May

May 7

Today we went over the test from last week. Students who have not taken the test yet should be prepared to take it text week. After this, we practiced our annual project; students should have brought a sheet of paper home to practice. Lastly, we learnt about Adi Shankaracharya, who wrote the Nirvana Shatakam and is considered to have revived Hinduism. If you missed class, feel free to read about Adi Shankaracharya (link here: https://www.amritapuri.org/40614/shankaracharya.aum).

Homework is to practice the Nirvana Shatakam. We have our rehearsal next week!

April

April 30

Today we took our class final. Students who did not take it this week should expect to take it on May 7.

Homework is to continue practicing the Nirvana Shatakam (see below for lyrics).

April 23

Today we had a revision for our test on April 30. Students will be tested on material from Chapter 7-11. This includes the Avatars of Vishnu; stories about Yama, Indra, and other forms of Bhagvan; and more. Additionally, we continued preparing for our annual presentation in May.

As homework, students should continue practicing the Nirvana Shatakam at home, as well as prepare for the test on the 30th. Please reference prior updates (starting from January) to see what we have learned and what should be reviewed.

April 9

Today, we learnt about the story of Savatri and the story of Nachiketa. 

Savatri was the daughter of a a powerful king, who married a poor man in the forest who was taking care of his blind father. This blind father used to be a king, but he was cheated out of his kingdom. Savatri lived with her husband, Satyavan, and father in law for one year, when Satyavan passed away. Not wanting to let go of her husband, Savatri followed Yama to his palace. During this journey, she impressed Yama with her intelligence, so Yama gave her two boons. Savatri, being very selfless, asked for her father in law to have his eyesight and kingdom back. Yama was impressed, as Savatri did not ask anything for herself, so he gave her one more boon. Savatri then asked for her father in law to have a grandson. Yama said okay, before realizing that the only way he could get a grandson, is if Satyavan came back to life. Because of Savatri’s selflessness and intelligence, she was able to bring her husband back to life.

We also learnt about Nachiketa and Yama. If you missed class, please read this story from  page 149-152. The biggest lesson from this story is what Yama taught Nachiketa. He explain that a person is like a chariot. Your soul is the master, and the most important part of the chariot. The charioteer, who drives the chariot, is your intellect. The horses are your senses, the reigns are your mind, and the chariot itself is your body. If the charioteer doesn’t steer the hoses correctly, the master gets lost. Likewise, if we do not control our senses/wants, our soul will get lost. This metaphor is a great way to understand why we must be disciplined.

Homework is to continue practicing the Nirvana Shatakam (see below for text and meaning).

March

March 26

We had a great class today. We started off by reviewing the Nirvana Shatakam, which is our annual project this year. We then reviewed the stories of Rishi Chyavana and the infinite Indras. Rishi Chyavana was a bling sage who was able to get his eyesight back through the devotion of his wife, showing how we should be devoted in life. The story of many Indras tells us that we should be humble. In this story, Indra was never happy, he always wanted more because he thought he was the best. Vishnu showed him that there are other Indras in other universes. This taught Indra to not have a large ego. Please reference these stories in your textbook if you weren't in class today.

We ended class today with a review via Kahoot. Homework is to read about Indra and Surabhi as well as the story about Indra and Rishi Pipalada.

March 19

We started with going over Nirvana Shatakam again during the beginning of class. Refer to previous updates for the full rundown of the Annual Day plan. We then went over the plan for the upcoming weeks leading up to Annual Day. We have our final test in a few weeks so we need to make sure the students are reviewing! We will be playing a Kahoot quiz in class next week. The full tentative schedule will be listed on the next update. We started class by reviewing what we have learned about the Navagrahas. Then we transitioned to stories of Indra and Yama. We will continue on this topic next week. The homework is to read the Indra stories (Indra and Surabhi as well as Indra and Rishi Pippalada) in the book.

