Bhagavad Gita Study Guide

Best study guide I've seen. Bhagavad gita is organized in outline form and shows connections, themes, practical applications, etc.  It's included in my links, but really worth pointing out also in this post.

Click here for: Bhagavad-gita Notes

 

Also available online are Prabhupada's lectures along with tests!

Click Here.

Homemade Toys Link

Just discovered this site while looking for a "paper flute" and adding this link. Not only are their many selections for children to make, but it appears that many have a video included to show how they are made and used. Check out by clicking here.

Make Time to Play

A reminder for the whole family:

My precious boy with the golden hair
Came up one day beside my chair
And fell upon his bended knee
And said, “Oh, Mommy, please play with me!”

I said, “Not now, go on and play;
I’ve got so much to do today.”
He smiled through tears in eyes so blue
When I said, “We’ll play when I get through.”

But the chores lasted all through the day
And I never did find time to play.

When supper was over and dishes done,
I was much too tired for my little son.

I tucked him in and kissed his cheek
And watched my angel fall asleep.
As I tossed and turned upon my bed,
Those words kept ringing in my head,

“Not now, son, go on and play,
I’ve got so much to do today.”

I fell asleep and in a minute’s span,
My little boy is a full-grown man.

No toys are there to clutter the floor;
No dirty fingerprints on the door;
No snacks to fix; no tears to dry;
The rooms just echo my lonely sigh.

And now I’ve got the time to play;
But my precious boy is gone away.

I awoke myself with a pitiful scream
And realized it was just a dream

For across the room in his little bed,
Lay my curly-haired boy, the sleepy-head.
My work will wait ‘til another day
For now I must find some time to play.

--Dianna Neal

Worthwhile Writing Practice

I always felt that if a child is going to practice his handwriting, he should be given worthwhile things to copy and write- whether of personal interest to him, related to the lessons he is learning or educational in the formation of character, values, etc. such as useful sayings, sastric verses, poetry  and the like (I prefer to do spelling tests this way, too, using a dictated spelling word in a sentence that child can relate to or simply to remember Krishna by). Children's narrations on a lesson may also be included.

For this purpose,  Start Write is a program I purchased years ago and recently started using again with my younger students. One thing I love about it is the ability to add pictures of my own choice if I so desire. Here's a sample, including a narration that was dictated by a student (although I could not find a way to show the actual fonts used in the program):

Bharat is taking Rama's shoes to remember that Rama is the king, not him.


He carries them on his head to carry back to Ayodya.


He puts Rama's shoes on the throne.


He worships them.


Bharat loves Rama so much, and Rama loves him.

Depending on the ability of the student or circumstances at the time, I'd include any or all the sentences from a dictation. Also with "Start Write", a student can first practice by tracing over the words before advancing to copying underneath. The fonts provide both options as well as a font that has pointing arrows for showing proper letter formation.

Another option is that a space can be left blank to let students include their own illustration if time permits. Do you see how Language Arts, Handwriting and Art class can all be covered during a lesson in handwriting practice?

What We're Doing This Year

For one thing, we are still with the K12 program. Once again a large shipment of books and school supplies came via UPS, cost free, for both second and eighth grades. Simultaneously, I try to incorporate the Krsna conscious perspective into every subject. After some seventeen years of experience and having already spent last year getting used to K12, things have been a lot easier (and by Krishna's causeless mercy). The only thing that wears me down a bit is working outside as well as cooking and chores at home. So not much sleep, but that's my life as usual, and I really do love all the things I get to do.

Next is a quick overview of what we strive to get done each day or each week:

LIFE SKILLS
First thing, besides the all- important point of taking darshan at the temple, chanting japa, hearing Bhagavatam class at the temple and so on, students and I get necessary things done at home before school begins. Granddaughter helps with cooking breakfast and sweeping the floors, for example, while son takes out trash and keeps his room clean.

STUDENT BLOG IDEA
Next, while I explain to son what his assignments are for the day, granddaughter is working on her math facts. Here's the link. This link I also have added to a private blog I created for her, so that she can practice at home and also her parents and other relatives are allowed to view her schoolwork. It contains samples of her artwork,

video presentations such as reciting poems and sastra verses, her illustrated writings and various kinds of memory work, along with more links and other material she finds interesting. For example, we just finished the story about Rama building a bridge to Lanka with the aide of monkeys and I showed her on Geo Earth the location. She was fascinated, so I put a photo of it on her blog also.

