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Contents1. Who am I ? 03
2. Your best frIend 14
3. joY of gIvIng 26
4. valuIng tIme 38
5. respeCtIng our mothers 50
6. staYIng healthY 61
7. festIvals of IndIa 74
8. learnIng to see good In others 86
74
Ravana represents the bad qualities (lust, anger, greed) in our hearts. Watching
Ravana killed, intelligent persons pray for Sri Ram to appear within their hearts to
kill the demon (of bad qualities) within.
1. For most of the children, festivals means a day of –
a. eating a lot of sweets b. relaxation c. family outing d. playing games.
Is there any other higher purpose of celebrating any festival? Discuss
2. List the names of any seven festivals and discuss their significance.
Let’s About ItT H I N K
chapter
7 FESTIVALS OF INDIA
Dussehra festival is celebrated as the time for victory of good over evil.
75
Let’s and LearnR E A D
Being a highly spiritual country, festivals are celebrated with great enthusiasm
and joy in India. Even the foreigners who arrive in India get overwhelmed after
watching the Indian festivals. In India, many festivals are celebrated and they
offer us a unique way of seeing Indian culture at its best.
Some important festivals with their meaning and significance in our lives are
discussed in this chapter.
Janmashtami Festival
The day when Lord Krishna took birth is called as Janmashtami festival. The word
Janmashtami means “birth on the eighth day,” because Krishna appeared on the
eighth day of the lunar, or moon, month.
This day falls in the month of August or
September. Every year Janmashtami
festival is celebrated by millions of people
every year all over the world. On this day
people take bath early in the morning and
wear new clothes. In temples the deities of
Krishna are decorated with beautiful
clothes, jewels, garlands, and flowers.
People visit the temples to see Krishna and
sing songs glorifying His activities. They read the teachings of Lord Krishna written
in the Scripture called the Bhagavad-gita. They also distribute these holy books to
everyone.At homes lot of sweets, savories, and festivals meals are prepared with
love and then offered to Lord Krishna. These foods are then shared and relished by
one and all. People visit their friends’ and relatives’ homes and exchange sweets and
good wishes. On this glorious day all people chant the holy names of Krishna for
bringing peace and happiness to everyone.
76
Christmas
Glorifying God by performing the congregational chanting of the Holy names.
The festival of Christmas is celebrated on the 25th of December every year all over the
world. It is celebrated to honor the birth of Jesus Christ.
Two thousand years ago, there lived a Roman Emperor called
Caesar Augustus. One day, the Emperor announced that he
wanted to count everyone (all Jews) living under their rule.
Everyone was asked to present himself in his hometown,
Bethlehem.
In the town of Nazareth, lived a Jewish couple named Joseph
and Mary. Since they were Jews, Joseph and Mary left for
Bethlehem late in the evening. The town was crowded with
visitors who also had come to register their names. All the
hotels were full. Mary and Joseph had to take shelter in a stable. On that cold silent wintry
night one could hear the bleating of the sheep, neighing of
the horses, and mooing of the cows present in the stable.
The shinning clear sky shone with a galaxy of stars. That
night Mary gave birth to a baby boy who was named Jesus.
She wrapped him up in swaddling clothes and laid him in a
manger. The nearby shepherds and all the people saw baby
Jesus and offered their gifts and prayers.
77
On Christmas Eve, church bells ring and Christmas carols are sung in praise of God
and his son, Jesus. The Christmas tree is decorated in homes. Presents are exchanged.
Christmas is celebrated as a festival of thanksgiving, peace, and universal brotherhood.
Jesus Christ said “Thou shall not kill,” so his birthday should
never be observed by killing innocent animals and birds.
Jesus was the son of God, who came to earth to
guide and show all human beings how to live
a life of truth and non-violence. His life and
teachings were recorded in the Holy Bible.
