Sage of Kanchi –

Pranams at the lotus feet of Sri Paramacharya !

Paramacharya describes the concept of ‘Family’, the whole Universe is a family, Vedas narrates the fourteen worlds, seven Vyahrithis/elevated world and seven lower ones/Pathala Loka, which are Bhu, Bhuva, Sva, Mahas, Janas, Thapas, and Sathyaloka are upper ones, Athala, Vithala, Suthala,Rasathala, Thalathala, Mahathala, Pathala, Naraka is the lower one.  These fourteen worlds is the essence of the supreme spirit, Lord Mahadeva and Goddess Parvathi is the Mother and Father of these fourteen worlds.  In the same manner, we have small families consists of father, mother, child, and dependents, in this world.  We worship Lord Mahadeva and Goddess Parvathi as Universal spirit, likewise, father and mother in every family are most venerable.  It is essential to create a sense of devotion in a child from the early years of childhood, we have no school to teach those lessons, so parents should take all efforts to teach their children with the legends from scriptures, small verses praising the glories of Lord.  Home and parents influence the greater part of a child’s life, a child is a mirror image of parents, and ultimately all the virtues and faults inculcated in them are the nature of parents.  If a house is a place for serenity, strict discipline, a place for religious and spiritual services, and place of pious people, consequently the children brought up in those homes will strictly follow all the rites, customs, and religious practices.  They remain virtuous in the entire life, they will grow up a strong  and responsible person with great will power, all those virtues reflect in all walks of his life.  A child brought up in a family where there is no discipline, religious, spiritual, or customary practices are followed, where there are constant conflicts and arguments takes place, eventually, the child will grow up an irresponsible with no virtues.  Home is the first school for a child,  it is the prime duty of every parents  to put great effort to shape a child to a responsible and virtuous citizen, hence parents should cultivate good discipline and habits in their children.  A wood requires lots of meticulous carving work to become a beautiful sculpture, in the same way, a child requires a lot of disciplines to bring up as a responsible citizen.    Later the child will go to a school where pupils from varied cultures, family backgrounds and disciplines will meet together, the disciplines he had learned from the home will keep him unalterable, goodness already instilled in the child will help others to get benefit from him.  A child brought up in a good atmosphere would treat the school mates as brothers and sisters, and teacher with great respect as head of the family.