BALABHARATI Samskar for Kids

!
MARCH 2014, PHALGUN MAASA

Yugadi -31st March 2014

Amrutvachan Festivals are an integral part of
our life and culture and Hindu
tradition offers them in plenty.
There is a festival for every
reason and for every season.
Ever y celebration center s
around rituals of prayer, seeking
blessings, exchanging goodwill,
decorating houses, wearing new
clothes, music, dance and
feasting.
Do you know the most
! important festival that falls in
“Intelligence plus the month of March?
character - that is the It is Yugadi!! Yugadi is one of
goal of true the most important festivals
education” among numerous festivals that
we celebrate. Yugadi means
! “Beginning of New
a g e ” ( Yu g a = A g e a n d
- Martin Luther King
Aadi=beginning). Hindu culture
Jr.
is diverse and Hindu people
! speak many languages. No
wonder! This festival is
nnn
recognized by various names
! and celebrated in various ways
and on different days. Some
called it as “Varsha Pratipada”,
and some as “Gudi Padva.
Some called it as “Naba
Barsha” and some as “Goru
Bihu”. It is believed that, on this
day, the Universe was created by
Lord Brahma. This is the day
when Lord Vishnu incarnated
himself as Matsya (the Fish
Incarnation). On this day, Shri
Rama killed Vali. The great
Indian Mathematician
Bhaskaracharya’s calculations
proclaimed the Yugadi as the
beginning of the New Year, new
month and new day.
On Yugadi, people eat the paste
of bitter-sweet leaves and
flowers of Neem tree, tamarind
and jaggery. Jaggery represents
joy and happiness and Neem
represents sorrow. Life is a
mixture of happiness and
sorrow and all of them have to
be treated alike.

About Balabharati -
!
This is an attempt to awaken the patriotic and cultural values hidden in the kids. The
!
attempt is coordinated across Bangalore, in various localities, by the coordinators.
You too can participate in these events as a coordinator. Your ideas would add value to the
center. Send your feedback to the editor - Vivasvan Shastri (vivasvan@me.com)

http://www.balbharati.com/ !1
 Balabharati - March 2014

WHY DO WE LIGHT A LAMP ?

!
In almost every Indian home a lamp is lit daily before the
altar of the Lord. In some houses it is lit at dawn, in
some, twice a day – at dawn and dusk – and in a few it is
maintained continuously - Akhanda Deepa. All
auspicious functions commence with the lighting of the
lamp, which is often maintained right through the
occasion.
Light symbolizes knowledge, and darkness - ignorance.
Knowledge removes ignorance just as light removes
darkness. Why not light a bulb or tube light? That too
would remove darkness. But the traditional oil lamp has a further spiritual significance.
The oil or ghee in the lamp symbolizes our vaasanas or negative tendencies and the
wick, the ego. When lit by spiritual knowledge, the vaasanas get slowly exhausted and
the ego too finally perishes.
!
Whilst lighting the lamp we thus pray:
!
Deepajyothi parabrahma Deepa sarva tamopahaha
Deepena saadhyate saram Sandhyaa deepo namostute
!
I prostrate to the dawn/dusk lamp; whose light is the Knowledge Principle (the Supreme
Lord), which removes the darkness of ignorance and by which all can be achieved in life.
!
nnn

REMEMBERING OUR HEROS

! !

Rajguru Bhagat Singh Sukhdev

We pay our tributes to our Heros on their Punya Tithi !

-23rd March.!

http://www.balbharati.com/ !2
 Balabharati - March 2014

GEET

! !
! !
भारत हमारी मा( ) माता का +प -यारा
 bhārat hamārī māta hai mātā kā rūpa pyārā

करना इसी की र2ा कत34य ) हमारा ॥ध6॥ karanā isī kī rakṣā kartavya hai hamārā ||dhṛ||
जननी समान धरती िजस 9 जनम िलया )
 jananī samān dharatī jis pe janam liyā hai

iनज अ=न वायu जल @ िजसA बडा iकया )
 nija ann vāyu jal se jisane baḍā kiyā hai

jīvan vo kaisā jīvan isape agar na vārā ||1||
जीवन वो कEसा जीवन इस9 अगर न वारा ॥१॥
! svaraṇim prabhāt jisa kī amṛt luṭāne āye

jahān sāṁjha muskurākara din kī thakan miṭāe

Hवरिणम Jभात िजस की अम6त लuटाA आए

din rāt kā calan bhī jahān śeṣh jag se nyārā ||2||
जहा( सNझ मuHकuराकर iदन की थकन िमटाए

iदन रात का चलन भी जहा( Tष जग @ =यारा ॥२॥ jahān ghām bhīgā pāvas bhinī śarada suhāye

