Sage of Kanchi –

Pranams at the lotus feet of Sri Paramacharya!

Paramacharya emphasizes the practice of charity among children.  It is the responsibility of the parents to make the children understand the need for the performance of charity, God will not get pleased to see all the money earned used for individual purpose, they should learn the habit of helping poor, sick, physically disabled, serving the meal to needy, etc.. In this way they can earn piousness as well as happiness.  Children can collectively perform the deed of charity, planting trees, cleaning shelter homes, gardens, shrines, etc… this will cultivate devotion, morality, and sense of  responsibility among the children, mere remembrance of Lord would clear all the impurities, it will keep the children safe from bad habits.  Children should practice obeisance and prayer to Lord in the morning, evening and before go to bed, during the troubled times' devotion will work as supporting stick, it keeps us protected from falling prey to dangers.  Acharya highlighted the importance of discipline in adults, an adolescent is a crucial age, during this period their emotions goes beyond the limit, they often get familiarized with the new habits like smoking, usage of addiction-forming drugs, movies, politics, etc.. Parents should handle them with great care and compassion.  If they lose discipline and self-control, it will damage their future; eventually, it will destroy peace in the family.  The practice of devotion in the childhood years would be of great help during these hours, some may find peace in the devotional and spiritual services, they lean towards more spiritual and religious rites, it will keep them mentally strong with a whole new perception. They find immense pleasure in listening to religious speeches, legends of holy men, readings scriptures, and various charitable services.  They know how to strike balance between their studies and personal work.  Unfortunately, children who are not familiarized with any of these practices of devotion may find peace in the above-mentioned addiction forming habits.  It is essential to organize religious and spiritual conventions very often inviting more youths into this gathering, utilizing their physical help as well as allow them to share their thoughts; it will channelize the young minds into more fruitful ways, it will help the youth transform into noble personality. 

Sage of Kanchi –

Pranams at the lotus feet of Sri Paramacharya !

Paramacharya continues if devotion is not cultivated in the young minds it is impossible to do it in later years, prayers work as a cleansing agent, like a dip in the holy river Ganga, it removes the impurities in the child, therefore every parent should  introduce  the habit of prayers in their children at a young age.  The habit of daily prayer is as essential as bathing; a child should practice Sun worship in the early years of childhood.  A child should understand the nature of Earth, he should have a love for nature, he should have the knowledge that God has created this Universe and its living beings, he has created Earth that rotates around Sun, it results in the origin of   four seasons known as Spring, Summer, Autumn and Winter.  Supreme spirit is the essence of compassion and righteousness, children should learn to communicate with the Lord with their simple prayers, as a result, they will learn the habit of sharing all their troubles with the Universal spirit, after several years of practice they will realize the benefit of complete surrender to the supreme spirit which will protect them from committing sins.  During this process, all their impurities will melt like ice; they grow up with clear perception, discipline, and virtues.  Supreme Lord protects the whole Universe and its living beings, Lord Surya is Lord of  the day who nourishes the plants and human life, Lord Varuna is the source of an adequate downpour, Lord Chandra is the Lord of night and coolness of the air, Lord Vayu is the source of vital air, Lord Agni is the source for  all ritual practices and preparation of meals, in this way supreme spirit takes care of each and every needs of its living beings,  He is the source of wealth, minerals, and natural resources likewise,  in a family father is the breadwinner, mother take care of household duties and responsibilities of children and dependents, hence a child should be respectful and grateful to his parents in his whole life, they have made a lot of sacrifices and underwent a lot of troubles in bringing up a child.  The parents are another form of supreme spirit who symbolizes compassion, that is the reason they are protective of their children and always wish for their goodness, it is the responsibility of every child to show respect and gratitude to his parents, when the child grows up into an adult, it is his prime duty to remain a strong support system of his parents.  When the intellect is free from impurities like ego, lust, desire, jealousy, anger and pride, it will be the abode of love and peace, our innate nature is happiness/bliss where the supreme soul resides, where do we get pure intellect? It can be achieved only through the practice of devotion and faith.  Hence, it is essential that children should be introduced to religious and spiritual activities from the early years of childhood.

Sage of Kanchi –

Pranams at the lotus feet of Sri Paramacharya !

