admissions.vidyapitha@gmail.com

Bhakti Vaibhava Online

An Online certified study course of Srimad Bhagavatam Cantos 1 to 6.

  • Introduction
  • Details
  • Course Material
  • Assessments
  • Important Note

[ADMISSION IS CLOSED, NEXT batch begins in May 2021 - Registrations from April 1 to 30th only]

Thank You for your interest in the study of Srimad Bhagavatam, online with Bhaktivedanta Vidyapitha Research Center, based in ISKCON Govardhan Eco Village, Galtare, Wada, Palghar, Maharashtra. Before singing up, kindly note the following procedures.

  1. For studying Online, students are first required to have a local INVIGILATOR:
    1. a good standing ISKCON devotee who has some managerial position / known in ISKCON.
    2. He/She recommends the student for study and serves as a monitor / local supervisor on the progress and assessment of the student
    3. Responsible to physically monitor the Closed Book Assessment, Presentation and Shloka Memorization Assessment
    4. Responsible to submit all the Assessment to us, via email: admission.vidyapitha@gmail.com
       
  2. Next, students should ensure that they have completed the Bhakti Shastri and obtained a certificate from ISKCON Board of Examinations.
  3. To obtain the certification from GBC Board of Examination - students need to be Initiated (Harinam) in ISKCON.
     
  4. BhaktiVaibhava Online has four components (Canto1&2, Canto3, Canto4 and Canto5&6), each taking an approximated study and assessment period of 3 to 9 months.
  5. Currently however, we are allowing studying to study at their own pace.
  6. All study material such as Audio, Question Bank, etc. are available online, for all to view - regardless if they want to do assesment/certification.
  7. There will be teacher-student online interaction sessions at regular intervals. These online sessions will be of at least 100 hours duration during the course tenure. In these sessions, the teachers will give an overview of the chapters and answer students' questions. Dates will be communicated to the Bhakti Vaibhava aspirants at least one week in advance.
  8. The 4 components of the entire six Cantos are broken down into 10 modules.
  • Module 1 (Canto 1, Chapters 1-9)
  • Module 2 (Canto 1, Chapters 10-19)
  • Module 3 (Canto 2)
     
  • Module 4 (Canto 3, Chapters 1-14)
  • Module 5 (Canto 3, Chapters 15-33)
     
  • Module 6 (Canto 4, Chapters 1-14)
  • Module 7 (Canto 4, Chapters 15-31)
     
  • Module 8 (Canto 5)
  • Module 9 (Canto 6, Chapters 1-9)
  • Module 10 (Canto 6, Chapters 10-19)
     

Study Material

  • Srimad Bhagavatam Canto 1 to 6 by HDG A.C Bhaktivedanta Swami Srila Prabhupada

  • Bhagavata Ratnamala (Sloka Book) Canto 1-6 , Compiled by HG Gauranga Darshan Das

    Additonal non-compulsory Reference Material

  • Sarartha Darshini by Srila Vishvanatha Chakravarthy Thakur, English Translation by HH Bhanu Swami Maharaj

  • Bhagavata Subodhini (Study Guide) Canto 1 & 2, Canto 3, Canto 4 and Canto 5 & 6 by HG Gauranga Darshan Das

Bhakti Vaibhava Online Course Modules and Suggested Duration
Canto 1 and 2 Module 1-3 3 - 9 Months
Canto 3 Module 4-5 3 - 9 Months
Canto 4 Module 6-7 3 - 9 Months
Canto 5 and 6 Module 8-10 3 - 9 Months

The entire Bhaktivaibhav Course online would take a minimum of 12 months (1 year) anda maximum of 36 months (2.5 years) to complete.

REGISTRATION FEES

The fee for this course (regardless of student’s nationality) is as follows:

For the entire course:

  • Rs 6,000 (within India)

Payment can be made to (within India only):-

Account Name: Bhaktivedanta Vidyapitha Research Center

Account Number: 38084608340 

IFSC Code: SBIN0007773

Branch: Gorhe

Bank: State Bank of India

** After payment, kindly send your name, pan card no., address, transaction number and contact number via email. (for accounting purposes)

  • USD $100 (outside India)

For all who are transfering from outside of India,

Name: ISKCON CHOWPATTY - FOREIGN CONTRIBUTIONS

Address: Sri Radha Gopinath Mandir, L.N.H.O. Compound, 7, K. M. Munshi Marg, Girgaon Chowpatty, Mumbai – 400 007, India.