USING THE COMPUTER AND LARGE SCREEN TV
I've been getting ideas how to use my PC more and more to make lessons interesting for students as well as convenient for me. Hooked up to a large screen TV, students now can view class from the living room couch while I pull up lessons (using the mouse as a convenient pointer) and provide supplementary material such as videos, images, maps, a blank page on paint to draw on like a white board, etc. Ideas keep popping up.
LATER NOTE: Two screens are even better! One large one that acts as the "white board", etc. A smaller sized screen for simultaneously opening other material that corresponds with the lesson. For example, a map related to a lesson opened on the larger screen.

MEMORY WORK
One folder I have on my desktop is entitled "Memory Work". How nice it is to have everything there when I start the day, right after sastra class, by also reviewing all memory work. This includes Gita verses and our disciplic succession as well as stuff like the continents, measurements, months of the year, select poems or whatever else student needs at the time. I like to illustrate these whenever possible. One example is a piece from a skip counting chart I put together:

ILLUSTRATED GITA VERSES
Stored on my PC for easy reference, all our Gita verses are also being illustrated this year. Here's a sample:
na tv evaham jatu nasam
 na--never; tu--but; eva--certainly; aham--I; jatu--become; na--never; asam--existed;
na tvam neme janadhipah
na--it is not so; tvam--yourself; na--not; ime--all these; jana-adhipah--kings;
na caiva na bhavisyamah
na--never; ca--also; eva--certainly; na--not like that; bhavisyamah--shall exist
sarve vayam atah param
sarve--all of us; vayam--we; atah param--hereafter.
 (I also include all the diacritical marks of the verse but they did not show up here.) 
Never was there a time when I did not exist, nor you, nor all these kings; nor in the future shall any of us cease to be.

Each week a new verse is studied and all previous verses reviewed except those that are mastered. Those will be repeated now and then in a maha review or pulled up again each following school year.


EXPANDING THE CLASSROOM
Today was a nice day out, so instead of reading class in the house, student and I spent time reading aloud on a sunny bench in the back yard!

These are some of the ideas beings implemented and presented here to share. I will try to add more to this later if time permits.

MIDDAY SWITCH
Oh yeah, I almost forgot. My older student works more on his own this year, during morning hours and we go over his lessons after lunch.This includes discussing his given literature and history assignments or doing stuff together such as the science labs and art projects. It's a nice opportunity to spend time together.

He also attends live online classes with K12 teachers for extra help or information. I can watch recordings of these teachers' classes, too, if I wish, to keep myself informed in the various subjects (as well as strengthen my teaching abilities by observing how others do it!)

LOOKING AHEAD
Also each Friday and Saturday, when I get home from working at Govinda's Buffet, I pull out students' lessons for the week and do a quick check what they are about, whether I know the material  (so that I can help a student that needs it), what supplementary materials I can dig up to enhance a lesson, what work samples are due to send in to the K12 teachers, as well as what materials are needed in general such as for a science lab or art class. I can streamline lessons also. I pick from what may be a very involved lesson to what student actually needs to do to accomplish the objectives. This is important to avoid burn out for both students and teacher.

MOVING FORWARD
K12 moves at a very fast pace, but it helps me to put the children first and get things done. I used to be paralyzed by perfectionism, which means in simple language- I'd put things off. Now I try to do something, anything, even if imperfectly. Just dive in an learn to swim in the process, letting ideas flow and actually implementing them before their shelf life expires.

The Decorated Dead Body

I thought the extract below from the nineteenth century McGuffey's Fourth Reader for children (the older version) elaborates well Prabhupada's purport from SB 1.10.16:

"Human civilization, as conceived of by the sages of India, is to help one free himself from the clutches of illusion. The material beauty of a woman is an illusion because actually the body is made of earth, water, fire, air, etc. But because there is the association of the living spark with matter, it appears to be beautiful. No one is attracted by an earthen doll, even if it is most perfectly prepared to attract the attention of others. The dead body has no beauty because no one will accept the dead body of a so-called beautiful woman. Therefore, the conclusion is that the spirit spark is beautiful, and because of the soul's beauty one is attracted by the beauty of the outward body. The Vedic wisdom, therefore, forbids us to be attracted by false beauty."

The Srimad Bhagavatam Family Tree

This Srimad Bhagavatam family tree, derived from the genealogies given throughout the Srimad Bhagavatam, appeared in BTG some time ago. It was put together by Jahnavi Devi Dasi. Click on it to enlarge. Click a second time to become even larger (or else open as a new tab to enlarge), and use the scroll bars to view family lines, etc.