Paramacharya describes the primary duty of a school going child is to concentrate on his studies, obviously, there will be lots of distractions that can be expected, but he/she must be focused on his/her studies with the constant supervision of parents.  A child should not be introduced to any kind of labor during the tender age, because he is not mentally or physically strong enough to perform heavy tasks.  Humans are innate with impurities like ego, desire, anger, pride and jealous, all the sinful deeds performed in the several births accumulates as huge stack, the purpose of sending a child to school is to get rid of impurities and ignorance, knowledge is the only cure for ignorance.  During the process of learning, a child gets well accustomed to simplicity, humility, kindness, compassion, care, and love, these will wash off all the impurities in him/her.  Knowledge without humility is equivalent to ignorance, a person who is swollen with pride will not get help even from God, therefore intelligence and wisdom followed with humility is essential, it brings happiness and admiration.  Jnana yoga is the superior tool to get away from sins; this will teach a person the difference between pious and wicked deeds.  Introducing personal hygiene in a child is very important, regular bath twice a day will keep the child from skin diseases, cold water bath will revitalize the body and mind, child will get energy to fight against common cold and flu, habit of wearing clean and crisp clothes after bathing, and washing one’s own clothes are good habits.  The purity of mind is essential as bodily hygiene; a child should be introduced to simple religious activities and charitable works, it will keep them away from lies and unknown fears, children should have respect for elders, it is common to commit mistakes but forgiving mistakes and not to repeat the same is the highest of the virtue.  Parents have the right to impose punishments upon a child for their severe mistakes, but they are equally responsible to make the child understand the reasons for implementing such punishments.  Children get easily influenced by jealousy and pride, which can do nothing but harm, during these circumstances parents should make them understand the negative impact of jealousy and redirect their attention to a productive means.  Children should learn to cultivate the habit of friendliness, which could bring great joy in their life, speaking ill of others, mocking others, backbiting and backstabbing these should be avoided thoroughly.   Parents know of their children better than anyone, they should have a constant eye on their disciplines and habits.  It is simple as it is ‘What you sow,  shall you reap’.

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.

Sage of Kanchi –

Pranams at the lotus feet of  Sri Paramacharya !

Paramacharya was walking University, an encyclopedia an information bank which could clear any doubts or provides information about varied subjects.  All those valuable information should be accessible to the younger generation so that they will get an opportunity to know about ‘The great Sage of Kanchi’ and adopt that priceless advice in their life too.  India is a land of numerous Siddhapurushas, Rishis, Sages, intellectuals, scholars etc..  Our life is not enough to get a glimpse of their works, even though we can make a humble effort to get to know something before leaving this world.  I am pretty sure none will get bored of reading about Paramacharya’s modest living with strict disciplines, kindness, compassion, love, optimism, enthusiasm, persistent efforts for the Universal well-being.  This is also one of the reasons we feel protected and serene in their vicinity.   Our Acharya has devotees all over the world, each and everyone was fleeing towards him like honey bees attracted towards nectar, he was enriched with far-sightedness, and he could envision the life of the younger generation, he well predicted the future of the younger generation and poured streams of advice for their well-being.  He tirelessly insisted parents, who contribute sizeable efforts to shape a child into a responsible citizen; he described the significance of joint living where children will have all the relations under one roof, each and everyone in the family contribute simple lessons which could help them to grow a better person, especially grandfather and a grandmother who is the storehouse of knowledge in various subjects.  Acharya must have dreamed a world where Dharma takes its predominant position, people who strictly follow their Varnnadharma, living in the peace of harmony, a world where there is no tinge on religion, beliefs, and devotion, people are fearless in performing spiritual and religious rites.  In the coming days I will be making a humble effort to portrait all those nectars like advice to children and parents as well.  Happy reading!

Sage of Kanchi –

Pranams at the lotus feet of Sri Parmacharya !

