by Bhai Sahiba Dr. Bibi Inderjit Kaur Khalsa
Winter 2014
“Immersed in family life, the Lord’s humble servant ever remains detached and reflects upon the essence of spiritual wisdom.”—Guru Amar Das Sahib Ji (Siri Guru Granth Sahib, page 599)
Guru Har Rai Ji lived and served to create beautiful environments, sharing the peace of the spiritual realms, where his consciousness constantly dwelled. He built hospitals, gardens and places of peace to heal and uplift everyone. In this same way, as Sikh householders we are given a divine trust to guide our children, so they may attain their highest destiny. The Siri Singh Sahib used to define a parent’s job as to “pay rent”.
We may not control our children but we are responsible for controlling their environments or paying the rent. Our awesome responsibility is to provide nourishing, healing, truthful, relevant teachings and environments for our children, in fulfillment of the sacred trust that we hold.
Given to us as a spiritual trust, it is our job to prepare our children to face their karma in life, so they are ready to serve unto Infinity. Teaching our children the words of the Guru and constantly reciting God’s name gives children their greatest, best chance to know themselves and value their divine nature.
Our children carry the consciousness of the Aquarian Age and it is our responsibility to love them, build their self-esteem, challenge them, and make the Infinite part of their everyday lives, so their spirits may soar.
The Mind of a Child
Whatever character values we instill in our children, that shall be their future. I have often observed that children may not obey the words of their parents, but they emulate what their parents do. The mind of a child is vast and understands much more than we realize.
The psyche and character are fully formed before age six. It is in this short window of time, between conception and age five, that we have to create the greatest impact in the lives of our children, through our own graceful disciplines and nature.
The psyche of a child wants to be important. Our children have much to say. They do not want to be played with, and force absolutely does not work with them. Their frequency is so potent that their rays, like the sun, can spread to the universe. A child’s psyche can study an entire situation with lightning speed.
Whether our children grow up confident and strong, or emotionally dependent and weak depends on the values we give them to emulate during their childhood, especially their early years.
Our future will only be as secure as the foundation that is built into our young children. We have to give our children their own security. They are super sensitive beings: from the moment they are born, they are full-fledged people, with high potency antennae that record every vibration within their vicinity completely and very deeply. They are born in innocence and are aware of their divine nature.
For the sake of truth, so that they can understand that truth reigns supreme in this world, let us constantly recognize the immensity of our responsibility as the guardians of our children’s environments. In each of our homes and our schools and Gurdwaras, let us create an opportunity for our children to know their true identity and walk in that divine light. As the Siri Singh Sahib has taught us, “Give them the true identity of themselves and you will have angels on the Earth.”
About the Author
Bibiji Inderjit Kaur Khalsa, PhD, serves as Bhai Sahiba or Chief Religious Minister of Sikh Dharma. She is the wife of the Siri Singh Sahib Bhai Sahib Harbhajan Singh Khalsa Yogiji. As Bhai Sahiba she is responsible to advise Sikh Dharma on religious matters and promote good relations with the global community. Bibiji has authored books on Sikh educational principals, including Living Reality, and the Siri Guru Granth Sahib Blessing, an intricate and esoteric description of the rags (musical scales), poetry, and architectural design of the Siri Guru Granth Sahib, the sacred body of Sikh scripture, hymns, and holy verse.