalent to three worlds; program can’t sustain. After Radhika Chari hence Ahalya was married to Gautama and not the 2015 BB calendar is Vandana Santhanam Indra. published, please go over [email protected] your assignments and honor One day, while accompanying Sage your commitments for the Junior Class: Vishwamitra to for 's coming year. Rajashri Balaji swayamvara, and Laxmana came upon a Archana Narayan deserted hut. They wondered whom the hut It is time to show what your Janakiraman belonged, and that is when Sage Vishwamitra kids have learnt and can [email protected] told them the story about Ahalya. He create and perform. The mentioned that Ahalya was a very Balabhavan Annual Talent Toddler Class: pious woman, but when she had seen Indra the Day is on Dec 6th. We are Swarna Moorthy first time, she had developed a liking for him. looking forward to seeing the Vidhya Raghunathan Gautama came to know of her feelings for performances of all the balabhavantoddler@gmail .com Indra and in a fit of rage; he cursed Indra to wonderful BB kids. have thousand eyes on his body while Ahalya Registration coordinator: was turned into a stone. Vishwamitra told BBC Team Kumar Gowda that Rama could relieve Ahalya of the curse. As Rama entered the , his feet touched Newsletter Coordinator: the stone and that brought back Ahalya to her December Birthdays: Meduri original beautiful form. In a moment, the [email protected] ashram also came alive with colorful flowers, Toddlers:

green trees, and the twittering of birds. Ahalya Nishka S Reddy ------thanked Rama and offered her warm

hospitality. Meanwhile, Gautama also forgave Juniors: Newsletter Editors Ahalya and returned to live with her in the Harini Sriraman ashram. Ahalya is thus worshipped as the first Raghav Alliyalamangalam of the , a woman of not only Keshav Tadimeti Shreya Bharath ultimate beauty but one who went through hardship before being touched by Lord Rama. Seniors:

Sankaran By Maya Gopala Sahana Gopalan Ramanarayanan Srivaradhan Parasaran ------

Topics of the month Super Seniors:

Maya Gopala Anoodnya Sangam Sathya Srinivasan

9525 Miramar Rd, San Diego, CA 92126 Phone: (858) 549-3940 December 2014 Issue 12 1

BALABHAVAN NEWSLETTER VEDIC CULTURAL AND SPIRITUAL CENTER OF SAN DIEGO December 2014

Do you know your ? The Maha Mahabharatam Quiz

Answer the following tricky Answer the following trickier questions about the Ramayana. questions about the Mandodari is the queen of , the king Mahabharatam. 5. Rama had three brothers. One of . The Ramayana describes Mandodari was . The other as beautiful, pious, and righteous. She is was . How many sons extolled as one of the Panchakanya(Ahalya, 1. True or False: Yudhisthira had did Dasaratha have? , , , Mandodari) the recital five brothers. a. Shatrugna of whose names is believed to dispel sin. b. Four 2. Kunti was the biological

c. Lakshmana daughter of which king? Mandodari is the daughter of , the d. Five a. Kunti-Bhoja King of the () and b. 6. Dasaratha had more than one the Hema. c. Shatrugna wife. He had more than one d. Dhritarastra son. That being said, who was Ravana’s eldest brother? a. Four b. Kumbakarna c. d. He had an older brother?

3. and ______are brothers. a. Yudhisthira Mandodari is also the mother of Rama's b. Lakshmana wife Sita, who is kidnapped by Ravana. c. Bheema Mandodari repeatedly advises Ravana to d. return Sita to Rama, but her advice falls on 7. Panchamukha Hanuman has deaf ears. Ravana stored a pot of blood five faces. He also has a very 4. Krishna did NOT show his gathered from ascetics. Mandodari violated notorious tail. But, whom did Vishvarupam to ______. he save from Indrajith? Ravana’s advice not to drink from the pot. a. a. Rama The consequence is that she becomes b. b. Seeta pregnant, and, like Kunti in the future, c. Ghatodgaja c. Lakshmana discards the new-born female infant in a far- d. d. None of the above off place. That place happens to be the field ------which ploughs to discover the orphan ------Sita. Answers Answers

It is believed that Hanuman tricked 1. True (don’t forget about 1. B Mandodari into disclosing the location of a Karna) 2. D magical arrow that Rama uses to kill Ravana. 2. B 3. C By Sathya Srinivasan 3. C 4. C

9525 Miramar Rd, San Diego, CA 92126 Phone: (858) 549-3940 December 2014 Issue 12 2