Paramacharya describes the significance of the Shatkarma while bathing it is customary to chant a few Sanskrit verses/Sankalpa, and Akamarshanasuktham that could purify the body as well as the mind,  it removes the sin of the worshiper.  Sandhyajapam is sun worship, it is performed for the welfare of the soul, it is performed three times a day, once in the early hours of dawn while the stars are visible, once in the afternoon anytime after 10.48  before 1.00, and in the evening before sunset.    Aupasana, Bhramayajjam, Devapooja/Panchayathanapuja is the worship of Goddess Shakthi, Lord Shiva, Lord Vishnu, Adithya,  and Ganesha,  and bhojanam/consuming meal during Madhyahnikam.  Pithru karma should be performed during Aparahnna/mid-day,  Deivakarma/veneration of deities during Sankalpa in the early hours of dawn, and recitation of sacred chants during Sayamkala/ early hours of sunset and Deivadharishanam/visiting shrines during Pradhoshakala.   

Acharya describes the significance of PanchamahaYajjam known as  Devayajjam/worship of deities, Pithruyajjam/homage to ancestors, Bhoothayajjam/Vaishvadevam, Bhramayajjam/recitation of Veda, and Manushyayajjam/service to humanity were strictly followed in olden days.  We are too busy with our livelihood, even though we have to take all the effort to perform whatever possible in this life, especially sun worship on a regular basis.  The performance of spiritual and religious rites will remove the sins of the worshiper, it will improve the intellect, and we will come to know what should do and what not, finally it provides happiness in this life and liberation from worldly existence.  Observing fast on Ekadhashi day and finish Parana on the Dwadhashi day before 8.24 brings an abundance of piousness.  Even the office-goers can do Snanam, Sandhyavandhanam, Aupasana, Shivapooja and Adithyam, retired people can perform Bhramayajjam and Vaishvadevam as well.  All the above religious rites can be performed for people who have the facilities.  These are the rites performed by Lord Bhrama, Rishis, deities, and our ancestors.  We have stopped performing all these rites or took hold of a few, that is the reason we are going through endless miseries, sorrows, grief, physical and mental afflictions, moreover, we have stopped the performance of these essential rites and prevented the abundance of piousness of our younger generations too.  A widower cannot perform Aupasanam, he can perform the rest of the rites, Aupasana is the performance of offerings to the creatures in Pithruloka, Devaloka, and Nagaloka.  Almighty has given us endless comforts but we are not willing to show basic gratitude by performing these rites.  We are incapable to produce a single piece of grain, supreme Lord has given us all that required for our life on Earth, we will remain, thieves, if we consume a meal without making an initial offering to him.  He is omnipresent; whatever offered to him will accept amicably.  We are performing homage to ancestors with the belief that the offerings will be received by our ancestors without any fail, in olden day’s telegram and money order system prevailed to transfer messages and money from one place to another, the performance of rites work exactly like this.  Acharya repeatedly insists every individual to follow Shatkarma which could provide piousness in this life and afterlife too.

Sage of Kanchi –

Pranams at the lotus feet of Sri Paramacharya !

Paramacharya continues modern day education to put people into a huge dilemma; there are very few following all the religious and spiritual rites, very few people who really want to follow all the disciplines, religious and spiritual rites.   There are people who really want to follow all those disciplines but not in a position to do so, there are people who cannot leave the disciplines and but willing to adopt a new way of living.    I have advised everyone to keep shunt, but who is following the same? People have changed their approach after the modern day education; it is compelling them to do various sins without any fear.  Every religion has its own school for teaching their customs and practices, but we are lacking that facility, therefore people are not aware of the significance of these rites or not following any disciplines and religious rites.  Our scriptures strongly recommend what are the disciplines to follow and what not, there are six major duties/Shatkarma every individual has to follow other than a livelihood.

Sandhya Snanam Japo Homo Devathanam Cha Poojanam |Adhithyam Vaishvadhevam Cha Shat Karmani Dhine Dhine ||

The above are the six duties performed for the goodness of health, prosperity, purity, and piousness.  These are simple duties such as regular bathing/Snanam, Japa/recitation of sacred chants, fire sacrifices/Homa, worship of deities, sun worship, and Adithibhojanam/feeding guests, Vaishvadevam/rite to pacify visible as well as non-visible creatures dead during the day to day activities, etc.. We all take bath for bodily hygiene, is that enough? What about the impurities in the heart? Visiting shrines and Mutt, consuming offerings of Lord that could purify the intellect as well keep the body fit.  Therefore when we perform a deed, it should serve the purpose of physical body as well as the soul,  and these Shatkarmas serve the purpose of both.