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Understanding the Bhagavad Gita can serve as a source of inspiration for children, helping them cultivate essential values. The Gita imparts timeless principles that guide moral and spiritual growth, such as prioritizing others, fulfilling responsibilities, and approaching challenges with courage and determination. These teachings encourage children to build a strong sense of ethics and integrity in their actions and choices.
The Bhagavad Gita, often simply referred to as the Gita, is a profound dialogue between Lord Krishna and Arjun before a significant battle. Krishna’s teachings deeply influenced Arjun, altering his perspective and life path.
Despite being centuries old, the wisdom within the Bhagavad Gita remains as relevant as ever. It offers profound insights into life’s complexities, providing guidance on how to navigate everyday challenges. Reading the Gita helps us understand the fundamental principles that shape our lives and decisions.
Students should recognize the value of the Bhagavad Gita, as it encourages self-reflection and practical thinking. Learning from its teachings can inspire a habit of questioning, leading them to approach life with a more thoughtful and practical mindset.
Importance of the Bhagavad Gita in daily life
- The Bhagavad Gita connects us to our rich cultural heritage and traditions.
- Turning to the verses of the Bhagavad Gita offers valuable solutions to the everyday challenges we encounter in life.
- Reading the Bhagavad Gita unveils the truths of life and leads us toward liberation from superstitions and misconceptions.
- Studying the Bhagavad Gita enhances our confidence by dispelling doubts and deepening our knowledge.
- The teachings of the Gita urge us to thoughtfully reflect on our actions before proceeding with them.
Benefits of reading the Bhagavad Gita,
- Verses from the Bhagavad Gita guide us in understanding our responsibilities as human beings.
- Reading the Bhagavad Gita highlights the importance of self-control and guides how to cultivate it in our lives.
- The Bhagavad Gita teaches us the practice of nishkam karma, which involves performing actions without being attached to the results.
- Reading the Bhagavad Gita helps us grasp how to steer clear of materialism and negative behaviours.
- Reading the Bhagavad Gita offers us a new perspective on life.
1. Develop the right perspective:
Just before the Kurukshetra war, Arjun felt confused and disheartened. He hesitated to fight, unsure of the consequences of his actions. Gaining clarity is essential to understanding our purpose and responsibilities, as well as how they shape our perspective and actions.
- How to help children learn perspective-taking: Through our experiences, we often develop particular ways of thinking. Over time, we may come to believe that our beliefs are always right and anyone who disagrees with us is wrong. It’s essential to teach children that while understanding others’ feelings is important, they don’t always have to agree with differing opinions. Encourage them to consider situations from other people’s perspectives as well.
2. Understand that change is the law of nature:
According to the Bhagavad Gita, everything is in a constant state of change. Our bodies, feelings, emotions, and the world around us are always evolving. Despite this, we often resist or refuse to embrace change when it’s presented to us. Success requires adapting to new circumstances, being creative in finding better solutions, and exploring fresh opportunities. While staying in familiar environments feels comforting, being open to taking small risks can lead to valuable experiences and rewards.
- How to help your child accommodate changes: When your child inquires about upcoming changes, reassure her that there will be plenty of time to adjust to the new situation. Changes don’t occur overnight. Highlight the positives these changes can bring into her life, focusing on the benefits and opportunities that may come with them. This approach will help her feel more comfortable and optimistic about the transition.
3. Practise tolerance and forgiveness:
Tolerance teaches us to face life’s challenges calmly and refrain from responding with aggression, even when provoked. Forgiveness enables us to release resentment and move beyond feelings of anger or injustice. These qualities are crucial for building and maintaining relationships, nurturing empathy and love, and overcoming differences. These values strengthened the Pandava brothers’ bond, helping them face their challenges together.
- How to teach your child to be tolerant and forgiving: Many stories and real-life examples highlight the importance of tolerance and forgiveness. Share these stories with your child to help them better understand these values. Encourage them to learn about people who have demonstrated tolerance and forgiveness, as these examples can inspire them and teach valuable lessons about kindness and understanding.
4. Change the way you think:
Positive thinking is essential for maintaining balance, boosting confidence, and overcoming negativity. It helps us prepare effectively for challenges and stay focused on achieving our goals. Don’t let negative thoughts take over your mind and block your path to success. Practising gratitude, meditation, helping others, and reading uplifting books can foster positive thinking and enhance your mindset.
