Jan-11 - Our Scriptures, Geeta Chapter 15

Welcome to our 8th and 9th grade Balavihar class!!!

This week in Balavihar, we learned about a few Hindu traditions and about our scriptures. 

We learned about why we wear the tilak, pottu, or bindi and tripundra (which is what Suresh Uncle wore to class). It is made by ash, kumkum, or chandan. We also learned that the tilak, pottu, bindi, and tripundra are all placed on the forehead to increase focus and is the seat of consciousness. 

We also learned about a few scriptures and their classifications, the shruti and smriti.
 Shruti is what the 4 vedas fall under (Rg, Sama, Yajur and Atharvana), while Smriti is what the Puranas, Ithihasas and other scriptures fall under. 

We also learned that the Rig Veda consist of hymns in praise of God, the Sama Veda consists of melodic songs in praise of the Lord, the Yejur Veda are how to perform rituals, and the Atharva Veda consists of  mystical Tantric practises.  We were able to learn that because the Vedas were so vast and diverse the Upanishads(or Vedanta)  were created to explain the essence of the vedas. There are 1179 Upanishads in all. 

Vedas also consist of Upavedas, Ayurveda (science of medicene) is a branch of Rg Veda. Dhanur Veda (science of weaponry) is form Yajur Veda. Sama Veda gives us 'Gandharva Veda' which is knowledge in Music and Atharva veda gives us 'Sthapatya Veda' which gives us knowledge in Building and Construction.

We wrapped up class by reciting 6 verses in the Bhagvad Gita Chapter 15 (Purushottama Yoga)

Dec-7th - Caste (varnas) In Hinduism

Welcome back, hope you had a good Thanksgiving Holiday!!!!!

Laws of Karma Contd

Today was a very interesting lesson. We continued our conversation on the laws of Karma, and about the video seen last time. We spoke about how your actions now can determine your fate in your next birth, and can also counteract your actions in the past. All of these actions are noted down in the supreme “Aakashi Records” and determine your fate. We were told the story of R.A. Dickey, and spoke about how valuable life is to us. We should cherish every moment of it.

Caste in Hindusim, its interpretations

We also spoke about the caste system in India. Originally, your place in the caste system was based on your own aptitude. This was based on the three gunas: Satva (Calm, Simple), Rajas (Agitated, Aggressive), and Tamas (Lazy, Lethargic). Whichever one you were most inclined toward used to be your occupation/caste. Now, India misinterpreted this part of Hinduism. Our caste system today is not determined by your aptitude, but by your birth. For example, if you are born into a Kshatriya family, you are a Kshatriya. Even if you have more of an inclination towards the Brahman caste, you remain a Kshatriya. This created many conflicts among the Indian population.

Game on Characters of Mahabharata

We ended class with a fun game based on the characters in the Mahabaratha. One person would exit the room, the rest of the class would name a character, and the person who left has to guess who the character was by asking “yes or no” questions. This game helped us get a refresher about the characters and their roles in the great epic.  

Nov 23rd - Karma - What you sow, so shall you reap

Welcome to our 8th-9th grade class!!

In our class today we discussed Karma and Re-incarnation using stories. Below are some of the key points:

-Karma is based on your actions and intentions for example in class we did a couple of skits relating to karma. One of them included a person who has Ebola and a doctor is trying to save him, but fails. In this case, the doctor doesn't receive bad karma because the doctor's intentions were to save the patient not to kill him. Since the doctor did all he could to save the patient he doesn't receive bad karma.

-Heaven/hell is a state of mind

-Usually the number of good and bad deeds that you do will determine the amount of time you are in hell/heaven

-Also we discussed that God is Brahman and you are not your body.

-Furthermore, your goal is to try and reach a point of of self actualization also known as Moksha. This means that you are within everybody and you have realized that.

-When you have reached this point in life you aren't reborn and you become one with God.

-Dharma is the right thing you do, it is a way of life

Nov 16 - Hinduism - Q/A about Dharma

Hari Om!!