Bank Name: HDFC BANK LTD

Swift Code: HDFCINBBXXX

Account No: 00051000054674

Bank Branch: B. D. Road Branch, Mumbai

Beneficiary IFS Code: HDFC0000567

** After payment, kindly send your name, passport no.., address, transaction number and contact number via email. (for accounting purposes)

CERTIFICATION

Registered students having completed all assessments and obtained a minimum 65% passing mark will obtain a Bhakti Vaibhava Certificate from the ISKCON Board of Examinations.

Other qualifications for Certification:-

1. Having a Bhakti Shastri degree from ISKCON

2. First Initiation (Harinam-diksha) devotee in ISKCON

 

STUDY FLOW - Modules and Assessments

MODULE 1 (CANTO 1, CHAPTERS 1-9)

Module 1: Unit A (Chapter 1-3)

Closed Book Exam 1

Module 1: Unit B (Chapter 4-6)

Closed Book Exam 2

Module 1: Unit C (Chapter 7-9)

Closed Book Exam 3

Open Book Exam 1
 

MODULE 2 (CANTO 1, CHAPTERS 10-19)

Module 2: Unit A (Chapter 10-13)

Closed Book Exam 4

Module 2: Unit B (Chapter 14-16)

Closed Book Exam 5

Module 2: Unit C (Chapter 17-19)

Closed Book Exam 6

Open Book Exam 2

Shloka Memorization Assessment for Canto 1

MODULE 3 (CANTO 2, CHAPTERS 1-10)

Module 3: Unit A (Chapter 1-4)

Closed Book Exam 7

Module 3: Unit B (Chapter 5-7)

Closed Book Exam 8

Module 3: Unit C (Chapter 8-10)

Closed Book Exam 9

Open Book Exam 3

Shloka Memorization Assessment for Canto 2

Presentation #1 for Canto 1 and 2

 

MODULE 4 (CANTO 3, CHAPTERS 1-14)

Module 4: Unit A (Chapter 1-4)

Closed Book Exam 10

Module 4: Unit B (Chapter 5-9)

Closed Book Exam 11

Module 4: Unit C (Chapter 8-14)

Closed Book Exam 12

Open Book Exam 4
 

MODULE 5 (CANTO 3, CHAPTERS 15-33)

Module 5: Unit A (Chapter 15-19)

Closed Book Exam 13

Module 5: Unit B (Chapter 20-24)

Closed Book Exam 14

Module 5: Unit C (Chapter 25-28)

Closed Book Exam 15

Module 5: Unit D (Chapter 29-33)

Closed Book Exam 16

Open Book Exam 5

Shloka Memorization Assessment for Canto 3

Presentation #2 for Canto 3

 

MODULE 6 (CANTO 4, CHAPTERS 1-14)

Module 6: Unit A (Chapter 1-5)

Closed Book Exam 17

Module 6: Unit B (Chapter 6-9)

Closed Book Exam 18

Module 6: Unit C (Chapter 10-14)

Closed Book Exam 19

Open Book Exam 6

 

MODULE 7 (CANTO 4, CHAPTERS 15-31)

Module 7: Unit A (Chapter 15-18)

Closed Book Exam 20

Module 7: Unit B (Chapter 19-22)

Closed Book Exam 21

Module 7: Unit C (Chapter 23-26)

Closed Book Exam 22

Module 7: Unit D (Chapter 27-31)

Closed Book Exam 23

Open Book Exam 7

Shloka Memorization Assessment for Canto 4

Presentation #3 for Canto 4

 

MODULE 8 (CANTO 5, CHAPTERS 1-26)

Module 6: Unit A (Chapter 1-6)

Closed Book Exam 24

Module 6: Unit B (Chapter 7-14)

Closed Book Exam 25

Module 6: Unit C (Chapter 15-26)

Closed Book Exam 26

Open Book Exam 8

Shloka Memorization Assessment for Canto 5

 

MODULE 9 (CANTO 6, CHAPTERS 1-9)

Module 6: Unit A (Chapter 1-5)

