orientation to readings
& unit 4 reading guide

BRING PRINTED COPY of WORKSHEET FOR
Unit 3 **Source Analysis**
(PDF | MS Word)
OR **Observation Report**
(PDF/MS Word)
@ beginning of class
on **Tuesday**

SUBMIT FINAL PRODUCT
(in Assignments tab of SacCT)
by **SUNDAY 4/22, midnight**)

LOCATE details re: assigned TERMS & EXCERPTS in primary sources:

• "Angirasa," from the Mahabharata (RDR, 152-64)
• "Karttikeya," from the Vamana Purana (RDR,165-66 )
• Devi Mahatmya 5-13, from the Markandeya Purana (RDR, 167-89)
• "Sili Sat," from Hindu Festivals in a North Indian Village (on-line, 2.5 MB)

LOCATE additional details re: assigned TERMS in EGHT:

• "Belief & Reflection" & "Dimensions & Layers"
  (on the "Essential Elements of Religious Life" page of this syllabus)
• EGHT, 32-36, 54-59 + anything else you haven't read yet!

VIEW/BROWSE images related to terms & sources:
"Artistic Depictions of Hindu Goddesses " (on-line PPT)
[if unable to view, download & install PowerPoint Viewer (PC/Mac)]

TRA #4

discussion of mini
application exercise 4

BRING PRINTED COPY of
Unit 3 *Source Analysis* OR
*Observation Report*
@ beginning of class

(same as above)

PREPARE & BRING 100-150 word RESPONSE:

“Which period of Hindu history (see EGHT, 67) is most essential for understanding hot season festivals as they survive in India today (see EGHT, 34-35 & ask students who saw related celebrations in Sacramento), & WHY?”

A. Harrapan & early Vedic culture (p.37-39)

B. the broader story of the Mahabharata (p.11, 43-44)

C. composition of the Puranas (p.12, 47)

D. the emergence of "Hinduism" & other syncretic Hindu movements (p.53-57)

IMPORTANT: Include at least one sentences comparing your choice to each of the others (three sentences total).

application exercise 4a

REVIEW IN DEPTH:

• "Angirasa," from the Mahabharata (RDR, 152-64)
• "Karttikeya," from the Vamana Purana (RDR,165-66 )
  

PREPARE NOTES addressing the following focus:

As hinted by terms highlighted in the study guide, the stories of Skanda's birth told in the Mahabharata & the Vamana Purana capture the reflection of storytellers who were probably seeking to heighten engagement in some kind of pre-existing practice:

• the eclipse on Sunrise Peak and the birth of an embryo from a god's discarded seed (RDR, 155-57 & 165-66);
• various deities, spirits & "Mothers" first battling with and then seeking protection from Skanda (RDR, 157-61 & 166); and
• Skanda adopted by Shiva, placed in charge of his army, and defeating a mysterious host of demons headed by Mahisha or "Buffalo" (RDR, 162-66).

For EACH of these THREE options, identify a set of related characters, events, objects, words, time(s), &/or locale(s) that provide some clue(s) about a practice (actions, words, &/or objects) with which the storyteller may have been seeking to heighten engagement.

application exercise 4b

**LAST DAY to turn in
Observation Report Addendum**
(only if indicatd in comments)

REVIEW IN DEPTH:

• Devi Mahatmya 5-13, from the Markandeya Purana (RDR, 167-89)

PREPARE NOTES addressing the following focus:

The Devi Mahatmya captures the reflection of storytellers who were probably seeking to heighten engagement in the kind of practice depicted at the end of the story (13.5-9) by:

• modeling terms of praise for the goddess;
• describing in concrete terms the invisible Goddess's power over unseen demonic forces;
• nurturing trust in the Goddess's promise to appear when needed; and
• reminding worshipers of the goal of intensive, long term practices such as fasting and self-mortification.

