In Episode 34, we look at rituals in Hinduism, in a conversation with Shri PVR Narasimha Rao. The English word ritual does not really capture the sense of sacred or meaningful action that is the core of Hinduism. What is the purpose of Sadhana? What place does it hold in Sanatana Dharma? What do the shastras say?

We also touch on the “religious vs. spiritual” debate and understand the importance of both ritual and meditation. How do they help people in living a good life and finally, put them on the path to Moksha?

Shri Rao expounds on the different types of sadhanas in Hinduism which are based on the five elements. How do they differ? Are pranayama and homa/havan the same in principle?

This podcast will give you a deep understanding of Hinduism and the place of rituals (the better word is Sadhana!) Listen till the end for a special message on introducing rituals to children.

Shri PVR Narasimha Rao has BTech from IIT Madra and a Masters from Rice University, USA. He is a senior manager at a US semiconductor company. He is a Jyotish researcher, author, teacher and created a popular free Jyotish software. He is also a Sanskrit scholar, philosopher and teaches homa and other ritiuals. You can find more about his work on teaching homa and other simple rituals at vedicastrolger.org

Note: If you find our work valuable, please consider making a contribution. It will help us cover the costs of reaching many more Hindu parents. If you live in India, please write to [email protected] to get the QR code. All others outside India can use the substack platform (through Stripe).

Contents of the podcast:

0:00 - Introduction

1:38 - Ritual, Karma, Sadhana, Meditation

20:22 - Types of Sadhana

32:48 - Fear of making a mistake

38:14 - Is Adhikara necessary?

43:05 - Learning how to perform Pooja/Havan

45:37 - Personal Pooja Apparatus

51:33 - Schedule/timing prescribed by Shastras

55:47 - Following Rituals in both letter and spirit

1:04:14 - Advice for parents

1:10:34 - Do It Yourself Info from Speaker

1:13:55 - Hindu Parenting Platform Info

General Information:

Subscribers are requested to look for The Hindu Parenting notification emails for new podcasts/posts in their email promotions/spam tab and personally move these into the main inbox. Thereafter all posts will be delivered to their main inbox. Thank you!

For questions that you’d like us to address, please use the form below:

Hindu Parenting Questions

For comments and suggestions, please use the comments tab or write to us at [email protected]

Please note that questions will not be answered on email.

Do subscribe to our substack and follow us on our social media handles

Twitter: hinduparenting

Instagram: hinduparenting

Telegram: t.me/hinduparenting

Threads: hinduparenting

Facebook: facebook.com/hinduparenting

Facebook group: facebook.com/groups/hinduparenting

Koo: hinduparenting

The opinions expressed by guests on The Hindu Parenting Podcast are their personal opinions and Hindu Parenting does not assume any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, completeness, suitability or validity of anything shared on our platform by them. Copyright belongs to Hindu Parenting.

This episode features Shri Ramakrishna Kongalla, a researcher on temples and the Asst. Prof. at the Department of Travel and Tourism Management.

Shri Kongalla brings his expertise in understanding temples to help us decode the beautiful stories that temples tell. What is the dhvajasthambam? Are there regional variations in temple styles? What do we need to know in order to decipher the sculpture on the temple walls? What is the order of things to do in a temple?

We hope parents will use this conversation to help children understand and appreciate the profound yet simple meanings behind everything related to the Devasthanam i.e. the Hindu temple.

Please listen till the end for a message especially meant for today’s parents and children!

Chapters in this episode:

0:00 - Introduction

1:01 - Is “Temple” the right word for Bharateeya Devalayas?

4:14 - Where should a Devalaya be located?

8:09 - Difference between Temple and Devalayam

10:25 - What are the different components of a Devalaya?

19:19 - Two styles of Construction

22:36 - Types of Mandapas

23:48 - Story of Dvaja Stambham (Highlight)

30:16 - Meanings of Devalaya Carvings

39:57 - KirtiMukha (Lion face) in Devalaya (Highlight)

46:25 - Yali or Vyala representative of Purusharthas

52:23 - What to do in Devalaya?

