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Children's Program From Strilky

A celebration of Kṛṣṇa’s birthday brings teachings on child care, resilience, and yoga in daily life.

In child care, have the baby face the mother in a car to avoid fear. Carrying a baby in a cloth requires proper knowledge to prevent suffocation. Common sense and elder wisdom must guide these practices. A story prepared with children illustrates the journey of life. In a faraway village, Mohan and Maya were born poor but grateful. They received school sponsorship from a visiting couple. An earthquake killed their parents, but they survived on the way to school. Faith in God is the sure refuge in sorrow. The couple adopted them and brought them to a new country. Maya struggled to accept a new mother, vowing never to replace her own. She realized her deep love for her brother Mohan. Mohan’s good conduct and willingness to help led to keeping a rescued dog. By helping others, one helps oneself. The children later taught their friends yoga in daily life. Do not let problems stop you; keep faith and continue with duties. Children are the culture of tomorrow, needing natural education in ethics and spirituality.

“Children are the culture of tomorrow, the light of spirituality. In whichever direction children go, in that direction the nation will go.”

“Be good to all people and help others; by helping others, you help yourself as well.”

Filming location: Strilky, Czech Republic

We now come to something beautiful, the cream of the program. Last night there was a beautiful temple pūjā with a very lovely cradle, and that cradle was Kṛṣṇa. All the villagers and city folk went there, and by a hanging string everyone gave it a swing. Speaking of children, there is something important to note. Child doctors often advise that in a baby car, the baby should face the mother rather than forward. That way the child can see the mother, avoiding the fear and strange visions that can arise when looking ahead. There is a psychological effect, so facing the mother is better. Of course, others object that if something happens, the baby might fall on its head—so we can’t please everyone. The mother should simply know what she is doing, and the father too. There is another issue. A tradition from the Far East, especially among mothers working in the fields, involves carrying the baby in a single cloth. But unless you have learned properly how those women do it, imitating the practice can be unwise. Use common sense. Often the baby’s nose becomes pressed between the mother’s breast and the baby’s face, everything is tight, and that is not good. If you don’t know the right way, ask your doctors or even some of your great‑grandfathers, who often had more practical knowledge. When a child is carried, it should not see bright light or the mother’s body, and the mother’s sweat can be unhealthy. So if we do this, we must do it properly: keep the face and nose free, ensure the baby is turned comfortably, and avoid breathing difficulties. I am not a mother, so I can’t give expert advice, but please ask those who know. Don’t simply read an article and say, “This is how they keep the baby close to the mother’s heart.” I recall a case someone told me about, perhaps from Russia: a mother went walking with her child in the forest in very cold weather, carrying the baby wrapped in a blanket under her coat. The baby cried and cried. She came home saying, “My child is ill.” Well, the baby was suffocating. So please be careful. Hari Om, a nice evening to all. We were thinking about how to make Lord Kṛṣṇa happy, what to give him for his birthday. And not only the children, but we adults too are on the way. We feel happy here, yet there are obstacles on the path. So we prepared a story with the children; they thought it up themselves. And we would like to say the same thing as Mahāprabhujī says: if you set out for the journey… In a faraway country where the sun shines all year long and raindrops are welcomed as the dearest guests, some people live in richness while others have no roof over their heads. In one village called Tamu, Mohan and Maya were born into a poor family. They had a beautiful childhood. The people of Tamu were used to tourists who often passed by their makeshift homes, carrying cameras and taking photos. They would reward the children with sweets or coins for the pictures. A young couple, Angelika and Roman, went to Tamu nearly every day, bringing food and gifts to the poor children. It is easy to grow accustomed to good things, and most of the children accepted the gifts very naturally, sometimes even forgetting to say thank you. But Mohan and Maya were truly grateful. They always prepared something nice for Roman and Angelika. After a few months in the area, Roman and Angelika were about to return to their home country. Wanting to do something good before leaving, they offered to sponsor the school education of Maya and Mohan, speaking to the children’s parents. It was obvious that otherwise the two would never attend school, for schools were usually only for rich children. Mohan and Maya were overjoyed that they would be able to study. They studied hard, and after two years they were so capable that they could exchange letters with Angelika and Roman. Nearly every week they wrote to each other about everything they were going through. Then, suddenly, a cruel day came. An earthquake struck Tamu, and most of the people died. Mohan and Maya lost both parents and all their relatives. Only because