some oF his instruCtions (Commandments) are
To love the Lord thy God with thy whole heart, thy whole mind, and thy whole soul
(Love God more than you love anything else)
Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself
(Love all the living entities)
My Lord, hallowed be Thy name
(Glorify the Lord by chanting His names)
Thou shall not Steal
(Don’t encroach upon another’s property)
Thou shall not Kill
(Never hurt anyone)
Honor Thy Father and Thy Mother
(Love and respect your mother and father)
Thou Shalt Not Commit Adultery
(Don’t involve yourself in illicit relationships)
78
The Story Of Ramayan
Diwali - Festival Of Joy And Happiness
Story time
Thousands of years ago, in the city of Ayodhya, there was a wise and good king named
Dasarath who had three queens, one of the them, Kaikeyi, served the king very nicely,
and he therefore wanted to give her a benediction. Kaikeyi, however, said that she
would ask for the benediction when it was necessary. At the time of the coronation of
Prince Ramcandra, Kaikeyi requested her husband to enthrone her son Bharata and send
Ramcandra in exile to the forest for fourteen years. Helpless king, Dasarath, being bound
by his promise, ordered Ramcandra to go to the forest. And the Lord, as an obedient son,
accepted the order immediately. He left everything without hesitation and set off on foot
accompanied by His loving wife Sita and loyal younger brother, Lakshman. The grief-
stricken King Dasaratha soon died in separation from his beloved son, Ram.
Ram, Laxman and Sita wandering in the forest
79
Lord Ram constructing bridge over the ocean with the help of monkey soldiers
A few years into their exile, a demoness named Surpanakha saw Lord Ramchandra and fell
for his looks. She asked Lord Ramchandra to marry her. Lord Ramchandra refused and
asked her to go to Lakshman instead. But Lakshman also refused. Enraged, Surpanakha
showed her true form and Lakshman cut off her nose and ears.
The demoness went wailing to her brother who was none other than ten headed Ravan,
the demon King of Lanka. Ravan was furious and swore revenge. With the help of
another demon who took the form of a golden deer, he distracted Lord Ramchandra and
Lakshman and kidnapped Sita from their hut. When Lord Ramchandra and Lakshman
returned, Sita was missing! They realised that something wrong had happened while
they were gone and immediately rushed to find her.
After constructing a bridge over the ocean by throwing into the water the peaks of
mountains whose trees and other vegetation had been shaken by the hands of great
monkeys, Lord Ramcandra went to Lanka to release Sitadevi from the clutches of Ravana.
With the direction and help of Vibhishan, Ravana’s brother, the Lord, along with the
monkey soldiers, headed by Sugriva, Nila, and Hanuman, entered Ravana’s kingdom,
Lanka, which had previously been burnt by Hanuman.
80
Thus, after rebuking Ravana, Lord Ramcandra fixed an arrow to His bow, aimed at
Ravana, and released the arrow, which pierced Ravana’s heart like a thunderbolt. Upon
seeing this, Ravana’s followers raised a tumultuous sound, crying, “Alas! Alas! What has
happened? What has happened?” as Ravana, vomiting blood from his ten mouths, fell
from his airplane.
Lord Ram and Mother Sita then returned back to Ayodhya. The entire kingdom celebrated
the return of victorious and virtuous Ram, Sita, and Laxman as a Deepavali festival.
More than lakhs of years later, still Lord Ram is remembered and worshipped in India.
On this festival occasion all people clean their homes and decorate them nicely. All over
the country lamps are lit, and homes, shops, offices, streets are decorated, and fireworks
set off in honor of Lord Ram.
Lord Ramchandra is not a mythological figure, an ordinary person, or even a
very great human being. He is the Supreme Personality of Godhead—the source,
maintainer, and controller of uncountable universes. He assumed the form of a
human being and appeared as the son of King Dasaratha and queen Kausalaya
with a mission to destroy the demons and re-establish the principles of religion.
81
On this festival day people happily
embrace each other by saying “Id
Mubarak” meaning “Happy Id”.
Festival has many special benefits. It helps one to learn self-control. It also
helps to develop compassion for the less fortunate people and to learn to be
thankful and appreciative of God’s gifts to us. Fasting is also good for health.
Ramzan Id is one of the holy festivals of Muslims. According to Islamic tradition Prophet
Mohammed used to perform deep meditation sitting on Mount Hira and one day the
Holy Koran was revealed to Him.
Since the message of the Holy Koran was revealed
to Prophet Mohammed in the month of Ramadan,
this month is considered very auspicious. As a
mark of devotion to God and to show gratitute to
The Almighty, Mohammed asked his followers to
pass this month of Ramadan in fasting, prayers,
and other austerities. During this month all his
followers fast throughout the day and eat only at
night. At the end of this month they celebarte the holy festival of Ramzan Id.
ramzan id
Eid Mubarak
ALwAys REmEmbER
PRAyER IS NOT AN ESCAPE
FROM REALITy. IT IS AN
ESCAPE TO REALITy.
