Parikrama class

Every week I have the 7^th and 8^th graders together for a three hour block for studying Sastra (vedic scriptures). At times, most of the class becomes a bit restless and need a change of scenery. It is especially difficult for kids this age to focus on one subject for such an extended amount of time. However due to scheduling conflicts it is necessary to have the several shastra classes grouped together to make one large block of class time. I mentioned this to the assistant principal Sucih Prabhu and he had a fabulous solution to the problem.

Vaishnava devotees around the world are constantly discussing the activities of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu and his associates which took place here in Mayapura over five centuries ago. Indeed this land of Mayapura is worshipped all over the world because of these dynamic pastimes. As residents of this holy land we have the ability to personally visit these sacred places. While it is true that one needs to have a purified heart in order to see the wholly transcendental nature of these places, by praying to the Lord and hearing from His great devotees we can achieve a glimpse of their glory.

Yesterday we all (7 of us) rode our bicycles to the village Baman-Pukkur. This is the village where Nimai used to buy bananas from Kholeveca Sridhar. Sridhar was a very poor banana seller who was constantly chanting the names of the Lord in great ecstasy. Nimai told Sridhar the one day he would reveal the great wealth of Sridhar to the world. Sridhar replied that he had hardly any money, but Nimai was referring to his wealth of devotion which invoked great ecstasy in Sridhar.

In Bamman Pukur we went to the Samadhi of Chand Kazi. 500 years ago the Chand Kazi, despite being an Islamic priest, proclaimed that all of the devotees could chant the maha-mantra whenever and wherever they wanted to in his kingdom. To this day there is very nice relations between the Muslims and the "Hindus" or Vaisnavas.

Next week we will take a boat to the island of Godrumadvipa and visit the house of the great saint Bhaktivinode Thakur. We will also visit Surabhi kunja which is also known as the "marketplace for the Holy name" where love of the Supreme Personality of Godhead Krishna is given away simply for the price of one's faith. We will bring all of our savings!

Misaya

 

When I first started teaching at the international school here in Mayapur, West Bengal I noticed that the students were calling me by some unusual name. At first I just thought that it was a mistake and the student had absentmindedly referred to me as someone else. However in the next class two other students called me by the same name…misaya. So I asked in a confused tone, "what did you call me?"

Misaya

Who is that?

Oh, misaya, that is the Bengali name for teacher.

So by the inconceivable mercy of the Lord I have been placed in the position of teacher. It is a service and occupation that I feel my psychophysical nature is most suited. I feel especially grateful to be able to help facilitate the spiritual and academic growth of the students here. The classes that I teach are as follows:

Thinking Skills grade 11-12: I finally get to use my philosophy degree here! In this class we discuss critical thinking and problem solving skills. The critical thinking component consists of understanding common patterns of arguments, how to detect fallacies in arguments, and how to express your ideas clearly. The problem solving section deals with gathering and synthesizing information from graphs, pictures, tables, and prose in order to solve a particular problem.

Geography grades 7-8 and grades 9-10: We study population info, urban and rural settlements, resources, employment sectors a in addition to many other geological subjects. Presently we are looking at the relationship between available resources in relation to development. Particularly we are looking how the availability of cheap oil and abundance of cars affect developments.

History grades 7-8: We are focusing on ancient , medieval and modern Indian history. I am used to teaching history with an USA-centered view so it is interesting teaching history from the India centered view.

Math grades 7-8: At present we are studying measurement of angles.

Sastra (scripture) grades 7-8, grades 9-10, and grades 11-12: In the younger class we are studying the history of Vaisnava saints and their unique contribution to our Gaudiya Vaishnav movement. In the other two classes we are studying Nectar of Devotion (Bhakti Rasmrita Sindhu). We are looking at the progression of spiritual awakening from little faith to the fully realized state of ecstatic devotion and realization of the Lord. The student are doing a project where they have to depict some of the activities required for spiritual growth in a colored drawing and a photograph. Each student gets 3 or 4 of the 64 principles of devotional growth to portray.

I am given sufficient time in the day to prepare lessons so that in the evening we can attend the evening kirtan in the temple.

Fun Fun Fun.