May 2010

CHINMAYANANDA Balabhavan Coordinators BBC Announcements: Bharathy Thridandam Nithya Sudhakar Namaskaram BB children and Seetha Janakiraman families

Sriram Srinivasan As we are approaching to the Chinmayananda was born on May, 18, summer, we would like to let [email protected] 1916 in Kerala, . His name was you know about the Balakrishnan Menon. In his early years he upcoming activities we are Class Coordinators acquired degrees in Law and English literature. working on. He also took part in the freedom movement of Super-Senior Class: India and worked in the Newspaper called “The Mark the calendar for the Aparna Vemuri National Herald”. He went to Rishikesh in Annual Balabhavan picnic on [email protected] Himalayas as a reporter to expose on what he Sunday June 13th. We will Ashok Malavalli believed as the bluff of the swamis in the have more information about [email protected] Himalayan region. However he exposed himself this event in the coming Meduri to his own spiritual revolution and evolution. weeks. We would need all [email protected] In 1949 he became a sanyashi and help from the parent received the name “Swami Chinmayananda volunteers for this event. Senior Class: Saraswathi” from Swami Sivananda. Then he Prasanna Madabhushi became the disciple of Swami Topavanam and We are also working on [email protected] learned the Vedanta principles. Swami arranging field trips to places Renuka Krishnan: Chinmayananda (1916-1993) supported the of religious significance. The [email protected] scriptures of India, such as the places under consideration and the Upanishads. Relentlessly he worked for are the Self Realization Junior Class: about 40 years to bring spiritual revival in Fellowship temple at Priya Ram India. His different style is appealing to people Encinitas and the Buddhist [email protected] in all different ages. He had a life of selfless Monastery. We are also Radhika Chari service to other people. He wrote more than working on other places to [email protected] thirty master pieced books. Each book he visit. Rama Srinivas wrote had principles behind the religion. He BBC TEAM [email protected] made mysterious and vedantic principles understandable for common people. He is the Toddler Class: founder of Chinmaya Mission. The work he May Birthdays: Archana Sampath initiated that was so dear to him. Toddler: [email protected] The Hindu Host Committee selected Sathya Srinivasan Priya Sarathy Swami Chinmayananda to be the President of Amogh Havangi [email protected] Hindu Religion, representing Hinduism Agastya Sridharan Ramanarayanan K worldwide at the Meeting of the Parliament of Pradhit Gaddameedi [email protected] World Religions in Chicago (during August 28 - Vidyashankar September 4, 1993), an honor bestowed on the Juniors: [email protected] great Swami Vivekananda a century ago. Ysaswi Singamneni Swami Chinmayananda was known for Shravanthi Bala Registration coordinators: his great selfless services for humanity and Krishnaswamy Panneer Selvam achievements in creating spiritual and cultural Seniors: [email protected] treasures in India. Then, on August 3, 1993 Shrea Chari Swami Chinmayananda passed away with a Aruna Sudarshan massive heart attack in San Diego California. Soumya Kalluri Newsletter Coordinator: Chinmaya mission continues to work on Krishna Meduri: spreading the teachings of Chinmayananda to Super Seniors: [email protected] the world. -By Nikitha Gopal Kamakshi Ramanarayanan

7930 Arjons Drive, San Diego, CA 92126 Phone: (858) 549-3940 May 2010 ISSUE 5 1 May 2010

Class Schedules DAYANAND SARASWATI Class Schedules 05-08-2010 ------05-01-2010 ------Junior Class: Story: Parashurama Avatharam Toddler Class: -Venugopal Ramamurthy Story: Goddess Durga - Bharathy Thridandam Sloka: Sharada stotra pg.74 (1-3) Nalini Natarajan Sloka: sarvamangala mangalye & Annapurna sadapurna Bhajan: Deva Deva Deva Dayananda Saraswati was born into - Sapna Chandrasekar Krishna; Review: Mahalakshmi a wealthy Brahmin family in Gujarat, a part Jagan Matha of western India. He was raised in the Bhajan: Durga Bhavani Ma -Shubha Vijayashankar orthodox Hindu tradition but soon found - Bharathy Thridandam himself unsatisfied with the archaic Senior Class: teachings and practices, especially idol Super Senior Class: Story: Ayodhya - UP worship and other primitivisms imposed on Story: Madurai-TN - Bharathy Thridandam him. At the age of 19 he left his family and - Srinivas Varadarajan undertook a long period of rigorous, ascetic Sloka: Lakshmi stotra study of the ancient Vedas - the oldest core Sloka: Annapurna Stotram 4-8 (Namastestu) of the Hindu religion. - Lakshmi Srinivasan - Rama Srinivas Dayanand Saraswati was one of the Bhajan: Radha Ramana most radical socio-religious reformers in the Bhajan: Govinda Madhava Mukunda; Bhajo Madura Harinam history of India. In 1875 he founded the - Bharathy Thridandam - Viji Ramanarayanan Arya Samaj in Bombay as the institutional

