Question: When we have children, how can we best remember the Supreme without letting the children interfere?

Sri Chinmoy: Early in the morning, before the child cries, you please cry for your divine Mother and Father, who is the Supreme. Then, when the time comes for you to feed the child, before you feed him, think of the Supreme. While feeding the child, say to the Supreme, “O Supreme, I am feeding my child. You also please feed me, since I am Your child.” At that time the Supreme will definitely feed you spiritually. Then, after you have fed the child, when he is quite happy and peaceful, pray to the Supreme to feed you once again. In this way you are feeding your child only once, but the Supreme is feeding you three times. Why is He feeding you? Because you are crying for His inner food.

Each time you do something for your child, ask the Supreme inwardly to do the same for you. Each time you show some affection or think of your children, pray to the Supreme to bless you, to guide you, in the same way. The moment you think of your child, your child becomes your lord unless you thought of the Supreme first. Please do not think that if your child gives you a smile, that the whole world is at your feet. Instead, feel that you are the child of the Supreme and when He smiles at you, when He is pleased with you, that is when you get the greatest joy. When you get something from the Supreme, from your prayer and meditation, you have to feel that that is the only thing you need. Once you get it, then you can give it to your children, to your husband, to your near and dear ones. That is the best thing. Everything that you want to get, try to get from the Supreme, and then give it to your dear ones. If you try to get something from your children, you will only bind yourself.

There is a world of difference between praying for your children and then taking care of their earthly necessities, and the case of ordinary unaspiring people, who only take care of their children’s earthly necessities and then think that their task is over. Your real task is prayer and meditation. I am telling all the parents, please do not feel that by meeting with only the outer necessities of your children you are taking proper care of them. And please do not confuse yourself by thinking that if you spend hours with your children, pleasing them most of the time in their own way, that they will accept the spiritual life. You yourself have to be spiritual. You have to pray, you have to meditate and you have to teach your children how to pray and meditate. Anything that is good you have to teach your children.

From:Sri Chinmoy,Soul-education for the family-world, Agni Press, 1977
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