Hari Om!
Happy Navaratri to all who celebrate! May the Grace of Shakti abundantly bless all of us!
Here is the update for last week's class.
Stotram: We chanted the devi dhyana shlokam and learnt upto verse 6 of the Mahalakshmi Ashtakam.
India, Sacred Land:
India is a subcontinent and a peninsula and is the only country in the world after which an ocean is named. We learned about the states and union territories, the creation of states as recently as 2014 and union territories in 2019. India currently has 28 states and 8 union territories. We had a hands-on activity in class where first the children identified their state/city in India on a map on the board.. The children participated with great enthusiasm and were quite adept at pointing the locations on the map!
Being in the midst of the festival season, we looked at all the festivals celebrated in India.
Navaratri/Dassehra: Celebrated over nine nights/ten days, this is the celebration of Shakti, the feminine form of the divine power in her glorious forms of Durga, Lakshmi and Sarasvati. It is celebrated with great pomp and splendor in Karnataka, West Bengal and Tamil Nadu.
Deepavali is a five-day Hindu festival, which occurs on the fifteenth day of Kartika month and is observed on Amavasya (new moon day). It is usually celebrated in October or November. Deepavali means a "row of lights." In some parts of India it is a three-day festival. Mother Lakshmí is worshipped on Dhanteras, the thirteenth day. It is also believed to be the day of worship of Dhanvantri, the deity of medicine and good health. The next day is Naraka-Caturdasi when Narakasura, the demon, was killed by Lord Krishna (with support from his consort Satyabhama), and the fifteenth day is the day of deepavali. It is also celebrated as the day Lord Rama returned from Ayodhya and the people of Ayodhya welcome Him with lights (Victory of light over dark).
Sankranti means the entry of the sun from one zodiac sign to the other. Makar Sañkranti is marked by men, women, and children wearing colorful clothing; visiting near and dear ones; and exchanging pieces of sugarcane, a mixture of fried til, molasses, pieces of dry coconut, peanuts, and fried gram. On the 14th day of January, the Sun moves to the zodiac sign Capricorn, Makara. January 14th is known as Makara Sañkranti; it marks the beginning of the Sun's northward journey (the uttarayana). In several parts of India, it is also the harvest festival. This is a very auspicious time so it is believed that one who dies in Uttarayana can escape the cycle of reincarnation, and will be sent to heaven. It is celebrated in different parts of india: Uttar Pradesh (Kicheri), Punjab (Lohri - huge bonfires), Bengal (mela at Ganga Sagar), Maharashtra (exchange multi-colored tilguds - Haldi-Kumkum, a get together for married women), Gujarat (giving gifts to relatives and flying kites), South India (Pongal - worship to the Sun God), Tamil Nadu (Pongal - Thanksgiving - harvest season, kolam is draw to depict the Sun - AKA Surya Pongal), Kerala (Pongal - Makara Jyoti).
Lunar New Year celebrations: Ugadi is the Telugu New Year. The word , Yuga - adi, means the beginning of a new era in our life. It is celebrated in Andhra, Karnataka, and Maharastra. In Maharashtra, the festival is known as Gudipadava. It is the day when the Lord created the world. The Gujarati New Year is celebrated the day after Deepavali, and in Tamil Nadu and Kerala it is celebrated in mid-April. There is a special dish, called "Ugadi pacchadi" made up of sweet, bitter and sour ingredients (green mango, neem flowers and jaggery) which symbolizes our life as a mixture of happy, sour, or bitter experiences. May we learn to accept them as the prasada from the Lord.
Sankranti means the entry of the sun from one zodiac sign to the other. Makar Sañkranti is marked by men, women, and children wearing colorful clothing; visiting near and dear ones; and exchanging pieces of sugarcane, a mixture of fried til, molasses, pieces of dry coconut, peanuts, and fried gram. On the 14th day of January, the Sun moves to the zodiac sign Capricorn, Makara. January 14th is known as Makara Sañkranti; it marks the beginning of the Sun's northward journey (the uttarayana). In several parts of India, it is also the harvest festival. This is a very auspicious time so it is believed that one who dies in Uttarayana can escape the cycle of reincarnation, and will be sent to heaven. It is celebrated in different parts of india: Uttar Pradesh (Kicheri), Punjab (Lohri - huge bonfires), Bengal (mela at Ganga Sagar), Maharashtra (exchange multi-colored tilguds - Haldi-Kumkum, a get together for married women), Gujarat (giving gifts to relatives and flying kites), South India (Pongal - worship to the Sun God), Tamil Nadu (Pongal - Thanksgiving - harvest season, kolam is draw to depict the Sun - AKA Surya Pongal), Kerala (Pongal - Makara Jyoti).
Lunar New Year celebrations: Ugadi is the Telugu New Year. The word , Yuga - adi, means the beginning of a new era in our life. It is celebrated in Andhra, Karnataka, and Maharastra. In Maharashtra, the festival is known as Gudipadava. It is the day when the Lord created the world. The Gujarati New Year is celebrated the day after Deepavali, and in Tamil Nadu and Kerala it is celebrated in mid-April. There is a special dish, called "Ugadi pacchadi" made up of sweet, bitter and sour ingredients (green mango, neem flowers and jaggery) which symbolizes our life as a mixture of happy, sour, or bitter experiences. May we learn to accept them as the prasada from the Lord.
We also learnt about all the special celebrations in all the different states and union territories of India. We will send the slide deck on Whatsapp.
Mahabharata: Krishna, Balarama, Satyaki, Drupada, Dhrishtadhyumna, Śikhandi and many other allies visited the Pandavas in the city of Upaplavya in Matsya kingdom offering them their allegiance and vast armies. After the grand celebration of Abhimanyu and Uttara's marriage, the remaining guests including Krishna, sat in Virāta's court, discussing how to proceed now that the exile was successfully completed. Krishna, in all earnest, described every situation that plagued the Pandavas over the years and their calm and collected response to every injustice meted out. His passionate speech was met with great enthusiasm by all, including Balarama who spoke next. His speech was tinged with support for Duryodhana, making it seem as though the entire dice game was orchestrated by Yudhisthira who lost foolishly to Śakuni. After all their opinions were expressed, it was decided to send a messenger for a peace treaty. They chose the priest of the Virata kingdom to complete the task. Krishna and Balarama go to Dwaraka.
Bhagavad Gita: Today we learnt verses 2 and 3 of Chapter 4.
Our next class is on October 29th
Regards
Abhirami Shrinivas
Keerthi Kobla
