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Namaste, Like previous years, in the month of December, instead of a new assignment, we review our year-long learning. The theme for this year was Human Characteristics as prescribed in the Hinduism. Before embarking on this journey, in January’2014, we set a goal for ourselves as stated below. “This year we will learn and focus on one trait per month.

“Thanks!” “No, please don’t say thanks! It was my duty.” (“Nahin, nahin. Yeh to mera kartavya tha.”) We observe such exchanges on regular basis in movies and storybooks – and sparingly in real life. Even though it sounds fine, do we really understand the true meaning of the term Kartavya? Hasn’t the word “kartavya” become a cliché, which nobody wants

What image does come to your mind when you hear the word Tapasya? For the majority of people, it is of a sage sitting under a tree in the meditative pose with his back straight, eyes closed, and hands in gyan mudra. However prevalent this association may be, relevancy of tapasya is much broader than meditation only: without tapasaya, no

This month’s topic is Brahamcharya. It is one of the attributes of Hinduism that has a large variety of definitions: on one end of the spectrum is pure celibacy and on the other end is moderation in enjoyment. Even though celibacy has come to be a typical definition and often quoted meaning, we will tilt more towards the moderation in

Continuing on the theme of the year articulating different attributes that define human character per Hinduism, this month we will cover Daan (Donation). In the series of virtuous acts, Daan comes in the top category. In the Hinduism, Daan is considered ‘axis of religion’ and first step on the path of religious obedience. The donation is highly esteemed as a righteous act

As you know, the theme for this year is ‘Traits that define human character’. In the past five months, we covered the following five attributes: Truthfulness, Non-violence, Non-stealing, Forgiveness, and Curiosity. Based on what kids have presented, it is obvious that kids are building a fine understanding of the everyday as well as spiritual meanings of these attributes. However, to

This month’s topic is Jigyasa (curiosity). In Hinduism, Jigyasa is one of the highly esteemed attributes of human nature. Last year, we learnt about Hindu scriptures, which cover a broad spectrum of topics ranging from philosophy, human nature, human body, physical phenomenon (visible and invisible), to Trinity (matter, soul, and God) in amazing details. If it wasn’t for the deep rooted spiritual

The topic for this month is Kshama (forgiveness). It is one of the key traits of the Hinduism. This trait has become victim of overuse abuse: it is often suggested without thoughtful considerations. Kshama has two perspectives: someone who seeks forgiveness and someone who forgives. There is widespread confusion on this topic: whether a weak person can forgive someone stronger; is it

The topic for this month is Asteya (non-stealing). According to the Yoga Sutra, if you don’t steal, good things will come to you.  So, why aren’t the good things coming to us all the time; after all, we aren’t thieves – not in traditional sense, at least. By the way, do we steal – even unintentionally? Before jumping to any conclusion, let’s

This month’s topic is Ahimsa, a way of life. Ahimsa is one of the ideals of Hinduism. While the literal meaning of the word Ahimsa is non-violence or non-injury, the term has a much wider and deeper significance. One common understanding of Ahimsa is to be nice to all living creatures (humans and animals alike) or not hurt others for one’s