BALABHAVAN NEWSLETTER VEDIC CULTURAL AND SPIRITUAL CENTER OF SAN DIEGO December 2014 Balabhavan Coordinators AHALYA BBC Announcements: Lalitha Krishnamoorthy Ahalya is the wife of sage Gautama Maharishi. The Balabhavan program for Sushma Natarajan The word Ahalya means without any 2014 is nearing completion. Kumar Gowda deformation. Brahma created Ahalya as the Thanks to all the parents, [email protected] most beautiful woman. All the Devas including kids and volunteers for Indra wanted to marry her. Brahma decided that whoever could go around three worlds supporting this program and making it another successful Class Coordinators first could marry her. Indra used his magical powers to do so. However, Narada decided year. 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 puja when the cow gave birth to a continued support for 2015 [email protected] without which this valuable calf. As per the Vedas, the cow at the time of program can’t sustain. After Senior Class: bearing a calf is equivalent to three worlds; Radhika Chari hence Ahalya was married to Gautama and not the 2015 BB calendar is Vandana Santhanam Indra. published, please go over your assignments and honor [email protected] One day, while accompanying Sage your commitments for the Junior Class: Vishwamitra to Mithila for Sita's coming year. Rajashri Balaji swayamvara, Rama and Laxmana came upon a Archana Narayan deserted hut. They wondered whom the hut It is time to show what your Aruna 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 Day is on Dec 6th. We are Toddler Class: pious woman, but when she had seen Indra the 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 [email protected] wonderful BB kids. Indra and in a fit of rage; he cursed Indra to 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 ashram, his feet touched Newsletter Coordinator: the stone and that brought back Ahalya to her December Birthdays: Krishna 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 panchakanya, 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 Ramayana? The Maha Mahabharatam Quiz Answer the following tricky MANDODARI Answer the following trickier questions about the Ramayana. questions about the Mandodari is the queen of Ravana, the king Mahabharatam. 5. Rama had three brothers. One of Lanka. The Ramayana describes Mandodari was Lakshmana. The other as beautiful, pious, and righteous. She is was Bharata. How many sons extolled as one of the Panchakanya(Ahalya, 1. True or False: Yudhisthira had did Dasaratha have? Tara, Draupadi, Kunti, 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 Mayasura, the d. Five a. Kunti-Bhoja King of the Asuras (demons) and b. Shurasena 6. Dasaratha had more than one the apsara 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. Vibhishana d. He had an older brother? 3. Hanuman 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. Arjuna 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 Vishvarupam to _______. notorious tail. But, whom did he save from Indrajith? Ravana’s advice not to drink from the pot. a. Karna a. Rama The consequence is that she becomes b. Duryodhana b. Seeta pregnant, and, like Kunti in the future, c. Ghatodgaja c. Lakshmana discards the new-born female infant in a far- d. Vidura off place. That place happens to be the field d. None of the above ------------------------------------- which Janaka 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 .