The Life of Ramanujacarya

A new link of note that has been added is the life story of Ramanujacarya. Wonderful pastimes. Easy to read. Click here.

The hardcover book is available at KrishnaCulture.com.

 

The Sun Dynasty

Edited from The Ancestors of Rama, useful in a study of the Ramayana and Vaisnava history.

The Sun Dynasty or Solar Dynasty or Suryavansha is one of the most prominent dynasties in the history of Hinduism, along with the "Chandravansha" or Lunar Dynasty.

"Suryavanshi" means a person belonging to this dynasty. This clan was the eldest and the most prosperous in ancient India till the rise of Magadh in the 6th century BC. Ayodhya, the city founded by Vaivasvata Manu son of Vivasvan, was their capital.

THE LIST OF MONARCHS
The following is the list, in chronological order, of the monarchs of the solar dynasty. Most of them were rulers of Ayodhya and therefore, Kings of Kosala.

• According to Bhagwat Purana, Brahma created sage 10 sages using his mental powers -Marichi, Atri, Angiras, Pulastya, Pulaka, Kratu, Vasishtha, Prachetas or Daksha, Bhrigu, Nārada.
• Kasyapa is the son of Marichi. The sons of Kashyapa and his wife Aditi, the daughter of Daksha Prajapati are called the Adityas (Sons of Aditi), they were, Aṃśa, Aryaman, Bhaga, Dhūti, Mitra, Pūṣan, Śakra, Savitṛ, Tvaṣṭṛ, Varuṇa, Viṣṇu, and Vivasvan.
• Vivasvan  - the Sun God, progenitor of the clan. His parents were (prajapati) Kashyapa and Aditi. Aditi's 12 sons, the Adityas, are the sun deities, and both Vivasvan and Aditya mean sun. Vivasvan's sons include Sradhadev and Shanishchar.
• Vaivasvata (son of the sun) or Sraddhadeva Manu - There are 14 Manvantaras (universal time periods; in each, Manu rules. Vaivasvata Manu is the seventh (current) Manu. He founded the town of Ayodhya. He had nine sons, Vena, Dhrishnu, Narishyan, Nabhaga, Ikshvaku, Karusha, Saryati, Prishadhru, Nabhagarishta and one daughter, Ila.

• Ikshvaku - King Ikṣvāku had one hundred sons, of whom Vikukṣi, Nimi and Daṇḍakā were the most prominent. Of the one hundred sons, twenty-five became kings in the western side of Āryāvarta, a place between the Himalaya and Vindhya mountains. Another twenty-five sons became kings in the east of Āryāvarta, and the three principal sons became kings in the middle. The other sons became kings in various other places.
• Vikukshi - His son was Kakuthsa or Puranjay.
• Kakutstha or Puranjaya - He was a brave king and fought in the Devasur Sangram. His original name was Puranjaya. But after he annihilated Asuras (demons) while sitting on the hump (Kukud) of a bull, he was known as Kakuthstha, which means seated on the hump. His dynasty was also known as Kakuthstha after him.
• Anena or Anaranya- son of Puranjaya
• Prithu
• Viśvagandhi
• Ardra or Chandra
• Yuvanashva I
• Shravast - He founded the town of Shravasti near Kosala.
• Bṛhadaśva
• Kuvalashva - Aided by his son, he killed a Rakshasa named Dhundh. The remaining sons were Dṛḍhāśva, Kapilāśva and Bhadrāsva. It is said that Dhundhar region and the Dhund river are named after Dhund. Thereafter, Kuvalashva was called "Dhundhumara".
• Dridhashva
• Haryashva I
• Nikumbha
• Bahulasva
• Krishasva
• Senajit  - His daughter Renuka was married to sage Jamadagni. She was mother of Parashurama.
• Yuvanashva - He was married to Gori, daughter of the Chandravanshi king Matinaar.
• Mandhata - He became a famous and Chakravarti (ideal universal ruler) king. He defeated most of the other kings of his time. Māndhātā begot three sons in the womb of Bindumatī, the daughter of Śaśabindu. These sons were Purukutsa, Ambarīṣa, and Mucukunda, a great mystic yogī. These three brothers had fifty sisters, who all accepted the great sage Saubhari as their husband.
• Purukutsa - He performed the Ashwamedha Yajna (horse sacrifice). He married Nagkanya "Narmada". He helped Nagas in their war against the Gandharvas.
• Trasaddasyu
• Anaranya
• Trashdashva
• Haryashva II 
• Praruna
• Tribhandana
• Satyavrata or Trishanku -
• Harishchandra - The great sage Viśvāmitra saw that Mahārāja Hariścandra, along with his wife, was truthful, forbearing and concerned with the essence. Thus he gave them imperishable knowledge for fulfillment of the human mission.
• Rohitashva - He was the son of Harishchandra. He founded town of Rohtas Garh in Rohtas district, Bihar and Rohtak, originally Rohitakaul, meaning from the Kul (family) of Rohit
• Harita
• Champa - constructed the town, Champapuri
• Sudeva
• Vijay
• Bharuka
• Vrika
• Bahuka or Asit - He was attacked and defeated by another clan of Kshatriyas. After this, he left Ayodhya and went to the Himalaya mountains to live as an ascetic with his queens. At that time Yadavi queen was pregnant with Sagara.
• Sagara - He recaptured Ayodhya from the "Haihaya" and "Taljanghi" Kshtriyas. He then attempted to perform the horse sacrifice, Ashwamedha Yajna. However, the sacrificial horse was stolen by the god Indra on the south eastern shores of the ocean, which was at that time an empty bed with no water in it. Most of Sagara's sons died attempting to recover the horse, also causing great destruction by their reckless search..
• Asamañjasa - Sagara's surviving son
• Amshuman - He was the grandson of Sagara, and his successor as king. He did penance in an attempt to bring the holy river Ganges to earth, that she might wash away the sins of his ancestors.
• Dilipa  - He also tried to bring Ganges to earth, but also failed.
• Bhagiratha - Sagara's great-grandson, after strenuous penances, at last succeeded in bringing Ganga down from heaven. When she flowed over the remains of his ancestors, their souls were redeemed, and the ocean was refilled. Ganga also bears the name "Bhagirathi", in honour of his deed.

