Bhū Sūktam (& Nīḷā Sūktam)
12.30pm NY | 6.30pm Brussels | 8.30pm UAE
Check your local time here: Time & Date

6 classes, 1 hour each, starting 28 March

A course of 6 classes to learn the beautiful hymn to mother Earth Bhū Sūktam. Bhū or bhūmi is the globe or earth on which we live. It is a glorious place in the cosmos, for we find the marvel of life here. In the vision of the Vedas, Bhū is a divine entity, a devatā, one of the various forms of Īśvara’s manifestation. (Swami Tattvavidananda Saraswati)

The context of this hymn is the preparation of the fire altar for the Yajña (fire ritual). The base of the altar as well as bricks and stones used in this preparation is earth. If the Yajña is symbolic of our life journey, mother earth forms the very base that sustains us.

Nīlā Sūktam is traditionally recited after the Bhū Sūktam, especially in the context of “Pañca Sūktam” – the 5 Sūktams recitation. Goddess Nīḷā is all powerful supporting the earth and sky, ruling over the world with her strength and firm focus. We pray to receive her compassion!

Please note: Sūktams will be taught as I received from my teachers The Challakere Brothers. Bhū Sūktam is taught with variations in the text in other traditions. We use the text as compiled by The Challakere Brothers and taught in their Veda Vidyalaya.

Course objectives:

At the end of 6 classes, you will:

• Learn the complete Bhū Sūktam & Nīḷā Sūktam along with all Vedic phonetic details.
• Understand the high level significance of this hymn (not a word-by word analysis) useful for meditation and contemplation.
• Practice chanting excerpts with the teacher on Zoom at least once (more if you wish).
• Send up to 3 recordings during the course for individual evaluation of your chanting.

Course curriculum with dates:

Course level:

Intermediate – students should have knowledge of rules of Veda chanting and practice of at least some short mantra-s at the beginner level. The teaching will be quite fast paced and may be challenging if you do not have previous Vedic chanting experience. It is recommended to do this course only if you have completed the Foundation course with Veda Studies.

Course fee:

€129 until March 14, €149 after (Self paced course of 110€ value free with this registration)
Access to self-paced course will be made available only 2 days before start of course.

Course platform & resources:

• Course will be taught on Zoom. Each week, participants will receive the replay link (recording) from the class. Therefore, if you miss a class, you can catch up with the recording.
• Texts are provided – in English transliteration & Devanagari along with meanings & detailed phonetic guides.
• All students will receive lifetime access to the Bhū & Nīḷā Sūktam (110€ value) self-paced course on the Veda Studies online platform – with texts, audio and video recordings for practice in between classes. This will be your study companion through the course and for future practice after course completion as well.
• Zoom details will be sent to registered participants.
• Course fee includes also evaluation of 2 recordings (If students are unable to attend the live classes, up to 3 recordings can be agreed to ensure learning).

Time zone not suitable?

You can still sign up for the course if the time zone isn’t suitable for live classes as all recordings will be made available and you will still be able to send in up to 3 recordings (only for those not joining live classes each week) for evaluation and keep up with the class.

Shantala’s recitation of Bhū Sūktam: