Finally, the day has come to welcome into our homes on of our favourite Gods. He travels on the back of a tiny little mouse. One would wonder how that little creature must be bearing the weight of his big round belly. Such is the greatness of this God who is also the destroyer of all difficulties and obstacles, Vignaharta. Popularly known as Ganapathi Bappa or Lord Ganesha. [Read more…]
The quandary of parenting begins with that first teeny tiny cry and doesn’t end until… well, it doesn’t end! You must be wondering about each of your little ones and how totally distinctive they are. Are their identities reared profound inside them or does birth request have something to do with the way they act and respond? Does it have any kind of effect to be to begin with, centre, or last kids?
Birth order has greater influence on individual conduct than we might suspect, and psychology has a considerable measure of proof to back that up. Here are some regular qualities of in the first place, center, and last kids and a couple of tips on the most proficient method to best love them. [Read more…]
On this auspicious day we all welcome into our homes, the most notorious of them all, he also goes by the name ‘Maakhan Chor’. Everyone knows him as Lord Krishna. It’s time for all the festivities to begin. Every Hindu household all over the world prepares to welcome the Lord into their lives every year in a grand manner. [Read more…]
Values, Morals and Discipline are the three other pillars that mould a child’s future along with the pillar of education of course. One main concept that plays a major role in building the foundation for these pillars knowing the value of money and how managing it in the right way makes life a smooth sail. [Read more…]
There is a Pandora of things to see smell and hear out there! It is now your turn to channel your child’s immaculate observational skill in the right direction. Get them all set and ready to get on the roller coaster of a ride called the adventure of life. Don’t worry your children are not going to be the only ones having a jolly time!
Follow these steps and observe you children get better with their observation skills. [Read more…]
All you moms out there have your trademark recipes with which you cook up a storm every single day for your loved ones. Now it is time for you to do something to treat yourself! Pick up those pens to dish out some ‘one of a kind’ masterpieces instead of the usual pots and pans and make your study your kitchen.
Grace the world with your words of wisdom along with your delicious treats for the tummy. Are you wondering how you are going to do that? Well here is the answer to all your questions. We here at Bril are giving all you moms an opportunity to pen down your thoughts and share them with us for the whole of this month.
Participate in our Blogathon for Mommy Bloggers, and get rewarded for your valuable input on life as a mother in all aspects.
The Ramayana is one of the prized possessions of the Indian Mythology and is looked up to not only by followers of Hinduism but also other religions and cultures of the world. It should be our practice to learn from the life lessons this great epic has to offer. In this way you can also inculcate in your children good morals to live life by and educate them about our Indian culture.
Here are a few lessons to live by that the Ramayana has to offer
No matter what the consequences, you must always be true to your word and honour it. For the sake of keeping his word given to Queen Kaikeyi, King Dasharath had no other option but to send his most beloved son Rama on exile, even though it was on wrong her part to ask such a thing of her King. In response to that Rama accepted his fate gladly just for the sake of honouring his father’s word.
One good lesson learnt is that you must never pay any heed to any wrong or evil advice that is given to you. The very fact that Kaikeyi took Manthara’s evil advice and asked those things of King Dasharath, was the sole reason for the death of their king and all the miseries that flooded their lives.
Sita was mesmerised by the beauty of the Golden Deer to such an extent that she pleaded with Rama to get the Deer for her. This attachment gave birth to all the sufferings that she had to go through when she got abducted by Ravana while Rama went to get the Deer. This teaches us that attachment is followed by suffering.
Lord Rama has always been personified as “Maryada Purushottam”. This means that his every step led him towards being righteous in life. Be it, letting go of his Kingdom to honour his father’s word or forsaking his wife, Sita, only because one of his subjects pointed his finger at her.
Bharatha has set the best example for us when it comes to not accepting what is not rightly yours, by not accepting the throne when his brother Rama was sent away in exile by his mother Kaikeyi in an unjust manner. He is considered the noblest character of this particular epic.
There is no such thing as caste and creed in front of God’s eyes. He accepts everyone’s love and devotion equally, this was made clear when Lord Rama happily ate the berries that Sabari had nibbled on, to ensure that her lord gets only the sweetest of the fruits.
When a woman’s honour is at stake. Never think twice to go and save it. We learn this from the noble bird Jatayu who gladly gave up his life trying to save Sita from the evil grasps of Ravana. And to honour this noble deed Lord Rama himself performed all the last rites of this great bird.
The relationship that Lord Rama has with his passionate Devotee Hanuman has always been glorified and talked about. This pair stands as a living example of true love, devotion and friendship, to such an extent that Hanuman tore open his heart to show that his Lord forever rests in his heart.
