May

May 8

Happy Mother's Day (05/08/22)! This week, we started off class by talking about the importance of mothers in our life. We talked about the way mothers were viewed in Hinduism and how mothers impacted Mahabharata. After the assembly, we transitioned to closing the Mahabharata. We covered the death of the individual Pandavas and what happened with Raja Parikshit and Kalyug after their deaths. We talked about how this happened, discussed the questions that the students had, and watched supplementary videos to better understand it.

We discussed the last topic on Mahabharata and discussed about Kadru, AnantNaag, Janmajaya and Takshak.

Next week is the last day of HATS class. We will be playing games and will be having fun quizzes to end Dharma Level 6.

May 1

We discussed about how Bheema was saved by Shri Krishna from Dhritrashtra.

Why did Gandhari curse Shri Krishna?

Homework

1.Read about Mahabharata and prepare for quiz with teacher on May 15.

April

April 24

1. We covered topic on how Ashwathama was cursed by Shri Krishna

2. Played a quiz between parents and kids.

Homework

1. None

April 17

We played a quiz between parents vs kids.

April 10

Today in class we had our presentations. Each student told stories and facts about each of their characters and all of us learned something new. Those who did not present in class should send a video recording of them presenting their character.

Homework:

-Send video of presentation if you did not present in class

-prepare for parents vs kids quiz in class next week

March

March 27

We had an amazing class this week! Starting things off, we looked at the upcoming hindu spring holiday, Gudi Padwa (also known as Ugadi, Baisakhi, Navreh, and Puthandu). We talked about how this is celebrated and why this day has significance for Hindus. We then transitioned to going over our homework from last week.

In today's class, we learned more about the duel between Bheem and Duryodhan. To fulfill his vow, Bheem needed to hit Duryodhan below his waist on his thigh. This would be breaking the rules of mace batte (guda yudha), but Bheem needed to do this to defeat Duryoodhan and fulfill his vow. We also talked about the attempt to kill the Pandavas that followed. We also played Blooket, a quiz-style game, that focused on the things we covered in Mahabharat.

This week we want the students to find 5 questions for their parents from the book. Make sure they hide the answers! This will be used for the game in the upcoming week. The parents should have access to the book, so they know what we have covered. The book cannot be used during the class.

Remember, there is no class next week!

March 20

We started class today with preview videos of Hinduism present in modern television and movies. Specifically, we learned who Srinivasa Ramanujan was and his discoveries in mathematics. We then did some light meditation accompanied with classical music. We also introduced a question-answer game that will be played amongst parents and students. The first round will involve kids asking questions that will come from the book to their parents. The next round will be the opposite with parents asking questions to the students. This will be done on camera, and will be a quiz-like format. The two rounds will span over 2 weeks. The book will be allowed for use throughout the week, but not during the class in which the game is played. After introducing the game, we went over the answers to the homework questions from last week.

As we moved into the class, we discussed Duryodhan's reaction to the war that was unfolding. Karna, his best friend, had died and he had lost mental support. This resulted in Gandhari solidifying Duryodhan's body, except below his waist where he was covered. Bheem's vow he had made to break Durydhan's thighs was possible as that was the one spot he was vulnerable. Duryodhan hid from Bheem in the water, knowing that he was vulnerable under the waist. We also discussed the death of Shakuni by Sahadev and Shaliya's death by Yudhishtir. We ended class by reviewing all of the relationships and details that were involved in the Mahabharata. This allows the students to continue to retain the previous learning that we did in this class.

Here is the homework for this week:

1. Last week, we asked for everyone to know the story of Garuda. This needs to be done this week as many students did not know of Garuda and his story. Focus on who he is, what notable things he did, why he is Vishnu's vehicle, and why he fought to save his mother. Also they need to find out more about the relationship between Garuda and Naga.

2. Students should find 5 questions for their parents from the book. Make sure they hide the answers! This will be used for the game in the upcoming week. The parents should have access to the book, so they know what we have covered. The book cannot be used during the class.

3. Students should also find out who gave Arjuna the Gandiva Bow.

March 13

We had an amazing class this week! We started class by introducing the story of Garuda and Naga with a preview video. The video showed the general idea of the story behind Garuda and Naga. Holi is on March 18, so we talked about how it falls into the Hindu month of Phalguna. We had a slide presentation on the stories associated with Holi (including Prahalad's story and Krishna's story) as well as the cultural aspect of Holi in India today. We discussed briefly about how Hindu holidays have dates that vary due to the moon and its patterns. The traditional Hindu calendar follows a lunar cycle while the Gregorian calendar follows a solar cycle.