! bīte śiśir ko patajhaḍ dekar vasant jāye

jise dhūp chāv varṣā himapāt ne savārā ||3||
जहा( घाम भीगा पावस िभनी शरद सuहाY

बीZ िशिशर को पतझड [कर वस=त जाY
 pāvana punīta mā kā maṁdir sahaj suhāna

phir se luṭe na beṭo tum nīnd me na khonā

िज@ ध\प छNव वष^ iहमपात A स(वारा ॥३॥ jāgṛt suton kā bal hī mā kā sadā sahārā |4||
!
पावन पuनीत मा का म`iदर सहज सuहाना

iफर @ लub न cटो तuम नdद e न खोना

जाग6त सuतo का बल ही मा का सदा सहारा ।४॥

http://www.geetganga.org/bharat-hamaari-maa-hai

Bhojan Mantra
!
! ॐ "#ाप&ण( "#ा ह*व"& ! !
#ा,ौ "#णा.त( Let us protect each other
"#0व 1ना ग4त5य("# कम& समा*धना Let us eat together
Let us work together
! Let our studies be bright and beneficial
ॐ सहनाववत;सहनौ भ;न=त;
Let us not hate each other
सहवीय? करवावA1जिDवनावधीतमDत;मा *व*Eषा !
वA Let there be peace peace and peace.
ॐ शाि4तः शाि4तः शाि4तः
!
!
! !
! !
! !
!
http://www.balbharati.com/ !3
 Balabharati - March 2014

Colouring Activity

http://www.balbharati.com/ !4
 Balabharati - March 2014

Find - Gods & Goddesses

God Goddesses

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Activity: Paper Cup Damru
Material needed:
2 paper cups, pair of scissors, two
wooden beads, twine thread, masking
tape, double sided tape, crayons,
brown paper/chart paper.
With a masking tape, secure the
joint of the paper cups.
Colour a small circle on both the
circles. Colour the paper cups with a
http://www.balbharati.com/
Balabharati - March 2014
Place one paper cup upside
down and stick a piece of
double sided tape
Place the paper cup on a brown
paper/chart paper and trace out two
circles and cut the circles out. or a
refill.
Take a piece of twine thread
and tie two knots in the
centre.Cut the string to length
Tie wooden beads at the ends
!
Peel off the sticker. Take
another cup, put a double
sided tape and join the 2 cups
as shown
Place one brown paper/chart
paper circle on one open end
and secure it with the masking
tape. Repeat the same on the
other side too.
!
Damru is now ready
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 Balabharati - March 2014

Story of Prahlad

Prahlad’s story begins during the time of Lord Vishnu's fourth avatar (incarnation) Varaha. In order
to rescue the earth from the captivity of Hiranyaksha, Lord Vishnu had arrived in the avatar
(incarnation) Varaha (boar) form and killed him. Hiranyaksha's elder brother Hiranyakashipu was
very angry about this. He resolved to take revenge of his brother's death. He went to the Himalayas
and began to perform severe penance for many, many years. Lord Brahma was pleased by his
penance and asked him for a boon. Hiranyakashipu asked that “May I never be killed neither by
any weapon nor any creature made by you, neither in the day nor in the night, and neither on earth
nor in the sky”. Lord Brahma agreed to Hiranyakashipu's  boon and gave it to him. 
!
While Hiranyakashipu was away, the gods had attacked his kingdom and killed his nephews. Lord
Indra had even abducted his wife, Queen Kayadhu who was expecting a child. Devarishi Narad
stopped Indra on his way back to heaven. Indra declared to Devarishi Narad that Kayadhu was
pregnant; he would destroy her unborn baby and then release her. Devarishi Narad however,
assured Indra that the unborn baby was a supreme devotee of Lord Vishnu and that they should
not fear him. Lord Indra was convinced and released Queen Kayadhu, who then began to stay at
Devarishi Narad's hermitage. Addressing the unborn baby, Narad daily used to preach Queen
Kayadhu about the devotion one should have for God. This was the way the baby would never
forget the preaching it received in the pre-natal stage.
!
At the appropriate time, Queen Kayadhu gave birth to a son, Prahlad. Prahlad was the youngest
among Hiranyakaship's four sons. He appeared to be the eldest in virtues. He did not have any
desires. He was content like the hermits, truthful and always wished well for everyone. He had full
control over his senses, mind and body. He was also completely untouched by the demonic virtues
of his father and brothers. Since childhood, he remained submerged in devotion to Lord Vishnu.
The demons even tried to use their illusionary powers on Prahlad but none of their powers could
stand before him. Two sages, Shand and Amark produced an ogress, Kritya to kill Prahlad if he
didn't follow their ways, but she killed them instead of killing Prahlad. But Prahlad was kind
hearted and prayed to Lord Vishnu and brought them back to life.
!
Hiranyakashipu tried another way to kill Prahlad. He had a sister, Holika who had a boon that she
would not die by fire. King Hiranyakashipu asked her to sit on a bonfire with Prahlad on her lap in
the hope that this would kill Prahlad. Prahlad was not at all worried and chanted Lord Vishnu's
name and was not hurt, but Holika was burned to her death. All the measures taken by the demons
to kill Prahlad proved to be fruitless.

