Aim

To become familiar with the basic aspects of two Hindu epics.

Lesson

Begin by revising what was taught in the previous lesson about the Hare Krishna Movement. For them, the most important book in the world is a book called The Gita. The Gita is a conversation between Krishna and an Indian prince called Arunja. The Gita is a small part of a much bigger book called The Mahabharata. It was written about 2,500 years ago but is probably much older. It is the world's longest poem.

Share with children the story of the Mahabharata.

Activity

Following discussion, groups of children could:

• write an imaginary conversation between themselves and God.
• read and discuss the excerpt from The Gita.
• talk / write about what they would have done if they had been Arunja.
• look at a comic book version of the Gita and Mahabharata. This can be done online at http://www.freeindia.org/ack/mahabharat.shtml