13 Feb 2016
Dr. Nikhil: When parents who are devoted to You, discuss spiritual knowledge with their children, and advise them, the children get bored and sometimes irritated. Could You please advise both the parents and children. Parents who are devoted to You, feel that Your divine knowledge is absolutely essential for all human beings, and especially their own children. As a result, they try to emphasize the same to their children by discussing and interpreting various practical life situations in the light of spiritual knowledge. But children do not realize the importance or urgency of learning spiritual knowledge and feel bored and irritated thinking that parents are playing the same tape again and again. If the children do not like the sermons of their parents, then they can at least read Your discourses on their own. But even that is not interesting enough for them. Cartoons, Bollywood movies, dance and music shows on TV, computer games and such things are far more interesting to them. These things have nowadays even taken the place of outdoor games and sports in the fresh air, which are necessary for good health. Could You please advise both parties.
Shri Swami Replied: Your question is very important since children are the future generation and anything enters the brain of a child easily, especially when preached by their parents due to the strong confidence present in the hearts of children towards their parents. When a soul is born in this world after thoroughly washed in the hell, the child born here contains all mentalities (Samskaraas) in minute quantities only as seeds. These mentalities are both good and bad since human being is a mixture of good and bad mentalities (Anishtamishtam mishramcha – Gita). Good mentalities are angels and bad mentalities are demons. If good and bad mentalities are approximately in equal quantities, the born child belongs to the race of human beings. If good is more than bad, the child belongs to the race of angels. If bad prevails over good, the child belongs to the race of demons. Thus, in humanity itself, you have both angels and demons. Angels do not commit sins, even if commit, realize immediately. Devils always commit sins and never realize due to ego and not due to lack of intelligence. Human beings are very complicated in the analysis balancing both good and bad and neither we can put them in angels nor in demons. Animals and birds also commit sins but have no intellectual capacity to realize the sin. Demons differ from animals in not realizing the sin even though the intellectual capacity exists in them. Hence, punishments are given to demons, but not to animals and birds.
The state of a child resembles more to a bird or animal in the beginning stage due to absence of matured intellectual capacity to discriminate good and bad. Slowly, the child grows and the direction of the child may result in one of these three lines from that common junction. The three lines are related to angels, humans and demons. If the born child belongs to the race of angels by having major good mentalities, even very light atmosphere is sufficient to make it a perfect angel in the rest of life. Similar is the case of a demon-child. The human-child is also similar because it can become angel or demon depending on even light good or bad atmosphere. Samskara is important, but, the atmosphere is also equally important or even more important. If the atmosphere is very strong, the weak samskara does not have strength to overcome the atmosphere. The reverse of this statement cannot exist because the samskara in a child after returning from the upper worlds is always weak. The conclusion is that the atmosphere in this world is going to decide the entire fate of the soul present in the child. Hence, this world having a place for such atmosphere has full freedom to lead the soul in any direction. Therefore, this world is called as 'Karma Loka' or the place of free efforts deciding the entire fate of the soul. This is the reason why Swami Vivekananda told that you are the master of your destiny. This means that nothing is predetermined in this world and everything depends upon the self-effort and the external atmosphere. Shankara says that the atmosphere alone is the deciding factor, neglecting even the samskara, which is very weak at the time of birth, continuing in the same level throughout childhood. Shankara gives top most place for the atmosphere as the sole factor to decide the fate of soul neglecting even the samskara, which can be grown in the congenial strong atmosphere. Shankara says that if you are in the association of contemporary human incarnation and its devotees, you are sure to get the total grace of God (Satsangatve…). The Sat-Sanga means the association with 'Sat' or absolute reality existing in a specific human form like Shankara. The knowledge radiated from such human incarnation can stand as a perfect representative of that human incarnation itself even in its absence at a later period. Even now, the Gita stands for Lord Krishna to guide all of us. There is no difference between the human incarnation and its knowledge as far as the direction of spiritual line to be adopted is concerned. Do not take the knowledge itself as the human incarnation and go on serving the knowledge in the form of a book since inert items cannot be served practically as in the case of statues and photos. You can study it and take the right direction as if you have taken it from the human incarnation directly.
