Aim

To become familiar with the practice and purpose of puja.
To consider 'worship' in their own lives.

Preparation

Before the lesson obtain a puja set and/or copy of A Gift to the Child.

Lesson

Begin by discussing 'worship'.

Who do the children worship? What form does this worship take? What about Christians? Who do they worship and how?

Hindu gods are worshipped not for themselves, but as symbols of Brahman. The Hindu act of worship is called 'puja' and is performed every day before a shrine either at home or in a temple. Discuss shrines. What are they? Are they to be found only in Hinduism?

Depending on availability of resources, do one of the following.

If puja set and A Gift to the Child materials are available, follow sessions three and four of the topic Teaching about Ganesha.

If only A Gift to the Child material is available, follow session three.

If only puja set is available, introduce items individually, beginning with the tray.

If neither puja set or A Gift to the Child is available, invite a Hindu into school to perform puja, obtain images or video.

Following discussion, invite children, either in groups or individually, to design their own shrines, dedicated to those whom they worship. Shrines may also be dedicated to broad areas of interest such as animals, nature, sport, cars in preference to particular individuals or specific groups.

At the beginning of each week, a group of children could be invited to construct their shrine, which would be kept on display for the remainder of that week.

Teachers' Notes

A visit from a representative of the Hindu faith, either a member of the clergy or the laity, should greatly enhance learning about worship.

The second half of this topic focuses on Krishna and the concept of bhakti (love and devotion to the Divine). I have omitted the lesson on hatha yoga as many teachers expressed an unwillingness to involve the children in a practical yoga session.