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BG - 5

KRISHNA PUTS RASA IN FOOD

Theme: Krishna makes food yummy because He loves us!

Recap (5 mins) :

  • We discussed the Journey of single grain of rice last Sunday
  • Ask if anyone remembers any points from that class
  • Reinforce that KRISHNA has to make so many arrangements to produce a single grain of rice

Today's class (2 min):

  • Energetic welcome: "Haribol! Who had breakfast today? Did it taste good? Today we're going to learn a SECRET about why food tastes yummy!"
  • Quick setting of expectations: "We're going to sing, hear a story, do a fun taste test, and make something to take home!"

Are you ready!

Vaishnava Song - Adharam Madhuram

  • https://kksongs.org/songs/a/adharammadhuram.html
  • https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IVvmYVoyiwg (HH Bhakti Charu Swami Maharaj singing)
  • Teach the simple refrain first: "Adharam madhuram, vadanam madhuram..."
  • Explain simply: "This song says everything about Krishna is sweet and beautiful. Krishna loves sweetness!"
  • Sing together 2-3 times
  • Add simple hand movements:
    • "Adharam madhuram" - touch lips (sweet speech)
    • "Vadanam madhuram" - circle face (sweet face)
    • "Madhuradhipater" - hands in namaste to sky (the sweet Lord)

Bhagavad-gita verse

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.

Katha : KRISHNA STEALINGeating BUTTERBanana (15 minutes)Peels

StorytellingLeaving Kuntī’s quarters, Kṛṣṇa returned to Duryodhana’s palace. Without hindrance He passed through the heavily guarded gateways and came to the vast palace occupied by the Kaurava prince. It was comparable to Indra’s abode, appearing like a mass of clouds and as high as a mountain.

The white marble building was decked with dramaticcountless elements:

precious

Setupgems (2and min):gold "Inengravings. Vrindavan,Kṛṣṇa Motherentered Yashodaand madewent fresh butter every day. And guess who LOVED that butter? Little Krishna! But why did Krishna love butter SO much? Let's find out!"

Story (10 min) - Tell it dramatically:

"One day, Mother Yashoda churned butter early inalong the morning.wide [Makecorridors, churningwhich motion]were Shedecorated putwith golden images of the fresh,gods. creamyHe butterpassed through three large divisions of the palace, each designed and decorated in a potdifferent mood, and hung it HIGH on the ceiling. [Point up]

'Krishna won't reach it there!' she thought. [Smile knowingly]

But Krishna had a plan! He called His friends. 'Come on, let's get that butter!' [Whisper excitedly]

Krishna and His friends made a human pyramid! One friend bent down, another climbed on his shoulders, then another, then another! [Stack hands showing pyramid] And at the very top... KRISHNA!

Helast reached the pot,central opened it, and... [Pause dramatically]hall.

'Mmmmmm!'There TheHe butterfound wasDuryodhana SOseated creamy,amid SOa tasty,thousand SOkings delicious!and Krishnawarriors. startedNext eatingto ithim withwere HisŚakuni, hands,Karṇa sharingand withDuḥśāsana. HisThey friends.all Somerose butterto fellgreet onKṛṣṇa Hisas face,He Hisentered clothes,the everywhere! [Touch face, giggle]hall.

Just then, Mother YashodaDuryodhana came in!down 'KRISHNA!from Whathis areelevated youseat doing?!'

and

Thewelcomed pyramidKṛṣṇa collapsed! [Make collapse motion] All the friends ran away! But Krishna?warmly. He just smiled His sweet, buttery smile.

Mother Yashoda tried to be angry, but she couldn't! Because Krishna looked so cute with butter all over His face! She tiedshowed Him to a grindinglarge mortarthrone covered with an exquisite silk carpet and soft white cushions. When Kṛṣṇa was seated, he personally worshipped Him and offered Him the traditional gift of a cow. His brothers also came and worshipped Kṛṣṇa, along with the other kings.

When the rites were complete, Duryodhana folded his palms and said,
“We are honored, O Govinda. What can we do for You? You may consider this wide kingdom and all our wealth Yours. Please be gracious and accept an invitation to dine with us. We have prepared Duḥśāsana’s palace for Your residence, which is superior even to my own.”

“I will not eat with you, O hero, nor shall I stay in Duḥśāsana’s palace.”

Duryodhana smiled and spoke with forced humility. “Why do You refuse our invitation, O Janārdana? Are we not as punishment,dear to You as the Pāṇḍavas? Surely You see both parties equally. Your relationship with Dhṛtarāṣṭra is as close as Your relationship with the Pāṇḍavas. O Mādhava, please tell me why You will not accept our hospitality.”

“Only those messengers who have gained their objectives should accept the hospitality offered by those who have received his message.” He raised His long arm and held out His palm toward Duryodhana.“After you have fulfilled My wish, you may entertain both Myself and My followers.”

