Divine Life For Children

by Swami Sivananda

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Book Code: ES34
Paperback: 191 pages
ISBN: 8170520401
Book Dimensions: 7.2 x 5.0 x 0.35 inches
Shipping Weight: 170 grams

Table of Contents

Dedication	(5)
Publishers’ Note	(6)
Prayer	(8)
Voice of the Himalayas	(9)
Guru Bhakti	(10)
Chapter One DIVINE WORSHIP
Glory to God	21
God Is Love	21
Morning Prayer to God	22
Night Prayer to God	22
Week-days’ Worship	22
God Loves You	23
Mother Gayatri	24
Beauty Is God	24
Only One God	25
God Is the Centre	25
Chapter Two SAGES AND SAINTS
Sri Vasishtha Maharshi	26
Sri Vedavyasa	26
Lord Buddha	27
Sri Sankaracharya	27
Sri Vidyaranya Muni	28
Guru Nanak	29
Lord Jesus	29
Study the Lives of Saints	29
Goswami Tulasidas	30
Ajamila	30
Purandara Das	31
Chapter Three INDIAN HEROES AND HEROINES
Rama and Krishna	33
Sri Hanuman	33
Bhishma	34
Become Like Bhishma	34
Draupadi	34
Shine Like Sita	35
Lord Krishna and Arjuna	35
Karna	36
Sakuntala	36
Savitri and Satyavan	37
Nala and Damayanti	37
Story of Dhruva	38
Story of Prahlada	38
Sibi	39
Sabari	39
Story of Ambarisha	40
Harischandra	41
King Vikramaditya	41
Chapter Four EPICS AND PURANAS
The Great Mahabharata War	43
The Pandavas	43
The Kauravas	44
Study Ramayana	44
Essence of Ramayana	44
The Gita	45
Sri Krishna and Uddhava	46
Chapter Five HEALTH AND BRAHMACHARYA
Health Is Above Wealth	48
Brahmacharya	48
Fast for Health	49
Human Body	49
Always Be Neat and Clean	50
Best Six Doctors	50
Antidotes for Indigestion	51
Sunlight Improves Eyesight	51
Learn First-Aid	52
Cheap Little Doctors	52
Treatment for Shock	53
Chapter Six MORAL LESSONS
Time Is Most Precious	54
Be Punctual	54
Do Your Duty Well	55
Become a Hero	55
Proverbs	56
Golden Rules	57
Increase Your Earning Capacity	57
Rise Early	58
Do’s and Don’ts	58
Become a Good Boy	59
Simple Living and High Thinking	59
Adapt Yourself	59
Be Honest	60
Stick to Mottoes	61
Become a Professor	61
College Girl	62
Good Manners	62
Become a Patriot	63
Divine Insurance	63
Obey Your Elders	64
Be Clean	64
Character	65
Student-Life	65
Real Greatness	66
Keep Good Company	66
Do Not Imitate	67
Chapter Seven SPIRITUAL INSTRUCTIONS
Spiritual Guide	68
Kirtans	69
Have Faith in God	70
Power of Prayer	70
Daily Duty	71
Study Books	71
Study Gita Daily	72
Mother Ganga	72
Write Mantra	73
Service Is Worship	73
Theist and Atheist	74
Rules of Speech	74
Satsanga	75
Inner Ruler	75
Be Moderate	76
What Is World	76
Chapter Eight MORAL STORIES
A Greedy Boy	78
Never Tell a Lie	78
A Clever Monkey	79
Urmila and Uma	79
Wisdom of Buddha	80
Ant and Grasshopper	80
Autobiography of Laddu	81
The Race of Life	82
True Friendship	82
The Dog in the Manger	83
Give Up Greed	84
The Wolf and the Lamb	84
Rajamani	85
Mind Your Own Business	86
Self-reliance	86
Parent-worship	87
A Divine Herb	87
Chapter Nine GENERAL KNOWLEDGE
Who Is a Sadhu?	89
Ancient Rishis	89
Five Elements	90
The Himalayas	90
The Vedas	91
The World	91
India	92
The Four Yugas	93
The Biggest	93
Great Inventors	94
Riddles	94
I.C.S. in Summer	95
Man	95
The Best Things	96
Man Is Superior	96
Hindu Scriptures	97
Numbers	98
The First	98
The Sun	99
Seven Wonders of the World	99
Hinduism	100
Chapter Ten SIVANANDA’S LETTERS
Keep Daily Routine	102
Be Industrious	103
The Proud Crow	104
A Greedy Dog	105
Do Not Be Narrow-minded	106
Chapter Eleven CHILDREN’S SONGS
The Body	107
Be a Good Child	107
Words of Wisdom	107
You Will See God	108
Gems of Knowledge	108
Do’s and Don’ts	109
Don’t	110
You Will Be a Good Child	110
God Will Love You Intensely	111
God Is Everything	112
Chapter Twelve MAXIMS
Sparks of Wisdom	113
Siva’s A B C for Children	113
Chapter Thirteen STORIES
Haste Makes Waste	116
Pride Goeth Before a Fall	121
Indiscretion Has Its Tolls	125
Selfishness and Mean-mindedness Lead to Suffering	128
Temptation Involves One in Trouble	132
Return Good for Evil	137
Do Unto Others As You Wish to Be Done By	144
Kindness Brings Its Own Reward	148
Regularity and Punctuality–Two Keys to Success In All Walks of Life	156
Manners and Cleanliness Impress Everyone	159
Trust in God and Do the Right	164
A Guilty Conscience Dreads Its Own Shadow	169
Mutual Help and Co-operation Lead to Happiness	174
Out of Good Life Comes God-Life	178
An Evil Action Recoils on the Head of the Evil-doer	182
Appendix: Riddles	189

