Lesson video

Hi, my name's Mrs. Charalambous and welcome to today's lesson.

Today we'll be looking at Krishna: Reverence and gratitude for the earth, from the unit, Natural world: What does dharma teach about attitudes to the planet? Let's begin.

By the end of today's lesson, you will be able to explain why Hindus show reverence and gratitude towards the earth.

Let's take a look at our keywords: Krishna.

Krishna: Hindu deity of compassion and love.

Deity.

Deity: a god or goddess.

Reverence.

Reverence: a feeling of deep respect, often mixed with love or awe for someone or something of great importance.

Gratitude.

Gratitude: a feeling of thankfulness and appreciation for a benefit, act of kindness, or a positive experience.

Here is a lesson outline for Krishna: Reverence and gratitude for the earth.

Let's start with, who is Krishna? Jacob and Jun are talking about Hindu Dharma.

Jacob says, "There are so many gods and goddesses in Hindu Dharma.

Do Hindus believe in lots of gods?" Jun says, "Actually, Hindus believe in one God, but God can be shown in lots of different ways.

Each one is called a deity." Why do you think Hindu Dharma shows one God in many different ways? Let's find out a little bit more.

What can you see in this image? Is there anything you recognise? These are images of different Hindu deities.

For many Hindus, God can be shown in different ways through deities.

Each deity shows a quality or aspect of God, for example, love, protection or wisdom.

A deity is God taking a particular form.

Hindu Dharma is pluralist.

This means there are many ways to God.

Different Hindus may choose to worship a deity that helps them feel closer to God.

Let's check our understanding with this multiple choice question.

What is a deity in Hindu Dharma? A: a way of showing animals in different ways, B: a way of seeing or understanding God in different forms, C: a place of worship, or D: a story about God in a picture? That's right, it's B, a way of seeing or understanding God in different forms. Well done.

Let's carry on.

This is Krishna, a Hindu deity.

Many Hindu deities like Krishna have unique colours that are symbolic.

The colours have a deeper meaning.

What do you think Krishna's blue skin symbolises? Krishna's blue skin reminds Hindus of the whole universe and calmness.

Krishna is seen by many Hindus as teaching dharma.

His qualities are being kind, caring, loving, and wise to all.

Most stories about Krishna often are about love, friendship, and looking after the world.

Which of Krishna's qualities do you think is the most important and why? Krishna was born in a town called Mathura, in India, Mathura is a very old and sacred place and is a special place for many Hindus.

Mathura is near a village of Vrindavan, where many of Krishna's stories happened.

Let's check our understanding with true or false.

Most stories about Krishna are about love, friendship, and looking after the world.

True or false? That's right, it's true.

Why? Krishna is a deity for being kind, caring, loving, and wise towards everything.

This is Het.

He has a Hindu worldview.

Het says, "Krishna is important to me as a Hindu because I learn how to live wisely through stories about him.

Krishna shows me how to protect the world and take care of it.

I feel gratitude towards Krishna for his wisdom and guidance." This is Priya, Het's sister.

She says, "Hearing stories of Krishna teaches me to love others, not just people.

This includes all living beings from plants to animals.

He is kind and caring, and that inspires me to be the same.

Krishna shows me how to feel reverence, a deep respect for the world around us." Task A: Think about everything you have learned about Krishna.

Now, imagine a friend has never heard of him before.

What would you tell them? You can use these ideas to help you.

Who is Krishna? What is special about him? How does Krishna make some Hindus feel? Take a moment here to carry out this activity.

When you are ready, press play for some feedback.

Krishna is a Hindu deity.

He is shown with blue skin, meaning he is calm and connected to the whole universe.

He is kind, caring, and wise.

Krishna teaches Hindus to love others and to care for nature and animals.

He helps some Hindus feel reverence for the earth and everything living on it.

Cycle two: The story of Krishna and Govardhan mountain.

Het and Priya are discussing one of their favourite Krishna stories.

Het says, "I love the story called Krishna and the Govardhan mountain, as I think it shows what type of deity Krishna is." Priya says, "That's a great story.

I think it shows Krishna was the first environmentalist.

He always cared most for this earth." A long time ago, there was a powerful deity named Indra.

He was the King of Gods, ruler of heaven and was in charge of rain and storms. Indra lived high up in the sky on a mountain called Mount Meru.

People believed he was very important 'cause he controlled the rain, which helped their crops grow.

But Indra was also very proud and easily upset.

He thought he was better than everyone else and forgot that even gods must act kindly and wisely.

In the village of Vrindavan, the people grew food and looked after cows.

They needed rain to help their crops and grass grow, so they often prayed to Indra.

When it rained well, they would thank him with big celebrations, but if it didn't rain, they would offer gifts and say sorry to Indra, hoping he would forgive them and send rain.

One year, there was plenty of rain and the land was full of healthy crops and green fields.

