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DISCOURSE 62
INSTRUCT YOUR CHILDREN IN NOBLE CODES OF CONDUCT WITH LOVE AND CORDIALITY
Whatever advice or instruction you want to give your children, give it with love and tenderness and in sweet and captivating words. If you give your children advice or guidance in harsh words, they will not receive it. Parents have to keep their tongues under control. But unfortunately, most parents do not exercise any restraint on their speech. They scold their children and also use very harsh and cruel words. When we advise people not to behave in that indecent and uncultured manner, they say: "When our children do not care for our advice, we lose our patience. We cannot bear with their indifference. We get angry with them; and we speak harshly and cruelly". If parents say that, children also say: "Our parents act ignoble towards us, so we are not prepared to act according to their advice. We do not care for their words". The story becomes complete here!
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I told you in the very beginning that parents must have patience. They have to bear with some slight misconduct of their children. In case it becomes necessary for you to speak your mind to your children, speak to them in a tender and sweet
manner.
From the Audience: It does not matter if our parents do not speak to us gently and tenderly; they should not be harsh and bitter. What can we learn from them if they scold us using abusive language?
Maharajashri: You will learn to slight your parents! You will learn to treat your parents with contempt....What else can you learn? You must realize that you are born to such parents because of your own Karmas. Why were you not born. to virtuous and cultured parents? You should not think that the fault lies with your parents; but you must think that the fault lies with your Karmas. Those children whose parents are not virtuous and cultured but whose parents are uncultured and ignoble will have to live like "Prahlad". It is likely that worthy. children are born to unworthy parents; and unworthy children
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