Here is this week's update.
Week 26:
15th May 2022 / 9:15AM
Opening Prayers and Stotras:
Class began with opening prayers. 3 OM's and followed by Sahanavavathu,
Om shrI Ganeśaya Namaha, shrI Saraswatyai Namaha, shrI Sat Gurubhyo Namaha. We practiced/reviewed mahishasura mardini stotram.
We practiced for our upcoming presentation on the annual day. We want all students to memorize their lines and talk with expressions.
Our lesson - India, the sacred land
We saw the char dham yatra, chote char dham by adi shankaracharya and 12 jyotirlingas. We watched videos of the same as well (links below each category, given)
Char dham yatra
Yamunotri is the source of the Yamuna river. This is famous for thermal springs, glaciers and scenic locales. It is believed that a holy dip here in the river relieves from any painful death. The pilgrims cook rice and boil potatoes for prasad from the hot springs.this temple is dedicated to the River Yamuna (Hindu Goddess,Daughter of Sun God).It is situated in Garhwal Region of Uttarakhand State.
Gangotri The temple is devoted to Goddess Ganges (Most sacred river in India). Gangotri town located at the banks of river Bhagirathi is the origin of river Ganga. Birthplace of Ganga is devprayag, where the Bhagirathi meets Alaknanda. According to Hindu mythology, Goddess Ganga took the form of a river to wash away the sins of King Bhagiratha's predecessors, following his severe penance of several centuries.
Kedarnath- This temple is devoted to God Shiva in the form of Kedarnath (Lord of Kedar). This is one of the 12 main Jyotirlinga in India. -The Abode of lord Shiva at the banks of the mandakini river. The Pandava brothers came here to meet Shiva because they wanted to seek forgiveness for killing their kin during the war. Lord Shiva turned into a bull and dived into the earth. The Pandavas worship the hump formed because of the dive as the Lingam. Nara and Narayana rishis did penance and got to have the divine darsan of Lord Siva. Adi Sankaracharya is worshipped here.
Badrinath- This temple is dedicated to God Vishnu in the form of Badrinath (Lord of Badri). This is located Near the banks of Alaknanda river. Lord Vishnu meditated near badri bushes and lakshmi took the form of the badri, stood next to him sheltering him from scorching sunlight. This temple is closed for 6 months in winter and cold weather. Adi Sankaracharya built a temple here for Lord Narayana.
https://youtu.be/KJff9q2PdBM
(Char dham yatra)
The second place, Rameswaram when Lord Rama (Treta Yugam) built a Shiva-Lingam here and worshiped it to get the blessings of Lord Shiva
The third Dham Dwarka when Lord Krishna (Dwapara yugam) made Dwarka His residence instead of Mathura, His birthplace
The fourth one i. e. Puri Dhaam has got its own significance. Lord Vishnu gets worshipped here as Jagannath.
(Facts about chota char dham)
The 12 Jyotirlingas
Jyoti is Agni. Siva Puranam says Lingam is a form of Shiva, the pillar of light on earth. There are 12 such bright Jyotirlingas all are self ascended, swayambhu, signifying the Lord chose to take a form (lingam) at that particular spot.
1.Somnath - Gujarat2.Mallikarjuna - Andhra Pradesh3.Mahakaleswarar - Madhya Pradesh4.Omkareswarar- Madhya Pradesh (Adi sankaracharyal met his Guru Ji Govinda Bhagavatpadar here)5.Vaidyanath- Jharkhand6.Nageswarar - Gujarat7.Kedareswarar- Uttarakhand8.Triambakeswarar-Maharashtra9.Rameswarar- Tamilnadu10. Bhimasankar- Maharashtra11.Viswanathar- Uttar Pradesh12. Grsneswarar- MaharashtraWe concluded the event with the Aarathi and pledge.
We concluded the event with the Aarathi and pledge.