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OM
Dedicated to
The Citizens of Tomorrow,
The Future Hope of the World
OM

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PUBLISHERS’ NOTE

The child is the father of man. It is often the first ideas which strike the mind of a child and the nature of the impressions and thought-waves coming in contact with the tender intellect for the first time that make up and contribute to the being of the later man. It was the perfect all-round training that Shivaji received from his mother since his childhood that moulded him into a jewel among Indian heroes.

It is said that you cannot begin too early in training the individual. Also education without the true religion is a mere husk, the dead bare bones of culture. Moreover, the child-mind learns more from examples than from naked truth.

Bearing all these points in vision, Sri Swamiji felt the absolute need for such a book for little children, as would help them to grasp the truths of ethical and spiritual culture in an easy manner. Himself being a firm believer in the truth that childhood is the foundation of the larger nations of the world, Swamiji has produced an excellent marvel to the young students of lower secondary and elementary schools in particular.

This book contains lessons on practically all that a child has to understand in the beginning of his studies in life—lessons on divine truths, saints, sages, devotees, epics, Puranas, health, character, morality, general knowledge, Bhakti, Yoga, Sadhana, etc.

We are sure that this wonderful guide-light to the real regeneration of education and culture of young boys and girls would find a necessary place in the curriculum of studies in all schools.

—THE DIVINE LIFE SOCIETY

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PRAYER

I worship the lotus feet of Ganesha, the son of Uma, the destroyer of all sorrows, who is served by the host of Devas and Bhutas and who takes the essence of Kapittha and Jambu fruits (resembling Bilva fruit).

I bow to that Sri Guru who himself, is Brahma, Vishnu and Mahesvara, and who is in reality the Supreme Para Brahman.

I bow to that Lord Vishnu whose form is Peace, who is sleeping on the bed of snake (Adisesha), who has lotus in the navel, who is God of gods, who is the support for this world, who is like ether, whose colour is like cloud, whose limbs are beautiful, who is the husband of Goddess Lakshmi, whose eyes are like lotus, who is obtained by Yogins in meditation, who destroys the fear of Samsara and who is the one Lord of all the worlds.

