BALABHAVAN NEWSLETTER VEDIC CULTURAL AND SPIRITUAL CENTER OF SAN DIEGO October 2012

SWAMI VIVEKANANDA BBC Announcements: Balabhavan Coordinators 1. Parent Update Meetings: Latha Sundar Vivekananda was a Hindu monk who Venkat Maddipatla Oct 13th, and Oct 20th, 4:15 lived from 1863 to 1902. He was also a to 5pm; parent attendance for [email protected] spiritual ambassador for India in the U.S. AT LEAST one meeting is He was born as Narendranath Dutta in MANDATORY. Please be

Calcutta, India. Vivekananda published 160 punctual, and come prepared Electronic Communication books in his lifetime. A majority of his with feedback, and ways you Cooordinator published works were compiled from can volunteer. Srinivas lectures he had given though out the world [email protected] on , and . He was a 2. Feedback through Survey Class Coordinators key person in introducing the vedanta to Monkey: Our annual survey the western world. He also believed in the will be sent out to collect Super -Senior Class: universal acceptance of all religions. comprehensive feedback- Mylavarapu Common themes among his books were please use this opportunity to Latha Rajkumar different ways of worshipping to attain help us innovate and improve [email protected] divinity. He believed that people could be the program at BalaBhavan. classified into four different groups, and he Senior Class: assessed one type of yoga to each group; 3. Annual Talent Day- Dec 15: Vasantha Madavi Sudhakar yoga for those who are in constant Please start planning and Nalini Venugopal activity, yoga for emotional working together to make this another FANTASTIC Talent Day [email protected] individuals, for people who like you all did last year! observe everything with reason, and raja Junior Class: Hema Rangaswamy yoga, for people who try to analyze the 4. Registration for Bala Anupama Rajagopalan way that their mind works. He Bhavan 2013: Please [email protected] incorporated simplicity and humor into his complete the registration to works. He has also composed many songs reserve your child's spot in Toddler Class: and poems his favorite poem being the Bala Bhavan for next year. Aparna Vemuri mother. He traveled throughout the world ------Vandana Santhanam to preach his teachings. During his time in October Birthdays [email protected] the U.S., he gave many influential Toddler: speeches. His main goal was to increase Harini Parasaram Registration coordinators: the realization of God and divinity within Sadhika Kumar Krishnaswamy Panneer Selvam oneself. Swami Vivekananda is still the [email protected] most important figure in modern Hinduism Smruthi Bala and his works, in a collection of nine Juniors: Newsletter Coordinator: volumes, are widely popular even today. Akhilesh L. Genneri Meduri: Akshara Madabushi [email protected] Anish Vikram Gowda Prathik Kannan Shruti Chari Festivals of the Month: Seniors: Mukta Phadnis Please visit: Priyanka Samavedam www.-.org for Super Seniors: more details Bhairav Peri Chidambaram Rengashree Muralidharan

Shreya Sriram - By Shekar Krishnamoorthy

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October 2012 Issue 10

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BALABHAVAN NEWSLETTER VEDIC CULTURAL AND SPIRITUAL CENTER OF SAN DIEGO October 2012

Class Schedules Class Schedules Crossword

10-6-2012 ------Toddler Class: 10-20-2012 ------Story:

Vandana Santhanam Toddler Class: Story: Sloka: Maanikya-veenam Gayathri Vidyashankar Vanitha Santhamoorthy Sloka: Annapoorne sadaa : Mam Pahi poorne (pg 43); review Ma Rajashri Balaji Gayathri Vidyashankar Bhajan: Review of all Devi Super Senior Class: Story: Review Vaivarta Rajashree Sundar Purana - discussion on the Super Senior Class: salient features (holy places, Story: Purana – rivers, sages, temples, presentation/story telling important incidents, tatvams Suresh Chandran etc). Sloka: Soundaryalahari 21-32 Rama/Srinivas Anandi Krishnamoorthy Sloka: Soundaryalahari (11-20) Bhajan: Review of Devi Bhajans Viji Ramanarayanan (Varade Veena, Jag Sukh Karini, Jaya Saraswathy Mahalakshmi) Bhajan: Varade Veena (pg 49) Anandi Krishnamoorthy; Latha Sundar; Bharathy Tridandam Ashwini Sangam 10-27-2011 ------10-13-2011 ------Junior Class: Junior Class: Story: Lord Shiva saves the Story: Krishna as the child God Universe by drinking the ocean and Savior- Stories related to of poison Krishna's Childhood Days Shyam Kadaba Sushma Natarajan Sloka: Sharada bhujangam Sloka: Yakundendu, Manikya Nagarajan Veenam Bhajan: Jago jago Ma (pg 45); Sushma Havanagi review Bhajan: Madhusudhana Harey Vishnu Priye Madhava (pg 24); Jaya nandalala Magesh Hariharan (pg 24)Bhaja Mana Ramam (pg Senior Class: Answers: 16) Story: A King -Vishnu Gayathri Vidyashankar saves king Ambarisha from the ACROSS DOWN curse of Sage Dhurvasa Senior Class: Rashmi/ Madukara Story: A.P.J. Abdul Kalam Sloka: Sharada bhujangam 3. Rama 1. Vishnu Seetha Janikaraman Anupama Sudarshan 4. Shiva 2. Brahma Sloka: Mahalakshmi ashtakam: 5. 3. Namastestu mahamaye Bhajan: Jaya Saraswathi 6. Lakshmi Vasantha ; Mahalakshmi 8. Durga Sudhakar/Sudhakar Yadavalli (pg 47); review Vishnu Priye Bhajan: Review of Devi Bhajans Lalitha Krishnamurthy Sangeetha Prahalad

7930 Arjons Drive, San Diego, CA 92126 Phone: (858) 549-3940 October 2012 Issue 10 2

BALABHAVAN NEWSLETTER VEDIC CULTURAL AND SPIRITUAL CENTER OF SAN DIEGO October 2012

Questions of the Month Editors Corner

Navaratri is a festival that 1. Who are Ravana’s widely celebrates brothers? . Here are nine names of

Devi. Challenge – try to figure what they mean. Possible answers are on the bottom of this column.

1) Haimavati 2) Aparna

2. Name ’s wife. 3)

4) Nitya 5) 6) Lalita 7) 8) 9) Kalyani

3. Which sage led Rama and ------Lakshmana to the forest to Possible Answers: 1) daughter of Himavan help during the yagnas? (mountain) 2) one who does not eat even a leaf 3) the calm one 4) the intransient one 5) mother of the worlds 6) the graceful one ------7) one free from debts 8) the chaste one Newsletter Editors 9) the auspicious one

Keerti Tadimeti

Kamakshi Ramanarayanan

Topics of the Month

Shekar Krishnamoorthy

------Answers: Happy ! 1. Kumbakarna, Vibheesana 2. Urmila 3.

7930 Arjons Drive, San Diego, CA 92126 Phone: (858) 549-3940 October 2012 Issue 10 3