Struggling to control his anger, Duryodhana replied,
“It is not befitting that You treat us so, O Madhusūdana. Whether Your objects are achieved or not, we are bent upon pleasing You with our hospitality. You have denied us that opportunity with no good reason, O best of men. We feel no enmity toward You and therefore cannot understand why You snub us in this way.”

Kṛṣṇa was grave.
“I never abandon virtue from motives of desire, anger, hate or attachment. One should eat another’s food if there is love between them or if he is in distress. O King, you do not please Me and I am not in distress.

For no reason you have borne malice toward the Pāṇḍavas from their childhood. Your cousins are virtuous and devoted to the good of all beings. Whoever bears malice for such blameless men bears malice toward Me. He who follows the virtuous follows Me. Know that I am merged in the Pāṇḍavas and cannot be separated from them.”

Kṛṣṇa looked intently, but really,without sheanger, wasat smilingDuryodhana, inside."who frowned.
“O Bharata, whoever becomes antagonistic toward a virtuous man, impelled by lust or anger, should be known as the vilest of men. He does not keep his prosperity for long. On the other hand, he who wins over virtuous men with services and kind words, even though they may not be dear to him, gains great renown in the world.

DiscussionYour (3food min):is "Whydefiled didby Krishnawickedness. loveI butterwill sonot much?eat Wasit. HeI justprefer hungry?instead NO!to Hestay lovedwith howVidura YUMMYand iteat tasted!his food.”

AndLeaving guessDuryodhana what?fuming, WHOKṛṣṇa madeleft butterthe tastehall yummy?and KRISHNAreturned HIMSELF!to Vidura’s house. All the Kuru elders visited Him there. They each offered Him their own abodes, but Kṛṣṇa thanked them and replied, “I am honored by the offer, but I am content to stay with Vidura.”

Krishna goes to Vidura's home.

The Divine Athithi

Krishna, the Supreme Lord, who is soalso amazingknown -as “Athithi” (a guest who arrives without prior notice), appeared at Vidura’s doorstep, fulfilling the deepest desire of Vidura’s wife, who had longed for His darshan. Overwhelmed with joy and devotion, Vidura’s wife prostrated at Krishna’s feet, her heart overflowing with love for the Lord.

The Offering of Banana Peels

Krishna entered the house, and Vidura’s wife, still lost in her devotion, followed Him. The Lord, seated comfortably, expressed that He madewas allhungry. In her eagerness to serve, Vidura’s wife rushed to the kitchen but found that there was no food delicious,prepared. Spotting a bunch of bananas, she quickly brought them to Krishna.

In her deep state of devotion, she peeled the bananas but, in her trance-like state, offered the Lord the peels instead of the fruit. Krishna, who is moved only by the sincerity of devotion, happily accepted the peels and thenate them, relishing each bite. She continued to feed Him peel after peel, and Krishna continued to accept them with great delight.

Vidura’s Reaction and Krishna’s Lesson

Meanwhile, Vidura received word that Krishna had arrived at his home. He enjoyedrushed back, only to be shocked by the sight of his wife feeding Krishna banana peels. He quickly reprimanded her for her mistake, breaking her trance of devotion. Realizing what she had done, Vidura’s wife felt deeply embarrassed. She carefully peeled another banana, this time offering the fruit to Krishna.

Krishna accepted the fruit but expressed dissatisfaction. He explained to Vidura that the banana peels, offered with complete and undivided devotion, were far sweeter to Him than the fruit offered with distracted attention.

The Essence of Devotion

Through this divine interaction, Krishna revealed a profound truth: the Lord does not seek material offerings; He seeks the love and devotion with which they are given. As stated in the Bhagavad Gita (Chapter 9, Verse 26), “Whatever is offered to Me, whether it Himself!is Thata showsleaf, us:flower, Krishnafruit, WANTSor usa drop of water, if it is offered with devotion, I accept it totally.” It is the love and sincerity behind the offering that matters most to enjoythe food!Lord.

He

Conclusion: madeThe itLord tastySeeks onPure purpose!"Love

Vidura and his wife learned that the true essence of service to the Lord lies in the purity of the heart and the sincerity of the offering. Krishna, who is the embodiment of love, values the devotion and intent behind an offering more than the offering itself. This story serves as a reminder that in our relationship with the Divine, what matters most is not what we give, but how we give it—with love, devotion, and undivided attention.

TEACHING SECTION (10 minutes)

Materials to be arranged by Teacher

  • Take some cardboard and make small pieces with it. Whole idea is to ask the children to eat their fruit ALONG with the cardboard. They will not actually do it (teacher should ensure). So you need enough small pieces to give every child
  • Jaggery, Salt, Lemon, Karela, Tomatoes
The "What If" Exercise (5 mins)

Before class send below message to Parents.