Today we discussed some important points about Dharma. We attempted to answer some intriguing questions about Dharma according to Hinduism:

Some of them are summarized below:

What is the Hindu concept of god? God is Brahman.

Why is the Hindu religion called Sanatana Dharma, who founded it? Universal values = Sanatana dharma. No historical figure founded Sanatana dharma. It's based on eternal truths. These hold true for all people in all place at all times.

Explain in detail the meaning of Dharma: Dharma is righteousness, the right thing to do.

What are some fundamental doctrines of Hinduism? You are not your body, your are the Brahman. The soul never dies it goes into a different body. 

Why does Hinduism say that the human being is in essence divine? Atman

-Karma is based on actions and intentions.

-Heaven is a state of mind.

-People go to heaven or hell based on their actions.

-After you pay for your karma, you reincarnate.

-Moksha is within everybody, you just have to realize it.

Some points based on our Class Discussion about Heaven/Hell:

Heaven/Hell is decided by the state of mind in your life. When people ask about how to achieve moksha, it is actually that you already have it but you have yet to release it. Your good and bad karmas are added up to see where you will be put in your next life (regarding your circumstances). Karma is based on actions and intentions. The subtle body travels to another body 48 hr after leaving the previous body. You become the thing that you were in you next life about the thing that you were thinking about in your previous life... ex. King Bharat - attachment to the deer made him become a deer in his next life. 

November 2nd - Meaning of Dharma in Hinduism

Welcome to 8th and 9th grade Balavihar Blog!

We started our class with Opening prayers and then meditation time. 

Meaning of Dharma in Hinduism

We went on to talk about our main topic, Dharma. Dharma is a belief shared throughout many religions. It has multiple meanings and concepts in it. Dharma is righteousness, when it is most loosely defined. However, it has three main definitions: the innate nature of all living beings; duty; the laws that sustain us. 

For an example of the innate nature of all beings, our teachers told us a short story. 

Rishi and the Scorpion: A rishi was bathing in the river when he sees a scorpion drowning, and by his innate nature, he attempts to save it. The scorpion, due its own innate nature, stings him multiple times. However, he doesn't let go of the scorpion and allows himself to be stung until he gets the scorpion to the shore. The rishi's sishya asks him why he saved the scorpion even after it stung him. The rishi replied that it was his dharma (innate nature) that made him want to help the drowning creature because he felt sympathy for it due to his innate nature. 

For the meaning of dharma that meant duty, we were given the example of a scene between Rama and Kaikeyi. Rama says that if Kaikeyi had just asked him to leave for the forest and give the throne to Bharata, he would have done it because it was his duty as a son to listen to his mother. 

Also, not completing duty can cause an imbalance, however there are many factors opposing you when trying to complete your duty. A lawyer was on the prosecuting side for a murder case. He had already worked out a strong argument and was about to present his case to the judge when they brought in the accused murderer. The accused turned out to be his estranged son. At this point, the lawyer had no idea what to do. He had two duties that conflicted with each other. It would create imbalance if his son was not punished for his crimes, however it would also cause imbalance if he neglected his duty as a father and condemned his own son. In order to not infringe upon either of his duties, the lawyer backed out of the case. 

The third meaning of dharma is righteous conduct and the laws that sustain us. This can be partially summed up by the phrase "Dharmo Rakshati Rakshitah." This means if  you follow the rules, those rules will protect you. 

An example of this is the scene where Dushasana tries to embarrass Draupadi and attempts to disrobe her. Draupadi was righteous and followed the rules all her life and in her past lives, she was a dharmic being. Since someone was trying to hurt her or embarrass her, Krishna saved her by making her clothing infinite so that Dushasana could not undress her. This was due to dharma since Draupadi followed dharma always, Krishna, on behalf of dharma, protected her dignity. 

We ended class by re-visiting what we discussed the last 5 classes and with closing prayers.

Welcome to 8th-9th grade BV!!

Welcome to the BV Blog for 8th and 9th graders!!!

Our topics for this year are:

- Hindusim - FAQs

- Intro to Hindu Culture