Children were enriched with Vedic chanting - “Narayana - Sooktam” by Swamiji and energized with Pranayama and Yogasana.
Shruthi Didi very well related how the learnings from Stargazing on the, "12-constellations" corresponding to zodiac signs, are well balanced by doing 12 sets of Surya Namaskara.
Taking risk is always icing on the cake for children, hence an adventure had been planned by members of Chinmaya Yuva Kendra (CHYK). The quest was to find more about Lord Krishna through Kanha Trail. It was way beyond the usual treasure hunt where the children had to search, scourge and scout the entire ashram to get the clues. Well, the children had to find & channelize the ‘Sherlock Holmes’ in them.
Wonderful outdoor activity for the children, with running all around the ashram following the signs & lensing for the clues.
The theme for Kanha Trail encompassed the life of Krishna from birth to death with 10 clues. The teams (Govinda, Gopala, Achutha, Mukunda, Keshava, Madhava, Murari) set out for the trail, which is a blend of tradition, spirituality, science & sport exposing the detectives in them.
Kanha Trail
The CHYKs did not just end with Kanha trail but also continued in search of Nalabag in our children with “cooking without flame” activity under the Big Banyan tree. With limited ingredients (Cucumber, Tomatto, Onion, Lemon, Salt & Chilli powder, bread, mini pooris), we could relish 7 different dishes (one from each team).
So, mom will get a helping hand from the loved one once they are back 🤔.
Refer CHYK Programme for more details.
Swamiji's Lecture:
The lecture by Swami Aparajitanandaji was about three topics- Protecting the mind
Swamiji spoke on the 5 sense objects - Shabda, Sparsha, Roopa, Rasa and Gandha through which we gain knowledge from the external world. He explained the 3 levels of protection along with real life examples. This explanation is based on Bhagavad Gita Chapter: 3 Verse: 42.
- Never expose yourself to anything that would pollute your mind.
- Even when you are exposed to bad situation, show disinterest.
- If you are affected by bad thoughts, listen to your intellect over the mind to win over the bad thoughts.
Swamiji detailed the steps for the ladder of fall; as always with child- centric examples
- Vishaya Dhyanam - Thinking of sense objects
- Sanga - desire
- Kama - intense craving
- Krodha - Anger
- Sammoha - delusion
- Smriti Vibhrama - loss of memory
- Buddhi Nasha- Inability to think
- Sarva Nasha(Pranaasha) - Total destruction
Swamiji spoke on 5 point technique to overcome the fall
- Observe thoughts
- Detect the negative
- Eliminate the negative
- Substitute with positive
- Strengthen the mind with repeated substitution
Refer Swamiji's lecture on "Winning the evil mind" for more details.
All were back to Omkareshwara temple for 6:30pm Aarati and chanting time started with ‘Guru Stotram’, learning ‘Gurupaduka Stotram’ followed by Bhajans - ‘Raat Shyam’, ‘Ananta Roopa ananta nama’ and ‘Shankara Bhola Bhala’.
The 7 teams huddled together at 7:10pm with their mentor-sevika to plan for the skit around the allotted Krishna story.
Over & above the lecture & Vedic chanting by Swamiji, children enjoy break-time and post-meal Q & A session on life, existence and God with him.
Children had dinner and retired for the day!
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