• Shruta
• Nabha
• Sindudvipa
• Ayutayu
• Rtuparna
• Sarvakama
• Sudas
• Saudas or Mitrasah - Having been cursed twice (misfortunate events), the King by destiny remained sonless. Later, with the King's permission, the great saint Vasiṣṭha begot a child in the womb of Madayantī named Asmaka.
• Asmaka
• Blika or Maluka (generator of many ksatriyas after their disappearance at the hands of Parusarama)
• Dasaratha I
• Aidavidhi
• Visvasaha
• Khatvanga -was unconquerable in any fight. Requested by the demigods to join them in fighting the demons, he won victory, and the demigods, being very pleased, wanted to give him a benediction. The King inquired from them about the duration of his life and was informed that he had only one moment more. Thus he immediately left his palace and went to his own residence, where he engaged his mind fully on the lotus feet of the Lord.
• Dirghabahu
• Raghu
• Aja
• Dasaratha II
• Lord Ramacandra - He is the seventh Avatar of the god Vishnu. He is worshiped by every Hindu. Rama's story before he became king of Ayodhya is recounted in the Ramayana. After he ascended the throne, he performed the Ashwamedha Yajna. Bharata, his younger brother, won the country of Gandhara and settled there, where his two sons, Taksha and Pushkal, founded the cities of Taksashila and Pushkalavati, now known as Taxila and Peshawar. Rama's third brother, Lakshmana, founded Lakshmanpur, now known as Lucknow, and his youngest brother Shatrughna, Lakshmana's twin, was given Madhura which is now known as Mathura.

 

• Sumitra - He was the last king (118th) of Ayodhya from solar dynasty. In the fourth century BC, emperor Mahapadma Nanda of the Nanda Dynasty forced Sumitra to leave Ayodhya. He went to Rohtas with his sons. His son Kurma established his rule over Rohtas.

3D Pastimes

Here's a way to remember Krishna when reaching for the refrigerator door. It's a collage with a magnet on the back.

MATERIALS:
3 identical pictures, these came from extra Krishna Art calendars
tape
safety scissors, scissors and or razor knife
1 long strip of magnetic tape per finished collage.

PREPARATION:

1. Help children choose what to cut out in regards to background, middle, and foreground. These may be marked where to cut. Simple pictures are also a good idea for the younger set or else an adult can do the more difficult cuts. A razor knife can be used for this purpose, something older students may also be allowed to use. Put the picture on top of a layer of cardboard when cutting, however, in order to protect the work table surface.
2. Roll pieces of tape into rounded shapes to attach in between layers. This will cause the layers to each stick out a little farther than the one behind it, to give a three dimensional effect.