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VOICE OF THE HIMALAYAS

1. The cause of death is birth.

2. The cause of pain is pleasure.

3. Righteousness forms the bedrock of all religions.

4. Righteousness is the divine path.

5. Bliss is for him who is righteous.

6. Desire is poverty.

7. Meditation is a positive vital dynamic process. It transforms man into Divinity.

8. Be good. Do good. Serve, love, give, purify, meditate, realise. This is the religion of Siva. This is the religion of the members of the Divine Life Society.

9. Be kind. Be compassionate. Be honest. Be sincere. Be truthful. Be bold. Be pure. Be wise. Be virtuous. Enquire: Who am I? Know thy Self and be free. This is the summary of the teachings of Siva.

10. Dedicate your entire life to the Lord. He will surely look after you in every respect and you will have no more worries.

11. Divine Life is a life of love, wisdom and light.

12. Awake, O aspirant! Do vigorous Sadhana. Burn all impurities. Attain illumination through meditation.

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GURU BHAKTI

“Spiritual truths will stand revealed only unto him who has great devotion to God and has as great a devotion to his preceptor as he has to God,” declares the Upanishad. The Reality or God that is beyond the mind and senses, reason and intellect, can hardly be understood by man by reading books or indulging in intellectual gymnastics even for a hundred lives; the Reality will even then have such significance to him as the characters of the Chinese alphabets to an illiterate African aboriginal.

On the other hand a word from the master’s lips, a touch of his divine hand, a thought from his mastermind, would be enough to enlighten the aspirant’s intellect, to bestow upon him an intuitive realisation of the Reality or God, if only the aspirant had qualified himself for a spiritual communion with the preceptor. How is he to qualify himself? Says the Lord Krishna:

“Know That by prostrating yourself before, serving, and enquiring of, the Great Sages of Self-realisation. They will enlighten you.”

A shining illustration of this grand truth we have in Sri Trotaka, one of the four great disciples of Sri Sankaracharya, who was more intent upon serving the illustrious master than on studying the Scriptures; through a mere Sankalpa Sri Sankara bestowed the highest knowledge upon Trotaka who gained all knowledge of the Shastras by mere personal service of the Guru.

Therefore it is that a sincere Sadhaka firmly believes:

The Guru’s Form Itself is fit to be meditated upon; the Guru’s Feet are the object of the Sadhaka’s worship; the Guru’s words are gospel-truths; and the Guru’s Grace is the bestower of Immortality.

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Chapter One

DIVINE WORSHIP

Glory to God

God created you, your brother, sister, father, mother, friend and your relatives. He created the sun, moon and the stars. He created the animals and the birds. He created the mountains, rivers and trees. He created this whole world.

He dwells in your heart. He is everywhere. He is all-pervading. He is all-knowing. He is all-powerful. He is all-merciful. He is all-loving. He is all-blissful. Your body is the moving temple of God. Keep the body pure, strong and healthy.

Pray to Him daily. He will give you everything.

God Is Love

God is Love. God is Truth. God is Peace. God is Bliss. God is Light. God is Power. God is Knowledge. Realise Him and be free.

Do Kirtan daily morning and night. Pray daily. Offer flowers to Him. Prostrate before Him. Offer sweetmeats to Him and then eat. Place light before Him. Burn camphor before Him. Do Arati. Put garland on Him.

Keep a picture of God in your room. Worship Him daily. All your desires will be fulfilled.

Morning Prayer to God

O Lord of this world! Prostrations unto Thee! Thou art my Guru, real Mother, real Friend and real Guide. Protect me. I am Thine. All is Thine. Thy Will be done.

O Adorable God! Salutations unto Thee. Give me pure intellect. Make me pure. Give me light, strength, health and long life. Make me a good Brahmachari.

