Sanskrit Pearl of the day:
लालयेद्बालकं तावत् यावदत्र विमुग्धता ।
राजा प्रजास्विव प्रीतिं पश्चात् प्रच्छादयेत् पिता ॥
- हरिहरसुभाषित
Transliteration:
lālayedbālakaṃ tāvat yāvadatra vimugdhatā ।
rājā prajāsviva prītiṃ paścāt pracchādayet pitā ॥
- hariharasubhāṣita
Meaning of the subhAShita:
Indulging a child should be for only as long as they have innocence. After that the parents need to hide their love, like the king does for his subjects.
(Although the verse says 'bālaka' (son) and 'pitā'(father), we will consider it as 'santāna' (children) and 'pitarau' (parents), for obvious reasons! In today's world, both parents have an equal role in nurturing both genders of children!!)
Commentary:
This one might sound a little off, but it is true! As babies, children are as innocent as they can come. However, as they grow up and see the world around them, they lose their innocence and become little people with personalities of their own. For better or worse, it is a part of growing up. There is no escaping that!
We cherish our little ones and indulge them because their innocence has that kind of effect. More importantly, at that age, our pampering only nurtures them (rather than affecting them adversely). But if we want them to grow up into good-natured, responsible adults, this kind of nurturing cannot be carried on into their growing years. It only hinders their growth and the values they've learned. Their growing years is the time where morals and values need to be instilled in them. Equipping them with the ability to make ethical choices on their own is the way to go. Then as adults, they will be confident about making good decisions, and at the same time, understand the consequences and repercussions of their choices. That certainly cannot happen by indulging them in all their wants and needs.
The example given here is a king's love for his subjects. He has his subjects' best interests in mind. He runs his country in such a way that it is prosperous and everyone is happy and content. But that doesn't mean he will yield to each and every demand proposed by his subjects. He takes only the valid ones and makes the decisions in their favor, whether they like it or not! This should be the same way we raise our children, as it is important to make them understand the validity of their demands.
When one understands the consequences of his choices, it is hard to make bad ones! Isn't this the one tool we want our children to be equipped with?
pada vigrahaH:
लालयेत् बालकं तावत् यावत् अत्र विमुग्धता ।
lālayet bālakaṃ tāvat yāvat atra vimugdhatā ।
राजा प्रजासु इव प्रीतिं पश्चात् प्रच्छादयेत् पिता ॥
rājā prajāsu iva prītiṃ paścāt pracchādayet pitā ॥
We cherish our little ones and indulge them because their innocence has that kind of effect. More importantly, at that age, our pampering only nurtures them (rather than affecting them adversely). But if we want them to grow up into good-natured, responsible adults, this kind of nurturing cannot be carried on into their growing years. It only hinders their growth and the values they've learned. Their growing years is the time where morals and values need to be instilled in them. Equipping them with the ability to make ethical choices on their own is the way to go. Then as adults, they will be confident about making good decisions, and at the same time, understand the consequences and repercussions of their choices. That certainly cannot happen by indulging them in all their wants and needs.
The example given here is a king's love for his subjects. He has his subjects' best interests in mind. He runs his country in such a way that it is prosperous and everyone is happy and content. But that doesn't mean he will yield to each and every demand proposed by his subjects. He takes only the valid ones and makes the decisions in their favor, whether they like it or not! This should be the same way we raise our children, as it is important to make them understand the validity of their demands.
When one understands the consequences of his choices, it is hard to make bad ones! Isn't this the one tool we want our children to be equipped with?
pada vigrahaH:
लालयेत् बालकं तावत् यावत् अत्र विमुग्धता ।
lālayet bālakaṃ tāvat yāvat atra vimugdhatā ।
राजा प्रजासु इव प्रीतिं पश्चात् प्रच्छादयेत् पिता ॥
rājā prajāsu iva prītiṃ paścāt pracchādayet pitā ॥
laalayedbaalakaM taavat yaavadatra vimugdhataa ।
raajaa prajaasviva prItiM pashchaat prachChaadayet pitaa ॥
- hariharasubhaaShita
laalayet baalakaM taavat yaavat atra vimugdhataa ।
raajaa prajaasu iva prItiM pashchaat prachChaadayet pitaa ॥
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