3. When finished, attach the magnetic strip to the back of the collage in order to hang it on a refrigerator.

Crayon Techniques

(This got moved from an earlier post- What to Do in Art Class" because it was getting too long as i kept adding examples or photos. This section will be devoted to Crayon Techniques only. More photos are planned.)

Crayons are a lot of fun, because so many things can be done with them. Here's a few ideas:

SHADING
At first, a single color may be used to practice making different shades from light to very dark or vivid. Next is suggested coloring an entire picture with various shades of the same color. Older students move on to coloring according to density of light and using more than one color.  When shading, color should always be applied lightly and then gradually adding more and more color, layer upon layer, according to what is needed.

FEATHERING
For this techniques, a drawing is first outlined vividly with chosen colored. Next, the colors are pulled out from the colored lines with an eraser to create a lovely, soft coloring. (This example is another exercise from the Share a Care Art Pac series.)

SCRAFFITO

First, heavy layers of crayon colors are colored, one upon the other, covered by a final layer of dark colored or black crayon (or black paint). Next, a drawing is etched, revealing a rainbow of colors from the lower layers.

CRAYON AND PAINT RESIST
First a picture is drawn with crayon. It can get a little trickie when drawing with white crayon on white paper. Next, paints (in this case tempera) of chosen colors are applied over parts of picture as desired. The finished result allows the previous colored portions to resist the paint since crayon has a waxy finish.

CRAYON COPIER
Need to transfer a design onto another page? Thickly color a piece of paper with crayon. Next, place the paper face down between a clean sheet of paper below and the design or picture to be copied above. Now draw over thea picture to be copied

This is a good method for transferring a paper template onto cardboard.

MULTI COLOR
Hold six crayons together at the same time to make a rainbow.

MORE IDEAS
Check online for more techniques.

Peacock Keepsake

Inspiration for this craft came from this link.



Using a child's hand for the feather as a template makes the "feathers". Cut two. The "sequins were made with a hole punch and silver foil and olive green paper. In this case, we recycled from a bag that spices were sold in, for the silver; the green paper came from a soap wrapper. Kids can color the peacock and glue on the decor. Framed, this can make a little keepsake of child's hand prints. The length of the peacock's body from crown to belly is a little more than the length from tip of child's thumb to the base of his hand.

Got Junk Mail?

Believe or not, junk mail can be a fun, educational tool. I collect it until the grandkids come over. Besides playing "post office", here's a few more ideas what to do with it:

• Practice writing their name, address and phone number in any blanks and forms given.
• Practice cutting with scissors on any dotted lines.
• Cut out and use coupons while doing pretend shopping.
• Follow any written directions included such as sticking a given sticker in the proper place.
• Utilize free magnets, colored paper, lettering, etc. for art projects.

Yesterday, I decided to put some cardboard boxes to use to make them a mailbox to play with along with the mail. I found my inspiration from the following link: click here. The postal logo can be found on Google images.

To extend this idea, growing writers can also be encouraged to write letters to family members or friends to put in their mail box.



Maybe Yes; Maybe No

(adapted)                              

Once there was a farmer whose only horse ran away. That evening the neighbors gathered to commiserate with him since this was such bad luck. "Your farm will suffer. Now you cannot plow," they said. "Surely this is a terrible thing to have happened to you."
The farmer replied, "Maybe yes, maybe no."

The next day the horse returned and brought with it six wild horses. The neighbors came to congratulate him and exclaim his good fortune. "You are richer than you were before!" they laughed. "Surely this has turned out to be a good thing for you, after all."

The farmer calmly repeated, "Maybe yes, maybe no."

Then, the following day, his son tried to saddle and ride one of the wild horses. The young man was fiercely ejected from the saddle, and he broke his leg. That meant that for some time he wouldn't be able to help with all the work on the farm. Again the neighbors came to offer their sympathy for this incident. "There is more work than only you can handle, and you may be driven to poverty," they said. "Surely this is a terrible misfortune!"

The old farmer said, "Maybe yes, maybe no.

The day after that, conscription officers came to the village to seize young men for the army, but because of his broken leg the farmer's son was immediately rejected. Once more the neighbors came and shouted, "How fortunate! Things have worked out after all. Most young men never return alive from the war. Surely this is the best of fortunes for you!"

But the old man only said, "Maybe yes, maybe no."

(Picture source: http://printablecolouringpages.co.uk/?s=baby%20foal&page=1)