Light of Godhead

Sanskrit for kids the past Summer
Sanskrit for kids the past Summer

Sanskrit for kids the past Summer

Dear friends, please find attached short video clip of how we helped kids (aged 6) become more proficient in reading/writing in Sanskrit (Devanagari) the past Summer. We used Bhagavad-gita verses as the reading material and as a side effect kids effortlessly memorized the chapters we covered.

To prepare the mood for upcoming Gita Jayanthi, we as a family sit together and read the shlokas and translations every day. Due to the exposure to Sanskrit, kids are very eager for the sessions.

Please watch this video carefully if you want to know the process we followed.

Hare Krishna!

syamala2019-11-20T17:31:15+00:00November 20th, 2019|Categories: Camp sessions, Sanskrit, Videos|Tags: devanagari, reading and writing, sanskrit|

Kids Diwali and Govardhan Puja
Kids Diwali and Govardhan Puja

Kids Diwali and Govardhan Puja

Kids made this year’s Diwali and Govardhan puja very special by making these wonderful offerings to Krsna.

First two are the essays written by them at their school – Goswami Academy.
Next one is Nrsimha’s coloring of Giriraj
Next one is their beginning of “Rama Koti” – Rama in Sanskrit and English
Last one is “Giriraj stone art” with an offering of crafted fruits.

Can you guess what fruits are being offered?

syamala2019-11-20T17:19:44+00:00October 29th, 2019|Categories: Diwali, Govardhan Puja, Krsna consciousness|Tags: art activities, diy art, rama koti, stone art|

Discussing SB 1.7 in Kids Bhagavatam
Discussing SB 1.7 in Kids Bhagavatam

Discussing SB 1.7 in Kids Bhagavatam

While contemplating our impending move to India, I was debating whether to start a new chapter. I asked the kids to see what their reaction is. Maharathi very eagerly said, “This is the chapter about Pandavas I want to hear you cannot stop”. I also noticed he is developing a genuine desire to chant chant the Holy Names. The other day he was saying, my only business is to chant. I added, “And to tell others to chant”.

To serve their eagerness, last Saturday we started “SB 1.7 –

syamala2019-10-20T21:53:24+00:00October 20th, 2019|Categories: Material existence, Sessions, Vyasadeva|Tags: Darkness, kids bhagavatam sessions, vyasadevas vision|

Art Sessions
Art Sessions

Art Sessions

One of the elements of our Summer Camp 2019 was “Art Sessions”. Thanks to Lilly for guiding them in the “Art world”. Special thanks to Kapi prabhu for putting this video together artfully and tastefully.

syamala2019-10-03T14:20:08+00:00October 3rd, 2019|Categories: Camp sessions, Kids, Videos|Tags: art, drawing for krsna|

Nārada muni’s glories
Nārada muni’s glories

Nārada muni’s glories

At the beginning of Srimad Bhagavatam Canto 1, Chapter6, Srila Vyasadeva asks three questions to Nārada muni about his previous life. The last one of which is, “How do you remember your previous life from the previous day of Brahma (4.32 billion years ago)”. Nārada muni replies to this question from 1.6.26 onwards.

After the Lord stopped speaking, Nārada muni (in his previous body) led rest of his life chanting the holy name and fame of the Lord and traveled all over the earth fully satisfied, humble and unenvious. In due course of time as he was fully Krsna conscious, when

syamala2019-10-03T14:22:58+00:00September 30th, 2019|Categories: Brahma, Narada Muni, Poems, Reincarnation, Sessions|Tags: kids bhagavatam sessions, poems|

Aarti for the new kids’ altar
Aarti for the new kids’ altar

Aarti for the new kids’ altar

Though we bought them the stuffed toys of Radha Krsna, Nrsimha deva, Prahlad maharaja etc. when the kids were as young as a year old, I never saw them consciously treating them as the forms of the Lord. To my great surprise, with the addition of new small Radha Krsna yesterday, Maharathi was fired up to setup an altar for all of them and insisted on performing the aarathi.

Kids took turn in the ceremony, performing the aarthi and practicing their new mrdanga learning skills.

Thanking Krsna and kids for showing me this day.

syamala2019-09-17T13:55:37+00:00September 16th, 2019|Categories: Krsna consciousness, Worshipping|Tags: aarthi, spontaneous|

Lord’s dealings with Narada Muni
Lord’s dealings with Narada Muni

Lord’s dealings with Narada Muni

In his previous life, when Nārada muni was just a 5-year-old boy, his mother, his only guardian passed away due to a snakebite. He took it as causeless mercy of the Lord and started walking to the north. On the way, he saw many metropolises, villages, animal farms, and flower gardens. Nevertheless, he was not attracted by any of them. Feeling very tired and thirsty he finally reached a lakeshore, having refreshed himself by drinking water he sat down under a Banyan tree to meditate on the Supreme Lord as instructed by the Bhakti-Vedantas (sages).

