BALABHAVAN NEWSLETTER VEDIC CULTURAL AND SPIRITUAL CENTER OF SAN DIEGO

November 2013

Balabhavan Coordinators BBC Announcements: Latha Sundar Lalitha Krishnamoorthy Mirabai was a great poet, singer and a Happy Diwali to BalaBhavan Hema Rangaswamy great saint of the Vaishnava Bhakthi Families ! Kumar Gowda Movement. She lived in the sixteenth century [email protected] 1) Photo Day Reminder in Rajasthan, . She was a princess born in th the aristocracy. She goes by different Nov 9 – Junior/Senior names Meera, Meeran, Meeran Bai. The word Nov 16th - Toddler Class Coordinators ‘Bai’ actually means sister in Rajasthani. 2)2014 Registration Super-Senior Class: From an early age, Mira was a great Deadline Meduri devotee of Lord Krishna. In 1516, Mirabai was Nov 23rd is the last day to [email protected] married to Prince Bhoj Raj of the Rajput submit new Registration kingdom of Mewar. But Mira was not happy form and pay fees - $20 cash Senior Class: with the marriage as she considered herself + $30 check. If you have not Radhika Chari already married to Lord Krishna. received the email please talk to the coordinators ASAP Pavani Balebail [email protected] 3) Survey Link Junior Class: Our survey is still open, Sushma Natarajan please provide feedback Rajashri Balaji about the program if you [email protected] have not already done so. 7930 Arjons Drive, San Diego, CA 92126 Phone: (858) 549-3940 Toddler Class: November 2013 Issue 11 4) Parents Meeting Vanitha Santhamoorthy 1 Did you miss the mandatory Vandana Santhanam parents meeting ? Look [email protected] forward to an email soon

Registration coordinator: 5) Attendance Reminder Kumar Gowda Only 2 absences per semester is allowed (summer Newsletter Coordinator: breaks the year into 2 Krishna Meduri: Mira’s devotional practices became semesters) [email protected] increasingly intense. She often sang and danced herself even in public places like BBC Team temples. News about her spread all over India ______and soon she attracted devotees from all social Newsletter Editors groups and religions. Sometime around 1527, November Birthdays: Toddlers: she set off travelling to places of piligrimage Disha Ram associated with the life of Lord Krishna. She Keshav Tadimeti Manasvi Reddy Sankaran passed her last days in Dwaraka on the coast of Arabian sea, the site believed to be that of Praduth Kumar Ramanarayanan Krishna’s youth. Seniors: Even today, versions of her songs are sung Maya Gopala Topics of the Month all over India and she appears as a subject in films, books, dances, plays and paintings. Super Seniors: Apoorva Mylavarapu Pramod Shastry Aravind Krishnan Prahalad Achar - by Pramod Shastry Rahul Malavalli

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November 2013 Issue 11

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BALABHAVAN NEWSLETTER VEDIC CULTURAL AND SPIRITUAL CENTER OF SAN DIEGO November 2013

Class Schedules Class Schedules 11-02-2013 ------SANT SURDAS 11-09-2013 ------Toddler Class: Junior Class: Story: Story of Baby Krishna- Story: Story of Lava and Kucha Krishna grows up in Nanda's meet Rama house; Krishna Leela 10, 11- - Magesh Hariharan Kaliya, Kamsa Sloka: Yakundendu, Manikya - Veenam Sloka: Devi- Yakundendu, - Kalyan Vaidyanathan Annapoorne, maanikya veenam Bhajan: Madhusudhana Harey -Vijaya Purohit Madhava, Jaya nandalala Bhajan: Review of Anjaneya - Hema Kalyanraman bhajans, & Radhika manohara - Sowmya Sekar Senior Class: Super Senior Class: Story: ’s death. Story: Polytheism & Idol worship becomes the general Karna’s