1:04:13 - Message for Hindu Parents

1:06:07 - Plan for another podcast with the speaker

1:07:30 - Additional Info and Pictures are available

1:08:00 - Hindu Parenting Platform Info

Here are some beautiful images shared by Shri Ramakrishna Kongalla to aid in the understanding of the concepts explained in this episode.

Note: If you find our work valuable, please consider making a contribution. It will help us cover the costs of reaching many more Hindu parents through sponsorship of events and on social media. If you live in India, please reach out to [email protected] to get the QR code. All others outside India can use the substack platform (through Stripe) itself.

General Information:

Subscribers are requested to look for The Hindu Parenting notification emails for new podcasts/posts in their email promotions/spam tab and personally move these into the main inbox. Thereafter all posts will be delivered to their main inbox. Thank you!

For questions that you’d like us to address, please use the form below:

Hindu Parenting Questions

For comments and suggestions, please use the comments tab or write to us at [email protected]

Please note that questions will not be answered on email.

Do subscribe to our substack and follow us on our social media handles

Twitter: hinduparenting

Instagram: hinduparenting

Telegram: t.me/hinduparenting

Threads: hinduparenting

Facebook: facebook.com/hinduparenting

Facebook group: facebook.com/groups/hinduparenting

Koo: hinduparenting

Copyright belongs to Hindu Parenting.

In this episode on Hindu festivals, we converse with Monidipa Bose about Durga Puja as it is celebrated in Bengal. Monidipa Bose writes about history and heritage. She traces the history of Matrika worship and the rituals followed in Bengal.

Listen to this podcast for everything you wanted to know about Durga Puja, including the different forms of the Devi worshipped each day, the colours associated with each deity, the traditions specific to Bengal and the great tradition of worshipping the Divine Feminine in Bharat.

You can find more about Monidipa Bose here.

General Information:

Subscribers are requested to look for The Hindu Parenting notification emails for new podcasts/posts in their email promotions/spam tab and personally move these into the main inbox. Thereafter all posts will be delivered to their main inbox. Thank you!

For questions that you’d like us to address, please use the form below:

Hindu Parenting Questions

For comments and suggestions, please use the comments tab or write to us at [email protected]

Please note that questions will not be answered on email.

Do subscribe to our substack and follow us on our social media handles

Twitter: hinduparenting

Instagram: hinduparenting

Telegram: t.me/hinduparenting

Threads: hinduparenting

Facebook: facebook.com/hinduparenting

Facebook group: facebook.com/groups/hinduparenting

Koo: hinduparenting

The opinions expressed by guests on The Hindu Parenting Podcast are their personal opinions and Hindu Parenting does not assume any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, completeness, suitability or validity of anything shared on our platform by them.

Copyright belongs to Hindu Parenting.

In this episode, we talk to the concept creators behind a global initiative called the International Bindi & Tilak Day, celebrated on October 15 every year. Listen to their story and vision.

We need these rallying points to enthuse young people and build a mass movement.

Every movement starts with a spark. Let this be the spark we need to reclaim and wear our Hindu identity with pride. Make Hindu culture cool and aspirational!

The goals of the creators are to:

Promote Hindu Unity through Bindi & Tilak

Encourage Hindus Worldwide to Sport Bindi & Tilak

Make Hindu Identity an Accepted Norm

Let’s all stand behind this initiative to forge a strong and collective Hindu identity.

Please encourage everyone to use the hashtag #InternationalBindiAndTilakDay to trend pictures of people, pets or loved things with bindi/tilak on social media.

General Information:

Subscribers are requested to look for The Hindu Parenting notification emails for new podcasts/posts in their email promotions/spam tab and personally move these into the main inbox. Thereafter all posts will be delivered to their main inbox. Thank you!

For questions that you’d like us to address, please use the form below:

Hindu Parenting Questions

For comments and suggestions, please use the comments tab or write to us at [email protected]

Please note that questions will not be answered on email.

