Charming Saplings
In the following excerpt from His discourse at the Sri Sathya Sai Convent School in the late 1960s, Bhagavan Baba charges parents to take full responsibility for inculcating righteous values in children from a tender age.
The magnificent mansion called Sanathana Dharma [eternal path] that ancient sages had created to ensure peace and prosperity for posterity has crumbled through the wanton neglect of the sons and daughters of Bharat-mata [mother India]. Now, peace and joy are to be found only among these little children. The elders have lost the art and discipline needed to regain and retain them.
These children are fresh, charming saplings that can be nurtured through care and love to blossom into ideal citizens of this land with the ability to understand and practice the great disciplines laid down by the sages for their liberation through self-realization. The mother and the father must bear the primary responsibility for the proper upbringing of children.
The early years of life are the most crucial. The skills, attitudes, emotions, and impulses that make or mar the future are built into the foundation of life in those years. The parents can help or hinder and make the foundation strong and straight. But, parents are not equipped for that role. They have little faith in their own ancient culture; and, they fail to be role models to their children as they themselves do not practice sadhana [spiritual discipline] that leads to mental peace.
In homes where children see their parents honor and serve elders, they are likely to honor the elders as well. This [kind of behavior] must be taught by example rather than by precept. Schooling is a waste if children do not learn lasting virtues and do not develop strength of character. Children must learn to revere parents, teachers, and elders. Today, they learn maxims from books; but they do not put a single one into practice in their daily lives.
Children must be taught the glory of God that is their inner reality. They must understand that they are not their bodies, but they are indeed the one dehi [embodied divine], who is also manifest in all. Parents and teachers can teach this truth to children by being role models, and through activities such as bhajan [devotional singing] and shravana [listening about God]. Learn your own news before getting excited about others’ news. Learn the A, B, C, and D of your own alphabet, and then you will be able to guide others better.
Do not ridicule children when they go to a temple or to a sage [spiritual elder] or show interest in bhajan, worship or dhyana [meditation]. Many elders mistakenly believe that there is plenty of time for such pastimes after one has lived for 60 years. People who spread this mistaken notion are ruining the lives of their dear ones, for they fail to condemn the wrong and encourage the right. Then there are others who by their behavior and habits at home in full view of the children inculcate lying, gambling, and drinking in children.
Plant in those tender hearts the seeds of love, sympathy, truth, justice, charity, compassion, repentance, and self-control. That is the prime duty of all who deal with children. When the father asks the child to tell someone at the door that he is not at home, or reply to a phone call that he has gone out, the vice of dishonesty is implanted in the child. Do not burden the tender brains with all kind of lumber, information that can never be put to use, facts that warp and twist the truth. Teach them only beneficial things and that which directly helps them in their lives. Train character more than brains.
Parents, teachers, comrades, playmates, companions, and the rest of society, in that order, shape the character of children and the destiny of a country. You [parents] must revere the teacher so that the child may revere him. The teacher too must become worthy of reverence and aware of his critical role. Finally, the school, bearing this Name [of Sri Sathya Sai], has a major responsibility in this regard.
Source: Sanathana Sarathi, April 1969