After discussing this, we played a game in which the students tried to guess which god a stotra was dedicated to. Before we started learning more about the Mahabharata, we went over last week's homework where the students named the three names they found in the first chapter of the Bhagavad Gita. As we continued our lesson in Mahabharata, we learned about Takshaka in the Mahabharata as we talked about Karna during the Kurukshetra War. We specifically focused on the conflict between Karna and Arjuna.

Throughout the learning process in this class, videos are utilized to supplement what we talk about. We watched clips from the television reenactments to visualize and understand what happened. During this we also talked about how King Shaliya had a role in the story where he helped the Pandavas. We did not discuss this in detail as it is part of the homework for this week. Karna was forgetting his war and fighting skills that he had learned during his final conflict with Arjun. Karna was eventually killed by Arjun because he was unable to recall his abilities due to the Parshurama's curse and accepted his mistakes.

There are three parts to the homework this week, as well as an additional piece of homework for those that joined class early and had the opportunity to learn about Garuda. The first part of the homework is to go through the first chapter of the Bhagavad Gita to find out who Hrishikesh was. The second part is to find out the names of the conches that were used by the Pandavas and Krishna. The third part of the homework is to find out who King Shaliya was to the Pandavas. Focus on how he did something to help the Pandavas. For the students that joined early, find out the story behind Garuda. Focus on who he is, what notable things he did, why he is Vishnu's vehicle, and why he fought to save his mother. Also they need to find out more about the relationship between Garuda and Naga.

March 6

Today we discussed about what we all did last Tuesday to celebrate Mahashivaratri. We learned the importance of Sanskrit on modern languages. We watched videos about the war and talked about them.

Homework:

https://youtu.be/2jXYsvXr5lg

Watch this video and read the English subtitles and use those to write down the characters involved.

Those who want to learn more about Sanskrit can directly contact Kaushal ji

Ramnavmi is coming up in Chaitra month. Kids can memorize Ram Ashtakam for next class

February

February 27

Today in class we covered:

* What Maha shivratri is and how it is celebrated

* Some people recited the shiva tandav stotram and yogeshwarya mahadevya

* We talked about Dronarchya's death and the good and bad about him

* https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z1vlNxgZIMg&ab_channel=ZenMusicGujarati

* Also listened to sri rudrum

Homework:

* Know about duryodhana and satyaki

* Figure out how many days dronacharya was in the war

* If you didn't recite the shiva tandav stotram or yogeshwarya mahadevya, send a video in WhatsApp

* Continue working on project; refer to previous summary for help

February 20

Covered in class:

This week we talked about Dronacharya and how he led the army. Then we talked about Jayadrata's boon, and how Arjuna killed Jayadrata with the Pushpatra and avoided the boon. We also discussed the mysteries of temples in India and the flag that flies in the opposite direction. At the end, we did a Kahoot.

Homework:

* Continue to read mahabharata

* Figure out how Dronacharya was killed

* By next week, learn yogeshwaraya mahadevaya and shiva tandav stotram for competition

* Continue to work on project

The following questions are guiding questions for the project:

*Who was the person (the person the student picked)?

*What is their backstory?

*What is their contribution to the war?

*What is one good thing about them?

*What is one bad thing about them?

*What is an interesting fact about them (maybe multiple interesting facts)?

February 13

Today we covered:

* Different slokas

* Abhimanyu's death

* Ghatokacha's contribution

Homework:

* Figure out how Arjuna needed to kill Jayadrata

* Continue to read mahabharata

* Within next two weeks, learn yogeshwaraya mahadevaya and shiva tandav stotram for competition

February 6

Today in class we started to talk about our final presentation. We each took turns choosing characters we would like to be for our presentation. Anyone who hasn’t chosen a character yet should decide for next week. In the Mahabharata we talked how Arjuna didn’t fight to his full potential because his enemies were his friends and family. We also watched a part of the Mahabharata.

Homework:

Watch this video: https://youtu.be/bKKpUm6d0cw

Those who haven’t chosen a character yet should decide for next week

Keep trying to learn the Hindu months and memorizing them

January

January 30

Today we talked about the benefits of writing and reciting slokas. We also had our meditation class again. We talked about the benefits of meditation and how it can help in our lives. We also practiced meditation and recommend kids to practice everyday

January 23

Today in class we talked about the reason there are many forms of god and how many people can follow different forms depending on what is needed for them. In the Mahabharata we talked about Arjuna and how he was hesitant to fight in the war. We talked about Krishna and his vow not to fight and how he almost broke it. We talked about Bhishma and how he become in able to fight. Next week we will talk about our end of year presentation.