March 12

We started class by going over the Nirvana Shatakam. We have covered all 6 verses and are making sure everyone is comfortable presenting on Annual Day. Here are the students that will cover the meaning (labeled number corresponds with stanza):

Vihaan - 1

Akshika - 2

Viraj - 3

Meera - 4

Srihan - 5

Sparsh - 6

Here is the link to the Nirvana Shatakam:

https://youtu.be/Rd2xdL-ejwg. The lyrics will be posted at the bottom of this update if you’d like to see what we are covering. Note that we aren’t doing all of the stanzas of the Nirvana Shatakam, only the first 6. It would be helpful if everyone practiced at home too!

We have covered the ten Dashavatara of Vishnu, and are now moving into another topic for learning. We will revisit the Dashavatara in future classes, and it will definitely be on our exam in the future. For this class, we focused mostly on the Navagrahas. These include: Surya, Chandra, Mangala, Budha, Brihaspati, Shukra, Shani, Rahu, and Ketu. We discussed the differences between astronomy and astrology looking at what astronomers and astrologers do and how the Navagrahas are connected to this idea. We also talked about the days of the week, planets/celestial bodies themselves, and their teachings. We also talked about Ayyappan and Dattatreya during this class. We will pick up where we left off next week. There is no homework for this week!

March 5

We had a great class today, finishing our unit on the Dasha Avatars. We first learnt about Buddha. While the Bhagavat Purana considers Balarama to be the 9th Avatar of Lord Vishnu, other texts say that Buddha in the 9th Avatar, and that Balarama is an avatar of Sheshanaga. Regardless, we learnt that Buddha was destined to either be a great king or a great sage. To ensure that his son became a king, Buddha’s father made it so that he would never see any sorrow for pain. However, one day he say an old, a sick, and a dead man. He then saw a sage who did not worry about age, sickness, or death. Buddha would end up becoming a great saint, founding a new religion with many great teachings. We also learnt about the 10th Avatar, Kalki, who will come when evil has taken over Earth.

Homework is to read about the Navagrahas and continue practicing the Nirvana Shatakam (see below). 

February

February 26

Today, we continued learning and practicing the Nirvana Shatakam by Adi Shankaracharya. Please see previous updates for the lyrics and meanings. Following this, we covered some of the stories of Krishna. We learned about why Kamsa (Krishna's Uncle) wanted him dead, and some of the stories of Krishna's youth. These include the story of Putana, a women sent by Kamsa to kill Krishna; Kalia, the serpent king who poinsend the Yamuna River; the story of Govardhan Mountain, where Krishna lifted a mountain to protect his village from Indra's rainstorm; and a story of how Yashoda saw the entire universe in Krishna's mouth. All of these stories show how Krishna was no ordinary person, but an avatar of Vishnu. Please reference your book to read about these stories if you weren't in class (section 7.21).

Homework is to read about Buddha, the 9th Avatar of Vishnu.

February 19

We had a great class this week! We started class by going over the Nirvana Shatakam. We’ve been doing this for quite a few weeks now and are hoping that the students get the pronounciation for some of the first stanzas. In class, we are also looking at the meaning of each stanza. For the annual day presentation, students will chant and say the meaning. Here are the students that will cover the meaning (labeled number corresponds with stanza):

Vihaan - 1

Akshika - 2

Viraj - 3

Meera - 4

Srihan - 5

Sparsh - 6

Here is the link to the Nirvana Shatakam:

https://youtu.be/Rd2xdL-ejwg. The lyrics will be posted at the bottom of this update if you’d like to see what we are covering. Note that we aren’t doing all of the stanzas of the Nirvana Shatakam, only the first 6. 

Since we had gone over the stories of Matsya, Kurma, Varaha, and Narsimha, we started the lesson with Vamana avatar. This week we covered the avatars from Vamana to Rama. We are going over the general stories that each avatar is known for. For example, Parshurama is prevalent in many stories, but we focused on the story of Kamadhenu. We had a specific focus on Rama today. We talked about the major characters in the Ramayana and other general information.

