PARENTING: DON'T IMPOSE YOUR WISDOM ON KIDS, THEY HAVE THEIR OWN

EMPEROR OR MONK ?

Every one was happy when King Sudodhan had a son. Sidharth was the hope of the family and heir of the king. Sudodhan called in the royal priest to make his horoscope. The priest was amazed by the powerful combinations of planets.

“This child will either be a monk or an emperor with immensely large empire “, proclaimed the priest.

“Did you say Monk ?”

“He has that rare provision in his horoscope. Either a Chakravarty Samrat [Emperor]
or a Monk born once in centuries”.

The king got worried. “He is not going to be a monk. I will ensure that.”

From next day everybody in the palace was instructed that never ever the prince be exposed to circumstances of sorrow and misery. A learned tutor was engaged to teach him scriptures and ruling ethics, other than all the arrangements for his joy- court dancers, musicians and experts in child rearing. The king himself would regularly enquire about the progress of the prince.

One bright morning, while walking across the street with his teacher, Sidharth happened to see a dead body being carried. “What is this ?” He promptly enquired.

“He is a dead man. He has exhausted his life on this planet. That is inevitable in God’s plan”, replied the teacher.

“Why can’t it be stopped? What is God? Can I see him?”, a series of disturbing questions erupted from the innocent heart thus making him growingly restless. Sudodhan married him in order to divert his attention.

Ultimately he decided to find answers to his questions himself. Prince Sidharth left the palace along with his wife and infant in the wee hours of night-never to return.

Ultimately he became Lord Budha.

The father could not change the destiny of the child.

Moral: Parents should never attempt to write the future of their children. They should provide best possible environment to help the child grow. Forced parenting might be counter productive.

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