DevaTrek Playing Cards

Four Games Exploring Hinduism's
20 Principles for a Good Life

The DevaTrek card deck contains twenty cards for yamas (guidelines for self-discipline), twenty cards for niyamas (guidelines for spiritual observances), fourteen cards for the chakras (energy centers) and two matching title cards.

[Order Your DevaTrek Deck Now]

Four Games

Match Up is the common visual memory came that even little children can play. The cards are placed face down, players turn them over to reveal matches.
Catch and Match is another easy fun game for children, based on the luck of the draw, that is played like "Go Fish."
Getting to Know You uses the deck of cards to trigger stories from the real lives of the players.
Let's Make a Story is the classic centuries old game where players are challenged to create a story together. Even adults can have a creative, intriguing experience and at the same time have hilarious fun with "Let's Make a Story."

[You can read instructions below and click here to download the PDF of the instructions sheet.]

DevaTrek cards will be fun for the whole family while at the same time helping to instill positive values and virtues into the minds of the young. These character-building principles of Hinduism’s code of conduct hail from the 10,000-year-old ancient Hindu text called the Vedas. The yamas and niyamas are also well-known as the first two stages or limbs of ashtanga yoga (“eight-limbed yoga”).


More Tools for Learning and Teaching Hindu Virtues

The Yamas and Niyamas form the core Hindu teaching on good conduct. Known in English as spiritual disciplines and religious observances, the practice and propagation of these precepts is fundamental for all Hindus from parents with small children to advanced students of meditation.

The principles of the yamas and niyamas are pan-Hindu. They apply to all Hindus regardless of their denomination. Learning about the seven chakras is a cornerstone in a foundation for understanding of Hindu metaphysic, and one's mind and emotions.

Himalayan Academy offers a growing body of materials to support parents and educators who would like to adopt the "Hindu Virtues," the yamas and niyamas, as part of their curriculum:

  • Yoga's Forgotten Foundation, Twenty Timeless Keys to Your Divine Destiny This short but thorough book is for serious readers who would like to learn the full scope of the teaching.
       Age-Level: Older teens with an intellectual reading interest through adults.
       Order Printed Copy
  • Ten Tales About Self-Control Ten modern-day stories related to the yamas, or restraints. Include audio. Available in print with audio CD and also as an ebook in various formats.
       Age-Level: 12-16 years of age.
       Order Printed Copy:
  • Ten Tales About Religious Life Ten stories related to the niyamas, or spiritual practicdes. Include audio. Available in print with audio CD and also as an ebook in various formats.
       Age-Level: 12-16 years of age.
       Order Printed Copy:
  • DevaTrek Playing Cards A deck of forty-two cards for playing games that will help you and your children learn the yamas and niyamas. It includes instructions for four games from a simple memory/matching game all the way to a fairly advance "create a story" game that can challenge and entertain even adults
       Age-Level: 7 to 110 years of age.
       Order DevaTrek Card Deck

Instructions for Card Games

Download the instruction Sheet PDF.

GAME #1: Match Up

This is a classic visual memory game played by two, three or more players. Shuffle and lay the cards face down, seven across and six down. The first player turns over one card, then turns over a second card. If the two cards match, the player places the two cards face down in a pile to the side and turns over two more cards. If the cards do not match, the player puts the two cards back, face down, in their original positions. The second player then turns over one card, then a second card. If the two cards match, the player puts them in the matched-up pile and goes again. If they do not match, they are turned back face down, and the play moves to the next player. The game ends when matches for all cards have been discovered. To make the game more fun, set a timer at the beginning and note how long it takes for the team to match all the cards. Then the next time you play, see if you can beat the previous time. This way, instead of competing against each other, the whole team is trying to better their previous time.


GAME #2: Catch & Match

This game is similar to “Go Fish,” played by two to four players. The goal is to match up all cards based purely on the luck of the draw. For example, if you have the Sanskrit card for the niyama hri, you may ask any one of your playmates if they have the card with the English meaning for hri. If your card shows the English meaning for hri, then you ask for the card that shows the Sanskrit term hri.

