SLOKA 82 FROM DANCING WITH SIVA
WHAT ARE THE MAIN DUTIES OF PARENTS?
The fundamental duty of parents is to provide food, shelter and clothing and to keep their children safe and healthy. The secondary duty is to bestow education, including instruction in morality and religious life. Aum.
BHASHYA
Assuring the health and well-being of their offspring is the most essential duty of parents to their children, never to be neglected. Beyond this, parents should provide a good example to their children, being certain that they are taught the Hindu religious heritage and culture along with good values, ethics, strength of character and discipline. Sons and daughters should worship regularly at puja with the parents, and the Hindu sacraments should all be provided. Education in all matters is the duty of the parents, including teaching them frankly about sex, its sacredness and the necessity to remain chaste until marriage. Children must learn to respect and observe civil law and to honor and obey their elders. Parents must love their children dearly, and teach them to love. The best way to teach is by example: by their own life, parents teach their children how to live. The Vedas declare, ”Of one heart and mind I make you, devoid of hate. Love one another as a cow loves the calf she has borne. Let the son be courteous to his father, of one mind with his mother. Let the wife speak words that are gentle and sweet to her husband.” Aum Namah Sivaya.
LESSON 237 FROM LIVING WITH SIVA
GROWING OLD GRACEFULLY
A short while ago I had the privilege of visiting a rest home for elderly ladies. Being experienced in looking at people and discerning the type of lives they had lived, seeing these ladies who sat grumbling, I could see the types of lives they lived in their marriages. I would say that all but two in the entire group had hung divorce over their husband’s head all through life. That is how they got their way: ”If you don’t give me what I want, I will divorce you!” But there were two souls sitting there who were also suffering, but they were happy. They had an inner joy. The conditions weren’t too good–they never are in such places–but these two souls sat happily observing, and I could see that they were understanding what they observed. That is the secret of growing old, being able to understand what you observe.
To grow old gracefully–and to get away from the habit of just growing old naturally and thus physically and emotionally losing the spirit entirely–you have to plan ahead. You have to know where you are going. Everyone who goes on in life is going to get old, believe it or not. But we can pass through those years beautifully, providing the balance is right. You get that right balance by following good advice and conquering the mistakes that you have made in the past and making them right.
When we are selfish, self-centered and flare up and lose control of ourselves, we are like animals. When we reflect understanding, have control of ourselves and use our will to conquer our lower nature, we are using the Godly part of our mind. That’s why I say people do just exactly what they want to do. It is either the spiritual being that is stronger, or the animal within them that is stronger. If they control the animal nature, then what happens? The spiritual being automatically takes over.
If they live according to the rules of the animal nature, then what happens? They snuff out the spirit, they snuff out life, and they decay. Decay immediately sets in. It is terrible to think about, but that’s the rule. That’s what happens. That’s why we have basic laws and basic principles to live by. If we live by them, automatically good things will happen. You don’t even have to wish or hope. Good things will just automatically come along. And if you don’t live by the laws, automatically things that aren’t too palatable present themselves before you, and you get entangled in them quite automatically.
So, let’s think about the years to come. Let’s see if we are laying the foundation for our mature years to rot away, or to become beautiful and content and happy with ourselves. Look into your home right now. Look at your life. What are you doing now? What have you done? What are you going to do? Do you have a foundation for a future that is real and permanent and full and joyous and happy? Or is your life like a child’s sandbox? These are the things we have to face as we look ahead to our own advanced age.
So, don’t come to me this morning and say, ”You gave a very nice upadesha, Gurudeva. I really got so much out of it.” Rather, come back in ten years and let me see by your radiant face how much you got out of it. That will make me happy. Let me see by your tomorrows and how you meet challenges–when various things come up that you should do and you are given advice on what to do–how you face them, how polite you are, how kindly you are, how understanding you are. That will show your sincerity, your reality, your character as individuals.
SUTRA 237 OF THE NANDINATHA SUTRAS
DEALING WITH DETRACTORS
Siva’s devotees never listen to talk intended to deter them from their commitment, devotion or duty unless willing and able to turn the detractor’s mind around by debating the truths of the Saivite Hindu religion. Aum.
LESSON 237 FROM MERGING WITH SIVA
PROTECTIVE EMANATIONS
After you have quickly increased the pranic strength of your aura, you can easily flood it with any color you wish. Each color has its own special protective qualities, which can be chosen to counteract or balance out the particular vibrations you are or will be experiencing. Let’s take the example of protecting yourself from the auric emanations of persons who are ill, a condition you will encounter if you visit a hospital. You can easily counteract this influence by flooding your aura with colors of health and physical strength. This will not only protect you, but it will also improve the condition of those around you. How do you do this? Become aware of your spine and visualize a stream of white light in its center from the base to the top of your head. Then mentally draw from this pure white light warm red and vibrant pink. As a healing power, visualize pale green surrounding the patient, a color many modern hospitals have adopted to invoke healing. To increase your vitality even more, visualize yourself effortlessly performing some strenuous physical or athletic feat. For example, mentally go through all the motions of lifting something heavy with ease and you will soon feel the energy rising within you.
The aura of the successful doctor or nurse invariably shows the presence of bright reds and vivid pinks. Most successful doctors and nurses who are in contact with their patients possess the mental and emotional vibrations of strength, power and confidence. They remain cheerful and bright despite the negativity of the many around them suffering from disease and despair. The doctor’s strong aura, well protected, does not absorb the gray shades of his patients. Gray in the aura, which indicates fear, opens the individual to all kinds of negative influences.
If you are going to have an important intellectual discussion with someone and want to be sure to remain poised and centered, what colors should you flood your aura with? The answer: bright oranges and yellows. This will bring a new energy to enhance your intellect and protect you from being overpowered by the intellectual force of someone else. You have probably experienced times when you were overwhelmed in this way and came away from a discussion regretting having been swayed from your original perspective. This technique can help prevent this by making you mentally stronger and more agile. This is also a way to help overcome shyness. Surrounded by a vibrant aura charged with bright orange and yellow, you are a secure and confident individual, able to enter into discussion with new self-assurance. The vibrations of others tend to rebound from your aura. You are relaxed and friendly, and intelligence pours forth uninhibitedly from you. One more thought on this subject: it is also wise to hold a mental image of your head being surrounded by a golden aura of yellow light. This will create the vibration in which thoughts flow freely without interruption and perception is quickened as you speak.
