!

The second morning of the workshop in Suttur, we began the day by visiting the nearby
JSS Mahavidyapeetha, where we had gone the previous evening. We were able to watch their
morning routine, vastly different than our usual morning routines. Children everywhere were
participating in a variety of activities, from morning prayers, to badminton, to volleyball/
throwball. In one section of the field, groups of children were lining up beside a set of equipment
consisting of two poles and two ropes hanging from a rod. One by one, children effortlessly
climbed the rope and pole, and began to hang in different yoga poses. We looked on, amazed by
the ease in which these elementary school children used a mere pole and rope to create
something so beautiful. This art, we learned, is known as Mallakamba. After ooing and aahing,
taking pictures and many videos for my Snapchat story, we continued on to the rest of the field.
We weaved through students playing various sports, until we were drawn towards the sound of
drums. As we approached the sound, we came upon a group of dancing children, dancing a folk
dance known as Veeragase. After a few minutes of watching, we decided to join them. After
spending a couple minutes dancing, we continued on. On the way back to our houses, Chinthan
made some friends, and convinced them to allow all of them to play kabadi too. So, we spent the
next ten minutes laughing at Chinthan, Sumanth, and Yash as they attempted to play kabadi with
kabadi state champs. We then made our way, finally, back home, to attend our yoga class. During
yoga, we focused mainly on different types of pranayama, from anuloma viloma to bhrAmari.
We then got ready for breakfast and the day of classes.

Mallakambha

Below is a compilation of the notes of the class on Understanding Hindu Dharma:

I.

Adhyathma
a. spirituality
b. the philosophy that the truth, heaven, is not outside of ourselves, rather, it is
within us
c. the same space which is within us is outside of us:
i. paramAtma: the cosmic energy outside of ourselves
ii. jIvAtma: cosmic energy within us, within the panchakosha
d. in order to manifest this jIvAtma, we must cleanse and purify our panchakosha
(refer to previous days notes)

II.

jnAna vs. vijnAna:

a. jnAna: knowledge
b. vijnAna: intuitive knowledge, depth of a subject
c. knowing the body vs knowing the soul

III.

amrutasya putrAH
a. in some religions, we are born sinners
b. in Sanatana Dharma, we are all amrutasya putrAH, children of God, with the
potential to be pure
c. sin is done by our muddy, uncultured mind/panchakosha
d. we are trapped in our panchakosha

IV.

Soul (sat-chit-Ananda)
a. sat: truth, existence, present and existing in everything
i. Sharmaji: that which exists, but is unaware of its existence
b. chit: wisdom, awareness, knowledge
i. Sharmaji: that which exists, and is aware of its existence
c. Ananda: bliss
i. Sharmaji: the entity of God, the realization of God

V.

The Cultural Diversity of Hinduism:

a. There is no framework on how to practice Hinduism; you take what you like and
practice that.
b. There are numerous ideas and concepts within Hinduism that contradict one
another or play off of one another. However, the main concept that is everprevalent throughout all of them, is the concept of sat-chit-ananda.
c. There are so many different stories, folk cultures, Gods, but all have the same
philosophy of sacchidAnanda

VI.

Chitta: memories

a. must attain chittashuddi, cleanse the chitta

b. everything we think of, experience, is put into the chitta and is always there
underneath the surface (subconscious), and must be purified
VII.

Idol worship
a. allows us to remember that God is present
b. we know that it is just a representation of God, not actually God, it is only there to
help us

VIII. ViraktiH vs. VivekaH

a. viraktiH: detachment
b. vivekaH: jnAnaH: the ability to connect with the truth
c. as long as we have vivekaH, we do not need a guru, we are our own guru
i. that being said, only few have vivekaH
IX.

Manifestation of ParamAtma

jIva

brahm
a

jagat

!
a. brahma: in the universe
b. jIva: within us, in life forms
c. jagat: in the world
X.

mAyA
a. manifests in 2 ways:

AvaraNa

vikshepa

To conceal the truth

To destroy the truth

b. the happiness we search for is within us, we must overcome maya to realize this
XI.

Types of mAyA

dehabhAva

Sukha dukha

KartrutvabhAva

bhoktrutvabhAva

We think we are only

the body

Controlled by our joys Feeling of I, I am

and sorrows
doing this

Partaking in the fruits

of action

a. we are stuck in this samsArachakra: cycle of life and death

XII.

