Taittiriya Upanishad says,

Matru devo bhava, Pitru devo bhava, Acharya devo bhava. Let you be the one, who worships mother, father, teacher, and guests as God.

What if we cannot revere our parents?

The Shrimad Bhagavatam Canto 5 answers this question.

One who cannot deliver his dependents from the path of repeated birth and death should never become a spiritual master, a father, a mother or a worshipable demigod.

The shastras emphasize that unless we are practicing what we tell our children, we cannot call ourselves parents and in case our biological parents are tyrants, we should look upon this as divine advice and seek a genuine spiritual mentor. What qualities of thoughts, words and actions do we want our children, students and others to live by? The answer is in our thoughts, feelings, words, and actions that we create for ourselves and for others. These thoughts reflect neutrality and proactivity.

William Wordsworth wrote,

Child is the father of man.

It is difficult to understand this quote. Our childhood shapes our adulthood. Therefore, we must practice heightened awareness and atmabhava, love for our fellow beings. Children are perceptive and they can become our mirror images. Therefore, we must learn to love, serve and give. This quote is in the Bible, Gita and Ramayana. It is echoed by all the gurus.

My Heart leaps Up

My heart leaps up when I behold
A rainbow in the sky:
So was it when my life began;
So, it is now I am a man;
So be it when I grow old,
Or let me die!
The Child is father of Man;
And I could wish my days to be
Bound each to each by natural piety.

William Wordsworth 1770—1850.

Create a rainbow for the young with your positivity and harmony. Positivity and harmony are possible when we are free of our thoughts.

Aim Hrim Klim

Foto von Stainless Images auf Unsplash