Sanskar Gurukul Weekly Update

Class Name: Prahlada Week# 23: March 16th, 2014

General Assembly

We started the GA with three Omkars, followed by the Shanti Mantra and Prayer Before Studies.

Sridhar Uncle did a quick recap of last week's story regarding Sage Valmiki. This week we talked about Sage Narada.

Sage Narada was a world traveller - traveling from one Lok to another, one kingdom to another. He was the son of Lord Brahma and a devotee of Lord Vishnu. He was always walking around with a Veena called Mahati. He taught others to be devotees of Lord Vishnu, the most famous of who was Prahlada.

We all studied about Prahlada in Bhagvatam. He was the son of a Rakshasa called Hiranyakashipu, who hated Lord Vishnu. Sage Narada had told Prahlada stories of Lord Vishnu right from when he was inside his mother's womb, and it continued till he was a young boy. His father had asked Shukracharya - the guru of the Rakshasas to teach Prahlada all about politics and war. One day he asked Shukracharya to bring Prahlada to him to see what he had learned. To his surprise, he only remembered how to pray to Lord Vishnu and started praising him. He remembered nothing of what he had been taught by the guru. He knew the Lord was with him, so he was not afraid of his dad. There were nine ways in which he showed his devotion to Lord Vishnu. There is a shloka for that.

Shravanam Kirtanam Vishnuhu Smaranam Padasevanam Archanam Vandanam Dasyam Sakhyam Atmanivedanam

Here are the meanings of the different words

Shravanam - Listening to stories of the Lord Kirtanam - Singing praises of the Lord, e.g. chanting bhajans Smaranam - Remembering the Lord, e.g. meditation Padasevanam - Serving the Lord's feet, e.g. Goddess Laxmi is always at the Lord's feet Archanam - Performing puja for the Lord Vandanam - Praying to the Lord Dasyam - Serving the Lord, e.g. Shri Hanuman serving Lord Rama Sakhyam - Being a friend to God, for example Arjuna & Lord Krishna Atma Nivedanam - Completely surrender to the Lord.

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Class

This Discover India session was about Rajputs, Marathas, and Bhakti Marg saints of India. The Rajputs and Marathas were the vanguard of Hindu India in the face of Islamic onslaught. Rajput – means son of the kingdom

Bappa Rawal was the son of Mahindra, a chieftain and established the Mewar dynasty. He was a general in Raja Mori’s army and led the Rajput army to victory in the Battle of Rajasthan. He marched on Sindh and Ghazni and defeated both kingdoms. After his exploits in battle, Raja Mori named him his successor.

Rana Hamir re-established the Mewar dynasty after casting off the Muslim yoke. His great-grandson Rana Kumba fought battle on multiple fronts to strengthen Mewar. He captured Nagaur, Kasili and surrounding areas after Shams Khan who was helped by Rana Kumba to ascend the throne betrayed their agreement. He built 32 forts, the biggest of which was Kumbalgarh.

Rana Sanga captured Malwa from Mehmod Khilji. He then marched against Ibrahim Lodi and captured the fort of Ranthambore and defeated Lodi again at Dholpur. In the following battles against Lodi, Rana Sanga kept more lands from Lodi and consolidated his power in Rajasthan.

Prithviraj Chauhan was the last Hindu King to sit on the throne of Delhi. He ruled most of Northern India from his twin capitals of Ajmer and Delhi. He unified the Rajputs against Turkish invasions. His elopement in 1175 with Samyukta (Sanyogita), the daughter of Jai Chandra Rathod, is a popular romantic tale in India, and is one of the subjects of the Prithviraj Raso, an epic poem composed by Chauhan's court poet and friend, Chand Bardai. He defeated Ghori in the first battle of Tarain and took him prisoner. He begged for mercy and release. Prithivraj, being a valiant and chivalrous king, let Ghori go. Ghori returned to attack Delhi in the second battle of Tarain and defeated and captured Prithviraj. He blinded him to make sure he would not be a threat. Prithviraj is said to have won an archery contest as a prisoner and when he was brought to the court of Ghori to be feted, Chand Bardai is said to have indicated to Prithviraj how far away Ghori sat. Prithviraj is believed to have shot and killed Ghori.

Maharana Pratap ruled over Mewar and never accepted Akbar as the ruler of India. In the Battle of Haldighati, even though he was outnumbered 4:1, the Mughal Army did not defeat him. He was wounded, but his horse Chetak, though mortally wounded, took him back to safety. He perfected guerilla warfare and his tactics were used by Marathas in future battles. The Marathas rose under the leadership of Shivaji Maharaj, who defeated the Bijapuri Army at Pratapgarh and Kolhapur. Shivaji’s clash with the Mughals began in 1657 and he used guerilla tactics to keep the Mughals at bay. He was crowned Chhatrapati Shivaji and was the founder of the Maratha Kingdom. He promoted Marathi and Sanskrit in his court and respected all religions. The Maratha Kingdom was at its height in the 18th century under Shahu and Baji Rao I. It extended from present day Pakistan to Tamil Nadu and Bengal. In the early nineteenth century, after the Anglo- Maratha wars, the Maratha dynasty was defeated, leaving the British in control of most of India.

Sikhism – monotheistic religion based on faith and justice. Sikhs believe in salvation through disciplined personal meditation in the name of God. The concept of the saint-soldier arose as a result of Islamic persecution of the Sikhs. Sikh empire rose under Maharaja Ranjith Singh, with the decline of the Mughal empire. He drove the Afghans out of Punjab and captured Multan. He was a secular leader and none of his subjects were discriminated against, on account of their religion. Sikh military tenants is evident to this day in the Sikh Regiment of the Indian Army. Sikhs form the bulk of the Indian Army – a fifth of the Indian Army is of Sikh origin, whereas Sikhs makeup only 2% of the Indian population.

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We also discussed the Bhakti Marg Saints and spoke about Sant Tulsidas, Sant Surdas and Meerabai.

We watched the following videos Rajputs - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H8zE_EQrYYQ Chittorgarh Fort - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z8cfV4pgzCc The fort which is roughly in the shape of a fish has a circumference of 13 km (8.1 mi) with a maximum width of ~2mi and it covers an area of 700 acres. The fort is approached through a zigzag and difficult ascent of more than ~0.6mi from the plains. Apart from the two tall towers, which dominate the majestic fortifications, the sprawling fort has a plethora of palaces and temples (many of them in ruins) within its precincts. The fort complex comprises 65 historic built structures, among them 4 palace complexes, 19 main temples, 4 memorials and 20 functional water bodies. These can be divided into two major construction phases. The first hill fort with one main entrance was established in the 5th century and successively fortified until the 12th century. Its remains are mostly visible on the western edges of the plateau. The second, more significant defense structure was constructed in the 15th century during the reign of the Sisodia Rajputs, when the royal entrance was relocated and fortified with seven gates, and the medieval fortification wall was built on an earlier wall construction from the 13th century. Chatrapati Shivaji - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b87x18owTKk Sikhism - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YnKUTVR_cpw

Homework

The following homework was assigned on March 9, 2014. If you haven’t already done so, please submit your answers to the questions below during the next session. 1. Was Karna right or wrong in supporting Duryodhana’s fight against Pandavas despite knowing he was Kunti’s son? 2. What would you do if you were in Karna’s position?

Announcements

1. March 23rd is Picture Day. Please come dressed in Indian attire. 2. There will be no class on April 20, 2014 due to the class field trip to Mount Soma on April 19, 2014. 3. If you are going on the field trip to Mount Soma and have any food allergies, please let us know by next week. There will be some outdoor walking at Mount Soma, so please dress appropriately.

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