Next week, we will focus on Krishna and his stories.

HOMEWORK: 

Come to class with answer to “How many miles did Rama walk to get to Lanka?”

Read stories about Krishna (section 7.21 in the book)

Read about the rest of the avatars if you’d like to get ahead

NIRVANA SHATAKAM LYRICS:

mano buddhi ahankara chittani naaham

na cha shrotravjihve na cha ghraana netre

na cha vyoma bhumir na tejo na vaayuhu

chidananda rupah shivo'ham shivo'ham

I am not the mind, the intellect, the ego or the memory,

I am not the ears, the skin, the nose or the eyes,

I am not space, not earth, not fire, water or wind,

I am the form of consciousness and bliss,

I am the eternal Shiva...

na cha prana sangyo na vai pancha vayuhu

na va sapta dhatur na va pancha koshah

na vak pani-padam na chopastha payu

chidananda rupah shivo'ham shivo'ham

I am not the breath, nor the five elements,

I am not matter, nor the 5 sheaths of consciousness

Nor am I the speech, the hands, or the feet,

I am the form of consciousness and bliss,

I am the eternal Shiva...

na me dvesha ragau na me lobha mohau

na me vai mado naiva matsarya bhavaha

na dharmo na chartho na kamo na mokshaha

chidananda rupah shivo'ham shivo'ham

There is no like or dislike in me, no greed or delusion,

I know not pride or jealousy,

I have no duty, no desire for wealth, lust or liberation,

I am the form of consciousness and bliss,

I am the eternal Shiva...

na punyam na papam na saukhyam na duhkham

na mantro na tirtham na veda na yajnah

aham bhojanam naiva bhojyam na bhokta

chidananda rupah shivo'ham shivo'ham

No virtue or vice, no pleasure or pain,

I need no mantras, no pilgrimage, no scriptures or rituals,

I am not the experienced, nor the experience itself,

I am the form of consciousness and bliss,

I am the eternal Shiva...

na me mrtyu shanka na mejati bhedaha

pita naiva me naiva mataa na janmaha

na bandhur na mitram gurur naiva shishyaha

chidananda rupah shivo'ham shivo'ham

I have no fear of death, no caste or creed,

I have no father, no mother, for I was never born,

I am not a relative, nor a friend, nor a teacher nor a student,

I am the form of consciousness and bliss,

I am the eternal Shiva...

aham nirvikalpo nirakara rupo

vibhut vatcha sarvatra sarvendriyanam

na cha sangatham naiva muktir na meyaha

chidananda rupah shivo'ham shivo'ham

I am devoid of duality, my form is formlessness,

I exist everywhere, pervading all senses,

I am neither attached, neither free nor captive,

I am the form of consciousness and bliss,

I am the eternal Shiva...

February 12

Namaste,

We started class today by reviewing the story of the Matsya (fish) Avatar, Kurma (turtle) Avatar, and Varaha (bull) Avatar. If you are still confused, please refer to the book or ask questions in class. What is important to remember are the lessons we can take from the stories: show compassion to all living things, always try to be helpful where you can, and always try to help others in need. These three messages are reflected in the first three avatars of Lord Vishnu. We then went on to talk about the 4th avatar, Narasimha. A long time ago, there lived an evil king, Hiranyakashipu. He had a boon that he cannot be killed by any man or animal, that he cannot be killed at day or night, that he cannot be killed by any weapon, and other boons. As a result, he thought he was invincible, and viewed himself as Bhagvan. His son, Prahalad, realized that his father was not actually Bhagvan. Prahalad would pray to Lord Vishnu every day, angering his father. After trying to kill his son three times, he broke a pillar to prove that Bhagvan is not everywhere. Unfortunately for him, the Narasimha avatar came from the pillar. Since the Narasimha Avatar is half man, and half lion, and since he came in the evening, he satisfied the requirements. Afterwards, Prahlad would wish for his father to come back to life, leaving us with a happy ending. What we should take away from this is that Bhagavan is everywhere and in everything. Therefore, we should always treat everything with respect.

