BG - 3

Vaishnav Song

https://kksongs.org/songs/y/yasomatinandana.html

Last Sunday the second stanza was recited - you can continue with third one and all three together.

Bhagavad-gita Verse 15.13 continued

Recap last week's BG 15.13 nicely so that children recollect how the various planets are floating because Krishna enters and holds them.

Now in today's session we continue 15.13 by focusing on GRAVITY

BG 15.13

गामाविश्य च भूतानि धारयाम्यहमोजसा ।
पुष्णामि चौषधी: सर्वा: सोमो भूत्वा रसात्मक: ॥ १३ ॥

gām āviśya ca bhūtāni
dhārayāmy aham ojasā
puṣṇāmi cauṣadhīḥ sarvāḥ
somo bhūtvā rasātmakaḥ

I enter into each planet, and by My energy they stay in orbit. I become the moon and thereby supply the juice of life to all vegetables.

Core Message 

GRAVITY is vital for us to live. It is also vital for many aspects of technology and progress.

🌟 THEME - “Thank You Krishna, for Gravity!”
(BG 15.13 – “By My energy I sustain all planets”)

🪔 OBJECTIVE

Children realize that almost everything they do depends on Krishna’s invisible force — Gravity!
Without it, toothbrushes, chips, water, even they themselves would fly away!

You can make this a dramatic show-and-tell — hold up the item and ask, “What if this started flying away?”

💬 Teacher prompt: “Who can think of one more thing you couldn’t do without gravity?”
(Watching TV, painting, etc.)

Give a chance to every child to say something.

Activity - No Breakfast today

Materials needed

Light weight things that we can lift secretly with a invisible thread. Plastic plate, spoon, fork, tissue paper. foam balls representing rasgulla etc.

Arrangement

On one table arrange a Breakfast plate. Plastic or Foam plate. One Spoon. One Fork. Three potato chips. All of them must be tied to one invisible thread from the ceiling. This tied to the thread setup must be kept ready but will be shown later.

First arrange the Breakfast plate without thread. Ask one student to come forward and have breakfast. Let him eat the chips.

Teachers: Now Krishna will Switch off Gravity in five mins. Tell then let us take a break. This will give time for you to arrange the Other Breakfast plate (with threads).

Once ready ask another student to come. Ask him to sit on a chair in front of the table, he should not stand up. Ask him to start eating breakfast. As soon as he tries to touch the Chip the hidden volunteer must pull it up :-) Next he must pull the plate, spoon, fork etc. He can move them up and down. Children will have a blast.

Give one more child a chance.

Reflection : Without Krishna's gravity we cannot even have our Breakfast.

Story - The descent of Mother Ganga

✴️ Many children know about the Maha Kumbha that happened in Jan-2025. Ask them what they know. Did anyone go.

Tell them we will understand why millions take a bath in the Ganga daily. Tell the Story of Mother Ganga's descent.

Please read below sections from Bhagavatam nicely to tell the story.

1- https://vedabase.io/en/library/sb/5/17 (verses 1 to 4)
2- SB Canto 9 Chapters 8–9 (read relevant sections)

Gist

1. The Divine Beginning — How Gaṅgā Came Into the Universe

• Once, Lord Viṣṇu appeared as Vāmana, a beautiful dwarf brāhmaṇa, before King Bali Mahārāja.

• Vāmana asked for just three steps of land.

• With two steps, He covered the entire universe — earth, sky, and heaven.

• The tip of His toe pierced the covering of the universe, allowing a few drops of the Causal Ocean to flow in.

• These drops became the sacred Gaṅgā, the Viṣṇu-pādodaka — water that touched the Lord’s feet.

• Lord Śiva received those divine waters on his head to break their force and held them there for a thousand celestial years.

2. King Sagara and His Sixty Thousand Sons

• Generations later, in the dynasty of Rohita, appeared King Sagara, born with poison in his body (sa = with, gara = poison).

• Sagara was powerful and righteous; he performed many Aśvamedha yajñas (horse sacrifices).

• Indra, feeling threatened, stole the sacrificial horse and hid it underground near Kapiladeva, an incarnation of the Lord.

• Sagara’s 60,000 sons, born from his wife Sumati, dug deep into the earth searching for the horse — their digging created the Sāgara Ocean.

• They found Kapiladeva in meditation and, misunderstanding Him, accused Him of theft.

• Their offense led to their destruction — they were burnt to ashes by Kapila’s glance.

• Kapila, however, promised that they could be delivered by the touch of Gaṅgā’s water.

3. The Line of Devotion Continues

• Sagara’s grandson Aṁśumān found the horse and prayed humbly to Kapiladeva.

• Kapila advised that only the descent of Gaṅgā could purify the ashes.

• Aṁśumān tried to bring her, but failed.

• His son Dilīpa also attempted, but failed.

• Then came Bhagīratha, whose name would be remembered forever.

4. Bhagīratha’s Great Austerity

• Bhagīratha left his kingdom and performed severe penances for thousands of years.

• Finally, Mother Gaṅgā appeared before him and agreed to descend — but with two conditions:

  1. Her force was so great that it could destroy the earth; someone must control it.

  2. She didn’t want to carry away the sins of those who would bathe in her.

• Bhagīratha promised:

  • Lord Śiva would bear her mighty current.

  • Pure devotees’ baths would purify any accumulated sin.

• Then he performed austerities to please Lord Śiva, who is Āśutoṣa — easily pleased.

• Śiva caught Gaṅgā in his matted locks, then gently released her streams.

5. Gaṅgā’s Journey on Earth

• Gaṅgā followed Bhagīratha’s chariot through mountains, forests, and plains.

• Her waters sanctified all places she passed.

• Finally, she reached the ocean and flowed down to the nether regions (Pātāla), where the ashes of Sagara’s sons lay.

• As her waters touched them, the sons of Sagara were freed and ascended to heaven.

Reflection:

The Ganges flows down from the Himayalas throughout India DUE TO GRAVITY. We would not have the Ganga or the Kumbha without Krishna's Gravity.

Ganga Jal Purification

Optional activity - Bring one bottle of Ganga Jal and put a few drops on every student.

Conclude class with a recap of everything we discussed