Live Vedanta: Parenting Culture

Challenges: Well-being

Episode Summary

Hari Om Dear Parenting Culture CommUnity! We hope you had a wonderful week! Last class, we were fortunate to have Vivekji and Sheela facilitating the Parenting Culture Community, providing insights on ancient wisdom to navigate modern parenting challenges. We explored the Parenting Challenge of Well-being after briefly reviewing the parenting challenges pertaining to screen time, instilling values and life skills.

Episode Notes

​🎓Recap (March 4, 2024)

💖 Caring for another connects them to the community; living similarly helps them enhance their  contribution positively.
🌱 Parenting Culture is like Community Service - we sow the seeds for the future generations.

Review of Parenting Modern Challenges and their Ancient Wisdom Visualizations -

1. Screen Time (podcast)

• 🐟 From the Mahabharata’s Yaksha Prashna - A fish symbolizes what sleeps with its eyes open.
• 📱 Practice: Implement designated screen time zones.
• 👨‍👧‍👦Observation: Caregivers often overlook the impact of their casual phone use on those they care for.

2. Instilling Values (podcast)

• 📖 From the Bhagavad Gita - Chapter 12, Verse 15 - Nodvijate refers to the one who does not annoy and isn't annoyed by others.
• 👨‍💼 Practice: Being responsible
• 👀 Observation: Being responsible prevents annoyance to others.

3. Life Skills (podcast)

• 📜 From our scriptures - Viveka (prioritization) , Vairagya (independence), Shat Sampathis which includes Mumukshutva (freedom) are crucial life skills.
• ​​🌟 Dhruva's story illustrates the pursuit of freedom guided by his mother, Suneeti, who encouraged him to seek beyond societal expectations. 
• 🙏 Practice: Setting up altars for cultivating these values, fostering a habit of inner reflection and connection with divinity.
• 🕊️Observation: this practice helps individuals, especially children, internalize the concept of freedom and quieten the mind.

4. Well-being

• 🌿 Ancient Wisdom comes from our role model Bhagavati Sati, also known as Bhagavati Aparna, Bhagavati Uma, and Bhagavati Parvati who initially prioritized position over peace, causing profound pain. 
• 🏞️ Reborn as Parvati (the daughter of the mountain), she sought solace with Bhagavan Shiva in the wilderness, symbolizing her commitment to inner peace. 
• 🍃  She was known as Aparna, the one who only ate leaves, and as Uma, for all the pain and suffering she faced but throughout this time, she was at peace, she was happy.  
•  Practice:
  • 🌳 Be in nature for the rejuvenation of the Body and Breath.
  • 🧘‍♀️ Embrace solitude by dating yourself for the serenity of the mind and intellect
• Observation: 
  • 🕊️ Svastika is a reminder for Well-being. Svasti is the Sanskrit word for Well-being (Su meaning well and asti meaning BEing. Ka is a reminder).
  • ☮️ Svastika is a symbol to remind us to be calm and quiet.