Bhagat Baba Fareed Ji (b. 1173 - d. 1266)
Parents give blessings to their children.
We ask Waheguru to make our children rich and well off.
We ask Waheguru to make our children successful in their work and jobs.
Which parent doesn’t want this for their children?
We ask Waheguru that may our children make a name for themselves in the world. But we should also ask that our children may have love for the Guru. May they love the Guru that much that without the Guru they don’t feel their life is complete.
Baba Fareed Jee’s mother, Bibi Merium Jee, said to her son as a young child, “O my son, do simran (remember and meditate on the Lord)”. “Ma, if I do simran then what will I get in return?” The mother replied, “The people who do simran, God gives to those people sweets to eat.”
Children are drawn to sweets and love to eat them. Baba Fareed Ji would cross his legs; close his eyes and do simran. His mother would put some sweets into a bowl and put it in front of him. Baba Fareed Ji would open his eyes after doing simran and see the sweets in front of him. “Look Ma, God has given me sweets to eat.” He would then happily eat the sweets and his mother would look at him and smile.
Baba Fareed Jee looked forward to doing simran and being rewarded with sweets by God. For some time he would keep doing simran and his mother would each time put sweets in front of him when he close closed his eyes so that when he opened his eyes, he could eat them.
But one day Baba Fareed Jee opened his eyes and didn’t look down at the sweets. He didn’t eat the sweets but still looked happy and content. His mother asked: “Fareed, today you haven’t eaten the sweets God has given you.” Baba Fareed Jee answered: “O Ma, once you taste Naam, the Name of God, then all other sweets in the world taste bland.”
When we praise Baba Fareed Jee, we always praise his mother.With the little incentive of giving a child sweets, we can see the blessings bestowed upon Baba Fareed Jee.
Do today’s mothers give their children sweets to eat? Yes they do! Three times a day mothers give their children different types of sweet food and sweet dishes to eat. But today’s mothers don’t say:
“Eat your sweets later, first read to me Sri Jap Jee Sahib.”
“Tell me have you done your Nitnem?”
“Have remembered and thanked Waheguru today?”
However many blessings we give our children, that “when you get older may you become successful, high and rule the world”; but with our blessings nothing can happen, until Guru Jee showers blessings upon us.
Do you wish your children to receive the blessings of Guru Jee? If we want our children to respect their parents, if want our children to respect their elders, then it is also our responsibility to connect our children to Guru Jee. We can do this by reading them saakhis and stories about our Gurus.
ਬਾਬਾਣੀਆ ਕਹਾਣੀਆ ਪੁਤ ਸਪੁਤ ਕਰੇਨਿ ॥
baabaaNeeaa kahaaNeeaa, put supat karen.
“The stories of one’s ancestors make the children good children.”
(Ang 951, SGGS)
Give them these types of blessings and encourage them that, “O son, you should go to the Gurdwara and sit in the Saadh Sangat (holy congregation).” A young child can read so many school books. Why can a child not read Sri Jap Jee Sahib?
They can! But if we haven’t done it ourselves then how are our children going to do it?But no! Until a child doesn’t get the blessing of Guru Jee, nothing will happen.
ਪੂਤਾ ਮਾਤਾ ਕੀ ਆਸੀਸ ॥ ਨਿਮਖ ਨ ਬਿਸਰਉ ਤੁਮ੍ ਕਉ ਹਰਿ ਹਰਿ ਸਦਾ ਭਜਹੁ ਜਗਦੀਸ ॥1॥ ਰਹਾਉ ॥
poota maata kee aasees. nimak na bisrau tum kau har har, sadaa bhajho jagdeesh. 1. rahaao.
“O child, this is your mother’s hope and prayer, that you may never forget the Lord, Har, Har, even for an instant. May you ever vibrate upon the Lord of the Universe. 1. Pause.”
(Ang 496, SGGS)
Mata Ganga Jee, Guru Hargobind Sahib Jee’s mother blessed her son that, “May you never forget the Lord, Har, Har, even for an instant.”
Even before they go to school, we should inspire our children:
“Say Waheguru, Waheguru”; as saying it before and after coming back results in school becoming safalaa, fruitful.
Then the Guru’s blessings will work. Then in life they will only get happiness and more happiness. Those children will give their parents respect and they will build respect for themselves in the world as well. This is the true blessing.
Have you given your child the true blessing?
bhul chuk maaf.
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