Closed Book Exam 27

Module 6: Unit B (Chapter 6-9)

Closed Book Exam 28

Module 6: Unit C (Chapter 10-14)

Closed Book Exam 29

Open Book Exam 9

 

MODULE 10 (CANTO 6, CHAPTERS 10-24)

Module 7: Unit A (Chapter 15-18)

Closed Book Exam 30

Module 7: Unit B (Chapter 19-22)

Closed Book Exam 31

Module 7: Unit C (Chapter 23-26)

Closed Book Exam 32

Module 7: Unit D (Chapter 27-31)

Closed Book Exam 33

Open Book Exam 10

Shloka Memorization Assessment for Canto 6

Presentation #4 for Canto 5 and Canto 6

 

SUMMARY

  • Total Cantos: 6
  • Total Modules: 10
  • Total Closed Book Exams: 33
  • Total Open Book Exams: 10
  • Total Shloka Exams: 6
  • Total Presentations: 4

Module 1 - Canto 1, Chapters 1 to 9

Audio File and Chapter Overview PDF

Number Of Topics - 46 00:00:00

Module 2 - Canto 1, Chapters 10 to 19

Audio File and Chapter Overview PDF

Number Of Topics - 46 00:00:00

Module 3 - Canto 2, Chapters 1 to 10

Audio File and Chapter Overview PDF

Number Of Topics - 47 00:00:00

Module 4 - Canto 3, Chapters 1 to 14

Number Of Topics - 60 00:00:00

Module 5 - Canto 3, Chapters 15 to 33

Number Of Topics - 94 00:00:00

Module 6 - Canto 4, Chapters 1 to 14

Number Of Topics - 57 00:00:00

Module 7 - Canto 4, Chapters 15 to 33

Number Of Topics - 75 00:00:00

Module 8 - Canto 5, Chapters 1 to 26

Number Of Topics - 70 00:00:00

Module 9 - Canto 6, Chapters 1 to 9

Number Of Topics - 36 00:00:00

Module 10 - Canto 6, Chapters 10 to 19

Number Of Topics - 35 00:00:00

Assessments Question Bank

View the Question Banks of all kinds of Assessment

Number Of Topics - 4 00:00:00

ASSESSMENT METHODS,

OPEN BOOK EXAMINATIONS (OBE)

  1. As per ISKCON Board of Examination, Students are required to write a total of 20,000 words on the first six cantos.
  2. OBE will be conducted after successfully completing each Module.
  3. Students are advised to answer approximately 2-4 essay questions per exam.
     
    Open Book Examination Total Word Count across selected essays for the exam

    1 (Canto 1.1-9)

    2000 words
    2 (Canto 1.10-19) 1500 words
    3 (Canto 2.1-10)

    2500 words

    4 (Canto 3.1-14) 2500 words
    5 (Canto 3.15-33)

    2000 words

    6 (Canto 4.1-14)

    2000 words

    7 (Canto 4.15-31) 2000 words
    8 (Canto 5.1-26)

    2000 words

    9 (Canto 6.1-9)

    2000 words

    10 (Canto 6.10-19) 1500 words
    TOTAL WORDS  20,000
    ,
     
  4. Students can write these essays by selecting topics from the list of given topics found in the Course Material section.
  5. After completing the essays, students are required to submit the Open Book Exam, via email to admission.vidyapitha@gmail.com​​​​​​
  6. OBE are more understanding, reflection and application based. ​​​​​​
  7. Practical application, personal application, preaching application, analysis and Shastric understanding are some of the themes on which the open book questions are set.
  8. Answers need to be relevant to the theme of the question and majorly referring to the contents of the Bhagavatam section pertaining to the question. The answer may even negate the question by presenting relevant arguments. Real life incidents and relevant shastric quotations, analogies, examples and personal reflections may also be included, as necessary.
  9. The following are some of the aspects observed in the evaluation of the essays:
    1. Eloquence, redundancy, number of words, etc.
    2. Degree of relevance (of PLEAS) to the question.
    3. Balanced presentation: PLEAS formula (Personal/ Preaching application, Lesson, Example, Analogy, Sastric connection – the answer could contain one or more of these aspects)
    4. Siddhantic alignment 
  10. Only when the assessments are submitted can the student proceed to the next unit / module.

