Author: Harsh Mendiratta

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 […]

The topic for this month is Truthfulness. In words of Swami Dayanand Saraswati, Truth is to know a thing as it is, believe it to be as it is, speak of it as it is, and act in accordance with what it is. All People should speak truth at all times, in all the ways, and for the good of all. […]

“Be a man of character!” is an often quoted line by wise men. But, what is character? When people say that so and so is a person of character, do they really know what they mean? Is character defined by just a single moral attribute, like, being truthful, or combination of several ones? Are people born with  character? If not, […]

Namaste, Like previous years, in the month of December, instead of a new assignment, we review our year-long learning. This year, the hawan kids not only learnt about different Hindu scriptures but also understood the vast and deep teachings in them. Below are the scriptures we covered throughout the year. In this month Hawan, we are looking forward to seeing […]

Namaskar Everyone,   Sorry for the delay in sending this month’s article. The article for this month is “Satyarth Prakash”.  It is a scripture written by Swami Dayanand Saraswati, founder of Arya Samaj.  Satyarth Prakash clarifies Vedic principles. During Middle Ages of Indian history, many faiths and sects sprang up in Hindu society. They drifted away from Vedic teachings. Differences […]

Hello folks, The topic for this month’s hawan is Upanishads. In the last four months, we covered four Vedas. In the ancient times, to explain the divine knowledge of the Vedas, Rishis gave discourses to the inquisitive minds. These discourse have been compiled to form the Upanishads. The literal meaning of the word Upanishad is “to sit near”. Because the […]

For last several months, we have been on an enlightening journey of learning about the Vedas, one of the most ancient, authentic sources of knowledge on the planet earth. After covering Saam Ved, Rig Ved, and Yajur Ved, this month, we will cover the Atharva Ved. Despite being considered the last Ved, the Atharva Ved is as sacred as others. The […]

Dear kids, I hope you have already prepared the article on the Yajur Veda, the topic for this month’s hawan. Here is some supplemental information for the topic. The Yajur Veda is one of the four Vedas that captures the spiritual sciences including purushartha, duties, deads, civil & military sciences. A key concept in the Veda is yajna. It is […]