Homework:

Find out name of Krishnas conch

Find out what gudakesh means

Find out who is gudakesh

How many days did bhishma fight in the war

January 16

In class we spent most of our time with the parent teacher conferences. Parents were able to ask questions and give feedback about the class. With the little time we had left we went through a little of the Mahabharata and also talked about good books to read relating to Mahabharata.

Homework:

Homework.... Memorize shlokas from Bhagavad Gita...Kids can memorize anywhere from 1 to 10 shlokas depending on time and dedication.

December

December 19

We had a fantastic class today. During the assembly time, we chose students to sing the prayers without looking at the words. Slowly, we hope they get to the point where they are comfortable singing all of the prayers without assistance. After this, we explored more prayer music that the students enjoyed. During class, we continued the previous material with more information. After break we will be getting into the bulk of the Kurukshetra War, so come prepared! The class was then able to play a quiz-based game called “Blooket”. The game allows for a fun way to review what we learn in class. We have posted the standings with the top 3 scorers in the Blooket game on the Whatsapp group chat.

Here is the link to the Mahishasura Mardini Stotram we listened to in the beginning of class: https://youtu.be/MJFDCbg9GrM

HOMEWORK:

Students,

- Email your 20 original questions to us

- Watch videos and read Mahabharata over winter break

- Make sure you know the Hindu months

December 12

We are approaching Gita Jayanti (Gita Mahotsav) on Tuesday, December 14, 2021! The assembly was very relevant to what we will be learning in class in the future. There was a short trivia game around the Gita and Mahabharata after the assembly prayers. In class this week, we covered the Pandavas' experiences when living disguised lives in the Virata Kingdom (Matsya Kingdom). We talked about the different roles that the Pandavas took in the Kingdom and their associated stories. We also went over the story of Yaksha Prashna, where Yaksha presents Yudhishthir with seemingly difficult questions like, "What is more important than the earth itself?" in order to revive his dead brothers. Despite the difficulty of the questions, Yudhishthir is able to answer them properly. We discussed the many different stories of the Pandavas in the Virata Kingdom and watched several supplemental videos to go along with them to engage the students. Next week, we will discuss the beginning of the Kurukshetra War.

Many students wanted to watch this, so here is the link to the video for the ancient technology to the likes of which was used during the time of Mahabharata:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PD48H4-y8-E&ab_channel=PraveenMohan

HOMEWORK:

Be ready with the answers to the following questions:

1. "Who did Bheema go to get his powers?"

2. "What weapon did Arjun get from Shiva, and what does that weapon do?"

3. "What powers did Jayadrata get?"

Along with this, be sure to be practicing all of the Hindu months in preparation for our presentation. Students, if you have ideas for how our presentation should look or what we should incorporate, let us know during the next class!

December 5

We had a great class this week. We started class by talking about Indraprastha and the jealousy of Duryodhan by watching a short video. We talked about why this must be the case and how Indraprastha was affected. The game of dice that followed, controlled by Shakuni, was also something we discussed. It was made clear that the stakes of the game were extremely high. We watched another video where we got to see how Krishna was able to save Draupadi during this. The game impacted the outcome of the Mahabharata, as the exile of the Pandavas after losing the game was a major occurrence that sowed the seeds of the Kurukshetra War. The goal of the Pandavas was to fight a war with the Kauravas and they used their exile period to prepare. We will expand upon this area next week in class. Be ready to discuss these things with greater detail next week.

Listed below is the homework:

- Read the story of how Krishna helped the Pandavas with Rishi Durvasa.

- Find out the answers to the questions that Yaksha asked Yudhisthir.

- Write 20 questions of the Mahabharata that will be asked to other students during the next class. Make them difficult, but USE THE BOOK (anything from page 1-120). The questions that we find good will make it to the Kahoot quiz in the week following.

Meditate before listening to music, at least for the next few weeks. We want to see meditation having a positive impact on their lives. Some music that you may want to listen to may include a Shri Ram Bhajan like the one included HERE.

November

November 21

Today in class everyone:

*attempted slokas without slides(from memory with a little help).

*we reviewed last week's homework about Drupad

*they watched a video about 108 and talked about why it's special.