Do subscribe to our substack and follow us on our social media handles

Twitter: hinduparenting

Instagram: hinduparenting

Telegram: t.me/hinduparenting

Threads: hinduparenting

Facebook: facebook.com/hinduparenting

Facebook group: facebook.com/groups/hinduparenting

Koo: hinduparenting

The opinions expressed by guests on The Hindu Parenting Podcast are their personal opinions and Hindu Parenting does not assume any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, completeness, suitability or validity of anything shared on our platform by them.

Copyright belongs to Hindu Parenting.

This podcast is a conversation with Prof. Vamsee Juluri who teaches Media Studies at the University of San Francisco. We address the challenge of communicating with young people and children who are being told by everyone and everything around them that Hinduism is regressive, patriarchal and casteist.

Prof. Juluri brings his vast experience in analysing media and the nature of modern communication to make us aware of the forces at play. He takes a recent example in the news to demonstrate the use of precise and effective communication rather than fall back thoughtlessly on dismissive phrases we hear on social media (buzzwords like leftist, woke, right-wing, Marxism etc). He explains to us how words are not just tools we use, but forces which end up using us, if we are not careful.

Once we know what we are up against, what can we do? Can we learn communication skills? We must look to preserve intergenerational bonds, and be open to learning.

For more on what we can do, listen to the full podcast in which Professor Juluri shares his unique insight into communication within families and the road ahead.

General Information:

Subscribers are requested to look for The Hindu Parenting notification emails for new podcasts/posts in their email promotions/spam tab and personally move these into the main inbox. Thereafter all posts will be delivered to their main inbox. Thank you!

For questions that you’d like us to address, please use the form below:

Hindu Parenting Questions

For comments and suggestions, please use the comments tab or write to us at [email protected]

Please note that questions will not be answered on email.

Do subscribe to our substack and follow us on our social media handles

Twitter: hinduparenting

Instagram: hinduparenting

Telegram: t.me/hinduparenting

Threads: hinduparenting

Facebook: facebook.com/hinduparenting

Facebook group: facebook.com/groups/hinduparenting

Koo: hinduparenting

The opinions expressed by guests on The Hindu Parenting Podcast are their personal opinions and Hindu Parenting does not assume any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, completeness, suitability or validity of anything shared on our platform by them.

Copyright belongs to Hindu Parenting.

In this podcast, we talk to Abhinav Kadambi & Krishna Rajaganesan - Founders of a Bharatiya strength training startup - about the important but neglected area of physical fitness & strength training, from a Bharatiya POV.

What’s the relevance of physical strength & kshaatra for parents? Hear all about mugdar, gadaa (mace), kusti (wrestling).

How is the Bharatiya method different from modern gymming? (It is holistic and develops the body, mind, emotions & spirit). There is a diet component and the whole system of training is personalised. There’s also the common thread of the sacred running through all our art forms, making bala-sadhana also a part of self-transcendence eventually.

How can you train? (Krishna & Abhinav will walk you through the steps, no matter what your age & profession). Workshops are available for specific groups like Bharatanatyam dancers too.

Listen to this interesting conversation on how the fabled Hindu physical prowess is all but forgotten by its descendants today and what we can do to revive it. Please be sure to read about ancient Hindu warriors here.

Please support these two young men and their startup by committing to train the Bharatiya way. You can help build a community by getting more people into akhadas.

What can you do? Follow “MugdarMonk” and “abhinavk17” on Instagram. Gather a bunch of like-minded people and contact “MugdarMonk” for workshops in your location. Kindly spread the word and share this podcast with your friends and family.

General Information:

Subscribers are requested to look for The Hindu Parenting notification emails for new podcasts/posts in their email promotions/spam tab and personally move these into the main inbox. Thereafter all posts will be delivered to their main inbox. Thank you!

For questions that you’d like us to address, please use the form below:

Hindu Parenting Questions

For comments and suggestions, please use the comments tab or write to us at [email protected]

Please note that questions will not be answered on email.

Do subscribe to our substack and follow us on our social media handles

Twitter: hinduparenting

Instagram: hinduparenting

Telegram: t.me/hinduparenting

Facebook: facebook.com/hinduparenting

Facebook group: facebook.com/groups/hinduparenting

Koo: hinduparenting

The opinions expressed by guests on The Hindu Parenting Podcast are their personal opinions and Hindu Parenting does not assume any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, completeness, suitability or validity of anything shared on our platform by them.

