Mangal Mandir Jagrati Class Lesson 5 October 6, 2013 Namaste – Two palms together in front of the chest, head bowed down. It is a form of greeting. In Sanskrit it means, I bow to you. The divine force exists in all of us. By doing Namaste, we bow to the divinity in the person we meet.

Prasad – anything sanctified by offering to God, example flowers, tulsi leaf, food offered to the deities. This is symbolic of offering everything to God and the recognition that everything is truly His, nothing is “mine”.

Om or Aum – The symbol Om is used among Hindus, Jains, Buddhists and Sikhs. Om represents the Trinity. The Trinity is composed of the three supreme Hindu Gods: Brahma, the creator, Vishnu, the preserver, and Shiva, the destroyer. It is a holy syllable and a significant religious symbol. Meditation on the symbol or repetition of the sound helps us purify our mind and focus our mind on the ultimate truth.

Swastika – In Sanskrit, swastika means auspicious. It is used to welcome auspiciousness and drive away evils. The symbol also represents the changing of the universe around the unchanging nature of God.

Cow – A symbol of purity, motherhood and ahimsa (non-violence.) Cow gives us milk like a mother. So cow is considered to be the mother of the world. No sacrifice can be performed without ghee or butter which is derived from cow’s milk. Cow dung is primarily used as a disinfectant and a purifier. It is used in rural India to clean the entrance to the house. It is also used by NASA space capsules to protect them from radiation.

Lighting of Diya/lamp – symbol of light. Light is a symbol of knowledge and darkness that of ignorance. Lighting a lamp signifies the destruction of darkness and all the negative force of darkness. The flame of a lamp always burns upward, glorifying God.

Taking part in Kirtan in the mandir – This is the part of the program where we get to participate in singing shlokas and bhajans to glorify God. Singing keeps our mid focused on God and free of distractions. Drops of rain come together to form streams and rivers and thus reach the ocean. Singing collectively unifies us and takes us back to our source – God. Singing knowing the meaning of the shlokas is the best form of worship.

Conch shell - When the Ksheerasagara (ocean of milk) was churned by devas (gods) and asuras (demons) for amrit, the first conch shell emerged from the ocean. The sound from this conch shell frightened the asuras. They appealed to Vishnu who took charge of the conch shell. It has become one of his symbols. It is blown to initiate religious ceremonies. It is said to purify the environment from all evil effects.

Lotus – Lotus represents beauty and non-attachment. The lotus is rooted in the mud but floats on the water without getting wet or muddy. This symbolizes how one should live in the world in order to gain release from rebirth: without attachment to one's surroundings. Lord Brahma, Lord Vishnu, Lakshmi Maa and Saraswati Maa are seen with the lotus.

Mangal Mandir Jagrati Class Lesson 5 October 6, 2013 Tilak or bindi – It is a visible sign of a person belonging to the Hindu religion. It is a mark worn on the forehead. Worshippers of Lord Shiva use ashes to wear the tilak as three horizontal lines. Worshippers of Lord Vishnu instead wear the tilak made of sandalwood paste using two vertical lines connected at the bottom with a line in the middle of the “U”. Worshippers of Devi apply kumkum. Women wear the tilak in the form of bindi – a red dot. It is very important for a Hindu to wear tilak.

Mango – mango is considered to be the king of all fruits in India. Its wood is used in the holy fire. Mango leaves are considered sacred and used in making torana (strung on a wire) which is tied on the entrance of the house as an auspicious sign.

Mangal Mandir Jagrati Class Lesson 5 October 6, 2013 Connect the dots, color the picture. My name is ______. This is a ______. Mangal Mandir Jagrati Class Lesson 5 October 6, 2013 Connect the dots, color the picture. My name is ______. This is ______.