The Four Yogas

a. Jnana
i. the path of self introspection through knowledge
ii. for anyone who has an honest probe into the truth, who is in constant
pursuit of knowledge, not stagnant
b. Karma
i. the path of service/work
ii. do your duty, kartvya, perfectly
iii. seva = service
iv. Ex/ Hanuman: didnt do his work in expectance of something in return,
did it all as his duty
c. Raja
i. the path of self mastery
ii. not anyone can do, very difficult
iii. ex/ yoga control over involuntary actions (blood flow, sleep, digestion,
breathing, etc.)
d. Bhakti
i. the path of devotion
e. we are all svatantra: we help each other but WE are the controllers of our destiny

Narada-Bhakti-Sutra
The Narada Bhakti Sutra is a sutra spoken by Sage Narada, on the topic of Bhakti Yoga. Arathi
Mahodaya used her book on Narada Bhakti Sutra to explain a few sutras to us.
Bhakti is a path which we can take in order to connect to the sat-chit-ananda, or
sacchidAnanda. Bhakti Yoga has many external attributes, external ways of worshipping God,
through song, dance, temple worship, etc. Although Bhakti Yoga is one of the most colorful, and
therefore one of the most popular forms of realizing sacchidAnanda, it is pertinent that a bhakta
have rich emotions. These rich emotions can then be used to focus our energies and emotions on
God, or on the soul. One way we can do this, is through japa. Japa consists of repeating a mantra
or name of a God continuously in ones mind, keeping the mind focused while having Gods
name and the thought of God constantly in the back of ones mind. Another way is through the
pancha upachara pooja, symbolic of the pancha-koshas, addressing each of the koshas. However,
we perform pooja, sing bhajans, or display our bhakti in any way, it is important to perform it
with the thought of doing it for no one but your own self, for your own God. For example, often,
we sing bhajans with the thought of impressing those around us, or worrying about how we
sound, or if we sound good or not. As a bhakta, one must learn to be truptaH content in
whatever situation we are in, as Ramakrishna Paramahamsa was during his final years of life,
happy even with throat cancer. We must realize that we are amrutasya putrAH, children of God,

have all of the Godly qualities within us, and thus, must be nadvesthi, not comparing ourselves
with anyone else, and nirbhaya, fearless. Our tendency to compare ourselves with others stems
from mAyA, pushing us to compare ourselves with others, and resulting in a superiority or
inferiority complex. Once we realize that God is in everything, including ourselves, we will be
able to prevent ourselves from doing so.
When practicing Bhakti Yoga, we tend to define Bhakti, praying to God, in two different
ways. One way, is offering oneself to God. One loves God for the sake of loving God, without
any desire of a personal favor. The second, involves praying in order to get a personal gain, a
material result from God in return for the prayer. The former, obviously, is the correct form of
prayer. It is important to not use God as a means to an end, but rather to use God as the end.
We then had a short class of a general India quiz, which consisted of freedom fighters,
places in India, characters in different epics, etc. As a prize for each answer correct, we got a
coffee candy.
Following this class session, we spent the rest of the day sight-seeing. First, we arrived
at a museum near Hale Matha. Here, we were led by an ultra-enthusiastic guide, who was eager
to show and explain every detail of every artifact. We saw kitchen items, chariots, folk dance
wear, coins, weaponry, candles, among a variety of artifacts. One artifact held an amusing
backstory, translated by Chinthan: it was a small table that would rattle when shaken. The story
goes that the table was used when the son-in-law went alone to his mother-in-laws house. When
sitting down to eat, he would be too afraid to call for her when he needed something to eat. So,
he would shake the table to let her know he needed something. Before departing from the
museum, we all wanted to write in the guest book, and decided to let Chinthan represent us with
his Kannada skills (although I had to assist in his writing skills). We then went to Hale Matha,
where we witnessed beautiful architecture. On the ground floor, was the temple, with the
Shivalinga. As we walked up the steps to the upper floor, we saw a well, and continued to the
next floor. There, we were able to walk into the same meeting room used when Prime Minister
Modi had come for the centenary celebrations of Jagadguru Sri Shivarathri Rajendra
Mahaswamiji. Arathi Mahodaya then named and explained to us the stories behind the many
reliefs that we passed by.
Shri Shivaratrishwara Swamiji (Shri Shivaratri Shivayogi)

!
Bottom-Yediyur Siddalingeswara: He was in penance for years together without taking any food
or water. His only source of food or water was a cow that would provide milk for him from
above. He is known for curing and healing numerous people, regardless of caste or creed
Top-Malai Mahadeswara: Believed to be an incarnation of Shiva, he came to Male
Mahadeshwara Hills on a Huli Vahana, a tiger, and performed many miraculous acts for the
people living there.

!
Akka Mahadevi: Akka Mahadevi was known for wearing no clothing and long hair, depicted
with her long hair covering her body. She was an incredibly knowledgeable woman, known for
participating in widely held debates. Once, she was asked if she felt embarrassed, traveling with
no clothes. Her response was that she considered Shiva, God, to be her husband. Thus, if all
people are Shivas children, then all people are also her children; why should she feel immodest

with her children?

!
We then returned home, conducted a feedback session in which we all spoke about our favorite
parts of the last 2 days (including the food!), and packed frantically in order to get ready for
Vamanjoor. !!!!!
To end, here are two sayings Arathi Mahodaya had quoted during one of her classes, which I
really liked: When one door of happiness closes, another opens; but often we look so long at
the closed door that we do not see the one which has been opened for us. Helen Keller
We go to school to gain information or inspiration, but real knowledge is from within and
cannot be forced.