Hari Om Parents!
This Friday, we continued our Grade 9 Balavihar journey on Introduction to Hindu Culture, building upon the concepts discussed in our previous class.
We began with our opening prayers, followed by a quick review of our earlier discussion on Nature vs. Culture and Prakriti vs. Vikriti.
π± Prakriti & Vikriti – Understanding Through Examples
We spent some additional time discussing everyday examples to help the students better understand these concepts.
Prakriti represents our natural state and tendencies, while Vikriti occurs when these tendencies become distorted, excessive, or move away from balance.
We discussed how one of the purposes of culture and spiritual practices is to help us recognize and manage our negative tendencies while consciously cultivating positive qualities within ourselves.
π Connecting Navaratri to Prakriti & Vikriti
With Navaratri approaching, we used the festival as a wonderful example of how Hindu traditions can communicate deeper spiritual ideas.
We discussed the significance of the nine nights of Navaratri through the traditional progression of worship:
π± First three days – Goddess Durga
We seek the strength to recognize and overcome our negative tendencies and habits — those tendencies that can lead us toward Vikriti.
πͺ· Next three days – Goddess Lakshmi
After working to remove negative tendencies, we focus on cultivating positive qualities and inner wealth — values such as kindness, discipline, compassion, gratitude, and self-control.
π Final three days – Goddess Saraswati
With the mind purified and positive qualities strengthened, we seek Vidya — knowledge and wisdom, particularly the spiritual knowledge that helps us understand ourselves and live with greater purpose.
This gave us a meaningful way to connect the festival with our ongoing discussion:
Remove the negative → Cultivate the positive → Gain knowledge and wisdom.
We discussed with the students that our festivals are not merely celebrations and rituals; they can also serve as reminders of the inner transformation and refinement that Hindu culture encourages.
Reference: Chinmaya mission — THE SPIRITUAL SIGNIFICANCE OF NAVARATRI Swami Tejomayananda
π House Inaugural – Temples of India
For the second part of the session, the students joined the rest of Balavihar in the assembly hall for this year's House Inaugural activity.
The theme for the year is “Temples of India.”
Students from different Balavihar grades were divided into teams and given a fun challenge — build a Rath (chariot) together in just 30 minutes! ππ
Each team had children from different grades working together to plan, create, and complete their Rath. Once the Raths were ready, the teams had the opportunity to pull their creations around the temple, bringing the spirit of a traditional Rath Yatra to life.
It was a fun and energetic activity that encouraged teamwork, creativity, cooperation, and a sense of community across the different Balavihar grades.
π Thought for the Week
As we celebrate Navaratri, we encouraged the students to think about:
“What is one Vikriti — a negative tendency or habit — that I would like to reduce, and what positive quality can I cultivate in its place?”
This is perhaps one way we can make our festivals more meaningful — by moving beyond simply celebrating them and understanding how their teachings can help us refine ourselves and grow from within.
Hari Om! π