O Almighty Lord! Remove all my evil qualities. Make me virtuous. Make me a patriot. Let me love my mother-country.

Night Prayer to God

O Sweet God! Forgive my sins and wrong actions. I thank You for all Your gifts. You are very kind to me. Let me remember You always.

Make me dutiful. Give me success in my examination. Make me a good, brilliant boy (Make me a good, brilliant girl). Adorations unto Thee.

Give me good memory. Let me love all. Let me serve all. Let me see You in all. Make me prosperous. Protect me, my father, mother, grandfather, grandmother, brothers and sisters. Glory unto Thee!

Week-days’ Worship

Worship Lord Surya on Sundays. Repeat Om Mitraya Namah, Om Suryaya Namah, Om Adityaya Namah. Lord Surya will give you good health and vigour and good eyesight.

Worship Lord Siva on Mondays. Worship Devi on Tuesdays and Fridays. Worship Guru on Thursdays. Worship Hanuman on Saturdays.

You will get plenty, peace, prosperity and success!

Lord Brahma is the creator of this world. Sarasvati, Goddess of learning, is His Sakti or energy or wife. Lord Vishnu is the preserver of this world. Goddess Lakshmi is His Sakti, energy or wife. She is the Goddess of wealth. Lord Siva is the destroyer of this world. Uma or Parvati is His Sakti, energy or wife. Lord Ganesha is His eldest son. Lord Subrahmanya is His second son!

Lord Ganesha removes all obstacles. Lord Subrahmanya gives all success and strength. Worship them with faith and devotion. You will get Bhakti, Bhukti and Mukti.

God Loves You

God loves you. He gives you many good things. He gives you food to eat and clothes to wear. He has given you ears to hear, eyes to see, a nose to smell, tongue to taste, hands to feel and work and legs to walk.

You cannot see God with your fleshy eyes but He sees you. He takes care of you. He knows all that you do.

He is very kind to you. Love Him. Praise Him. Sing His Name and glory. Pray to Him to keep you away from all sins. He will be pleased with you. He will bless you.

Mother Gayatri

Gayatri is the blessed Mother of the Vedas. She is the Mother for your mother also. She is a Devi.

Repeat Gayatri daily morning, noon and evening if you wear holy thread. Do Sandhya-Vandana regularly. Offer Arghya to sun.

“Om Bhur Bhuvah Svah, Tat Savitur Varenyam, Bhargo Devasya Dheemahi, Dhiyo Yo Nah Prachodayat.” “Let us meditate on Ishvara and His glory, who has created this Universe, who is fit to be worshipped, who is the remover of all sins and ignorance. May He enlighten our intellect.”

May Mother Gayatri bless you with health, long life and prosperity.

Beauty Is God

O David! Look at the rose! How beautiful it is! What a fine fragrance it has! You love it. You pluck it and smell it. Can a scientist produce a rose? You can make a paper-flower which may look beautiful but it has no sweet smell.

The rose soon fades and loses its beauty and fragrance. You throw it away. It is perishable. Its beauty lasts for a few minutes.

Who has created the beautiful flower? This Creator is God. He is Beauty of beauties. He is everlasting Beauty. Attain Him. You also will possess eternal beauty. Beauty is God. Always discriminate between the real and the unreal.

Only One God

There is only one God. But names and aspects are endless. Call Him by any name and worship Him in any aspect that pleases you. You are sure to see Him and get His grace and blessings.

Brahma, Vishnu and Siva are the three Forms of the one God of the Hindus. Allah is the God of the Muslims. Jehovah is the God of the Jews. The father in Heaven is the God of the Christians. Ahura Mazda is the God of the Zoroastrians.

Purity, charity, control of the senses, penance, truthfulness, renunciation, compassion to all beings, courage, fortitude, absence of hatred and pride will help you to attain God.

God Is the Centre

God is the Aim of all religions. Every religion points out the way to attain God. God is the central topic of every religion.

