Hare Krishna
PAMHO AGSP. Its very much evident that nowdays a lot of Kcon children are being deviated from the path of bhakti... especially by marrying non-devotees. They may continue devotional service till some extent but they have to make alot of compromises- which definitely affects their spiritual life.
Its heartbreaking to see such a thing, losing so many KCon children in the hands of MAYA.
But surprisingly, some devotees seem to be just fine!!!.... when their children are not married and are still living with them. For them, its OK- if they don't chant their rounds, its Ok - if they watch TV(any random programme)... (I know u wanna kill me now) because they are JUST KIDS!!!. Its Ok- if they eat just any vegetarian snacks, biscuits, juice etc...thats fine even if not offered to Krishna.U just have to utter Sri Vishnu(×3) - never mind the ingredients in there.
Its fine if my kid doesn't shows interest in learning the philosophy- he just has to sit in front of all other kids in the temple and play his mridanga.
Reality: this is exactly what deviates Kcon children from the path of bhakti.Its the duty of the parents to make sure that there children become "devotees" otherwise why give birth???
When one enters grihastha ashram and gives birth to children that means that the devotee has already taken the seva of making these children into devotees, but surprisingly its seen that many grihasthas don't give much time towards making KCon interesting to their kids but rather consider deity worship and preaching etc etc to be KCon activities and Children Maya.(bacche toh maya hi toh hai na)
Children will not take to KCon unless u make it interesting for them and understand their needs. This can be done without compromising KCon.
Eg: kids need more hrs of sleep... u have to understand this and adjust accordingly.
Now Iam not sayin don't give snacks to ur kids- do me a favor... make some cookies, offer it to Krishna n give prasadam.
Their are tons of Kcon videos they can watch.... mataji's u gotta stop watching tv series first urself😂😂
Don't be rude to your child when they come home tired 😥😥😥from school...."u hey... put urrrr shoes outside"......"don't put ur bag on the sofa!!!! , take it inside your room"..."do ur homework quickly ... don't sleep we have to go for Govardhan puja celebration at the temple tonight
I mean .... in a thousand years dude you ain't gonna please Krishna with this type of attitude.
First priority: children coz no brahmachari or any1 from the temple is gonna come and do this for you.... let them do the deity worship and other temple services.. you instead concentrate on your kids- that is also devotional service.
Now I know pple will say nahhh... this devotee's in Maya ... he's just busy with his family... blah blah blah.
Instead: when ur cute little child comes home tired 😤from school(look how demanding the modern civilization is)
1. Take their bag off urself
2. Show some affection- a little kiss maybe, be polite.. speak soft words.(Grihastha's mostly get busy and have to mingle around with non-devotees.. (limit this to as much as is required.. don't buy into their thoughts and ideas) as a result most don't adjust their time to read more Srila Prabhupada's bks in a "systematic way" hence lose good qualities of a gentleman...be careful!!!
3. Let him sit for a while... give some water to drink or juice(not the artificial one if possible coz too much sugar makes these kids HYPERACTIVE and they'll be all over ur head)
4. Talk for some time.. ask how was ur day?..how much homework/revision you have today?.. will you be able to make it to the programme tonight at the temple?.. Are u tired?... if so u may sleep for sometime.
ALL THIS MAY SEEM EASY BUT KRISHNA WILL ONLY GIVE THE INTELLIGENCE TO DO SO AS WHEN REQUIRED ACCORDING TO THE CIRCUMSTANCE ONLY IF WE ARE "GENUINE" DEVOTEES OURSELVES... doing our sadhana properly, having regulated lifestyle etc etc.
The above example is just to show that there are many such aspects of devotional service within Grihastha Ashrama... wts the point in soo much temple seva if you don't do the seva u have taken- to look after your children.You have to ensure they're stable... spiritually, mentally, physically, emotionally, holistically and socially as well. When you go at some devotees home for a programme... you have your company.. other devotees but what abt your kids???When you go and make garlands in the temple you get ur company and u talk alot... sometimes nonsense!!!. When child comes home whose his company???... in school other kids are already looking at him a bit differently because he's a Hare Krishna....that's fine.. it will always be there.. but you be his company/friend when he comes home. Its ok if you have to attend a programme and if you miss the lecture coz ur child was tired after school and slept a little extra.U can listen to so many of the recorded online lectures later.
All in all, I think devotional service is not only abt going to the temple.. doing all kinds of seva there and participating in all programmes at the temple at the cost of your child's studies rather its about these small things that we neglect in our day to day lives that if we improve Krishna will be pleased.
Hare Krishnna.
Your Servant
Anonymous Das
Replies
Dearest devotee,
I agree 100%, one must be able to expertly balance material life and spiritual life. A person need only do the following in order to be a devotee of the Lord:
- Follow the four regulative principles (no meat-eating; no illicit-sex; no gambling; no intoxication)
- Chant 16 rounds
- Read Bhagavad-gita/Srimad Bhagavatam/Chaitanya-charitamrita
(- If possible, keep at least one Ekadashi fast per month, although two per month is most preferrable)
Householders can follow these easy principles, and at the same time live a normal household life without any of the horrible lifestyles you have mentioned. How Mother Yashoda took care of Lord Krishna is carefully to be studied so that householders can show the same amount of affection to their children as shown to Lord Krishna by Mother Yashoda. Children should only be asked to chant 4 rounds in their youth, 8 rounds in their teens, and finally 16 rounds as an adult. This is proper gradual elevation to spiritual life for those living in the Kali-yuga. Krishna says that one can attain all perfection simply by faithfully performing one's duties on behalf of Lord Krishna. To quote Krishna directly: "Even kings like Janaka and others attained the perfectional stage by performance of prescribed duties. Therefore, just for the sake of educating the people in general, you should perform your work." (BG: 3.20).
Therefore, parents need only focus on their household duties (as well as spiritual duties) while constantly absorbing their minds in the thoughs of Krishna. One cannot become a pure devotee overnight. This is nearly impossible for the average person in this present age of darkness. So, children (while in their youth) can be told the knowledge of scriptures, so that they can apply some of it in their education life. According to the Srimad-Bhagavatam, the primary duty of a woman is to look after the household and children, which can easily accomplished even while constantly thinking about Krishna. And yes, every possible lecture given by Prabhupada can be watched online on YouTube. The programmes in ISKCON are not compulsory to attend, but can be attended say...every weekend, and not everyday, as the woman would have to abandon her primary duties of taking care of her dear children (and household of course) for doing so. Krishna says: "If, however, you do not fight this religious war, then you will certainly incur sins for neglecting your duties and thus lose your reputation as a fighter." (BG: 2.33). One must first fulfill their primary responsibilites in life, which need not necessarily be separate from bhakti, because Krishna also says: "Therefore, Arjuna, you should always think of Me in the form of Krsna and at the same time carry out your prescribed duty of fighting. With your activities dedicated to Me and your mind and intelligence fixed on Me, you will attain Me without doubt." (BG: 8.7) So, one can attain Krishna simply by performing one's responsibilities in life, what to speak of becoming a complete renunciate!? Isn't this the beauty of spiritual life? God gives everyone, from householders to renunciates, a chance to attain Him, without necessarily having to abandon our duties in life. One can thus be a loving parent to their child, showing great affection to them while at the same time serving Krishna by constantly absorbing one's mind on His lotus feet.
I hope this satisfies your heart, my dear!
Sincerely,
Śyāma-Vallabha Dāsa, a humble servant of the Lord