He advances in his devotion very

syamala2019-09-12T16:42:20+00:00September 12th, 2019|Categories: Narada Muni, Poems, Sessions, Supremely independent|Tags: intensify desire, kids bhagavatam sessions, poems|

Lord’s Transcendental form
Lord’s Transcendental form

Lord’s Transcendental form

In our Kids Bhagavatam session today, we discussed SB 1.6.11-19. Kids traveled along with Narada to towns, metropolises, villages, flower gardens. To understand the meaning of “bhava” stage Narada muni was in, they learnt “Nine stages of Bhakti” through a short sing able/poem.

Narada though elated upon seeing the Lord’s form in the first attempt, becomes despondent when the form is lost and frustrated when he couldn’t get to see it again.

Kids learnt the following poem, which encapsulates the essence of 1.6.18-19 verses and purports.

Title: Lord’s transcendental form

So many forms, I have seen, in this world, but none of them gave

syamala2019-09-12T16:39:02+00:00September 7th, 2019|Categories: Narada Muni, Poems, Sessions, Supremely independent|Tags: kids bhagavatam|

Light of Godhead
Light of Godhead

Light of Godhead

In Jan 2015, I felt inspired to catalog stories, analogies, pastimes from our Scriptures along with their source in electronic form. I wanted to save them on a site so they are searchable and usable by other devotees as well. Krsna inspired us to name the site: lightofgodhead.com. “Light of Godhead” – an humble attempt to spread the knowledge (light) about Supreme Personality of Godhead.

Feeling these stories, analogies are very effective in communicating philosophical concepts even to a child, soon we started “Govinda Story Time” with kids in Seattle. The sessions were very well received and kids started enjoying them. We

syamala2019-09-05T19:01:56+00:00September 5th, 2019|Categories: About|Tags: blog, kids bhagavatam, our journey, sanskrit|

Next Generation Kirtaniyas
Next Generation Kirtaniyas

Next Generation Kirtaniyas

One of the elements of the “Nitai Nimai Summer Camp 2019” was attending the afternoon aarthi at the temple. Seeing that no one is there to sing, Divya mtj (Vinamra’s mom) encouraged the kids to take turns and sing. Our lordships Sri Sri Radha NilaMadhava known for their merciful nature kindly allowed these 6 year olds to sing for them and accepted their devotion.

These kids are normally very shy – though they would sing at home while playing, taking bath etc., especially if we ask them to sing in front of others, they become very self-conscious and refuse to do

syamala2019-09-05T18:40:01+00:00August 21st, 2019|Categories: Camp sessions, Kirtanam, Videos|

Most satisfying Summer

A year after our twins took birth (2014) one of our friends in Seattle introduced us to the concept of “Home Schooling”. I was very inspired how H.G Aruddha mathaji gave her kids both academic and spiritual education, all based on Srimad Bhagavatam. By then we were already attending Bhakti-Vaibhava (Systematic study of the first six cantos of Srimad Bhagavatam). I felt so much joy that this type of Home Schooling would not only help me go deeper into Bhagavatam, but also assure kids’ Krsna consciousness. We decided to take this approach in educating our children as they grew up.

As

syamala2019-11-20T17:41:09+00:00August 21st, 2019|Categories: Summer Camp 2019|Tags: art, kirtan, sanskrit, shlokas, Summer camp|

Discussion on “Karma” with 6 year olds
Discussion on “Karma” with 6 year olds

Discussion on “Karma” with 6 year olds

After hearing about the recent incident of how a local devotee was gun shot in his convenient store, our curious 6-year-old kids started asking following questions:

Nrsimha-Krsna dasa: When Krsna’s devotee is good, why somebody killed him like that.

Father: Everybody has to face reactions to bad things they did previously, that is how material nature works. See for example, sometimes you pinch Maharathi and remember that day nobody did anything, you were playing and you hit against the pillar, got a cut on the head and it started bleeding. That is how reactions come. Everybody has to face his or her

syamala2019-08-10T00:28:46+00:00August 10th, 2019|Categories: Karma, Kids Bhagavatam, Realizations|Tags: free of karma, goloka, holy name|

About syamala