http://www.balbharati.com/ !7
 Balabharati - March 2014

Because of this, Hiranyakashipu began to feel afraid. Once more, he

forcibly sent Prahlad to the hermitage of Shand and Amark. Once there,
Prahlad did take the education they offered but had no interest in their
teachings. When his teachers used to get engaged in minor activities,
Prahlad would assemble his fellow disciples around him and preach to
them that, “Brothers, this human incarnation is not meant to be wasted.
If we don't  find God in this birth, it would be a great loss. We can
achieve the means to find God right in our childhood, for when we grow
young, we are caught by the material wealth and nothing can be done in
old age. It is very easy to find God. He is present in everyone's hearts. He
is in every living being. Hence, we should not torture any creature. We should concentrate our
mind in God”.
!
At the age of five years, Prahlad was preaching to the demon boys. The demon boys followed
him faithfully. His teachers saw that Prahlad's teachings were against demonic traditions, Prahlad
was sent back to Hiranyakashipu. Hiranyakashipu decided to kill Prahlad with his own hands. He
tied Prahlad to a pillar. Hiranyakashipu asked in a loud voice: “O fool, with whose powers you
have been humiliating me with? Now, I am going to kill you, call your God to save you.”
Prahlad was unconcerned replied humbly: “Father, don't be angry. Lord Vishnu is the protector
of us all. I am not dishonoring you. One's own mind is his biggest enemy in the world. Lord
Vishnu is everywhere. He is in me, in you, in your sword and is also present in the pillar”.
Little Prahlad could not even finish his words when his angry father hit the pillar with his mace.
!
As soon as the mace touched the pillar, it broke with a thundering sound. Everyone who was
present in the court panicked. They saw a creature emerging from the pillar. It had the face of a
lion and a human body. Emerging from the broken pillar was the avatar (incarnation) of Lord
Vishnu as Narsimha. Narsimha roared angrily. The demon king Hiranyakashipu tried his best to
escape from Narsimha. But at last, Narsimha caught hold of him and dragged him towards the
threshold. There, he put Hiranyakashipu on thighs and tore his belly with his terrifying nails.
!
The anger of Narsimha did not subside even after killing Hiranyakashipu. He was still roaring
repeatedly. Lord Brahma, Lord Shankar and even Goddess Lakshmi prayed to Lord Narsimha
from a distance but no one had the courage to go near him. Finally, Brahma sent Prahlad near
Narsimha to calm him down. Fearlessly, Prahlad went near Narsimha and laid himself flat at his
feet. Affectionately, the Lord in Narsimha form raised Prahlad and embraced him and said: “O
son Prahlad, you had to bear the sufferings for so long. Please forgive me.”
!
Prahlad felt overwhelmed. The lord of the universe was standing before him and was stroking his
head in assuring way. Prahlad bowed his head faithfully. Lord Narsimha then asked Prahlad to
seek some boon. Prahlad said: “You are my true Lord. If you wish to grant me a boon, kindly
bless me that no desire may arise in my mind for anything.” 
!
Prahlad also prayed to Lord Narsimha for his father, asking him, “O Lord, my father had always
criticized you. Please free him from the sins he has committed.” Lord Narsimha replied saying,
“Prahlad, your father has now become holy.” Lord Narsimha promised Prahlad that he would
never kill any of his descendents. Lord Narsimha then escorted Prahlad to the throne of his
father and made him sit on it, instructing him to follow good conduct and do his duties. Saying
those words  Lord Narsimha disappeared. 

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