In view of the above analysis, creating a good atmosphere for the children is always the best of the propagation of spiritual knowledge. Such atmosphere will certainly lead the child to perfect line in Pravrutti as well as in Nivrutti. First, you must concentrate on Pravrutti, which must be based on Nivrutti. What I mean is that you have to preach the child about the rewards for good deeds and punishments for bad deeds from God. Any soul is attracted to reward whether it is childhood or youth or even old age. All the entire humanity is running after God only for benefits from Him, if we are frank for a minute! Exploiting the soul on this weakness of attraction to fruits is not that bad since no beginning can be perfect (Sarvaarambhahi – Gita). In fact, God also gives rewards for good deeds and this is not a lie. This develops devotion to God exploiting the attraction for fruit and is called as instrumental devotion (Kaamya Bhakti), in which God is made an instrument to achieve the fruit. Even this is not bad because at least God is loved as an instrument and by this, the love or devotion made a humble beginning. Similarly, you have to discourage the child from doing the sin explaining the anger of God to punish here as well as there. This is Nivrutti based Pravrutti since God is the presiding minister for both the portfolios. Since Nivrutti is also based on the same God, the child will not have any difficulty to enter Nivrutti also in the future.
No Difference Between Human Beings Based On Age Difference
The talent of introducing the concepts into the brain of a child depends on the study of the child psychology. A good doctor gives injection to the child in a very talented way by diverting its attention in some gossip. A bad doctor shows the injection in such a fearful way that the child becomes unconscious even before giving the injection. Children like stories and the concepts should come as conclusions of stories, which should not be presented in the beginning itself. Simile given to the concept can be also presented in the form of story and the concept of knowledge must come as brief conclusion of such preceding pleasant story. Jesus taught the spiritual concepts to the public in this way since the ignorant and emotional people present there were of the level of children only in that time. If you start with logic and metaphysics in the beginning itself, the child will run away to play games. Not only the child, even a young person will run away to play the game with his best half. Even the old man will run away to play with his grandchildren. There is no difference between the human beings based on difference in the age since the attraction to the world is inherent and natural in any soul. At least, the child is frank in expressing its interest in theory as well as in practice with unity. The elder human beings are hypocritical in having some interest in mind, some other interest in words and some other interest in actions. Unity in mind, word and action is very good sign exhibited by God as well as by children (Karmanyekam…). On this basis only, people say that children are God. As they grow, difference develops in these three modes like other elders.
Shankara is the incarnation of Lord Shiva, Who came to a decision to take saffron cloth for the propagation of spiritual knowledge in His 8th year! No human child can attempt to be in such level even in dream. Shankara shed tears while singing “a child is interested in games. A young man is interested in his darling. An old man is interested in the worries of his children and grandchildren. Who is interested in God? (Balasthavat…)”. You can inspire children by the life story of Shankara, Who became the top most Preacher of spiritual knowledge in the entire world (Jagatguru). Even Lord Krishna sang Upanishads on flute, which were not understood by anybody, which were treated by the villagers as some ordinary songs.
The essence of this concept is that atmosphere is the monarch in this world to change any child into any state, good or bad. Even elder people are changed by the atmosphere. When Buddha preached spiritual knowledge, several elders and even egoistic kings were transformed. If the atmosphere can change even the strong elders, why not tender children in the case of which the strain of the effort is very less. You have to only plan the mode of preaching suiting to the psychology of a child. Prahlada became a born devotee by the efforts of sage Narada even though he was born in the atmosphere of demons. The special atmosphere created by Narada, acted like a boat to Prahlada in the worldly ocean by which Prahlada was not touched by the salt water of the ocean. A child born with total bad mentalities only, having considerable strength also, may not be changed by the atmosphere. Duryodhana, the incarnation of a demon, did not change at all even though there was good atmosphere created by Bhishma, Drona, etc. Duryodhana, even as a child did several evil atrocities to harm his good brothers, Pandavas. Such cases are very rare exceptions and can be neglected in view of the effect of atmosphere on 99% cases.
Naturally, the children are always interested in games. Even God is interested in playing games with the created souls for entertainment. The games of God can be explained to the children like the play of Krishna in the war to kill Bhishma, Drona, Karna and Duryodhana through playing tricks against the false chess game played by Shakuni. The story of Prahlada shall certainly inspire the children in the devotion to God. The miracles done by God Krishna in the childhood will definitely attract the brain of the child. Even the achievements of Adi Shankara as a child will inspire the children. In the childhood, the children can easily absorb the unimaginable plays of God in His childhood. All these miracles attract children and certainly the greatness of God is impressed on the mind of any child. Deeper concepts like total surrender without aspiration for fruit etc., need not be touched in the early stage. Slowly you have to drive their mind towards God regarding pure devotion. You have to do lot of planning to preach the basic level. Miracles and rewards for devotion etc., are some good fields of interest in the case of children. Through stories, personality of God can be projected in an excellent way as per Narada Bhakti Sutra (tatkathaa shravanadishu…).
I once again appreciate you for your concern towards the future generations in the field of the propagation of preaching spiritual knowledge to humanity.
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