Who Is Raising Your Children?

 

Location: A quiet ashram on the banks of the Narmada. A group of young students from different cities have come for a 3-day retreat with Shri Shivanand Maharaj.

Student (Raghav): Maharaj Ji, in this fast-changing world, we’re all so influenced by Western ideas, social media trends, and global education. How do we ensure we don’t lose our cultural identity?

Maharaj: Vats, this is the right question - the kind that echoes in the hearts of many, but few ask aloud. Let me ask you in return - Who is raising your children today?

Is it the mother’s lullabies filled with Ramayana tales?
Is it the grandfather’s voice narrating the wisdom of the Gita under the neem tree?
Or is it Instagram reels, Netflix series, and influencers who themselves have no roots?

Let us accept a bitter truth - many of today’s children are being raised more by screens than by sanskars.

Student (Simran): But Maharaj, what’s wrong with children being global, modern, and ambitious? Isn’t that part of progress?

Maharaj: Progress is essential, my child - but a tree cannot grow if it forgets its roots. Being global is beautiful, but being rootless is dangerous.

Imagine a river that forgets its source. It dries up.
Your ambitions are welcome. But who is guiding those ambitions? A culture that knows only profit but not purpose?

Sanatana Dharma teaches purusharth - the four goals of life:
Dharma, Artha, Kama, Moksha. Western systems emphasize only Artha (wealth) and Kama (desire), leaving Dharma and Moksha in the dark. And this is the cause of the inner crisis we see today - depression in teens, identity confusion, spiritual emptiness.

Student (Riya): But we go to good schools and colleges. Aren’t they preparing us for life?

Maharaj: They prepare you to earn a living. But do they prepare you to live a meaningful life? Do they teach you who you are, why you’re here, and what your duty to society and self is?

Long ago, Gurukuls were not just for memorizing verses - they were for shaping souls. The focus was on character before career.

Today, our children know how to code an app, but not how to control anger. They can debate in English, but can’t bow to their elders in humility.

Modern education is like building a palace in the sky - impressive but unstable. Sanatan wisdom is the foundation - it teaches you to live with clarity, courage, and compassion.

Student (Aarush): So Maharaj Ji, is it the fault of schools or of parents?

Maharaj: No one is entirely at fault - and yet, everyone shares the responsibility.

Modern parents are outsourcing everything - tuition for studies, daycares for play, and gadgets for silence.
Earlier, a mother was a child's first guru. A father was the living example of Dharma. Today, many homes are filled with gadgets but empty of guidance.

And don’t even ask about the media - it’s feeding our children junk values 24x7. What you watch becomes what you think. What you think becomes what you are.

The Taittiriya Upanishad said - “Maatru devo bhava, Pitru devo bhava, Aacharya devo bhava” - your parents and teachers are divine. But now, kids barely speak to their parents without scrolling their phones.

Student (Tanya): But Maharaj Ji, some of us don’t even live with grandparents anymore. How can we bring back those values in nuclear families and city life?

Maharaj: Yes, times have changed. But values are timeless.
You may not have Dadi living in the house - but you have Katha apps, audio books, virtual Satsangs.
Use technology not to escape tradition, but to revive it.

Make your home a small Gurukul. Tell your child a story of Krishna instead of letting Peppa Pig raise them.
Let them see you meditate. Let them hear the sound of a conch in the morning instead of only a phone alarm.

Even 10 minutes a day - a short prayer, a meaningful conversation, or a value-based story - can plant the seeds of Dharma in a child’s heart.

Student (Rahul): So what can we, the youth, do to ensure the next generation grows up rooted in Sanatana values?

Maharaj: You don’t have to become monks. Just become conscious. When you raise your voice, ask if it’s coming from ego or love. When you earn, ask if it is through dharma or deceit. When you raise your child, ask - Do they know who Rama was? Do they feel proud of their roots?

If each one of you becomes a conscious parent, a wise elder, or a responsible mentor - Bharat will blossom again. Because Sanatana Dharma doesn’t need saving - it needs living.

Closing Thoughts by Shri Shivanand Maharaj:

“A nation is not made in parliaments - it is made in bedrooms, kitchens, and temples. Raise children who are not just engineers and doctors, but also warriors of wisdom. Let them wear jeans but walk the path of Dharma. Let them fly abroad but take Bharat in their hearts. Then, and only then, will this land of Rishis shine again.”

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