Homework is to read about the Vamana avatar, as well as the Narasimha avatar if further review is needed. Additionally, students should practice stanzas 1-4 of the Nirvana Shatakam, which we will be performing for our annual project. All six stanzas, and their meanings, are below.

mano buddhi ahankara chittani naaham

na cha shrotravjihve na cha ghraana netre

na cha vyoma bhumir na tejo na vaayuhu

chidananda rupah shivo'ham shivo'ham

I am not the mind, the intellect, the ego or the memory,

I am not the ears, the skin, the nose or the eyes,

I am not space, not earth, not fire, water or wind,

I am the form of consciousness and bliss,

I am the eternal Shiva...

na cha prana sangyo na vai pancha vayuhu

na va sapta dhatur na va pancha koshah

na vak pani-padam na chopastha payu

chidananda rupah shivo'ham shivo'ham

I am not the breath, nor the five elements,

I am not matter, nor the 5 sheaths of consciousness

Nor am I the speech, the hands, or the feet,

I am the form of consciousness and bliss,

I am the eternal Shiva...

na me dvesha ragau na me lobha mohau

na me vai mado naiva matsarya bhavaha

na dharmo na chartho na kamo na mokshaha

chidananda rupah shivo'ham shivo'ham

There is no like or dislike in me, no greed or delusion,

I know not pride or jealousy,

I have no duty, no desire for wealth, lust or liberation,

I am the form of consciousness and bliss,

I am the eternal Shiva...

na punyam na papam na saukhyam na duhkham

na mantro na tirtham na veda na yajnah

aham bhojanam naiva bhojyam na bhokta

chidananda rupah shivo'ham shivo'ham

No virtue or vice, no pleasure or pain,

I need no mantras, no pilgrimage, no scriptures or rituals,

I am not the experienced, nor the experience itself,

I am the form of consciousness and bliss,

I am the eternal Shiva...

na me mrtyu shanka na mejati bhedaha

pita naiva me naiva mataa na janmaha

na bandhur na mitram gurur naiva shishyaha

chidananda rupah shivo'ham shivo'ham

I have no fear of death, no caste or creed,

I have no father, no mother, for I was never born,

I am not a relative, nor a friend, nor a teacher nor a student,

I am the form of consciousness and bliss,

I am the eternal Shiva...

aham nirvikalpo nirakara rupo

vibhut vatcha sarvatra sarvendriyanam

na cha sangatham naiva muktir na meyaha

chidananda rupah shivo'ham shivo'ham

I am devoid of duality, my form is formlessness,

I exist everywhere, pervading all senses,

I am neither attached, neither free nor captive,

I am the form of consciousness and bliss,

I am the eternal Shiva...

February 5

We had a great class this week. We continue to review all of the things we learned about previously in order to make sure the students retain information. We will have a test that will cover all of the information from the class near the end of the year, so it’s important that they pay attention. We are also preparing the students for the Annual Day presentation where we will be chanting the “Nirvana Shatakam”. We will send out a recording that we want the students to practice with through the WhatsApp group. We then reviewed some of what we had learned about Vishnu and then transitioned into learning more about the dashavatar of Vishnu. We went over the basics like the order and general form, but we plan to go in depth for each one in the upcoming classes. 

HOMEWORK: 

1. Read about Varaha and Kurma Avatar in your books

2. Read about Satyavrata on page 73 of your books

January

January 29

Namaste,

Today we had Dinesh Ji come in and talk to us about meditation. We learnt about the benefits of meditation, and practiced it for 10 minutes. Most students enjoyed the time spent on meditation, with some even remarking that “It didn’t even feel like 10 minutes!”

Students asked questions about meditation and why we should do it. They also learned about the ripple effect, and how one good action can lead to many positive results.