– many Gods versus one god?? - fight with ; Karna’s Nameless and Formless Sant Surdas, known for his devotion to demise - Renuka Krishnan Lord Krishna, was born in the year 1479 in - Lalitha Kodandapani Sloka: Vishnu Shatpadi Stotram near Mathura. He was born blind to a Sloka: Soundaryalahari 21 – 32 - Lakshmi Devulapalli very poor family. At the age of 6, he left his - Latha Chandrashekar Bhajan: Jag Sukh Karini, home and family and went with a group of Bhajan: Review: Jaya Mithilesha Nandeeshwara, Bhola Natha Re religious musicians. He met Shri Kumari, Bhaja Mana Raamam, - Nithya Sudhakar, Sujitha Vallabhacharya during his teens, who taught Sesha Saila Vasa Narayana Thiruvazhi Surdas Hindu philosophy and set him in the -Lalitha Krishnamoorthy path of spirituality. 11-16-2013 ------11-23-2013 ------

Toddler Class: Junior Class: Surdas was known to be singing in praise Story: Review of various Krishna Story: Ramayana’s impact on life of Lord Krishna all the time. It is said that Leelas - Sudarshan Gopalakrishnan when Krishna granted him the boon of vision, - Vandana Santhanam Sloka: Sharada Bhujangam, he asked Krishna to take away his eyesight Sloka: Shloka revision - Krishna, Manikya veenam, Yakundendu soon after he saw him, because he did not Vinayaka - Sapna Chandrashekar desire to see anything else in the world - Hema Rangaswamy Bhajan: Vishnu Priye, Humko besides Lord Krishna. Bhajan: Bhajan Revision – Man ki

Krishna, Vinayaka - Padmini Venkatachar Surdas is said to have composed over a - Preethi Gali hundred thousand songs called ‘Sur Sangam’ Senior Class: which means the Ocean of Melody. He is Super Senior Class: Story: End of the War / considered as a Saint and so the name Sant Story: Polytheism & Idol ’s death. Yudhistira’s Surdas which means a ‘Slave of Melody’. It is worship: Many names and many anguish and the rule thereafter said that the great emperor Akbar was a forms of the ONE Passing away of , patron of Surdas. - Lalitha Kodandapani and .

Sloka: Soundaryalahari Review - Rashmi Madhukara Surdas spent his last years in Braj, where - Latha Chandrashekar Sloka: Lakshminarasimha he lived on donations, which he received for Bhajan: pancharatnam singing Bhajans and religious lectures. He BHAJAN Vasantha Madhavi / Sudhakar died at the age of 87. JEAPORDY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Yadavalli

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Bhajan: Vanamali Radha

-Latha Sundar, RamaNa, Vishnu Priye, Madhura -By Prahalad Achar Lalitha Krishnamurthy Harinam - Lalitha Krishnamurthy

7930 Arjons Drive, San Diego, CA 92126 Phone: (858) 54 9-3940

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BALABHAVAN NEWSLETTER VEDIC CULTURAL AND SPIRITUAL CENTER OF SAN DIEGO November 2013

Quiz Section

Do you know your twins? “I don’t suppose you happened to see someone who looks just like me, did you?”

Directions: Answer the following questions about some famous and notorious twins.

1. Which pair of asura twins dressed up as Devas (who wouldn’t want to?), drank some of the amirtam, and became stars?

Balabhavan Saraswathi Puja 2013 a. and Sahadeva b. Lava and Kusha c. Rahu and Ketu d. None of the above.

2. Name this pair of twins who were the physicians of the gods before getting on Indras bad side. They came from the milk churning by the Devas and Asuras.

a. Nakula and Sahadeva b. Aswhini c. Castor-u and Pollux-u d. None of the horizontal.

3. Name this pair of twins who single handedly…..actually double handedly defeated Lakshmana and Rama. a. Nakula and Sahadeva b. Lava and Kusha c. None of the vertical. ------Answers: 1. c 2. b 3. b

7930 Arjons Drive, San Diego, CA 92126 Phone: (858) 549-3940

November 2013 Issue 11 2