Do not fight with your Christian friends. Do not fight with your Muslim friends or Parsee friends. Their religions also lead them to God just as your religion does. You can reach the same destination by travelling through any of the paths leading to it. “All roads lead to God.” Bear this in mind.

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Chapter Two
SAGES AND SAINTS

Sri Vasishtha Maharshi

Vasishtha is the most powerful of Brahma’s sons. He was born from Brahma’s Prana or life itself. He was a born Brahma-Jnani. No Rishi or sage is equal to Vasishtha in spiritual energy. He is God Himself. His strength is indescribable.

Vishvamitra, another Rishi wanted to conquer Vasishtha. Vishvamitra did many thousand-years’ Tapas and got all divine weapons. Then he fought with Vasishtha. Vasishtha consumed all those weapons by mere Will. Vishvamitra could not do anything. Vishvamitra’s army and his hundred sons were destroyed by Vasishtha’s Will-power. Glory to Vasishtha’s Will-power. Glory to Vasishtha.

Vasishtha is an ideal Maharshi. Worship him daily. All his teachings are found in the Yoga-Vasishtha.

Sri Vedavyasa

There was a great sage called Parasara. He had a powerful son called Dvaipayana through Sri Satyavati Devi. Vyasa was a famous Rishi. He wrote many books. He edited the four Vedas, Rik, Yajus, Sama and the Atharva. He compiled the Vedas. Therefore he was called Vedavyasa.

He wrote the great epic, Mahabharata. It contains the whole wisdom of the world. He wrote the eighteen Puranas. He wrote the Vedanta Sutras. He was a great Jnani.

He had a son called Suka. He was also a very powerful Rishi. He could see God everywhere.

Worship Vyasa as your Guru. He will bless you. Become a saint like Suka.

Lord Buddha

There was once a Shakya king called Shuddhodana. He had a son called Siddhartha. Siddhartha was very soft-hearted from the very beginning. He was very kind to all beings. One day he saw a corpse being carried. He came to know that he too would die one day in the same manner. Another time he saw a hawk eating a dove mercilessly. He saw many pitiable incidents like this.

Siddhartha grew restless and impatient when he saw the miseries of the world. He grew dispassionate. One night he stole from his bedroom leaving his family and the kingdom. He sat under a Bodhi-tree for austere practices. He got enlightenment and was called thereafter, the “Buddha”.

He preached to the world the law of Ahimsa or non-injury. Possess the heart of Buddha. Buddha is one of the most conspicuous figures in the history of the world.

Sri Sankaracharya

Sri Sankaracharya is the greatest philosopher of India. He is the Avatara of Lord Siva. He took Sannyasa at a very early age. He was highly intellectual. He knew the real nature of God. He gave new life to the dying Hinduism, which was under the influence of atheistic doctrines. He was the upholder of Advaita Philosophy.

He wrote commentaries on the Upanishads, the Brahmasutras and the Bhagavadgita. Before his sixteenth year he had mastered all knowledge. He defeated all Pundits and scholars in argument. He wrote the Vivekachudamani, a very inspiring Vedantic text for beginners.

Sri Sankara wrote about 108 works. He is one of the greatest sages India has ever produced. He passed away at the age of 32. He elevated the whole of India in this short period. Glory to Sankara!

Sri Vidyaranya Muni

Sri Vidyaranya Swami is otherwise known as Madhavacharya. He was next to Sankara in Advaitic knowledge. He wrote the famous commentaries on the four Vedas. He wrote the Panchadasi, Anubhutiprakasha, Jivanmuktiviveka, etc. He was a great Tapasvin. He won the favour of Gayatri Devi. Gayatri Devi showered golden rain near Hampi in Karnataka.

He founded the famous Vijayanagara Empire through the two brothers, Hukka and Bukka. Hence, he is regarded as a nation-builder. He saved the people from the tyranny of the rule of Mohammed-bin-Tughlak and his successors.