Homework is to practice meditation. Please look at the picture of all the students meditating! Click here

January 22

We celebrated Vasant Panchami this class! In the beginning of class, we practiced the Nirvana Shatakam shloka that we plan on presenting during Annual Day. After this, the class reviewed the qualities of the gods and goddesses that we have talked about in the past like Shiva and Saraswati. Then we went over what we learned about in the past two weeks of class: Vishnu’s qualities. Once we reviewed the material from the previous classes, the students had fun hearing the story of Gajendra Moksha, Dhruva, and Rishi Bhrigu which all involve Vishnu. We discussed the morals of each of the stories as well.

Homework for this week: Read the story of King Ambarisha on page 79

January 15

Today we had our parent-teacher conferences. It was great for parents to understand what their students are doing in class. Following the conference, we started learning the Nirvana Shatakam by Adi Shankaracharya, which we will perform during Annual Day in May. Here is a link to the prayer (link: http://theheartofthesun.com/Nirvana.pdf), and here is a link to a recitation of the prayer by Isha Yoga Center (link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8wab6ZjHWY0). Feel free to look at either.

Following this, we started learning about the story of King Pareekshit. For homework, students should read the story (starts on page 70). We will discuss this in class next week.

January 8

This was the first week back after the 2 weeks of break! We hope you had a great winter break. We started class by talking about Vishnu. We covered Brahma and Shiva in the previous semester, so now we are moving on to Vishnu for this semester to complete the trimurti. Our class is based on the Puranas, so Vishnu will be a large focus point going forward. Today, we talked about the number of heads and hands Vishnu has; what objects he holds and what the object mean; what his vahana is; and other basic characteristics and features of Vishnu. We then recited the Vishnu Shloka and went over its meaning line by line. After talking about Vishnu, we introduced the characteristics and features of the goddess Lakhsmi. There are 8 different forms of Lakshmi that people pray to (for wealth, grains, family life, etc.). It was a very productive class! We will soon get into the avatars of Vishnu. 

For homework, the students should ask their parents for the meaning behind the Vishnu Shloka.

December

December 18

We had a really fun class to end the year! We started the day by watching Little Krishna and the Serpent King, followed by going over the answers for the test from last week. We then went through a story about Emperor Paraksheet and why the Bhagavat Purana was created. Please read pages 70-71 if you missed class today.  Lastly, we listened to the Nirvana Shatakam by Adi Shankaracharya (linked here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8wab6ZjHWY0), which will be part of our final project in the spring. 

Homework is to enjoy your winter break. See you next year!

December 11

Namaste,

Today we had a simple class, taking our final exam and playing some games after the test was done. Students who have not taken the exam yet should expect to take it next week, and should study for it as homework. Students who have already taken the exam have no homework, and will review the test next week.

December 4

Dharma Level 5.

Today we continued to review material in preparation for the exam next week. For the test, students should be comfortable with the material we learnt in chapters one through six. They should know the characteristics/role of all the Devas in the six chapters, such as Lakshmi and Shiva, and be familiar with the prayer and meaning of the prayer for each Deva. They should also be familiar with the moral of the stories we have discussed in class. 

Homework is to continue studying for the test next week (Chapters 1-6), and a previous update gave more advice on how to study.

November

November 30

Today we had a Meditation lesson. Dinesh Ji came and spoke to us about the benefits of meditation, which include increased focus and happiness. We also practiced meditation in class to help us realize how calming it can be. We discussed how, when meditating, we should free ourselves from distractions and continuously look at the center of the darkness. By doing so, we can focus on the inner light, which can help reduce negative emotions, decrease stress, and increase productivity. 

We do have a test on December 11, so students should make sure to continue reviewing material from Chapters 1-6. Additionally, make sure to practice mediation when possible to see if you can get some of the benefits outlined above.