The villagers were happy and decided to hold a festival to thank Indra.

Everyone woke up early, cleaned their homes, and decorated the village with flowers and light.

Let's check our understanding with this multiple choice question.

Why did the villages decide to hold a festival? A: to celebrate Indra's birthday, B: they wanted a day off from farming as it kept raining, C: there had been lots of rain and they wanted to thank Indra, or D: they wanted to ask Indra for more rain? That's right, it's C.

There had been lots of rain and they wanted to thank Indra.

Let's carry on with the story.

Krishna, a young boy who lived in Vrindavan, was still sleeping.

When he woke up, he saw the village looking very beautiful.

He was surprised and asked what was going on.

The people told him they were preparing a festival to thank Indra for the rain.

Krishna listened and then spoke to the villagers.

He said, "Why are you worshipping Indra? It is Govardhan, the nearby mountain that protects us and helps our land stay green.

We should thank Govardhan mountain, not Indra." The people thought about what Krishna had said and agreed.

So instead of praying to Indra, they gave thanks to Govardhan mountain for protecting them.

When Indra heard this, he became very angry.

He could not believe that the villagers were listening to a little boy and had stopped worshipping him.

To punish them, Indra sent dark clouds to flood the village.

The rain poured down and loud thunderstorms filled the sky.

Water covered the land, and the people became scared.

The villagers ran to Krishna and asked for help.

Krishna understood what was happening.

To protect everyone, he did something amazing.

He lifted Govardhan mountain with just his little finger.

He held it up like an umbrella, and all the people, cows and animals went under the hill to stay dry.

They lived there safely for seven days without getting wet or hungry.

They couldn't believe that a small boy like Krishna could hold up such a huge mountain.

Let's check our understanding with this multiple choice question.

How did Krishna protect the villagers from the storm sent by Indra? A: he told Indra to stop the rain.

B: he made the villagers build a shelter.

C: he lifted the Govardhan mountain.

D: he used magic to make the rain stop.

That's right, it's C.

He lifted Govardhan mountain.

Let's carry on with the final part of this story.

Finally, Indra saw what had happened.

He was shocked and realised he had made a mistake.

He stopped the storm and called the clouds back.

The rain ended and the sun came out again.

Krishna gently placed the mountain back where it belonged.

Everyone cheered and thanked Krishna with joy.

Indra felt ashamed.

He came to Krishna, folded his hands and said sorry.

Krishna forgave him and reminded him to always act with humility and kindness, even if he was a powerful deity.

Let's check our understanding with this true or false.

Krishna stayed angry with Indra and told the villagers to never forgive him.

True or false? That's right, it's false.

Why? Krishna did not stay angry with Indra.

Instead, he forgave him and reminded him to act with humility and kindness.

Priya explains how she interprets this story.

Priya says, "This story helps me think about gratitude.

The villagers knew that the mountain provided them with everything they need.

By rescuing them, Krishna showed his care for the people and the land.

He protected them.

Krishna teaches me to be thankful for the earth and to protect it." Het explains how he interprets this story.

"Krishna is a wise and kind deity.

Unlike Indra, he didn't want people to worship out of fear.

Krishna shows it is more important to live with reverence for the world and living things.

Krishna teaches me that dharma is seeing all the world as connected and caring for the planet." Which of these is not a deeper meaning of the story, according to Priya and Het? A: be grateful for everything the earth provides, B: live with reverence for the earth, or C: worship deities out of fear? That's right, it's C.

Worship deities out of fear.

Let's carry on.

Task B: On the 12th of June, 2025, there was a flood alert In parts of Wales.

Heavy rain caused rivers to rise.

Roads and low land were at risk of flooding.

Think back to the story of Krishna and the Govardhan mountain.

What did Krishna teach about the earth? What would Krishna want people to do during or after a flood like this? How can we show gratitude and reverence for the world? Take your time.

Press pause, and when you are ready, press play for some feedback.

Task B feedback time.

Here is what you might have said: I think Krishna would remind us that the earth gives us everything we need, but we must take care of it.

The heavy rains and flooding are a sign that nature can be powerful.

Krishna would want us to show reverence for the earth by not damaging it and being kinder to the planet.

He would also want us to feel gratitude, to thank the earth for what it gives us, even when it's challenging.

We can help the earth by planting trees, not wasting water and helping people and the environment affected by things like floods.

Well done for today's learning.

Let's take a look at the summary together.

Here is a summary for Krishna: Reverence and gratitude for the earth.

Concern for the earth and the climate is at the heart of Hindu Dharma.

Krishna is a central deity for many Hindus.

The story of Krishna and Govardhan mountain shows Krishna protecting the earth and the villagers from Indra.

Krishna shows the villagers that the earth provides everything they need.

Well done for today's learning and I hope to see you soon.

Bye for now!.