CLOSED BOOK EXAMINATIONS (CBE)

  • To aide in the quality of study, a comprehensive CBE will be held after completion of every sub-unit of a particular Module.
  • Each sub-unit consists of a number of chapters in a particular Canto.
    1. Eg. MODULE 1 (Canto 1 Chapters 1-9)
        1. UNIT A (Canto 1 Chapters 1-3)
        2. UNIT B (Canto 1 Chapters 4-6)
        3. UNIT C (Canto 1 Chapter 7-9)
  • Students can prepare for this by referring to the Question Bank given in the Course Materials section.
  • From all the questions presented in the Question Bank only 2-3 will be asked.
  • When students are ready to give the examination, please email us with your date and time.
  • We will then email your Invigilator the questions.
  • Student have to answer the CBE within 1 hour in front of the Invigilator.
  • Upon completion, the paper is emailed to us by the Invigilator in PDF format.
  • Only when the assessments are submitted can the student proceed to the next unit / module.

SHLOKA RECITATION EXAMINATION
  • Before the asssessment, Student may give the list of their chosen memorized verses to the Invigilator, having - Sloka Number, Complete Verse and Translation.
  • Invigilator may prompt the student by indicating the first words of the shloka to help the student.
  • Assessment marking is done, as follows:
    1. Translation (approximate) – Good (2marks), Average (1mark), Bad (0mark)
    2. Shloka recitation – Good (2marks), Average (1mark), Bad (0mark)

Upon completion - Invigilator has to email us: (1) Sloka list of student (2) Mark sheet

PRESENTATIONS

  • Students are required to present their understanding in the form of a powerpoint presentation - 1 Topic for each presentation.
  • The Powerpoint presentation is to be sent via email.
  • Topics may be chosen from the list of topics given in the Course Materials > Presentation Topics (suggested)
  • This session can be conducted –
    • Pre-recorded video of your presentation – later, the online Administrator will ask questions based on your presentation
    • Upload on Youtube.com and send us link.
    • QnA will be done later online – via Zoom, Skype, etc.
  • 60% of the presentation should be based on the main text and the Bhaktivedanta purports of the respective Canto(s). Students are required to give four presentations (45-60 minutes each) on the first 6 cantos:
    • Presentation 1 on Cantos 1 and 2 (Completing Module 1-3)
    • Presentation 2 on Canto 3 (Completing Module 4-5)
    • Presentation 3 on Canto 4 (Completing Module 6-7)
    • Presentation 4 on Cantos 5 and 6 (Completing Module 8-10)
  • The presentations are evaluated based on the following aspects (CPU)
    • Content – 30%
  • The ability and effectiveness in utilizing the contents (PLEAS)
    • Presentation – 30%
    • Understanding of the subject – 40%
      • Clarity of thought, Ability to answer questions.
      • Understanding of the context of the pastime/event.
      • Understanding of the philosophical aspects of the topic.
      • Connecting Srila Prabhupada’s statements effectively
      • Quoting “relevant” verses, explaining with appropriate contextual analogies and examples. 
      • Natural flow: no sudden jumps in making statements
      • Relevance of the quoted PLEAS to the topic.
      • Slides, confidence, body language, grammar, etc.

This is an open source website, thus all the study material and assessment question banks are accessible to anyone who just Signs In.

However, only for students who wish to pursue the Bhakti Vaibhava Certification, they have to ensure:-

1) they have Bhakti Shastri certification

2) they have harinam initiation

3) Can attend the fortnightly online live discussion on Sundays, 3.30pm to 4.30pm IST

Then, after making the payment for the course and emailing us the details we have asked for in website; - student's can study at their own pace.

When asking for an exam:

1. keep invigilator in cc

2. state exact ... date, day, time in IST

3. state exact Module and Unit ...

Preferably ask 2 days prior.

We will confirm with a reply.

We will send the exam paper to the invigilator. Invigilator has to take the exam in person for the candidate. Later submit to us the answer sheets in PDF format.

If you are writing by hand and using a camera to scan/snapshot the paper - Kindly ensure that the PDF file generated is compressed, ideally <1MB before sending us.

https://www.ilovepdf.com/compress_pdf is a good online  free compressing tool.

All communications by email.