We cannot possibly learn and pass on to our children all that can be included in our ‘culture’.
All of us may not agree - ‘what is essential and what is not’. The choice lies with each individual family.
Importance of Teaching Védic Culture
Our culture shows us how to live our life whether we are in India or North America or anywhere else in the world.
It is therefore important to teach our children and
grandchildren at the earliest age about their culture and heritage before their brains are filled with negative ideas about our ‘culture’ from school and University text books and some teachers. Second reason for preserving cultural heritage is for the children to grow up having positive self-esteem, a good feeling about themselves. If children know that they are coming from a good, strong, and stable background they will have the confidence to handle any situation and do well in life. If children learn at an early age that their culture, heritage, and ancestors were of inferior quality or ‘they will burn in hell for eternity’ because of their religion then they are likely to have many problems throughout their lives.
Essence of Védic Culture
“…if all the Upanishads and all other scriptures happened all
of a sudden to be reduced to ashes, and if only the first verse
in the ‘Ishopanishad’ were left intact in the memories of
Hindus, Hinduism will live forever.”
M. K. Gāndhi, Harijan, 30-1-1937, p. 403-4.
जगत् ।
तेन
केन भु ीथा मा गृधः क
धनम् ॥१॥
“ॐ Ishāvāsya-idam sarvam yat-kincha jagatyām jagat
Téna tyakténa bhunjithā mā grudah kasya svid dhanam”
God pervades all this, the whole universe.
Enjoy what He gives you. Do not steal the wealth of others.
Ishopanishad 1
First part of the first Shlok tells us ‘The Divine spirit is everywhere in the universe - in the living and the non-living. Love and respect all creatures and treat even inanimate objects with respect. There is an ‘energy’ that forms the basis of all that exists in the universe, a
‘force’ that keeps us alive, something that cannot be described nor can it be experienced by any of our senses (touch, smell, sight, hearing, and taste); an ‘entity’ that can be addressed by any name or imagined to take up any form, and ‘That’ which has no beginning or an end.
Be grateful for what He / She / It gives you, respect Her gift and enjoy it. Do not forcefully take something that belongs to others.
Another basic teaching is:
एकं स िव ा ब धा वदि