Day: February 15, 2025

Swami ji said…

” I have to send my child to the best school … My child must receive quality education …” is a vow that most parents make to themselves – almost immediately on being blessed with a child. And steps are taken without any delay to gather as much information as possible about the best academic institutions in the town , city and for those who can afford to pay an astronomical amount of fee – to focus on the best schools in the country. Worry and anxiety about whether they will be able to raise the finances that will be needed to meet the tuition fee , donation and other requirements play heavy on their mind – but with determination – they pursue their dream of empowering their child with the best academic knowledge possible – as all of them believe that – ” अच्छे स्कूल में पढ़ाई लिखाई कर के बच्चा कुछ बन जायेगा …” One thing that all parents understand is that – Knowledge is power ‘ – and every parent wants to equip his child with – ” ज्ञान जो की उनके बच्चों को आगे ज़िंदगी में आगे बढ़ने का मौक़ा मिलेगा और वह कुछ बन पाएंगे …”

Time passes by – with both parents and children investing time, money and energy – not only on ‘bookish’ knowledge but also in other areas in which specific interest is shown by the child – and days pass by in a whirr – with time being given to coaching classes, hobby classes, language classes. And all this is done to ensure that the child gains ‘ knowledge’ – ‘ज्ञान ‘ – in every field and does not lag behind in any way in today’s highly competitive world. Parents feel happy and satisfied on seeing that their children are heading towards a safe, secure and privileged future by literally turning into a – ‘Master of all trades…’ Every aspect of life demands the best from us – and it appears that the youth of today needs to be skilled , poised and refined – with excellence being the benchmark – in academics or in interest related areas – to ‘beat the best’ – in order to survive. “आज़ कल हम अपने बच्चों को हर क्षेत्र में निपुण देखना चाहते हैं …” We believe that a child today should be in a position to use his knowledge of diverse fields – to give solutions to problems of all kinds that could come his way. So, the common ground that we can come to is that – it is only when we gain ‘knowledge’ – study the required instructions, directions , subject material – of any subject or field – it is only then that we are able to understand and become knowledgeable about it. Bookish knowledge is given paramount importance – as it is one’s grades and marks that will see him rise and be successful in life. A child cannot afford to be ignorant in anyway in today’s rapidly changing scenario.

So engrossed are we in ensuring that our children turn into academic intellects that – we hardly find any time to talk to them about the importance of bearing within them sound values, steadfast principles and morals – which, if , they begin to internalise at the earliest – will make them aware of the difference between wrong and right ; between falsehood and truth ; between kindness and cruelty – from a very young age. Sad but true – that it is becoming fashionable to move away from the archaic ‘values’ of the days gone by – as changing times are changing our younger lot – quick and fast. The possibility that the youth could feel that standing by one’s principles of honesty might not benefit them in the long run cannot be over- ruled – but parents must take it upon themselves to remind their children to return to the right track time and time again and they could finally be successful in bringing about a change in them. Children should be made aware of the fact that although they might feel complacent that nobody could know about the ‘wrong’ that they might have indulged in – they are answerable to their ‘conscience’ – which will never lie to them.The importance of good ‘karma’ ; speaking with respect to people of all ranks ; ” ‘घमंड ‘ और’ अहंकार ‘ को त्याग देना ” ; ‘सत्य का साथ नहीं छोढ़ना चाहे जैसी भी परिस्थिति आए; और विचारों को पवित्र रखना “- are values that should be imparted by parents to their children in their formative years. It doesn’t matter if they resist all this in the beginning – but it is possible that they might accept these meaningful principles at a troubled stage of their life – on recalling what was said to them by their elders in the past – and turn into new individuals by implementing them with immediate effect.

And those youngsters who have had the good fortune of being initiated by a ‘सच्चा संत ‘ – ‘ जिन्हें उनके गुरुदेव ने गुरु- मंत्र दिया है…’ – should know that they now have the key to unlock the door to ‘True Knowledge’ – but for that – they need to have the compelling desire and steadfastness – to understand that chanting the ‘गुरु- मंत्र’ regularly – purifies their ‘soul’ and takes them closer to God. Their ‘guru’s effective teachings enable them to understand that the ‘body’ and ‘soul’ – are different ‘entities’ – and rather than being fixated purely on their ‘body’- they now need to focus more on cleansing their ‘soul’ and remove the layers of ignorance which have accumulated on it – which makes them believe in the ‘maya’ that is all around them. ‘Gyan’ imparted by a ‘guru’ is experienced in the most magical way by our ‘inner’ being – as it then starts preparing and readying the worthy ones to finally merge with God. No book ; no theory – can prepare us for the excruciating pain that the physical being undergoes – when the ‘kundalini’ is awakened within us – to infuse our ‘inner’ being with spiritual energy. This can only be experienced by our ‘inner’ being and ‘knowledge’ provided by God and one’s ‘guru’.