November 13

We started class by going over some of the qualities that the students best connected with out of Avvaiyar’s Teachings. We started class by reviewing all of the material that we covered in the past weeks because our first test is coming up on December 11th. The test will be approximately 10 multiple choice questions and include an oral recitation part where the students will recite one of the shlokas we’ve learnt in class. Today, we went over the meaning behind AUM (BrahmA, VishnU, Maheshwara), ishtadevatas, the form of our God in comparison with other major religions, and some of god’s many forms. 

For Brahma, we talked about what he carried and what he symbolized. We talked about his union with Saraswati and went over what she symbolized as well. The students recited a shloka for Devi Saraswati. We did the same for Shiva and recited a shloka for him. We then talked about and recited a shloka for Sati, Parvati, and Durga. We talked more in depth about Ganesha’s symbolism and his different stories. We ended our review by talking about Kartikeya. Any of the shlokas we recited today could be tested on the test. We will continue to recite them in class for the next few weeks.

For the end of our class, we introduced our annual project for this school year. We have chosen to recite a Shiva stotram called “Nirvana Shatakam” written by Sri Adi Shankaracharya. I have included a pdf and video link for practice. We briefly practiced in class this week, but we will continue to work on it throughout the year. We may add to the annual project in later weeks.

The homework for this week is to study the material we have covered. If you have any specific ideas for what you’d like to see for the annual project please let us know.

Here is the schedule for the coming weeks again.

November 20 - Meditation Class

November 27 - Thanksgiving Break

December 04 - Topic Revision

December 11 - Test 1 (Chapters 1-6)

December 18 - Test Results

December 25-January 1 - Winter Break

Next week we have meditation class, so come prepared to meditate!

http://theheartofthesun.com/Nirvana.pdf

https://youtu.be/8wab6ZjHWY0

November 6

We started the day by reviewing the story of Ganesha and the moon. One day, Ganesha was playing around when he fell. Seeing this, the moon started laughing and him. Ganesha then got very upset, and wanting to seek revenge, took away the moon's brightness and cursed him to be invisible. The moon was ashamed of what he had done and begged for forgiveness. Ganesha then partially took back his curse, allowing for the moon to wax and wane. This story shows how it is very bad to laugh at others misfortune and make them feel bad. This story is also why we do not look at the moon during Ganesh Chaturthi. Additionally, we learned about the eight avatars of Ganesh (Mudgala Puranas) and the bad qualities they teach us to overcome. The bad qualities and the respective avatar are

• • Desire (Kama) - Vikata 

  • Anger (Krodh) - Lambodara 

  • Greed (Lobha) - Gajanana

  • Delusion (Moha) - Mahodara

  • Pride (Mada) - Vakratunda 

  • Jealousy (Matsarya) - Vighnaraja 

  • Arrogance (Agyan) - Ekdanta 

  • Possessiveness (Ahankar) - Dhumravana

We continued class by starting to learn about Kartikeya, Shiva and Parvati's eldest son, and how he got his name. We will continue learning about Kartikeya next week.

Homework:

Read the story of Avvaiyar (page 60-62) and choose which five of Avvaiyar's lessons are most important to you. The lessons are

1. Control your anger.

2. Do not forget to give charity.

3. Do not live on free food (i.e. work to earn your living).

4. Do not be lazy.

5. Do not over‐sleep.

6. Before eating a feast, feed the hungry.

7. Be humble if you want to win friends.

8. Take a bath regularly.

9. Make friends with good people.

10. Never leave your friends when they need you.

11. Keep away from evil people

12. Take care of your parents.

13. Do not hurt the feelings of others.

14. Be kind to people who need help.

15. Never insult Bhagavān.

October

October 30

Namaste,

Here is the update for this week:

We had a great class this week! Due to an event in the auditorium, our class started at 10 AM today. We started off doing assembly prayers. We went over the stories that we covered last week to see how much everyone remembered them. These stories included stories like the story of Shiva and Sati as well as the story of Durga and Mahishasura (refer to last week’s update). We also went over what Durga carried in her hands. Here is a the list of what she holds in each of her hands, who gave it to her, and what it symbolizes:

