Children's Corner
Story for children: The Lion in Bad Company
There once was a who lion lived in a jungle. He had a family of five and every day, he would kill small animals to feed his family. One day, he came across a jackal. The jackal asked him, "My friend, have you tasted the flesh of a horse?" And the lion replied, " No."
The jackal said, "I can show you the place where you can find horses, but you have to give me some quantity of that flesh for showing you the place." The lion got tempted and agreed to his condition.
The very next day, the jackal guided him to the horses that were kept in the stable of a king's palace. The lion entered the stable very quietly, killed one of the horses, and came home with its flesh. On the way, he shared some of the flesh with the jackal, as promised.
A few days passed in this manner and the king, who noticed the disappearance of the horses, started getting worried.
A few days later, when the king came to know about the lion's activity, he hired an expert hunter and asked him to kill the lion. As planned, the hunter waited in hiding for the lion and the moment the lion entered the stable, killed him with one arrow. The jackal, who was waiting outside, hearing the lion's agonizing roars, sensed danger and ran away. Thus, the poor lion that was misguided by the jackal died needlessly.
Moral: Dear children, we can see from this story how following the advice of someone who is not good can lead us into harm. The best way we can avoid coming into harm’s way and falling into bad company, as the lion did, is to make efforts to grow closer to God. By regularly making efforts to chant* God’s Name, pray and be in satsang, or the company of others who wish to grow closer to God too, He will surely protect us from bad company and advice.
Spiritual experience of a child seeker
Importance of Satsang
Eleven-year-old Kiran Punjabi, attending a children’s satsang in New Jersey, USA was asked, "Why do you like to attend the satsang?" To this she replied, "I get information on my religion and culture. I wish to get closer to God and in the satsang I get the opportunity to do so. My faith in God has increased after learning more about my religion." She then added, "I feel it is important that we spend some time thinking about God. During the satsang I do not have any other thoughts, so I can think about God continuously. I know that God is as important as my studies in school. The things that I learn in the satsang help me in my day-to-day life and will also help me in the future."
– Mrs.
Shilpa Kudtarkar, children's satsang conductor,
New Jersey, USA.
[Dear Friends, just as Kiran has pointed out, satsang helps us in our day-to-day life and helps bring a divine quality into even the most worldly of things. The more satsang we get, the more God’s presence in all facets of life. For the importance and benefits of satsang, please refer to this Issue’s Science of Spirituality section.
-Editor.]
* Chanting means constantly remembering or repeating God’s Name according to our religion. Young children should also chant 'Om Gan Ganapataye namaha' (Lord Ganesh's chant) for at least 15-30 minutes daily for divine protection. Older children, who have been doing spiritual practice for some time, can determine their exact chant from the experiment in Issue 124, Message to Seekers section. Parents should repeat (chant) The Lord's Name for children too young to do so themselves.