Hari Om,
We started class with starting prayers led by the students.
We had an interesting conversation about each of the students' spring
breaks. From visiting friends and family, to studying for tests, to
building a PC- all things that had meaning for them and gave them joy
and which they were grateful for.
After a brief recap of the previous lesson on samskaras, we explored
the idea of gratitude further with the new lesson on Pancha yagna.
We receive from five sources and to those sources we owe a debt of
gratitude- pancha rinas.
Sometimes these are referred to as pancha maha yagnas as well, as they
are so great that they must be done daily.
Deva Yagna- To God and devatas- celestial beings or principles that
govern various cosmic phenomena
Pitr Yagna- To family and ancestors- whose contributions we build
upon, whose asserts we use
Manushya Yagna- to fellow human beings who render service to us like
farmers, grocers, garbage disposal crew,
Bhuta Yagna- to nature which provides us essentials for life like
water, oxygen, right temperature
Brahma Yagna- to knowledge, without which material or spiritual
success and joy is not possible.
To reflect daily on what we take, makes us grateful, keeps us humble
and thinking/ what can I do as an expression of this gratitude.
Hindu culture has woven practices like Kolam in the morning with rice
flour that feeds ants and birds, to daily prayers to invoke devatas,
to seva activities, to guru Pooja, to taking care of nature and the
environment .
Nirmala and Uma