05-22-2010 ------medium for the propagation of his teaching 05-15-2010------and propagated classless approach of the Junior Class: Vedas at a time when widespread casteism Toddler Class: Story: Quiz on all the was prevalent in the society. He preached Story: Tenali Rama & two Avatharams covered so far in vernacular Hindi in an effort to break thieves - Radhika Chari & Priya Ram through the elitist culture and to - Gayathri Vidyashankar reach the masses. His society was open to Sloka: Sharada Stotra pg.74 (3-7) all men and women on the basis of personal Shloka: ananyashchintayanya - Shankar Parasaran interest and commitment. His disciples maam & yatra yogeshwaraH perused the Vedas in minute detail, finding krishno Bhajan: Sharanam Siddhi there the essential precursors of Western -Anandhi Sriram Vinayaka; Review: Vanamali science and technology, including Radha Ramana electricity, microbiology, and other modern Bhajan: Devi Lakshmi Mampahi; - Priya Ram inventions. Pashupati Tanaya He undertook a tour of the entire -Anandhi Sriram Senior Class: country, made fiery speeches condemning Super Senior Class Story: Quiz on places covered so the caste system, idolatry, and child far Viveka Deepika marriages. He was the first leader in the - Prasanna Madabushi & -Lalitha Kodandapani field of theology who welcomed the Renuka Krishnan advances of sciences and technology. He Shloka: Annapurna Stotram full Sloka: Revise & Shiva gave new interpretations to reform the - Viji Ramanarayanan stotras stagnant Hindu thought through his book - Radhika Chari "Satyaprakash" (The Light of Truth). He Bhajan: Vishnu Priye; Sharanam preached that salvation was possible Siddhi Vinayaka Bhajan: Start on Ekadantam through social service. - Viji Ramanarayanan -Lalitha Krishnamoorthy By Deepika Vuppala

7930 Arjons Drive, San Diego, CA 92126 Phone: (858) 549-3940 May 2010 ISSUE 5 2 May 2010

GODAVARI RIVER Class Presentations BBC Announcements: Junior Class: 05-8-2010 We would like to remind the Lord Subramanya parents about the availability --Priyanka Samavedam of books at the Balabhavan library. 05-22-2010 Lord Rama The list of library books --Akshaya Venugopal available for borrowing can be Godavari River is the second largest found at river in India and also called the Dakshin Senior Class: http://groups.yahoo.com/grou Ganga (Ganga of the South). It runs from 05-18-2010 p/BalaBhavan/files/BB_Book_Li western to southern India. It originates from Would you rather be Rama or st.xls Trimbak in Maharashtra and runs through the Bharatha? Deccan Plateau into the Bay of Bengal. The -- Sukruth Kadaba Please arrive 10 minutes before Godavari River has a large drainage area 05-22-2010 the start of the class so that which is nearly one-tenth of the size of India. Would you rather be Lakshmana you can borrow the books Its tributaries include Indravait, Manjira, or Vibeeshana? without disturbing the classes. Bindusara, and Sabari. The Godavari River is --Rohith Sudhakar sacred to Hindus and has several pilgrimage centers on its banks including Super Senior Class: The parent volunteers and the Triamabekeshwar (one of the twelve 05-01-2010 class coordinators put in a lot jyotirlingas) and Bhadrachalam (Rama Kabir of their time and effort for temple). It has been held as a special place of - Arun Sundar teaching to the children. We pilgrimage for many thousands of years. Every 05-15-2010 kindly request all the parents twelve years, a Pushkaram fair is held on the Ramanujacharya to make sure the children banks of the river. Thousands of people have - Yashes Srinivasn arrive for the classes in time a holy dip in the sacred waters of the river to Buddha and have all the necessary purify themselves of all their sins. - Vikram Thridandam materials available for the class. All the necessary Legend has it that Sage Gautama ------materials are available from lived on the Brahmagiri Hills at Festivals of the Month: the temple website and if any Triambakeshwar with his wife Ahalya. The of the necessary materials are rishi kept his stock of rice in a granary. Once, May 9: Mother’s Day missing please let one of the a cow entered his granary and ate up the May 31: Memorial Day coordinators know about it so rice. When the rishi tried to ward the cow Please visit www.shiva- that they can be added to the away with Durbha grass, it fell dead. The rishi vishnu.org for more details web site. wanted to relieve himself of the sin of ‘Gohatya’. He worshipped Lord Shiva and As this program is entirely run requested him to bring Ganga to purify his Newsletter Editors by the parent volunteers, we hermitage. Lord Shiva pleased with the rishi Kamakshi Ramanarayanan are constantly looking for appeared as Triambaka and brought along Keerti Tadimeti river Ganga. Since Ganga was brought down parent volunteers to teach Bhajans, Slokas and story to Triambakeshwar by Sage Gautama, she is telling. Please let the class known here as Gautami. She is also known as Topics of the Month coordinators know about your Godavari because the river helped Sage Akshaya Venugopal interest and time availability so Gautama to relieve his sins. Aruna Sudarshan that we can utilize your Deepika Vuppala services. By Akshaya Venugopal Nikitha Gopal Shrea Chari BBC TEAM

