New
New
Year 6
Brahman: The story of Svetaketu
I can explain how many Hindus understand Brahman as ultimate reality or God.
New
New
Year 6
Brahman: The story of Svetaketu
I can explain how many Hindus understand Brahman as ultimate reality or God.
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Lesson details
Key learning points
- In Hindu Dharma there is the concept of one ultimate reality present in everything.
- This ultimate reality is called Brahman.
- The story of Svetaketu helps Hindus to understand Brahman.
- Hindus use the Aum symbol to describe Brahman.
- Many Hindus understand Brahman as God.
Keywords
Brahman - ultimate Rreality in Hindu Dharma
Svetaketu - a character in a story of Hindu Dharma
Omnipresent - belief that Brahman or God is present throughout the universe
Aum - symbol used to represent Brahman and the sound of creation
Common misconception
Hindus worship many gods.
Hindus worship one god in many forms.
For the story of Svetaketu, you could have some clay and salt and water in the class. Pupils could act out the story to help bring the concept of Brahman to life. Pronounce Svetaketu like Shev -tak -etu.
Teacher tip
Equipment
Licence
This content is © Oak National Academy Limited (2025), licensed on
Open Government Licence version 3.0
except where otherwise stated. See Oak's terms & conditions (Collection 2).Lesson video
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Starter quiz
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6 Questions
Q1.
What is the Hindu place of worship called?
church
mosque
gurdwara
Q2.
Name one festival that Hindus celebrate.
Q3.
What does the festival of Diwali celebrate?
the birth of Jesus
the birth of a person
a harvest festival
Q4.
Who is the main character in the story of Holi, who survived the fire?
Jesus
Muhammad
Buddha
Q5.
The deity Krishna showed what in his mouth when his mum asked him to open it?
his teeth
his tongue
Q6.
Match the characters with their descriptions from the story of Diwali.
courageous prince who rescued Sita
devoted wife of Rama
loyal deity in monkey form who helped rescue Sita
evil demon king who kidnapped Sita
Exit quiz
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6 Questions
Q1.
What is the symbol used to represent Brahman?
cross
star
moon
Q2.
How many gods do Hindus believe in?
Q3.
What does the sound of Aum represent?
a festival
the name of a deity
it is not a sound
Q4.
Match the words to their definitions.
Brahman without form
Brahman with form
Brahman is everywhere, in all things
Q5.
How did Uddalaka show Svetaketu that Brahman is everywhere?
by using a leaf from a tree
by pointing up to the universe
by sending him to get an education
Q6.
Why couldn’t Svetaketu see Brahman, according to the story?
because Brahman is only visible to gurus
because Brahman can only be seen in mandirs
Additional material
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