Children at temples

[Vinayaka]

Children are the future, and if they learn to love the place, they will return as adults, or bring their parents. At our Sivaratri we had several slung over parent shoulders. "Past my bedtime, Daddy, I'm going to fall asleep now."

 

[Aupmanyav]

We were woken up in the night when the 'Ram Braur' came avisiting on Shivaratri night, bringing goodluck, health, and sweets.

 

[Fireside_Hindu]

This morning at temple there was a young family with a cute little two year old girl. I've learned that children intrinsically love running in circles so Pradakshina is just another day at the office for them. She was laughing and racing around the main sanctum. Her mother tried to herd her in the right direction but this only convinced her that she was being chased in some kind of game. It was cute to watch. The mother was smiling so I think she was content with going with the flow. She did apologize when her daughter ran in front of me during darshan but I just laughed and told it was fine. That seemed to make her fell better.

I don't know what the difference is. Sometimes a child being a child at temple is very distracting and disrespectful. Other times it makes the trip worth while =) This little girl was like having a little Goddess in the temple with me. =)

 

[Aupmanyav]

Yes, children are excused of any blame till they grow up. They are considered avataras. We can steal some of their happiness to lighten our lives. Little Kanhas and little Mothers.

 

[Kirran]

At the temple I go to, there's this one kid, maybe four or five (although it's 9am on a schoolday, so maybe younger) who's always stalking about the place looking veritably regal.

He certainly won't stand still for aarti - runs up to ask his mum things, or some of those older men who are just fixtures at the mandir. Then runs back outside again.

Tries to trick the pandit into giving him prasad (it's sweet!) when he knows full well his mother's already got a portion for him. Everybody laughs.

Caught him playing fascinatedly with the padlock on one of the doors a couple days back.

Wonderful

 

[Vinayaka]

Yesterday I had the water sprinkler on a few feet from the front doors of the temple. A wee girl, maybe 4 came along, parents in tow. It was obvious she was keenly interested, and I overheard her say, "Mommy, I feel so hot!" (hint, hint) Pretty subtle for a child. But the parents managed to distract her and get her into the temple for the puja, or the pradakshina rounds.

I was still hanging about when they came back out. She was still interested. So I got to watch this ... she snuck closer, dashed away, and parents didn't really say anything. But over about 15 minutes it turned into a full walk right through and get totally soaked. Cold cold water too. I approached and asked, "Are you still hot, like you said before?"
"Nope," she smiled.
Temples always seem to bring out the best in people. I so admired those parents, letting children do what children ought to do.

 

[Fireside_Hindu]

I'm so happy you've revived this thread. Seeing it reminded me of some children at temple recently.

There was a father with his maybe 5 or 6 year old son who came to temple. As they approached the Ram Parivar murtis, the father did a full prostration on his stomach. The son, without missing a beat, climbed onto his father's back, face down and mimicked his posture before rolling off. The father didn't react at all - probably business as usual for his son I thought it was cute.

Another time a very small girl, maybe 2 - was with her mother and the mother knelt down to touch her head on the floor before the murti. The little one curled up on the floor too, just like mom, except she faced her mother, with her feet toward the deity. I thought it was fitting though. Mother is the first guru

 

[Vinayaka]

The one pitfall to cute children is that they distract the bhaktar from worship, if a devotee sees them as separate. Fortunately with the view that God permeates all beings, it is no problem.

 

[Aupmanyav]

Children are no distraction. They are 'vigrahavan' deities. Time spent with children is time spent with deities.

 

[Vinayaka]

This morning at koyil there were two pair of sisters. One pair was reserved, quiet, looking around, big eyed. It was the 2 year old's birthday so the family had sponsored part of the puja, as is custom. She spent most of her time on Dad's shoulder, but kept that intuitive inquisitive stare we all love so dearly going throughout. Amazed by the priest, the sounds, the people, one has to wonder what was going on in that pure mind. Elder sister was quietly supportive, and admiring.

In contrast the other pair was more active, curious, but in a more direct way. The youngest, about 3, approached me sitting there, eyes closed, in front of Siva near the moolasthanam water spout. I only knew she was there, a foot away, because of the jingling noise she made with the barrier. I must have been just part of the scenery. Later she discovered the vibuthi dish on the front table as one enters the temple. She'd noticed people taking some as they entered so figured she'd become 'vibhuthi girl' repeatedly, until Dad had had enough and placed it temporarily out of reach. Fun while it lasted.

 

[kalyan]

This morning at koyil there were two pair of sisters. One pair was reserved, quiet, looking around, big eyed. It was the 2 year old's birthday so the family had sponsored part of the puja, as is custom. She spent most of her time on Dad's shoulder, but kept that intuitive inquisitive stare we all love so dearly going throughout. Amazed by the priest, the sounds, the people, one has to wonder what was going on in that pure mind. Elder sister was quietly supportive, and admiring.

In contrast the other pair was more active, curious, but in a more direct way. The youngest, about 3, approached me sitting there, eyes closed, in front of Siva near the moolasthanam water spout. I only knew she was there, a foot away, because of the jingling noise she made with the barrier. I must have been just part of the scenery. Later she discovered the vibuthi dish on the front table as one enters the temple. She'd noticed people taking some as they entered so figured she'd become 'vibhuthi girl' repeatedly, until Dad had had enough and placed it temporarily out of reach. Fun while it lasted.

you sound a little stalky

 

[Vinayaka]

you sound a little stalky

Naah ... former teacher, raised 5 of our own, when you have a job of observing children for 30+ years, its in your blood.