Copyright belongs to Hindu Parenting.

Vinayaka Chaturthi is one of the most important festivals for Hindus and especially loved by children. In this podcast, we converse with Dr. Arathi V.B., Founder and Chairperson of Vibhu Academy. We cover a lot of topics, including the importance of the festival, how it is celebrated, what is the concept and meaning behind it.

This podcast delves into the essence of Sanathana Dharma, the Agamas, Gowri-Ganesha habba as an amalgam of folk and agamic traditions, what is the difference between a vrata and an utsava, the history of sarvajanik Ganeshotsav celebrations and the way forward with respect to imparting knowledge of Hinduism and traditions to children.

Dr. Arathi is a Samskrit scholar, an orator, writer, trainer and counsellor. Her contributions are well known in the fields of Academic research, Softskills Training, Mentoring, Samskrtam, Aesthetics, Indian classical arts & Indological subjects. She has more than 20 years of experience in all these domains and has handled hundreds of Softskills Training programmes and Courses on Samskrtam and Indology for Indian and foreign students. She is also a Lay counselor and a popular resource person with TV and Radio channels and print media. She has travelled within and outside the country as a Trainer and cultural ambassador.

Please listen and share widely as a service to the Hindu community. Subscribe to us and follow us on the social media channel of your choice. Our handle everywhere is hinduparenting. Please reach out to us with your suggestions and let us help you in the important job of raising happy Hindu children.

General Information:

Subscribers are requested to look for The Hindu Parenting notification emails for new podcasts/posts in their email promotions/spam tab and personally move these into the main inbox. Thereafter all posts will be delivered to their main inbox. Thank you!

For questions that you’d like us to address, please use the form below:

Hindu Parenting Questions

For comments and suggestions, please use the comments tab or write to us at [email protected]

Please note that questions will not be answered on email.

Do subscribe to our substack and follow us on our social media handles

Twitter: hinduparenting

Instagram: hinduparenting

Telegram: t.me/hinduparenting

Facebook: facebook.com/hinduparenting

Facebook group: facebook.com/groups/hinduparenting

Koo: hinduparenting

The opinions expressed by guests on The Hindu Parenting Podcast are their personal opinions and Hindu Parenting does not assume any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, completeness, suitability or validity of anything shared on our platform by them.

Copyright belongs to Hindu Parenting.

In this podcast, we talk with Shri R.B. Ramesh, internationally renowned chess coach and trainer of many successful youngsters like R. Praggnanandhaa. He is the founder of Chess Gurukul, a chess coaching academy.

The Dronacharya Series is our humble tribute to the great gurus of our tradition. For young (and not-so-young) parents, the greatest learning comes from the teachers who motivate and inspire children to excel.

How does Shri Ramesh train children to work hard & do their best, to deal with wins and losses, to face Grandmasters with intimidating reputations? Why is his training centre called Chess Gurukul? What can we learn from him?

What is his message to parents and to the Bharatiya youth of today? Please listen to this podcast and share!

General Information:

Subscribers are requested to look for The Hindu Parenting notification emails for new podcasts/posts in their email promotions/spam tab and personally move these into the main inbox. Thereafter all posts will be delivered to their main inbox. Thank you!

For questions that you’d like us to address, please use the form below:

Hindu Parenting Questions

For comments and suggestions, please use the comments tab or write to us at [email protected]

Please note that questions will not be answered on email.

Do subscribe to our substack and follow us on our social media handles

Twitter: hinduparenting

Instagram: hinduparenting

Telegram: t.me/hinduparenting

Facebook: facebook.com/hinduparenting

Facebook group: facebook.com/groups/hinduparenting

Koo: hinduparenting

The opinions expressed by guests on The Hindu Parenting Podcast are their personal opinions and Hindu Parenting does not assume any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, completeness, suitability or validity of anything shared on our platform by them.

Copyright belongs to Hindu Parenting.

Festivals and rituals are at the heart of Hinduism. The sheer number, colour, grandeur, meaningfulness, regional variations and wide variety in its festivals make Hinduism unique and exciting for young people.