Prophet Mohammad (PBUH) taught the lessons of
compassion to all living beings, purification of the heart
by prayers, sharing the God given gifts with others, not
engaging in forbidden activities, respecting and visiting
holy places. The festival of Ramzan Id helps one to follow
his teachings of love and brotherhood for the entire world.
82
Let’s A N s w E R
1. solve the crossword by searching all these listed festivals.
Dussehra
Holi
Christmas
Baisakhi
EidRaksha Bandhan
JanmashtamiDeepawali
Lohri
J A N m A s H T A m I K b
E R E A b U T O N O N H A
H D E E P A W A L I T O I
E U s I T E O N T H E L s
L s Z Z L O H R I U P I A
E s O T H A T y O U C N K
R E I D b L I C D C y G H
C H R I s T m A s A T E I
I R L E L Z U P H s E R F
R A K s H A b A N D H A N
83
Mount Hira Prophet Mohammed
Happy Id Id Mubarak
5 years 1 year
b. On this festival day, people happily embrace each other by saying:
c. If Allah is to grant you 70 years of human life, and you prayed
(5 times, 25 minutes) everyday from the age of 10 years, then
how much time of your life, you will be giving to Allah?
2. Tick mark () the correct option (one or both may be correct).
a. The message of the Holy Koran was revealed to–
3. state whether the following statements are true or false.
a. Lord Ramchandra, who is an incarnation of Krishna, the
Supreme Personality of Godhead, was the king of the
whole world.
b. Deepawali festival is celebrated as the time of victory of
Lord Ramchandra over Ravan.
c. The festival of Christmas is celebrated to honor the birth
of Jesus Christ.
d. “Thou shall not kill,” means we should not kill or hurt
any human being, but we can kill animals to eat them.
e. Ramzan Id is one of the holy festivals of Muslims.
f. The day when Lord Krishna took birth is called as
Deepawali festival.
g. Festivals are meant to forget and forgive the ill feelings
towards others by sharing gifts and love with them.
84
4. Read and answer the following
the Festival oF dusshera
Very large images or effigies of Ravana and his demoniac brothers are placed
in vast open space. Devotees dressed as Ram, Sita and Lakshman arrive and
shoot arrows of fire at these effigies, which are stuffed with explosives. The
result is a deafening blast, made even louder by the shouts of happiness and
triumph from the devotees watching.
Ravana represents the bad qualities in our hearts. Watching
Ravana’s form burn, devotees pray for Sri Ram to appear
within their hearts and kill the demons within.
It is a celebration of victory of good over evil and divine power over demonic
forces. Vijaya Dashami is also known as Dasara which is derived from two
Sanskrit words – Dasha (ten) and Hara (defeat). Thus, this day marks the
victory of Lord Ramchandra over the ten-headed Ravana who had kidnapped
Mother Sita and was later killed by Lord Ram in a fierce battle.
Choose the appropriate word from the brackets and fill in the blanks.
a. Ravana was very advanced materially and had sufficient Vedic knowledge.
He was the son of a brahmana (priest). His only fault was that he did not
care for __________ (Health/Ram).
85
5. Following questions on bible are based on Ten Commandments.
Tick mark () the most appropriate option
1. Thou Shall not —
� Murder � Kill
� Name � Words
� Women & children � Father & Thy mother
� Perjury � Adultery
� Shout � Steal
2. My Lord, hallowed be Thy —
3. Honour Thy —
4. Thou shalt not commit —
5. Thou shall not —
b. Ravana wanted to enjoy Mother Sita without Lord Ram. Ravana repre-
sents the __________ (demoniac/divine) mentality of trying to sepa-
rately enjoy property of Lord Ram.
c. Fire is the symbol of purity, and so by burning the effigy of __________
(Ravana/Kamsa), we are burning the evil.
d. Just as Lord Ram could kill Ravana, similarly only Lord Ram can destroy
the __________ (good/bad) qualities in our hearts, which is our eternal
enemy.
e. The process of Bhakti is to always remember the Lord, to be His devotee,
to always worship Him, and to offer homage unto Him. Through this
process Lord Ram appears within our __________ (mind/heart) and with
His mighty arrows, He shoots right into the heart of Ravana and all his
heads and everything else falls and disappears from our life eternally.