 

[Aupmanyav]

you sound a little stalky

Observe and perhaps you will realize the fun, not of Krishna dallying with the Gopis, but Krishna (Unnikrishnan) furtively putting his hand in the butter pot. Now, Yashoda Maiya does not know what to do! Love Krishna or be angry with him?

 

[Vinayaka]

Last night a little girl imitated my wife's prostration. Only problem was that she wanted to imitate continually ... so much that Mom couldn't get her to sit up and look. She kept touching her head to the floor, and Mom kept getting her up. Maybe from a past life she just had the inner sense to do 108 prostrations.

 

[Vinayaka]

That story, combined with a discussion elsewhere on teaching children, reminded me just how important it is to remember that we teach more by example than by words. Interestingly, in the other discussion, the idea of teaching by example never came up.

 

[Aupmanyav]

.. in the other discussion, the idea of teaching by example never came up.

I likethat, Vinayaka. Like the teacher who would not teach the next lesson on jaggery. He did that the next day to teach that too much of jaggery is harmful.

For those who did not get the drift of the story, the teacher was very fond of jaggery and had eaten a lot of it on the previous day. The saying in Hindu goes 'Aap guruji bingan khavein, dujo ko dosh batavein" (the teacher himself eats egg plant but to others he says eating that is wrong.).

 

[Vinayaka]

I likethat, Vinayaka. Like the teacher who would not teach the next lesson on jaggery. He did that the next day to teach that too much of jaggery is harmful.

For those who did not get the drift of the story, the teacher was very fond of jaggery and had eaten a lot of it on the previous day. The saying in Hindu goes 'Aap guruji bingan khavein, dujo ko dosh batavein" (the teacher himself eats egg plant but to others he says eating that is wrong.).

I was always appalled at the double standard of "Do as I say, not as I do." Smokers shouldn't be teaching anti-smoking. Besides, as any newer teacher knows about this, because of more modern research into how kids learn, a lot more is from copying than we will ever know. You think a kid doesn't notice when his father speeds on the highway?

Animals seem to do fine without lectures on how to do stuff or what foods to eat.

 

[Aupmanyav]

Smokers shouldn't be teaching anti-smoking.

I differ with this. I have wasted my money and harmed my health (though it is not apparent till now) by smoking for more than 50 years. Who can tell the disadvantages of smoking better than me. By my calculations I have smoked away a Toyota SUV. Recently news papers calculated the amount to be more than 1 crore rupees in expense of buying cigarettes and loosing interest on the spent amount. Similarly one who has suffered due to habitual drinking can certainly request the people not to take up the habit. In Hindi/Sanskrit, that is known as "Bhukta-bhogi", people who have suffered because indulging in a bad habit and its evil effects.

Newspaper reports: https://www.google.co.in/webhp?sour...on=1&espv=2&ie=UTF-8#q=smoking cost one crore

 

[Vinayaka]

I differ with this. I have wasted my money and harmed my health (though it is not apparent till now) by smoking for more than 50 years. Who can tell the disadvantages of smoking better than me. By my calculations I have smoked away a Toyota SUV. Recently news papers calculated the amount to be more than 1 crore rupees in expense of buying cigarettes and loosing interest on the spent amount. Similarly one who has suffered due to habitual drinking can certainly request the people not to take up the habit. In Hindi/Sanskrit, that is known as "Bhukta-bhogi", people who have suffered because indulging in a bad habit and its evil effects.

Newspaper reports: https://www.google.co.in/webhp?sourceid=chrome-instant&rlz=1C1LENP_enIN576IN576&ion=1&espv=2&ie=UTF-8#q=smoking cost one crore

Not the first thing we have differing opinions on. The first time I quit smoking was the day I saw my son imitating it with a pencil. The second time (I quit for 20 years, and started ... long story) was different, but my youngest was at an impressionable age while I smoked, and she is now a smoker. None of the older ones are. All the children are vegetarians ... a daily practice got them hooked, as for something like religion that needs explaining ...well not so much. So the imitation stuck, but the intellectual talks without some sort of experience didn't.

As a teacher, occasionally I was confronted with the curriculum on it and veered the topic into addiction, and how it is physically different than what you might think. They all knew I smoked. (Many teachers or parents figured they could hide this stuff from their students or kids, but that's saying kids are pretty stupid. Generally, by age 10 or so, they figure this stuff out. They might not say they don't know, but they do.

 

[Vinayaka]

One of our priest's sons is about a year and a half. He's an explorer, and adventurer. This morning I was watering reseeded grass, so the hose and water caught his attention. So he waddled over to inspect it. The artificial rain got him eventually, much to his joy.

Later Boss was cleaning the rocks in a small rock garden beside the walkway. He decided that he should fill her bucket for dead twigs, grass, etc. with the rocks themselves. But not just the smaller ones, the biggest ones he could find. He's pretty strong and happily put in a bout 10 rocks. Then when he could no longer move the bucket, it had him puzzled. One particular rock just didn't belong in the bucket, though. He kept lifting it, inspecting it, taking it to the bucket, but then he'd take it back, drop it, and pick another one. I got to thinking that maybe that rock was an asuric rock, and he knew it. This guy is gonna be one huge distraction from worship for the next year or two.