*we talked about why there are 12 grades in a class

*also watched all of the following videos in class and talked about fight between Bheema and Jarasand:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nD_QAoYlGbA

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5njbf0Atfrk

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CO3OQ-VNViA

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j4w6uRHn4Ew

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P4LQBC0arik

Homework:

* Learn the twelve Hindu months

* Practice and memorize all slokas from assembly: https://www.saivism.net/prayers/parameswara.asp

*Learn who Jarasand was

*Continue reading Mahabharata

*https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Rme4ubb0TU

* https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tJFgeFp5ju8

November 14

Today in class we covered:

* Drupad and how he got two kids

* We also learned about how Dronarchya asked the Pandavas and Kaurvas to get Drupad alive

* They also played Blooket (quizzing app similar to Kahoot or Quizizz) to review more about Mahabharata.

Homework:

*Find out what happened between Drupad and Dronacharya

* Write Dhristadyumna three times

*Find out why Draupadi married all of the Pandavas

*Continue reading as much of the Mahabharata as possible and try to remember the names

November 7

in class we:

* Shared the answers to homework

* Played cahoot in class to review and check the amount of knowledge about Mahabharata in the class

* Watched two YouTube videos and had a discussion around them: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tJhhEqelno8 and https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cB1wnJrOEOE

Homework for the week:

* Who was the father of Dronacharya?

* How is Dronacharya and Kripacharya related?

* https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ScKSO5EPIuk

* Read to Page 70

October

October 31

Today in class we learned about Diwali and how it is celebrated around the world. We went over the homework from last week. We also looked at a website that shows us the Hindu months and more cool information: https://www.drikpanchang.com/. We learned about Arjuna and Karna and why Arjuna is superior to Karna. We watched Karna’s theme. We watched and learned about how Bheema was poisoned and how he became strong with help from the serpents. Make sure to keep reading through Mahabharata so we can discuss in class.

Homework:

• What would you do if you had a boon like bhishma

• Watch this video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aI-hEOstmzE

• Write your first homework with your eyes closed

• Find video of prithviraj chauhan

• Find out theme songs of other pandavas and shakuni

• Find out who is shakuni

• How is Krishna and Kunti related

• Find out who is vasuki

October 24

Today in class we learned about dussehra and what it means. We learned about Bhishma and his vow not to marry. We learned about Amba and how she got rejected by king Salva and got her heart broken. She blamed her state on Bhishma and wanted to get revenge. She got a boon from shiva to eventually kill bhishma.

Homework:

Find out who devrata tried to convince to get married

Find out how Devratas father reacted to him

Find out which Hindu month is going on for next class

October 10

Today in class we first learned about Navaratri and the meaning behind it. We then discussed the homework from last week and related it to what we were gonna learn today. We read through the book and discussed about devavrata and how he got his name of bheeshma.

Homework read pages 1-12 in the book and focus on pages 11 and 12

October 3

Today in class we first learned a little bit about Gandhi Jayanti and who Gandhi was. We then discussed our homework from last week and compared what we all got for each homework question. We did a kahoot to review what we have learned the past couple weeks. We finally discussed what we thought the Mahabharata meant to us. Also try making a Ravana for Dusserha and take a picture and send it to us, and it will go on the hats website.

Homework:

Find out who is Lal Bahadur Shastri

Find out what Ganga said to Shantanu

Read about Mahabharata and get an idea of what it might mean to you

September

September 23

Today in class we recapped the homework work from last week. We discussed how far we could name our ancestors, we talked about who ikshvaku is, and we discussed what Veda Vyasa’s real name was and what it meant. We learned the story of Shakuntala and Dushyant and how they married and had their son, Bharat. We learned about how Bharat had many sons, but didn’t give any of them the role of king. We will start learning the Hindu months and learn how to use the moon to see which month it is.

Homework:

Find the meaning of your name

Find why shakuntala was named that

Find who was the person whom Bharat gave the role of king to

Watch this video www.youtube.com/watch?v=4wUa-UVAP5Y

Find out about the second largest wall in the world

September 19

Today in class we started by remembering things about the Ramayana. We learned how old both the Ramayana and Mahabharata were, the Ramayana being about fourteen thousand years old, and the Mahabharata being between about seven thousand five hundred years old and nine thousand years old. We discussed on who actually wrote Mahabharata. We learned that every part of Mahabharata is shown in life. We wrapped up class by hinting at what’s to come in the Mahabharata.

Homework:

• Find out how far your parents can name their ancestry.

• Find out who is Ikshvaku.

• Find out Veda Vyasa’s real name.