Even though Ravana was blessed with a boon of being immortal by Lord Shiva himself, it was his immense pride that finally led to his death. Hence we learn yet another lesson of humility, when we see that it was Ravana’s brother Vibheeshana who played a key role in his death.
One of the main and most important lessons that we must take away from this great epic is that we on our own must take the effort to kill all the demons we have within us. The only way to stay on the right path would be to have true love and devotion towards the Lord.
As long as you keep taking notes from these lessons that the Ramayana has to offer, you will be on the right path to leading happier and fulfilled lives.
Stay at Home or Work Full Time? A Human Perspective
By Jayaram Rajaram
I am sure women are wondering what I (being a man) am going to say about a debate that is always highly polarized and one that has been done to death. Here I am digging into ancient Indian roots & wisdom and am going to offer a perspective for all human beings, in a gender-neutral manner.
Ambition and competitive education with little or no introspection or self-awareness have harmed the human race and its peace of mind, irrespective of gender. It’s really time to move to a self-awareness, inward looking, duty-bound education system that nurtures creative thinking and collaboration while taking mental health very seriously (With an emphasis on yoga and meditation). A system that asks children what problem in the world they wish to solve and what their primary duties as sons/daughters/fathers/mothers/citizens of the world are, rather than what they want to be, with material gains, power, social recognition and bank balance being the primary objective. Seriously, material gains and ambition are no benchmarks to judge people and it’s time society (every mother, father, grandfather and grandmother) understands this, as the damage that consumerism and materialism over the last 2-3 generations have done are already showing up in several nasty ways in most countries. Spiritually looking at things, we have to nurture a generation that is grateful and contented, but not lazy, while acting to make the world a better place. Delving into the Nishkama Karma approach, we as parents have to lead by example. As parents if we prioritize staying away from kids emphasizing the importance of earning a living and making money, that’s what our children will feel is socially rewarding and emulate us later in life. If every father and mother prioritize needs from wants and look beyond their small ego-centric lives (that depend largely on social validation) to nurture the future generation with the right values, we might have a chance of nurturing balanced, happy, confident and emotionally stable citizens of the future who are sensitive to others’ needs also.
So all this sounds good but where to start?
(Most Important) People–>Food, Shelter, Clothing–> Simple Experiences –>Money to impact ones family and world positively (even if it is in a small way like educating one underprivileged child)–>Bigger Experiences–>Things (Least Important)
So what’s the essence of this entire article from an ancient Indian Wisdom and Sanatana Dharma standpoint? In two words – Reduce Desire!
Unfulfilled desire leads to anger and then disillusionment and depression (Kama – desire, Krodha-Anger, Moha – Maya/Disillusionment). Desire fulfilled leads to more desire or greed (Lobha).
I will leave you with a lovely piece on Maturity by Adi Sankaracharya:
*What is maturity? – by Adi Shankara*
1. Maturity is when you stop trying to change others, …instead focus on changing yourself.
2. Maturity is when you accept people as they are.
3. Maturity is when you understand everyone is right in their own perspective.
4. Maturity is when you learn to “let go.
5. Maturity is when you are able to drop “expectations” from a relationship and give for the sake of giving.
6. Maturity is when you understand whatever you do, you do for your own peace.
7. Maturity is when you stop proving to the world, how intelligent you are.
8. Maturity is when you don’t seek approval from others.
9. Maturity is when you stop comparing with others.
10. Maturity is when you are at peace with yourself.
11. Maturity is when you are able to differentiate between “need” and “want” and are able to let go of your wants.
and last but most meaningful,
12. You gain Maturity when you stop attaching “happiness” to material things !!
Writing for other parents helps me introspect and course correct as a parent myself. I learn by writing and am in no way perfect. Let us all cherish every moment of the journey rather than hanker after some fictitious destination.
Image Credits: http://www.stockphotosforfree.com/
It is not very enlightening to know that the little lamps that will brighten the future haven’t seen much of the sunlight themselves. Nowadays we hardly see children heading out to play with their friends after school or over the weekend. Outdoor playtime is like an endangered species which will soon become extinct considering the rate at which the technology is advancing and become easily accessible. As reports suggest it has been observed that children as young as 2 – 5 years are spending close to 30 hours in a week with their electronic friends. This not good news if you don’t want you children to lead sedentary lives in future, holed up indoors with their tablets, laptops, smartphones and video game consoles in their hands.
The upside here is that this matter is still in your hands. How about utilising your free time to cook up some crazy ideas to make outdoor activities more entertaining and fun for your children. You can always spruce things up in [Read more…]
Nowadays it is quite normal to see a little child traipsing around the room knowing exactly what they are doing with those gadgets in their hands. Little ones know how to find their favourite video on the internet even before learning the English Alphabet. This is making it a task for the parents to limit their children’s usage of the internet thus endangering the concept of outdoor activities for them.