True friendship

   Value of true friendship:
                            Through our mythological stories we can tell many morals to our children. Almost all children have friends. This is a common thing but the important one is we should not forget our friends after going to a high position also. This is one of the popular stories of Krishna and his beloved friend Sudama.

                             Krishna & Sudama's friendship is known to all. Sudama was a poor Brahmin man. He didn't even have enough money to feed his children. Once with tearful eyes, his wife told him, "It doesn't matter if we are hungry but we should at least be able to feed the children enough."On hearing this Sudama felt very hurt & said, "What can be done? We can't ask for favors from anybody."Sudama's wife replied, "You talk of Krishna so often. You have been saying that you have a deep bond of friendship with him. He is the King of Dwarka, so why don't you go to him? There won't be any need to ask for anything there."Sudama found wisdom in the words of his wife. He decided to go to Dwarka & said, "I'll definitely go to Krishna but what should I take along for his children?"Sudama's wife borrowed some rice snacks from their neighbor. She bound the food in a piece of torn cloth & Sudama took the bundle & left for Dwarka.On seeing Dwarka, Sudama was amazed.

The entire town was built with gold & the people were very well-off. He asked for directions for Krishna's palace & finally reached there. On seeing Sudama who looked like a hermit, the palace guards asked, "Why have you come here?"Sudama answered, "I want to meet Krishna who is my friend. Go & tell him that Sudama has come to meet you."The guard smirked on seeing Sudama's attire. However, he hesitantly went & informed Krishna of Sudama's arrival. On hearing Sudama's name, Krishna immediately stood up & ran to meet him. Everyone looked on in wonder upon seeing such a great King running bare-footed to meet his poor friend.

                       Krishna took Sudama into the palace. They recalled their childhood days at the Sandipani's school. Seeing Krishna's wealth, Sudama felt ashamed of the rice snacks that he had brought & tried to hide the bundle but Krishna snatched it from him. While enjoying the snack Krishna said, "I have never tasted such sweetness in anything else."Later, they sat to have their meal which was served in gold plates. Sudama felt sad as he remembered his hungry children at home. He stayed at the palace for two days but he couldn't prepare himself to ask Krishna for any favors. On the third day, he got ready to go back home. Krishna embraced Sudama & escorted him out as he bid him farewell.On the way back, Sudama wondered, "What shall I say when my wife asks me what I've brought back?"As Sudama approached home, he could not find his hut! Instead, his wife came out from a magnificent palace & dressed in elegant clothes. She told Sudama, "Look at Krishna's might; we have been rid of our poverty. Krishna has ended all our miseries." Sudama recollected Krishna's pure love & his eyes welled up with tears of joy.

 Moral:      

True friendship and  love doesn't distinguish between high & low status or between riches & poverty. Therefore today, even after thousands of years, the friendship of Krishna & Sudama is remembered all over the world as a symbol of true love. Do not value the things you have in your life. But value who you have in your life.

Prayers for children

Hindu Prayers are a collection of mantra and devotional songs that you can learn and teach  children. The meanings of these prayers and how and when best to say them should explained by their parents. You will find prayers in Sanskrit, Tamil and English. Nut my opinion is to teach them prayers in sanskrit itself. I wish every hindu child shoud pray in sanskrit since its our  religional language. Here are some of the prayers we can teach children in the morning, before meal and also before sleep.

                                  Early Morning Prayers (Karaagre Vasate)

karaagre vasate lakshmiih
karamadhye sarasvatii
karamuule tu govindah
prabhaate karadarshanam

Meaning:
Lakshmi lives in the tip of my palm,
Saraswathi lives in its middle,
And Gowri lives at its base,and the root (the part of hand near the wrist) to Govinda (God).
Therefore, every morning, one should have a respectful look at one's hand, which symbolizes honest labor.


                              While Eating (Bhojan Mantra - brahamaarpanam.)

brahmaarpanam brahma havih brahmaagnau brahmanaa hutamh.
brahmaiva tena gantavyam brahmakarmasamaadhinaa

Meaning:
A process of offering is Brahman, the oblation is Brahman, the instrument of offering is Brahman, the fire to which the offering is made is also Brahman. For such a one who abides in Brahman, by him alone Brahman is reached.

