9

Learn our Sampradayam the easy way
(Course for Kids) Grade 1 for Beginners
Lesson 9: Right Path
(Anbil Ramaswamy)
(Based on the Tamil original by Sri Seva Swami)
======================================================================
A person who wants to travel from one place to another has to take the road that will lead to the destination. There may be more than one road starting from the starting point. Some may be good; some others may be bad. In the former, there will be no cause for fear of any kind, no needless meandering, and no anxiety whether it is the proper route etc
The bad ones may have one or more of these in varying degrees.

It is always to take a brightly-lit path avoiding those that are poorly lit and steeped in darkness. In a well-lit road, a person can travel alone; Dark ones may pose danger even for a group moving gregariously. A royal road will be a Broadway whereas a bye lane may have potholes, thorns, stones and even glass pieces besides danger of thieves lurking in the dark. Short cuts, side lanes and bye lanes may appear attractive but they are usually unreliable. The same may be the case with a new path one might discover.

Similarly, to lead our lives peacefully, Saastras have shown us some beaten paths; paths tread by Maharishis and wise old forefathers. People who have followed these have been found to reach their destinations safe and sound and have set precedents for others to follow.

Rivers swollen with flash floods may appear to create newer paths but we can never be sure where they will lead us. When there is high tide, waters might submerge all paths known and unknown. When dried up, they may show up new roadmaps with numerous new paths most of that may only be illusory. Newer paths are invented by evanescent Godmen who appear and disappear like these flash floods and present them as the real ones and they will also quote from scriptures to substantiate their arguments like ?devil quoting the scriptures?. We should not fall for these gimmicks, if we are to reach our true destination.

The path tread by our AzhwArs, AchAryas and our forefathers is truly safe and will surely lead us to our ultimate spiritual destination of Moksha. Swami Desika confirms this by saying ?Thol Vazhiye Nal Vazhi?. This is the path shown to us by Geethaachaaryan, Lord Krishna himself, by AzhwArs, by our AchAryas, by our elders. This is the path Swami Desikan recommends. Let us follow this path and attain salvation.
QUESTIONS
1. What is the difference between good and bad paths?
2. Which path is free from fear?
3. What benefit can be gained by following the path shown by the Saastras?
4. Who said ?Thol Vazhiye Nal Vazhi??
5. Can we follow paths created by flash floods?
6. Who taught us the good path to salvation?