they were on their way to school when the earthquake struck did they survive, and they were injured only slightly. They stayed for a few days in the ruins of the school. Life is sometimes not easy. The only hope and sure refuge is God, whom we can ask for help at any time. Do not let yourself be stopped by problems. The river of life flows with happiness as well as sadness. Whoever loses strength in sadness will never reach their aim. Keep faith and continue with your duties. The sad news reached Roman and Angelika as well. They decided to adopt Mohan and Maya. And so it happened that weeks later, Roman, Mohan, and Maya stood at an airport in a big city. The children bid farewell to their homeland and the airplane took them into the unknown. On the other side of the world, at a Czech airport, Angelika waited for them. The children really liked their new flat. Maya was amazed to have such a big, nicely equipped room all to herself. She looked at the toys—she had never seen such toys in her life—and she tried on some of the dresses Angelika had bought for her. Roman gave his attention to Mohan, showing him his room, the computer, a football, and new sportswear. That evening, Angelika sat beside Maya’s bed long after the girl had fallen asleep. For the first time, she looked at a child with a mother’s eyes. She gently stroked Maya’s hair the way only a mother can. She did not know that Maya was dreaming of her homeland. When Maya woke in the nice room and saw Angelika preparing breakfast, she understood how difficult it would be to get used to the new surroundings. Angelika was kind, but for Maya it was unacceptable to accept her as a mother. She swore to herself that she would never, ever exchange this lady for her own mom. Suddenly the beautiful toys seemed uninteresting and strange—everything except one thing. She smiled and her first words after waking were, “Mohan, where is Mohan?” For the first time in their lives, they realized how much they loved each other. Live in harmony with your brothers, sisters, and all your relatives. After breakfast, Roman and Angelika told the children it was necessary to dress quickly and go to the city. Mohan was ready soon and truly happy with his new clothes. “Don’t you want to dress up? Would you like to take something else? You will surprise us with what you choose.” And indeed it was a surprise: Maya chose to put on the very same clothes she had been wearing when they arrived. “Oh, I’m so happy you chose such nice clothes. I’m happy to have such a lovely princess at home.” When they all returned, Mohan and Maya asked to go outside. “Can we go out? We want to play.” Nearby children called out, they couldn’t speak Czech, but it didn’t matter. “Hello, come play with us. Look, a dog!” Mohan could not sleep that night, thinking about everything he had experienced. He remembered the children he played with and his new dog friend. The dog was whining outside, and Mohan decided to save it. With his good behaviour, willingness to help, and a prayer, he managed to persuade his parents to keep the dog. Be good to all people and help others; by helping others, you help yourself as well. Maya was happy, too. One morning Maya had a fever. It was only a cold, nothing serious. Yet Angelika sat beside her bed the whole night. In the morning Roman came and asked, “Jak se holčička cítí? How is the girl feeling?” Angelika replied, “I was sitting next to her the whole night. She must have a high fever. I love her so much.” Maya soon recovered, and as time passed the sadness lifted. The children made many friends who taught them many things, and in turn, Mohan and Maya taught the other children how to practice yoga in daily life. Thank you, children; that was really perfect. Everyone come in line and take one. Anapona, very nice. Children, Hari Om. Present for you, present for me. Beautiful, thank you, thank you girls. And the teachers should come too. Here is a beautiful album, filled with our children and herbal knowledge—many, many herbs. Very good, thank you. There are pictures of different herbs, and spaces for one’s own photo, very nice. Gaṅgotrī is also there, Sankarpurī too, Jacqueline, Chandra, the whole group—though Sītā and Bhajan Devī are not in it, along with some other teachers. Thank you. So once more we thank our juniors, and special thanks to our dear teachers, Sītā and company. Children are the culture of tomorrow, the light of spirituality. In whichever direction children go, in that direction the nation will go. How children lead their lives, so the nation will be led. Therefore children need a beautiful, natural education. Ethics and spirituality must be the subjects of their life. Thank you all for showing such interest and for giving motivation to our children. They have all been sitting and listening to our satsaṅg. Thank you for watching their program. This evening is more or less a farewell. We have one more video to show you, but time is passing and it is already quarter to nine. So to all our dear brothers, sisters, friends, and those joining us via webcast, we wish you all the best.

This text is transcribed and grammar corrected by AI. If in doubt what was actually said in the recording, use the transcript to double click the desired cue. This will position the recording in most cases just before the sentence is uttered.

The text contains hyperlinks in bold to three authoritative books on yoga, written by humans, to clarify the context of the lecture:

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