Dear Parents, Hare Krishna! 
For this Sunday’s BPSS class, we will be doing a small hands-on activity connected to Krishna’s kindness in giving us tasty and varied foods. Kindly send the following with your child:

1️⃣ One washed, ready-to-eat fruit that your child likes (it can also be a small slice).
2️⃣ A paper plate
3️⃣ Markers or crayons
4️⃣ A glue stick
5️⃣ A few pre-cut food pictures (from magazines, brochures, or printed images—anything simple is fine)

This activity will help children appreciate how lovingly Krishna provides taste (rasa) and so much delicious variety in nature.

Thank you for your support! 🙏💛

All children will come with some fruit. Ask them to take it out. Give them one cardboard piece each. Now ask them to eat the fruit along with the cardboard.

They will not.

So children - now close your eyes and imagine you're eating your FAVORITE fruit along with the card board piece. Imagine taking a big bite...

But wait... it tastes like NOTHING! No sweet, no salty, no yummy - just like eating paper!

Open your eyes! Would that be fun? [Let them respond: 'Nooo!']

That would be so sad, right? We would only eat because we HAVE to, not because we WANT to.

But Krishna didn't make food boring! He made it DELICIOUS! Why? Because He LOVES us and wants us to be HAPPY!"

Take time to stress this point - KRISHNA could have made the fruits tasteless and boring - apples could have tasted like cardboard or stone. How many of us would like to eat that? But Krishna wants us to be happy - so he fills every fruit with delicious taste. Let this point sink in - do not rush. Recap and discuss if required.

Show & Tell - Taste Buds (3 min)

https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/body/24684-taste-buds

Teachers should read this article and bring a print out of the photo in the page. Alternately show the photo on a TV if you have one in the classroom.

  • Children - "See your tongue? It looks smooth, right? But actually, it has THOUSANDS of tiny little helpers called taste buds! [Point to picture]
  • These tiny taste buds are like little doors. When food touches them, they send a message to your brain: 'This is SWEET!' or 'This is SALTY!' or 'This is SOUR!'
  • Who put these taste buds on your tongue? KRISHNA!
  • Krishna could have made tongues with NO taste buds. Then we couldn't taste anything. But He gave us taste buds so we can enjoy yummy food!
  • Krishna is so smart and so kind!
  • There are many additional points about taste buds in the article - tell some of them.

Summary (3 min):

So remember:

  1. Krishna made ALL food - mangoes, rice, dal, vegetables, everything!
  2. Krishna didn't just make food to fill our tummies - He made it TASTY!
  3. Every yummy bite is a gift from Krishna!
  4. When we eat yummy food, we should say 'Thank you Krishna!'

Let's all say together: 'Thank you Krishna for yummy food!' [Repeat together 2-3 times]"

INTERACTIVE TASTE TEST GAME (8 minutes)

The Five Tastes Adventure!

Setup: Prepare 5 small samples (use small cups or spoons):

  1. Sweet - small piece of jaggery or date
  2. Salty - tiny pinch of salt or salted biscuit
  3. Sour - tiny piece of lemon (seedless)
  4. Bitter - tiny piece of karela (bitter gourd) raw
  5. Savory/Umami - small piece of tomato

Activity Flow:

"Now we're going to be TASTE DETECTIVES! Krishna made FIVE different tastes. Can you guess them all?"

Round 1 - Sweet (2 min):

  • Give each child small piece of jaggery/date
  • "Taste this... what is it? SWEET! Where do you feel it on your tongue? Do you like it?"
  • "Krishna made sweet taste! Fruits are sweet, jaggery is sweet! Who made it sweet? KRISHNA!"
  • Have them say: "Thank you Krishna for SWEET!"

Round 2 - Salty (1 min):

  • Tiny pinch of salt
  • "This is SALTY! Dal has salt, chips have salt!"
  • "Thank you Krishna for SALTY!"

Round 3 - Sour (1 min):

  • Lemon piece (watch their faces - this is fun!)
  • "Ooh! This is SOUR! Your face made a funny expression! That's okay - sour is also yummy! Lemon rice, tamarind, amla!"
  • "Thank you Krishna for SOUR!"

Round 4 - Bitter (1 min):

  • Bitter gourd or dark chocolate
  • "This is BITTER! Some people don't like bitter, but it's healthy! Karela, neem, medicines!"
  • "Even bitter is Krishna's gift! Thank you Krishna for BITTER!"

Round 5 - Savory (1 min):

  • Tomato piece
  • "This is SAVORY! It's like yummy and rich! Tomato, dal, subji!"
  • "Thank you Krishna for SAVORY!"

Wrap-up (2 min): "WOW! Krishna didn't just make ONE taste - He made FIVE! And we can feel ALL of them because of our taste buds!

Krishna is so creative! He's like an artist who uses all the colors!