Vidyaranya was an ideal sage. Become like Vidyaranya in Tapas, righteousness, wisdom and sacrifice.

Guru Nanak

Guru Nanak was the first of the Sikh Gurus. He was born at Talwandi in 1469. This place is now called Nankana Sahib. He is the founder of the Sikh religion. He was religious-minded even when he was a boy.

His father Kaloo wanted to make Nanak a shop-keeper like him. Nanak gave up his studies and spent his time in the company of holy men.

He composed many songs in praise of God. These are collected in a book called the Granth Sahib. The Sikhs worship this book. He tried to unite the Hindus and the Muslims. He died in 1539, at the age of seventy.

Lord Jesus

Lord Jesus is the founder of the religion known as Christianity. He was a great Yogi. He was a great prophet or messenger of God. He did many miracles. He served the poor and the lepers. Virgin Mary was his mother.

His wonderful message is known as ‘The Sermon on the Mount’. He had twelve devout disciples who preached to people the way of God as taught by Jesus.

Study the Lives of Saints

Study of the lives of saints will elevate you. You will become a very good boy. You will develop virtues. You will see God face to face.

Tuka Ram, Jnana Dev, Ekanath, Nama Dev and Rama Das were the great saints from Maharashtra. Lord Gouranga was a great saint from Bengal.

Mira Bai and Sakku Bai were great lady-saints. Guru Nanak, Kabir, Narsi Mehta, Sur Das, Tulsi Das were also great saints.

Saint Joseph, Saint Francis, Saint Patrick were great Christian saints.

May these Saints bless you all!

Goswami Tulasidas

Goswami Tulasidas was a great devotee of Lord Rama. He had direct Darshana of Lord Rama through intense devotion. He was very much attached to his wife. His wife became his Guru.

He was born in 1589 in Rajpur in the district of Banda in the Uttar Pradesh. He was a Brahmin by birth. He was born with all the thirty-two teeth intact. He did not cry at the time of his birth.

The great Ramayana of Goswami Tulasidas in Hindi (Sri Ramacharitamanas) is a masterpiece. This work is very popular and is studied widely in North India.

Study the Ramayana daily. Get by heart some Chaupais and sing.

Ajamila

Ajamila was a pious Brahmin. He daily worshipped God. He was very kind towards all. He was very regular in his duties. He observed fast on Ekadasi. He was an ideal man. He was a great devotee of Lord Narayana. He was very regular in his prayer.

One day he went to the forest. There he met a beautiful lady. He fell in love with her. He married her. From that day he left his worship and prayer. He was very much attached to his wife. Eight sons were born to him. He became a Nastika (atheist).

At the time of death the messengers of Yama appeared before him. He was frightened. He cried aloud. He called his youngest son Narayana to come for help. At once the messengers of Vishnu came to the spot and drove Yama’s messengers and took Ajamila to Vaikuntha.

Repeat always the Names of Lord Narayana. Ajamila reached the abode of bliss by unintentional repetition of Hari’s Name. How much more will be the effect of repeating His Names with faith and devotion!

Purandara Das

There was once a Brahmin in Purandargarh. He was a very greedy miser. Lord Krishna wanted to test his greed. He came as a beggar to the Brahmin and asked for alms. The Brahmin refused to give anything and asked him to come the next day. The beggar came the next day also. The Brahmin asked him to come still another day. The beggar persisted every day like this for months together.

The Brahmin at last grew angry and threw a pie on the beggar’s face. The beggar left it and went behind the Brahmin’s house. The beggar got as alms the nose-ring from the Brahmin’s wife. The beggar sold the ornament to the same Brahmin for money and went away.

The Brahmin grew angry at his wife. He asked her: “Where is your ornament?” She said she would bring it from inside. She wanted to take poison in fear. But she found the ornament there. She gave it to her husband. He was wonder-struck. He became a saint and a devotee from that day. 

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