In this podcast, we have a fun conversation with Neha Srivastava, the founder of Shaktitva Foundation about the festival of Raksha Bandhan. We start with the details of when and how it is celebrated in the Uttar Pradesh tradition.

Hear the story of its origins, and let your children learn to distinguish between real and fake stories. In today’s world, all Hindu festivals are being interpreted using a Marxist or feminist lens. How does this apply to Raksha Bandhan? Listen as Neha Srivastava explains all the issues around it, and how the beauty of a Hindu festival is timeless, no matter how much academicians try to twist and distort it.

Do you wish your children knew the actual history and story about Raksha Bandhan, so that they can fight back with facts?

We recommend this podcast especially for parents with young daughters. Shaktitva Foundation has come out with a contemporary comic strip to explain Raksha Bandhan to the youth of today. Show this easy-to-read comic strip version of the facts surrounding Raksha Bandhan to your children.

Listen to this podcast and share with young Hindus, whether they are parents or not!

General Information:

Subscribers are requested to look for The Hindu Parenting notification emails for new podcasts/posts in their email promotions/spam tab and personally move these into the main inbox. Thereafter all posts will be delivered to their main inbox. Thank you!

For questions that you’d like us to address, please use the form below:

Hindu Parenting Questions

For comments and suggestions, please use the comments tab or write to us at [email protected]

Please note that questions will not be answered on email.

Do subscribe to our substack and follow us on our social media handles

Twitter: hinduparenting

Instagram: hinduparenting

Telegram: t.me/hinduparenting

Facebook: facebook.com/hinduparenting

Facebook group: facebook.com/groups/hinduparenting

Koo: hinduparenting

The opinions expressed by guests on The Hindu Parenting Podcast are their personal opinions and Hindu Parenting does not assume any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, completeness, suitability or validity of anything shared on our platform by them.

Copyright belongs to Hindu Parenting.

In this podcast, we focus on a young startup called Indic Bricks that aims to make our heritage cool while helping kids develop creative & 3D spatial skills; train kids in STEM & robotics while giving them confidence and rootedness.

Just as our kids read western fantasy, they also play with western or Japanese toys & comics (think Marvel, Barbie, Manga, Pokémon etc). An interest in our heritage starts with the toy box. What if kids had Indian toys like blocks to build temples with or model yogasanas?

Blocks are a great favourite with adults too! Imagine having a fun yoga pose on your desk at work! Indian-themed blocks also connect grandparents with kids (say while building a Ganesha & telling fun stories..)

Please listen and share with all!

Indic Bricks is offering a special discount on all products exclusively for the subscribers of Hindu Parenting on Substack.

Please avail of the discount code HIPA10 valid till October 31st.

The discount code is available only to subscribers of Hindu Parenting. So, all those who want to avail of the discount - if you are not yet subscribed to us, please do so at the earliest!

Listen to the full podcast to find out about upcoming new blocks sets, especially a big limited-edition collector’s item to be released during the opening of the Shri Ram temple in Ayodhya.

To browse the store, visit Indic Bricks at indicbricks.com

Indic Bricks products are also available on Amazon.

General Information:

Subscribers are requested to look for The Hindu Parenting notification emails for new podcasts/posts in their email promotions/spam tab and personally move these into the main inbox. Thereafter all posts will be delivered to their main inbox. Thank you!

For questions that you’d like us to address, please use the form below:

Hindu Parenting Questions

For comments and suggestions, please use the comments tab or write to us at [email protected]

Please note that questions will not be answered on email.

Do subscribe to our substack and follow us on our social media handles

Twitter: hinduparenting

Instagram: hinduparenting

Telegram: t.me/hinduparenting

Facebook: facebook.com/hinduparenting

Facebook group: facebook.com/groups/hinduparenting

Koo: hinduparenting

The opinions expressed by guests on The Hindu Parenting Podcast are their personal opinions and Hindu Parenting does not assume any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, completeness, suitability or validity of anything shared on our platform by them.

Copyright belongs to Hindu Parenting

.