1) The dealer shuffles the deck and deals five cards to each player, one at a time and puts the deck in the middle. 2) Before starting, each player checks his cards and puts matching sets face up in a common area on the table, arranged in order, with yamas first, and niyamas second. 3) The first player then asks any other player if he has the match for one of his cards by reading aloud the name or meaning and number on that card; for example “ahimsa, yama one” or “nonviolence, yama one.” 4) If that player has the matching card, he gives it to the player who asked for it, who then places the matching set face up with the other matching cards, in order. 5) If the playmate does not have the card, he says, “Catch & Match.” The first player then draws a new card from the deck. If the card is a match, the player places the set face-up with the other matching cards. If it does not match, the player keeps it and says, “I’m all right, right now.” 6) Then the next person completes his turn in the same way. 7) The game ends when all the cards in the deck are matched, face up in order on the table.


GAME #3: Getting to Know You

This game helps the players get to know each other better. It can be played with two or more players in two different ways. At the beginning decide who goes first and agree upon a maximum time limit for each player to tell his story. A one minute limit means the game will take as long as twenty-one minutes, etc. Shuffle the deck and place the cards in the middle.

Version #1, You Must Tell! 1) The first player draws a card. If it is a card with an English meaning, the player puts it in a pile for finished cards and says, “No story!” If a Sanskrit key name is on the card, the player tells a story related to the Hindu virtue from his/her life and puts the card in the finished pile. If the player is unable to tell a story, he says, “I’m all right, right now!” and puts the card at the bottom of the deck. 2) The next player then draws a card, repeating the process. Once all the cards in the deck are drawn, the game is over.

Version #2, Everyone Tells! 1) The first player draws a card. If it is a card with an English meaning, he says, “No story!” and places the card on a pile for finished cards. 2) Then the next player draws a card. If is a Sanskrit card, he shows it to everyone. Then each player, starting with the one holding the card, relates an experience about that yama or niyama. 3) After all players have told a story, the card is placed on the finished pile. Then the next player draws a card. If one of the players is unable to tell a story or is not ready to share, that is okay. He/she says, “I’m all right, right now!” and the game moves to the next player. When all cards have been drawn, the game is over.


GAME #4: Let’s Make a Story

This game sharpens your powers of memory, concentration and creative visualization. It can be played with two or more players. Shuffle the deck and put it in the middle.

1) The first player draws a card. If it has an English meaning, he places it in the pile for completed cards and says, “No story!” The next person draws. If the card has a Sanskrit name on it, then the player has to make up a sentence for a story that relates to the word on the card. For example, if he draws hri, he creates a sentence that relates to remorse. If he does not know the meaning of the yama or niyama, he says, “Help! What is hri?” Others can state the simple meaning to help him compose a sentence. The first sentence must begin with, “Once upon a time . . .” After he recites the sentence, he puts the card in the finished pile. 2) The second player draws a card. If it is a Sanskrit card, he repeats the first player’s sentence and adds another sentence to the story based on the theme on his card. (If it is an English card, he puts it in the finished pile and says, “No story!”) 3) If the second player has forgotten the first player’s sentence or recalls it incorrectly, he must pass the card to the next player to make a sentence. 4) If the second player repeats the first player’s sentence and adds his own sentence to the story, he puts his card on the finished pile. The next player follows the same procedure. Play continues until all cards have been drawn.

If there are only two players and player 2 draws an English card, he says, “No story!” and puts that card on the finished pile. Player 1 draws a card, repeats the last sentence he or player 2 composed and adds another sentence based on the new card. If a player cannot recall correctly or makes an error, then he gives that card to the other player, who must repeat the last sentence and add another sentence to the story. If that player also forgets or makes a mistake in repeating the last sentence, he gives the card to the other player, who can now make a new sentence without repeating the sentence they both forgot. Play continues until all cards are drawn.