7930 Arjons Drive, San Diego, CA 92126 Phone: (858) 549-3940 May 2010 ISSUE 5

4

May 2010

Yudhishtira or Vidura Yudhishtira or Vidura……….…Continued Nakula or Sahadeva……….Continued Yudhishtira and Vidura were He told Yudhishitira and the other both very virtuous and noble what he had heard and helped them escape. Nakula was said to very characters in the immortal epic – He advised King Dhritharashtra to not engage in a handsome and also very the Mahabharatha. Vidura was battle with Pandavas as it was an illegal war and observant. He always kept a born through the mystic powers would lead to total destruction of the . watchful eye on his elder brother of the great sage Veda Vyasa, He wanted the kingdom returned to the Pandavas Bhima's mischievous and often while Yudhishtira was the son of since it rightfully belonged to them. Lord Krishna dangerous pranks. Nakula was one Lord Yama himself. Yudhishtira also came as an emissary to Hastinapura to make of the lucky brothers. The reason was forgiving, contented, wise peace between the Kauravas and Pandavas and he is lucky is because when the and peace loving. Although he avoid war one last time. He stayed at Vidura’s brothers were in exile in was not given the kingdom that house and did not stay as a guest of the the forest, all 4 brothers except was rightfully his, he accepted Kauravas. Lord Krishna failed to impress Dhritha- Yudhistira had died drinking water the adharmic turn of events with rashtra on the importance of peace. Vidura then from a lake. Yudhistira was given an even mind. However, he had resigned as the chief minister as he did not want an opportunity to save one of his one bad habit of gambling to be on the side of adharma. I would rather be brothers and Nakula was the which unfortunately was viewed Vidura because he never told a lie and chosen one to come back to life. as a royal tradition among kings always followed the very challenging path of This was because he was the son those days. One time in a in all circumstances. of Madri, and Yudhistira, being the game of dice with Duryodhana, By Aruna Sudarshan son of Kunti, wanted to be fair to he gambled away his brothers both mothers. and even his wife Draupadi. This Nakula or Sahadeva is one flaw in noble Yudhishtira On the other hand, Sahadeva that has been debated a lot was a great astrologer. He is among scholars. As a result of Nakula and Sahadeva were twins among the supposed to have known of the gambling and also tricked by 5 pandava brothers from the Epic Mahabarata. events of the Kurukshetra war Shakuni, Yudhishtira had to live Both were sons of Madri, who prayed to the before hand, but was cursed to 12 years in forest and 13th year Ashvin brothers for them to be born. When they not mention it to others. If he did incognito with his brothers and were born, a heavenly voice said ‘Nakula and mention it, his head would split Draupadi. During that time they Sahadeva will be even more beautiful and into pieces! Although, he was the underwent lots of difficulties. energetic than the Ashwin twins!’. Nakula and youngest of the Pandavas, he was Yet they were always happy and Sahadeva were married to Draupadi. Nakula had considered the wisest of them all. peaceful. The answers that 2 sons Satanika and Niramitra, while Sahadeva Even Yudhistira called Sahadeva as Yudhishtira gave to a Yaksha also had two sons Srutasena and Suhotra. wiser than Sage Brihaspati, the during his exile are a classic and teacher of the Vedas. He was one reveal the very subtle laws of Both Nakula and Sahadeva had a special of the few people in the dharma. ability of caring for horses and cows. who knew that Interestingly, they both had the talent of riding a Krishna was indeed the Vidura was a great devotee of horse in the rain, without getting wet! Also, they incarnation of Lord MahaVishnu. Lord Krishna. Vidura was Pandu’s were expert swordsmen, especially when riding a brother and so a respected uncle horse. So, Yudhistira chose them as Generals for These were the important of the Pandavas. He was very expeditions to the Western and Southern differences between Nakula and wise and always gave counsel to kingdoms, in order to collect tributes for his Sahadeva. I would rather be Dhritharashtra according to the Rajasuya sacrifice. In his expedition, Nakula Sahadeva, as it would be really strict laws of Dharma. He was battled the Yavanas, Sudras, and Abhiras, while cool to predict the future, and very courageous since it is Sahadeva battled the Surasenas, Matsyas, and also be able to see Lord extremely difficult to stand by Kuntis. Indeed, Sahadeva is said to have gone as MahaVishnu dharma in all situations in life. far as Kerala with his messengers even reaching Once he listened in on the Sri Lanka. Both were generals for the Pandava By Shrea Chari Kauravas’ conversation about camp in the Kurukshetra war where they helped burning the Pandavas in a wax destroy several important warriors among the palace alive. camp.

7930 Arjons Drive, San Diego, CA 92126 Phone: (858) 549-3940 May 2010 ISSUE 5

4