Some time back we had done a play with kids, It was more of an exercise for children to understand how we can practise bhakti on a daily basis.
What happens is though the philosophy is clear to us, we don’t really know how to practise. So this was a small exercise as to how to really practise bhakti.
The response was good. This was a musical play and the children actually enjoyed presenting it and later on some of the kids came and told that now we have actually understood how life should be. Needless to say the satisfaction that I got that day was immeasurable.
————————————————————————–
Actor 1: Devotional service do they say….but how to do that; do tell me. They are so many things to do, how do I do it in a day…
Actor 2: So many?? They are just 9, you forgot or what? Prahlad Maharaj said:
śravaṇaṁ kīrtanaṁ viṣṇoḥ
smaraṇaṁ pāda-sevanam
arcanaṁ vandanaṁ dāsyaṁ
sakhyam ātma-nivedanam
So easy..
Actor1: I know, I know But how to do that in a day. How do I do that in a simple way??
( All together moving in circle Hmm, hmmm)
Actor 3: Sravanam…. Means listening. I can listen carefully to what matajis say. I can attend lectures in temples too.
Actor 4: We can read devotional books and listen to each other’s notes on it
(All together hmmm)
Actor 4:Kirtanam thats singing. Thats easy. Hare Krishna, hare Krishna ( all together singing maha mantra moving here and there)
Actor 5: We can sing in school, at temple and at home too. Hare Krishna, hare Krishna….
(all together)
Actor 5: Vishnu smaranam…….always remembering Vishnu. How to follow that in a day?? Remembering the Lord in every way…., how do I do that?
(All thinking….how to do that, how to do that)
Actor 6: I know I know Vishnu Smaranam means remembering Him always, right?
Actor 3: Say then: How will you do that?
Actor 6: ‘Get up in the morning, Go to the altar and say; ‘Thank you for this wonderful day Krishna’
(All together: Thank you, Thank you)
Have your bath and then say thank you Krishna for I have water and a nice place to take bath in
(All together: Thank you, Thank you)
Before having your breakfast thank the Lord for the yummy food that you got
(All together: Thank you, Thank you)
Before going to school Thank the Lord, for because of Him, you can go to school
(All together: Thank you, Thank you)
Actor 7: Hmmm So in this way we can remember Him always
Actor 6: Yes, Yes
(All together: Thank you, Thank you)
Actor 1: Pada Sevanam. How do I serve Lord’s lotus feet when I have not met Krishna yet
(All together . Hmm)
Actor 7; I know I know. Parents, Grand Parents, teachers aren’t they our well wishers and in a way God for us
Actor 3: yes of course
Actor 7: So we can help them, we can serve them…
Actor 4: ( Clapping) And we can do even Pada Sevanam to them
( We can do that, we can do that)
Actor 2: Arcanam…Deity worship…how can we do that
Actor 8 ; You know I have a laddoo gopal. I dress him up and care for him, I serve him food and clean His altar. He is my best friend and He brightens up my day
( In Background Serve the deities, yes serve the deities)
Actor 9: Vandanam means singing nice prayers to the Lord. I know how to do that
(All together: How, how)
I have made a nice prayer, would you like to listen to that.
(All together: Yes, Yes)
Oh my Lord, Oh my beautiful Lord
You are my sunshine, you are my breathe
You are my inspiration,
You are my best friend
With you to guide me, with you by my side
I am a happy person and so very confident too
so Be with me
( All together Be with us, be with us)
Actor 10 ; Dasyam, Sakhyam; servitorshio, friendship how to do that. Neither am I Arjuna who has Lord besides Him always. Neither am I Hanuman that I can serve Him firsthand. So how do I follow that, how do I do that?
( How do we do that, how do we do that)
Actor 11: I know I know
(how how)
Like a friend follows his friends advice, like a servant follows his masters orders; we can follow what Krishna has said in the Bhagvad Gita. For he is my dearest friend and he is my beloved Master
(Oh yes, Oh yes)
Actor 12: Atma nivedanam…how do we do that
Actor 13. Oh that. That is easy. When he is our dearest friend and when he is our beloved Master then what is the problem to Surrender to Him. Whatever I do… whatever I say is everything for Him
Hare Krishna Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna Hare hare
Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama Hare hare.
The whole play was enacted with the help of various instruments like keyboard, cymbals and mrdanga. The audience of young children was enraptured
Hope the children remember the lesson throughout their lives