- How to make your child change his way of thinking: Encourage your child to be flexible in her thinking. Rather than getting frustrated when things don’t go as planned, teach her to explore new ways to approach the situation. Practising this skill will help her develop adaptability in her thinking.
5. Stay calm:
Maintaining a calm mind is essential for controlling impulses, staying composed during both favourable and challenging times, and managing stress effectively. It enables us to think, evaluate our options, and concentrate on productive tasks. Recognizing that change is inevitable helps us preserve this sense of calm.
- How to teach your child to stay calm: Children can become upset quickly because they haven’t fully developed coping skills. Teach your child simple methods to stay calm when they’re feeling upset. For example, encourage deep breathing, counting to 50, or taking a brief relaxation break. These techniques can help them manage their emotions more effectively.
6. Work for the welfare of the world:
We often focus on how our actions benefit ourselves, without considering their impact on others. This self-centred mindset can lead to selfish behaviour and create distance between us and those around us. However, being selfless teaches us to view the world as one family (Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam). Acting with selflessness means making choices that enhance the world and strengthen our connections with others.
- How to teach your child to be charitable: To raise a caring and compassionate child, encourage her to donate toys and clothes to those in need, assist her friends when they require help and get involved in volunteering activities. These actions foster empathy and kindness toward others.
7. Be fearless:
Fear is a natural emotion experienced by all living beings. In humans, fear often arises from not knowing or understanding something, which makes emotions difficult to manage. To overcome fear and uncertainty, focus on gaining knowledge and wisdom. This will enable you to confront the unknown and conquer any doubts or anxieties with confidence.
- How to help your child overcome fear: Children often feel anxious and fearful when they lack enough information about situations. Encourage your child to share his worries and concerns with you, so you can help him understand and manage his fears more effectively. This approach makes it easier to handle and overcome fears.
8. Manage your anger:
Anger disrupts our ability to think clearly, creating confusion and disorder. It clouds our judgment and diverts our attention from achieving our goals. This negative emotion often results in harmful thoughts and can push us to act destructively. In the Mahabharata, Duryodhana’s anger blinded him to reason, ultimately leading to a destructive war with his cousins.
- How to help your child manage anger: Explain to your child that feeling angry at times is normal, and teach her how to manage it. Encourage techniques such as deep belly breathing, taking breaks to calm down, practising relaxation activities like yoga, and reminding herself that anger doesn’t solve problems. These methods can help her manage anger more effectively.
9. Dream big:
Many remarkable achievements we hear about begin with someone daring to dream big and working hard to bring it to life. Don’t let fear or uncertainty hold you back from pursuing your big dreams with determination. Stay focused on your ultimate goal and avoid letting easier tasks distract you. This mindset will help you transform your dreams into reality.
- How to make your child dream big: Here are ways to help your child dream big: encourage imaginative play, suggest keeping a dream journal, share your dreams, set achievable goals together, teach creative uses of technology, support learning from setbacks, and inspire them by reading success stories in books. These activities will inspire and empower your child to pursue their dreams with confidence.
10. Accept that nothing is permanent:
The cycle of day turning to night and back to day reminds us that nothing in life lasts forever, including success and failure. Those who have faced failure should find hope in this cycle and keep striving towards success. Likewise, those going through tough times should stay resilient, knowing that things will eventually get better.
- How to explain impermanence to your child:Explaining impermanence to a young child can be difficult, but simple examples can make it easier for them to grasp. Sit together and watch the clouds in the sky, showing how they change shape or drift away after some time. Point out a bud on a plant that’s about to bloom and explain that it will soon blossom into a flower. Use examples like these to demonstrate how things in life are always changing and evolving. This can help your child understand that nothing stays the same forever.
Swami Mahamedhananda highlights, “Children should be encouraged and taught to participate in activities such as working in the garden, planting trees, conserving water and natural resources, preventing food waste, recycling materials that can be reused, and properly disposing of waste. While these may appear as small actions, they help children develop an understanding and respect for their relationship with nature. In all their endeavours, children should aim to give more than they receive. This embodies the true spirit of sacrifice.”
Conclusion
In conclusion, the Bhagavad Gita offers timeless life lessons that resonate with both children and parents. It teaches the importance of fulfilling duties with integrity, building resilience, and practising self-control for inner peace. The Gita promotes equality, compassion, and courage to uphold moral values while encouraging the pursuit of knowledge and mindfulness. Ultimately, it fosters spiritual growth and a deeper connection with the universe, providing valuable guidance for personal development and meaningful relationships.
