Amogh Kashyap – 8th Grade
When I do my morning prayers to the Sun (Sandhyavandanam), I always feel a sense of calm over me. In the rush to get ready for school, I take 10 minutes to do my prayers because it puts me in a calmer state for learning. Some of the prayers included are Arghyam, Gayatri Japam and Tarpanam. Arghyam is when you infuse your prayer to the water before offering it to the Sun God. Gayatri Japam is when you ask the Sun God to bless you with the right knowledge to follow the path of dharma. Gayatri Japam is also a form of meditation as many people use it to calm their mind and put them in the right head space in the morning. Tarpanam is when you offer water to all the planets and different forms of Vishnu.
I also perform Sandhyavandanam for discipline and habit. I find it very healthy to know exactly what I am going to do in the morning and just let my body go on autopilot. It feels like I can have that half an hour to myself when getting ready for school and doing prayers instead of stressing about problems that we face everyday.
After I get ready for my prayers, I always talk to God in English a bit too. I feel like I can tell God everything personally about myself when I do that and connect with him 1 to 1. Then I start my prayers. I can feel the words slip out of my mouth when I do the prayers and hope God appreciates it, because the one thing God asks for is love. I may not understand everything I am saying but I know that it is positive and for my own greater good. When I finish, I do namaskaram and finish getting ready for school, with God guiding me along the way.