Year One – Surya Veer Sang

Posted By: admin November 30, 2010

Shri Surya Narayan Mandir
CHILDREN PROGRAM – SURYA VEER SANG


Course Description:
Year one of Surya Veer Satsang is an introduction to the Sanatan Dharma through learning basic prayers and highlighting fundamental shastras (scriptures), concepts of the Hindu way of living, rites and rituals, and yoga. Students will also be introduced to basic Hindi and the ways of Indian and Guyanese culture.

Course Objectives:

By the end of the semester, students will be able to:

  1. Recite a set of prarthna (prayers) that compose the foundation of a Hindu child’s daily religious practice. They also will become familiar with the meaning of these prayers and which deities each prayer is associated with.
  2. Learn how to count and say the days of the week, and learn names of colors, household objects, and animals in Hindi. They will also understand basic vocabulary associated with Mandir life (e.g. What Abhishekam means, what a lota is.)
  3. Have a basic idea of what each Shastras (holy text) contains and what the message of each is.
  4. Understand how concepts in Sanatan Dharma are conveyed through puja. (E.g. Why we pray, why we do puja, how to do aarti.)
  5. Recite the four pillars of Sanatan Dharma, as well as understand why they are important and how they can be reflected in our daily lives. They will also understand how to act appropriately in Mandir and at home based on these four pillars (e.g. how to sit in Mandir, how to bow to their parents’ and other elders’ feet.)

Required Materials

  1. Prayer booklet (will be provided by the teacher)
  2. Binder with loose-leaf
    OR
    Notebook with folder
  3. Pen or pencil

 

Course Requirements

  1. Regular class attendance. If the student will be late or cannot attend, please call me in advance, tell me or send the child with a note informing me of their anticipated absence/lateness the week prior. The student will not pass the class if more than four classes are missed with no proper excuse.
  2. The student should arrive with all the proper materials required for class. In addition, the student should be dressed appropriately for class. Please note that we do yoga and/or Surya Namaskar every week.
  3. Active participation in the class. This class is not graded on a letter or percentage grade basis. This class is graded 100% on participation. I can only judge how much your child knows and understands if they can answer questions and stay engaged while learning.
  4. Active review during the week outside of class. Students should chant the prayers they have learned in class at least once a day. Parents should assist in reviewing concepts learned in class from the weeks prior. If you feel that the student requires additional help while you review at home, do not hesitate to call myself or any of the other teachers.

Course Outline

  1. Basics of Sanatan Dharma
    A. What is Aum? Why is it important?
    B. How many Gods are there? Why?
    C. What are the four pillars of Sanatan Dharma? Why are they important?
    D. How do we perform puja? (Includes abhishekam and daar) Why do we pray? When do we say certain prayers?
    E. Who/what is a Hindu?
  2. Shastras

A. What are the four Vedas, and what does each contain?

B. What does the Ramayan contain? Who are the “main characters”? What are some messages we can learn from stories from the Ramayan?

C. What does the Mahabharata contain? Who are the “main characters”? What are some messages we can learn from stories from the Mahabharata?

D. What is “itihaasa”? Did the Ramayan and Mahabharata really happen?

E. What other morals can we take from stories from Indian folklore?

3.  Devatas

 

A. Who is Surya Dev? Why do we worship Him? (Includes Surya Namaskara)
B. Which specific Gods/Goddesses do we worship for knowledge, wealth, etc.?
C. Which prayers are associated with which Gods?
D. What characteristics are associated with each form of God?
E. What are some stories and legends associated with Shri Vishnu and his avatars?

IV. Indian Culture

 

A. How do we say the following in Hindi?:

1. Days of the week
2. Numbers (0-20); review includes addition and subtraction
3. Names of our relatives
4. Colours
5. Animals
6. Household objects
7. Simple sentences (e.g. How are you?, My name is xxxx.)

B. What does respect, friendship, and love mean, and why are these concepts important to
Hindus?

C. How and when do we celebrate the various holidays associated with Hinduism? Which deities are associated with each?

D. How should a Hindu child dress, act, speak, and behave?