Sword (Yama) - Knowledge/Intellect

Club (Kubera) - Loyalty/Love

Trident (Shiva) - Courage

Flame (Agni) - Knowledge

Thunderbolt (Indra) - Determination

Chakra (Vishnu) - Righteousness

Conch (Varun) - Happiness

Bow/Arrow (Vayu) - Energy

Lotus (Brahma) - Spiritual

Snake (Shiva) - Intellect

We transitioned to talking about “Arddha-Narishvara”. This is the combined form of Shiva and Parvati that is half-male and half-female. Bhagwan is usually found in pairings of male and female forms like Ram and Sita or Vishnu and Lakshmi. We also spent time learning about Kali Ma. Prominent religious figures like Ramkrishna Paramhans and Swami Vivekanad were devout worshippers of Kali Ma. The overarching idea for this topic was that there is no gender bias in Hinduism. After having a discussion on this idea, we started talking about Ganesha. Each physical feature of Ganesha has a meaning behind it. Students can refer to page 53 in their book to learn the meaning behind these features. Many of the features of Ganesha have significant stories behind them as well. We talked about some of these stories like how Ganesha got his head and why he only has one tusk. We also talked about the story of Ganesha and Kubera. We ended class with our closing prayers.

Here is our schedule for the upcoming weeks:

November 13 - Chapter 1-6

November 20 - Meditation Class

November 27 - Thanksgiving Break

December 04 - Topic Revision

December 11 - Test 1 (Chapters 1-6)

December 18 - Test Results

December 25-January 1 - Winter Break

HOMEWORK:

Read the stories of Vaishno Devi and the daughter of Ramprasad Sen that start on pages 45 and 46 of the textbook.

October 23

After reviewing last weeks homework, we started to learn about Devi Parvati and Durga. Devi Parvati is Shiva’s wife, and in class we covered the story of Shiva and Sati. Sati was the daughter of sage Daksa. Against her fathers wishes, Sati married Shiva, whom she loved very much. However, Daksa thought Shiva to a hermit and thus a bad husband (although a great person). Therefore, he refused to invite Shiva to a grand function he hosted. Sati was so ashamed that her father refused to accept her marriage that she died and was reborn as the goddess Parvati, at which point she married Shiva happily. We also learned about Durga, the goddess with 10 hands who killed Mahishasura, whom no other God could defeat. Her 10 hands hold objects given to her by other gods, and include Yama’s sword which represents knowledge, Shiva’s trident which represents courage, Vishnu’s chakra which represents righteousness, and more. 

Lastly, we had an incredibly fun time exchanging gifts and celebrating Diwali.

October 16

Namaste,

We had a very entertaining class today that many students enjoyed! We covered many stories of Lord Shiva as well as their morals/meanings. 

The first story is about Markandeya. Long ago, there lived a sage and his wife who desperately wanted a child. After praying to Lord Shiva, they were given a choice. They could either have 100 foolish sons who would live long lives, or one wise son who would only live to 16. The sage and his wife chose the latter option, and Markandeya was born. He became a wise and dharmic boy, but when he turned 15 his parents started to become very sad. After hearing that he was going to die, Markendeya decided to pray to Shiva to ask him to extend his life. When Markandeya turned 16, Yamaraja came and told Markandeya that his time had come. However, because he was praying to Shiva at that time, Shiva came and scolded Yamaraja for trying to take the life of a great Bhakti. Shiva then blessed Markandeya with immortality, teaching us that great things can happen from devotion to Bhagvan. 

Next we learnt about how Ravana was once traveling to Lanka. On the way, he had to pass Mount Kailash (Shiva’s home). Because of his ego, Ravana thought he could go over the Mountain, but Shiva, trying to teach him a lesson, kept on making the mountain taller. Frustrated, Ravana got down and tried to lift the mountain. When Ravana did this, Shiva put his foot down, bringing the mountain down. Ravana then realized the might of Shiva and Bhagvan, and asked for forgiveness. This story teaches us how having a huge ego is bad, and we should try to control it. 