                        Before Starting Your Studies (Sarasvati Namastubhyam)

sarasvatii namastubhyam varade kaamaruupini
vidyaarambham karishhyaami siddhirbhavatu me sadaa

Meaning:
O Goddess Saraswati, salutations to you, the giver of boons, the one who fulfills all desires. I begin my studies. May there always be accomplishments for me.


                                         Bedtime Prayer (Karacharana)

karacharana kritam vaa
kaayajam karmajam vaa
shravana nayanajam vaa
maan asam vaaparaadham.
vihita mavihitam vaa
sarvame tatkshamasva
jaya jaya karunaabdhe
shriimahaadeva shambho

Meaning:
Oh Lord
Kindly forgive my wrong actions done knowingly or unknowingly,
either through my organs of action (hand, feet, speech)
or through my organs of perception (eyes, ears)
or by my mind.
Glory unto Thee O Lord,
who is the ocean of kindness.

Must for children to offer prayers

It is a must for all Hindus to offer prayers in the morning, while bathing, before starting studies, before eating and  before going to bed. Children must be taught why we pray? when to pray? and the types of prayers.These questions will surface for any new parents who would like to help their child develop the gift of faith. 

While comparing to other religions our children pray rarely. We probably start teaching children to pray before they are born, given that they can hear us long before they see us.Our scriptures indicate that there are several techniques to teach about prayering:

• When you pray just talk to God as a little boy would to a father or mother whom he loves and with whom he feels in harmony. Tell Him everything that is on your mind and in your heart.

• Talk to God in simple everyday speech. This will make your relationship with Him more natural. 

•  Practice praying as many times during the day as possible. For example, in the morning before eating and also say little prayer before you go to bed. If it is not possible, get into bed, relax and then pray.

•  Spend a few moments just thinking about Him. Think how good He is, how kind He is and that He is right by your side guiding and watching over you.

• Don't always pray for yourself. Try helping others by your prayers. Pray for those who are in trouble or are ill.

•  whatever you do, do not make all prayers into the form of begging God for something. The prayer for thanksgiving is much more powerful. Make your prayer consisting of a listing of all the fine things you possess, or all the wonderful things that have happened to you. Name them over, thank God for them and make that your whole prayer. You will find that these prayers of thanksgiving grow.

Here are some ideas for teaching children to pray:

• Ask your children to think about all the people important in their lives and to name each one individually by praying, “God bless __. God bless __.”

•   Encourage your children to close their eyes and imagine themselves sitting in a very peaceful place talking with God

• Give your children their own special ‘Prayer Journal’ (a book with blank pages). Let them decorate a special front cover and explain that they can write or draw in their Prayer Journals as a way of communicating with God.
• Ask your children to pray with their own words and others in the family repeats it. This makes them to get out of shyness and also own sentence making capacities.

Talk to them about things they are afraid of and God’s ability to protect them from those things. - See more at: http://ministry-to-children.com/how-to-teach-kids-to-pray/#sthash.AnOUma8K.dpuf

CCijofojgkjChildren must be taught why we pray.

Children must be taught why we prayC

Children must be taught why we pray.

Children must be taught why we pray.

Children must be taught why we pray.

Children must be taught why we pray.

Hinduism terms for children

Each and every hindu chidren should know these key terms in our hinduism.........

atman:  Hindu concept of the eternal soul

avatar:  Hindu concept of the incarnation or earthly manifestation of a deity

Bhagavad-Gita:  Sanskrit for 'Song of the Lord'; this text is regarded as the crowning achievement of Hindu sacred literature

bhakti:  Hindu concept of devotional service to a personal god.  Bhakti-yoga is one of the principal paths to liberation taught in Hinduism.