For each of these four ways of heightening engagement, identify a set of related characters, events, objects, words, time(s), &/or locale(s) in the story that would produce such engagement.

application exercise 4c

REVIEW IN DEPTH:

• "Sili Sat," from Hindu Festivals in a North Indian Village (on-line, 2.5 MB)
• selected students' Observation Reports: honoring Durga, Karttikeya & the planets
  (download from the Learning Modules tab in SacCT)
  

PREPARE NOTES addressing the following focus:

The reports of worship in North India (@ Shanti Nagar) and Sacramento (@Laxmi Narayana & Siddhi Vinayaka Temples) provide glimpses of worshippers using reflection to heighten engagement in practice by:

• focusing on the meaning of recited words & ritual gestures;
• envisioning the supernatural powers & cosmic forces being influenced;
• recalling the underlying long term goal(s) of practice; and
• nurturing trust in the unseen, the practice &/or the community.

For EACH of the THREE assigned sources, identify thoughts & feelings of participants that show at least TWO of the types of engagement listed above--a total of SIX examples. (Make sure to specify objects, actions, recited words & details of the space in describing the practice being heightened.)

final TRA

LOCATE details re: students' Source Analyses & Observation Reports
(posted under Learning Modules tab on SacCT)

final application exercise

--> based on **4-5 pages of formal notes
for the final application exercise**

NOTE: these will be scored out of 50 points, ADDED to the team ApEx score; see instructions in next column.

SUBMIT WORKSHEET
(in Assignments tab of SacCT)
for Unit 4 **Source Analysis**
(PDF | MS Word)
OR **Observation Report**
(PDF/MS Word)
by **FRIDAY 5/11, midnight**

REVIEW IN DEPTH:

TRA #1-4 & selected Observation Reports & Source Analyses posted on SacCT

PREPARE FORMAL NOTES ( 4-5 pages typed, complete sentences) addressing the following focus:

"This culminating exercise asks you to consider together the daily worship considered in Unit 1 and the major celebrations studied in Units 2-4, all of which show practice and reflection shaping each other.

Unit 1: Daily/Monthly Puja
Unit 2: The Great Night of Shiva
Unit 3: Holi & "Krishna's Eighth"
Unit 4: Goddess Festivals of the Hot Season
**See also overview in EGHT, 17-33**

The formal notes for this final exercise should identify, for daily/monthy worship (Unit 1) AND for all THREE types of the celebrations (Units 2-4):

(a) a related set of people (note especially roles and relationships), actions, objects, a locale &/or words used for reflection, as per your own direct observation or described in relevant Observation Report(s) assigned for Units 2-4, which shows the way practice inspires reflection about supernatural beings and/or unseen forces.

(b) a related set of participants' explanations, informal talk &/or non-verbal expressions, as reported in relevant Observation Report (s) or your own interview(s), that show the way people's reflection heightens their engagement in practice. (Make sure to specify objects, actions, recited words & details of the space involved.)

(c) a set of details from one of the **primary sources** analyzed in prior application exercises *OR* from one of the six Source Analyses posted on SacCT, clearly related to (a) & (b), which provides CLUES about similar ways that practice inspired reflection & reflection heightened practice in ancient and medieval periods.

SO, your notes should include TWELVE sections, THREE sections for each unit, for a TOTAL of TWELVE.

SPECIFICS: as always, include page number references whether or not you quote directly from the readings. If you quote a passsage, be sure to specify its broader context within the source, and also specify which details in the passage you wish to highlight; but note that you may be better off paraphrasing details from different parts of the source and citing several pages numbers."

SUBMIT FINAL PRODUCT
(in Assignments tab of SacCT) & BRING PRINTED COPY of
Unit 4 *Source Analysis* OR
*Observation Report*
to MND 2016, 1-5 PM
(w/envelope if desired - see below)

REVIEW IN DEPTH:

Worksheet for final assignment
Student comments
(made sure to include your analysis of comments)

**IMPORTANT: if you don't plan to keep your course reader, rather than recycling it you can donate it to me and I'll raffle it off to a student the next time I teach the course.**