Lastly, we learnt about Saint Poosalar. Poosalar was a great devotee of Shiva, and he wanted to build a temple for him. However, he was very poor, so instead, he decided to build a temple in his heart. After years, he had decided that his temple was complete, and decided to ask Shiva to come and inaugurate the temple. At the same time, the King had built a temple, and asked Shiva to inaugurate his temple. Shiva came to the king in a dream and told him that he cannot come to his temple, as he is going to Poosalar’s temple. After the King found out about Poosalar and his temple, he learnt that devotion to Bhagvan is based on love, not extravagant and ornate details.

Homework is to read the story of Alagi on pages 25 and 26; Semmana Devi on pages 26 and 27; and Basaveshwara on pages 32, 33, and 34. Read the Basaveshwara story and share what is the moral of the story.

October 2

We had a very engaging and productive class this week! We started by talking about everyone’s ishtadevatas. It was interesting seeing the families having a variety of different ishtadevatas that they prayed to. After a brief introduction, we talked about Brahma and Saraswati and what they symbolize in Hinduism. We went over many of the life lessons that their symbolism contributed to. It is important to know the symbolism and stories of our deities as Hindus. A significant topic of class was the importance of knowledge, an idea that is crucial for young students. We had a short discussion and answered the questions that the students had regarding the topics we covered. Finally, we transitioned into the last part of class by focusing on the symbolism and forms of Shiva. The homework for this week will tie in with what we learned about Shiva (through a prayer). We ended class with a fun game that related to what we covered in class this week!

HOMEWORK: 

Learn “Om Tryambakam”

September

September 25

Namaste,

Today in class, we went over the role of Bhagwan Brahma and Devi Saraswati. 

Bhagwan Brahma is the Creator, and he is the one who made the earth, moon, stars, plants, ants, kangaroos, humans, and so much more. After Brahma created the universe, he wanted to make us (humans) wise and intelligent, so he created the four vedas. Known by the acronym RAYS (Rigveda, Atharvaveda, Yajurveda, and Samaveda) they are also represented by Brahma’s four heads. If you see a picture of Brahma, you will see many forms of symbolism. His beard represents wisdom, his gold symbolizes activity, and there are many more examples. See page eight of you textbook.

There is one very important story about Brahma, it is called “Da, Da, Da.” One day, all the Devas, Humans, and Asuras came to Brahma, as all of them wanted to feel inner happiness. When they asked Brahma how to get inner peace, Brahma recited “Da.” No one knew what that meant, so they went back to their abodes. The Devas continued eating and partying, trying to drown their boredom. Eventually, one of them realized that Da might have meant Damyata, or control over our senses. Following that, they got inner peace. On Earth, many humans gathered to look at their wonderful harvest, when a bird came asking for food. The humans realized that Da might have meant Datta, or charity. They followed that and got inner peace. The Asuras continued their activities, declaring war and beating others. One day, of the Asuras realized that Da might have meant Dayadhvam, or compassion. They started showing compassion and got inner peace. The moral of the story is that we need to follow three things in our life: Damyata (control over our senses), Datta (charity), and Dayadhvam (compassion). 

Lastly, we learnt about Devi Saraswati, who represents knowledge and education. The marriage between Brahma and Saraswati means that the Universe comprises of matter (physical stuff) and knowledge. Devi Saraswati wears white to indicate purity, and plays the Veena. She holds a strand or meditation needs to signify the concentration needs for educational success. We should always pray to Saraswati before we start our studies.

September 18

Namaste Everyone

We started class today by introducing ourselves and passing out textbooks and notebooks. We then started our class on the Puranas. We discussed the importance of the word AUM, how it got its name and why we always start our prayers with it. We also discussed different names for Bhagwan, and what they mean, as well as why we great each other using “Namaste.” Homework for today is to discuss (as a family) what your Ishta Devata is, and why.