Brahma:  Hindu god of creation

Brahman:  Hindu concept for the spiritual oneness of all reality

Brahmin:  Priestly caste of Indian society

guru:  in Hinduism, refers to a spiritual teacher

jiva:  in Hinduism, refers to the physical/psychological/social 'self' which acts, but which is not eternal

Krishna:  Incarnation of the Hindu god Vishnu, who appears as a main character in the Bhagavad-Gita

maya:  Hindu concept of false or illusory reality

meditation: focused, disciplined concentration intended to enable experience of the sacred

moksha:  release from the cycle of death and rebirth in Indian religions; liberation

samsara:  Sanskrit for 'the cycle of rebirth'

Shiva:  Hindu god of destruction and rejuvenation

Upanishads:  Philosophical materials in the Vedic literature

Vedas:  literally means, 'knowledge'; applies to the entire collection of Indian sacred literature, including the Upanishads

Vishnu: Hindu god of preservation and love; appears on earth on verious forms (avatars) in times of crisis

Why Must We Go to the Temple Every Week?

                    Explain to children that worshiping in the temple is one of the traditional ways Hinduism gives us for connecting with our soul nature and experiencing ananda, the natural bliss of the soul.Once children catch the idea that temple worship is a great tool for stabilizing their emotions when they get upset, their reluctance to join the family will change. The temple will become important to them, not just to mom and dad. Temple worship will help them remain calm and centered even in difficult circumstances. They will find that going in the right spirit is a way of pulling themselves back together. It is also a place for assuaging long-held hurts.

                     Teach children to go to the temple and place their problems at the feet of the Deity, to bring offerings and talk to the Deity about their unhappiness, just as if they were talking to a friend in this physical world. There, with the Deity, they will go through a deep, inner process and receive blessings from the Deity if they open themselves in the right way. They may find that when they leave the temple they can't remember what the problem was. That's a sign of success.
Of course, the benefits of attending a temple every week are not limited to times that they are emotionally upset. Even when everything is going well in their life, worshiping at the temple with sincerity and attentiveness takes them deeper into their soul nature. They will be more compassionate and understanding, better able to deal with the challenges that come to them in life. Once your child realizes that worship is a powerful Hindu tool, and not just another adult rule, she will ask you to take her to the temple every week.

Naughty thief

One day Yasoda told Krishna, “It’s your birthday today. Go and bring a female calf here, and worship her.“ Krishna became so happy. He went out and chose a very beautiful she-calf. The calf
was very healthy, and stout and strong, and was jumping here and there. Krishna wanted to catch her, but He couldn’t, because she was jumping so much. After a great struggle, He managed to hold her, and then He wanted to bring her in to the courtyard. He tried to tie up her four legs, but the calf refused to let Him tie her, and they had another wrestlingmatch. Somehow or other, Krishna managed to bring her into the courtyard, and as He was doing so, He suddenly noticed a pot hanging from a rope. He could immediately understand that this pot must be full of sweet butter.

                              In an instant, Krishna’s intense greed for the butter made Him forget that He was supposed to bring the calf in. But how could He reach the butter? It was hanging high up in the rafters, and there was no ladder, or anything to stand on. When He was with His friends, He would climb on their backs, one by one, higher and higher, until He could reach the butter. However, none of His friends were there, and He had no stick. What to do? After considering carefully, Krishna thought, “I can reach the butter very easily if I stand on this calf.“ He managed to climb up on the calf’s back, and when He stood upright, sure enough, He was high enough to put His hand into the pot. Just at that moment, however, the calf suddenly jumped away. Little Krishna had put His whole arm into the pot, so when the calf ran away, He was left dangling there. 

                             Now He called out fearfully, “O Mother! Mother! Mother!“ and cried bitterly. Mother Yasoda was churning, and when she heard Krishna weeping and crying for her, she smiled and ran out to help Him. As soon as she saw Him hanging high above the ground, she understood what had happened. “You stay like that!“ she told Him. “I’m not going to touch You. And I’ll punish You for being naughty, as well. I’ll never help You!“ Krishna began to weep more loudly: “Mother! Mother! Mother! Mother!“ and of course, Yasoda brought Him down.m Krishna was extremely naughty in His boyhood, and that is why He garnered so much love and affection from all thegopis, and especially from His mother.