What A Way To Start Off The Journey For Young-Bhagavathas
Dear Fellow-Bhagavathas,
It indeed is a fulfilling feeling as we welcome children right from the age of seven into the mainstream of our tradition and philosophy through 'Trail Our Sampradaya — Junior'.
Children of this era are definitely well informed and ever so willing to learn whatever is offered to them, be it studies, sports, swimming, music, dance, learning other languages, or just about anything. All it takes is the right platform to groom their skills and they are off the blocks in a trice to excel in their chosen field.
Therefore, the responsibility of helping them with rewarding opportunities lies with parents/elders. 'Catch them young' is a modern-day slogan which has plenty of merit in it. The early you catch them and get them into something, the more lasting and valuable the result would be. Their acumen and aptitude must be put to proper use.
A little bit of exposure for them to our Sampradaya is the need of the hour and it is our conscious effort to provide it through this quiz programme. Constant exposure to the values of our tradition will complement their all-round abilities and lend a desirable dimension to their character.
Young minds are impressionable. They not only pick up things fast but also keep them long. That is why the minimum age for the quiz has been kept as seven, even if it might mean more parental involvement than that of the kid in many cases, at least in the initial stages. This is the main reason for the concept of prizes being kept out of the scheme of things. Once they settle into the groove there will be no looking back.
And what a start to the journey they are having. There cannot be a better theme than the illustrious Swami Desika whose Avathara Uthsavam we are celebrating now.
A beautiful sloka from 'Subhashithaani' about knowledge, one which is very relevant to the context, comes to the mind even as I write this Note.
| "ந சோரஹார்யம் ந ச ராஜஹார்யம் |
| ந ப்ராத்ருபாஜ்யம் ந ச பாரகாரி! |
| வ்யயே க்ருதே வர்தத ஏவ நித்யம் |
| வித்யா தநம் ஸர்வ தந ப்ரதாநம்!!" |
"It cannot be stolen by thieves, nor can it be taken away by kings;
It cannot be divided among brothers, nor does it cause a load on your shoulders;
If spent, it indeed always keeps growing;
The wealth of knowledge… it is the most superior wealth of all!"
So, brace up your wards and lead them to the treasure house. Fortune, in the form of knowledge, beckons them!
'Quiz Master in You' which was launched in September to encourage pro-active referencing to the books/materials on our Sampradaya has received enthusiastic response. A question sent by N. Lakshmi, Bangalore has been chosen for the honour and it finds a place in the quiz as the 10th question.
Hema Muralidharan, Chennai has made an earnest suggestion.
| "Editor's note posted on August 1 is excellent with the free-flowing language adding glory to the subject. It would be enlightening to many of us if such important aspects of our Sampradaya are included in the Editor's column every month". |
It is already in our plans and shall be done certainly.
Given below are the observation from G. Veeraraghava Thatham, Chennai, and our reply:
| "Today's generation is evincing interest in our Sampradaya from very recent years only with the publishing of (Sri Ranganatha) Paduka and (Sri Nrusimha) Priya. It is too much to expect them to answer questions 3, 5, 6 and 9 (of the Sept. quiz) as the environment does not permit access to the Sampradaya Granthams". |
For one thing, enormous volume of material on our Sampradaya matter is available on the Internet, the use of which youngsters are well-versed with. This is corroborated by the fact that a lot of them are getting the top score in every quiz. And, even if it is tough for some others, it is only good because they get to know new things.
As we have already written, the idea is to make more and more people think about and learn our tradition and express their understanding.
Meet you in the next Note.
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