Now you know - every time you taste something yummy, remember: KRISHNA made it taste that way!"

5. CRAFT ACTIVITY (12 minutes)

MY THANK YOU KRISHNA PLATE

Materials needed (prepare beforehand):

  • Paper plates (one per child)
  • Markers/crayons/colored pencils
  • Pre-cut pictures of foods from magazines OR printed food images
  • Glue sticks
  • Stickers (star stickers, smiley faces, colorful dots)
  • One sample completed plate to show them

Instructions (step-by-step):

Step 1 (1 min) - Show sample: "We're going to make a special 'Thank You Krishna' plate! Look at this one I made. It has my favorite foods and it says 'Thank you Krishna for yummy food!'"

Step 2 (2 min) - Decorate the rim: "First, decorate the edge of your plate with colors or stickers. Make it beautiful! Use your favorite colors!" [Walk around helping as needed]

Step 3 (4 min) - Add favorite foods: "Now, in the middle of the plate, you can either:

  • DRAW your 3 favorite foods, OR
  • PASTE pictures of foods from these magazines, OR
  • Do both!"

[Have pre-cut food pictures ready: apples, rice, dal, chapati, ladoo, vegetables, fruits, etc.]

"Choose foods YOU really like! Foods that make you happy!"

Step 4 (3 min) - Write the message: "Now, on the top or bottom of your plate, write (or I'll help you write): 'THANK YOU KRISHNA FOR YUMMY FOOD!'

Or if you want to write your own message to Krishna, you can!"

[For younger kids who can't write, teachers/volunteers write it for them while they dictate]

Step 5 (2 min) - Final touches: "Add anything else you want - more colors, more stickers, draw Krishna, draw yourself eating - anything!"

Taking it home: "When you go home today, show this plate to your family! Tell them: 'Krishna makes all food yummy!'

You can keep this plate in your kitchen or dining room to remember to thank Krishna before every meal!"

GAME : TASTE BUD FREEZE DANCE

How to play:

  1. Setup: Play music (kirtan or fun devotional song)

  2. Dance: Kids dance freely

  3. Freeze & Call: Stop the music suddenly and call out a taste:

    • "SWEET!" - everyone makes a happy, smiling face
    • "SOUR!" - everyone makes a puckered, sour face
    • "BITTER!" - everyone makes a yucky face
    • "SALTY!" - everyone licks their lips
    • "SPICY!" - everyone fans their mouth like it's hot!

  4. Krishna Call: Occasionally yell "KRISHNA!" - everyone puts hands in namaste and says "Thank you Krishna!"

  5. Repeat: Start music again, repeat 4-5 rounds

Why this game works:

  • Burns energy
  • Reinforces the different tastes
  • Associates Krishna with fun and gratitude
  • Ends the session on a high-energy, joyful note

CLOSING (3 minutes)

Recap (1 min): "What did we learn today?

  • Krishna makes food yummy! [Kids repeat]
  • He gave us taste buds! [Kids repeat]
  • We should say thank you Krishna! [Kids repeat]"

Challenge for the week (1 min): "This week, EVERY TIME you eat something yummy, say in your mind or out loud: 'Thank you Krishna!'

Can you do that? Even once a day?

Next week, come and tell me - did you remember to thank Krishna?"

MATERIALS CHECKLIST FOR TEACHERS

For Bhajan:

  • Lyrics printed/projected

For Katha:

  • None needed (just your enthusiasm!)

For Teaching:

  • Large picture/poster of tongue with taste buds (colorful, kid-friendly)
  • Can laminate and reuse

For Taste Test:

  • 5 taste samples (calculate quantity based on class size)
  • Small cups or spoons
  • Napkins
  • Hand sanitizer (kids wash hands before tasting)
  • Check for allergies beforehand!

For Craft (children will bring):

  • Paper plates (1 per child + extras)
  • Markers/crayons (multiple sets to share)
  • Pre-cut food pictures from magazines
  • Glue sticks (multiple)
  • Stickers
  • Sample completed plate

For Game:

  • Music player
  • Open space

TEACHER TIPS

  1. Energy Management: Keep energy HIGH throughout. Kids respond to enthusiasm!

  2. Timing Flexibility: If taste test takes longer (kids love it!), shorten craft time slightly. Prioritize experience over perfection.

  3. Volunteer Help: Have at least 2-3 volunteers to help with:

    • Distributing taste samples safely
    • Helping kids who can't write
    • Managing craft supplies
    • Cleaning up

  4. Safety First:

    • Check allergies before taste test!
    • Supervise lemon tasting (sour reaction can be strong)
    • Hand hygiene before tasting

  5. Inclusive Language: Some kids may have food restrictions (medical, family preferences). Say: "Krishna made all these tastes, and we can enjoy whichever ones our bodies can have!"

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