HINDUISM AND SANATANA DHARMA

How Can Hindu Children be Raised?

Raising true Hindu children means following Sanatana Dharma or universal law, not merely imposing Hindu beliefs or rituals upon them. It means living in the Dharma and having a culture of the Dharma, which includes communities that maintain living traditions of ritual, Yoga and meditation.

Children are very impressionable to their environment. They want to be accepted and to be part of the society in which they live. They are most affected by sensation and their minds can easily be disturbed by wrong impressions. For this reason children must be provided a field of learning in which they can flower spiritually. This requires the right atmosphere at home and the right relationship between the parents. For this the parents themselves must have an active interest in some aspect of Sanatana Dharma and pass it to their children.

On top of this the right educational system must be created, or at least occasional camps for the children which immerse them in a higher form of life. Children must be brought into contact with real examples of the spiritual life, various gurus and teachers, so that they have an ideal which they can follow. They must be brought into the world of Nature so as to learn how to contact the immanent divinity. Without creating the proper environment and the right examples it will not be possible to get our children to become spiritual, just as a plant will not grow without water and light.

Hinduism contains many myths and stories that are helpful for teaching children like the Ramayana. Hindu children should be exposed to this literature, which can be quite entertaining for them, so that the seeds of spirituality can be planted in them.

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