Hindu Temple of Lubbock TX Class 28 Sept 17, 2017 Welcome Back to Balvihar !! A Quick review to refresh and put all of you back in place 1. In which Yug did Lord Vishnu appear as Narasimha (Half lion/half man) ? 2. What is the festival that celebrates the marriage of Shiva-Parvati known as? 3. Why did Lord Vishnu Trick King Satyavrat (Manu) in Matsya Avtar (Fish)? 4. Why is Lord Shiva called as “Neelkanth” ? 5. Why did Lord Vishnu appear as “Varaha” (a wild boar) ? 6. Name the parents of the Demi- gods and the demons 7. Why did the Four Kumaras curse the gatekeepers of Vaikuntha? 8. Which of the five elements cause Tornados? 9. What is the “Flame” form of Lord Shiva called? 10. To which God/Goddess is the first festival in spring dedicated to? 11. Name the parents of Lord Brahma 12. Name the Serpent that appeared in Matsya Avtar (Fish) and Kurma Avtar (Tortoise) 13. What do the three supreme Goddesses of Hinduism denote? 14. Name the first five avtars of Lord Vishnu, in order 15. Name the Universal syllable. How many letters does it have and what are they? 16. What do the three Supreme Gods together form? 17. Who inspired Prahlad to become Vishnu devotee even before he was born? 18. How many births did Jaya and Vijaya take? 19. What is the name of the poison that was formed during Kurma Avtar? 20. What is the meaning of Lord Ganesha having an Elephant head? 21. Who is Lord HariHara? 22. Name the Gurus (Teachers) of the demi-Gods and the demons 23. Name the order of Supremacy in Hinduism 24. What boon did Hiranyakashipu ask Lord Brahma? 25. Who is Ganapati? What does this name mean? 26. Why do Hindus ring bells and blow conch shells in Temples/ 27. What does “Tamaso Maa Jyotirgamaya” mean? 28. Lord Shiva and Lord Vishnu worship Lord Brahma- True or False? Explain the answer 29. Who is Mohini? 30. Why do Hindus fold their hands and greet “Namaste” ? 31. Give five names of Lord Shiva 32. What is the vehicle of Lord Ganesha? 33. Who is the Father of medicine? 34. Who created the Saptarishis (7 Sages) and name the main Sage 35. Name the four Vedas 36. What does the word “Adi” mean in Hinduism? Identify this event and five things/beings associated with the event along with their names Question: Which Indian festival is celebrated once every twelve years? • Pagoda mela • Ganesh Chaturthi • Kurukshetra • Kumbhamela Question: Who wrote the Ramayana? • Valmiki • Rig Veda • Vedavyasa • Lord Ganesh Question: Who is the goddess of speech, wisdom and learning? • Shasti • Saraswati • Satyanarayana • Savitar Question: Vishnu is a dwarf in which of his avatars? • Vashishta • Varaha • Vamana • Kurma Questions from Summer • What is Nirguna and Saguna forms of worship? • Who is the king of all birds? • What are the qualities of the bird Garuda? • Why is Garuda considered supreme Festivals of India • Sept 21- Sept 30 • Navratri (Nav= 9 and ratri= night) • Festival is spread over 9 nights and ends on the 10th day, which is known as Dussehra (Dusa= 10 and ahara= day) • A beautiful festival celebrated by hindus all over the world, celebration varies as per cultural practises • Gujarat- Dandiya and garba West Bengal, navratri is celebrated as Durga Puja and large scale prayers are organized in the praise of Durga. In South India, Tamilnadu, in particular, it is called Golu. We buy 100s of idols and try to create various settings that portray our culture and heritage. Golu Karnataka, South India…the famous elephant procession North India…the famous Ramleela Nepal----”kumkum” festival, red colored vermillion , a family festival • Name the three Supreme Gods • Who are their consorts? • Shiva is known as Adidev What is the meaning of Adi? • Adidev (Shiva) and Adidevi or popularly known as Adishakti (Parvati) • Shiva and Shakti- Both male and female energies are needed • Parvati is the daughter of whom? • She is soft, calm and devoted to her husband Shiva, who always meditates • Parvati took many forms when needed. • The Shakti form of parvati is called Durga • Navratri festival – the first three days are dedicated to Goddess Durga (powerful force) • The next three days (4-6) are dedicated to Goddess Lakshmi (Giver of wealth) • The last three days are dedicated to Goddess Saraswati (7-9) (Giver of wisdom) • Dussehra is also called as Vijaya dasami • Vijaya= Victory. Victory over all that is bad or evil OR Victory in achieving what you want • Lord Rama and Navratri • The battle between Rama and Ravana took place over 13 days • Rama is said to have worshipped 9 forms of Durga and finally achieved victory on the 10th day • The nine forms of Durga are popularly known as Navadurgas 1. Shailaputri 2. Brahmacharini One who practises meditation Daughter of the mountain King She has the prayer beads Shaila= stone or rock She has the kamandalu with water She rides the bull She has a lotus in hand On the way to liberation 3. Chandra Ghanta 4. Kushmanda The meaning of the name 'Ku-shm-anda‘ She has a half moon on her head is as follows: 'Ku' = a little; Peace, tranquility 'ushma' = 'warmth'; 'anda' = 'the cosmic egg'. She rides a lion, 10 hands, 3 eyes Represents creation of the universe Represents bravery, ready for battle 5. Skanda Mata 6. Katyayani Mother of skanda (Kartikeya) Skanda was chosen as the commander She was born as the daughter of of the army during the war of Gods and Sage Kata as he wished for a demons Daughter in the form of Goddess 8. Mahagauri 7. Kal ratri She looks fierce, dark, Goddess kali But she is going to protect White , pure, intelligent Goddess of battle She rides the bull She rides a donkey Peaceful and calm 9. Siddhidatri She has 4 arms, she blesses all. She is the manifestation of the supreme Goddess Homework for next class • Go to Google • Find out how many days it takes to walk from Srilanka to Ayodhya, India • We will travel the journey of Rama from next week !! Jai Sri Ram • Was answered in class about 20/21 days • Interestingly, there are about 20/21 days between dussehra and diwali !! .