Jai Swaminarayan,

Niyams (rules) are sometimes hard to follow, especially when we are younger and just want to be a kid! We’ve all taken niyams where we gave up some of our favorite things to do. Or, we’ve taken a niyam to read an extra prasang or do extra malas for Swamishri. In the beginning, these things are hard to get used to, but, if we give it enough effort, we see that we can get used to it quickly and become stronger to follow the promises we took. It’s our 1% more love and effort we want to show to Swamishri.

Maharaj, Swami and our guru parampara have given us some key agnas (commands) to follow on a daily basis: puja, ghar sabha with our family, respecting elders, studying hard for school, and reading satsang books. So how are these wishes different from niyams?

An agna is more of a command that we should absolutely follow. Maharaj gave us some of these agnas in the Shikshapatri that we learn in bal/balika sabha. It is also told that we experience great happiness in following their commands. A niyam is something we personally take, and should take often, to help make us a stronger person. It helps build our ability to focus on what matters, and a lot of times is something we give up that we typically enjoy. Taking different niyams help us to follow the agnas that Maharaj and Swami have given us. They’re a little different from each other, but still connected!

From this explanation, we see how important it is to stay strong in our niyams. When we stay true to these promises, we will always feel Maharaj and Swami’s happiness with us. Here’s an example: You are on a school trip and your classmates are all eating lunch at the restaurant the class stopped at. However, you brought your own lunch from home to keep your niyam of not eating out. Niyams are always in our benefit. They help us become stronger satsangis and help us in our daily life too. They help us stay away from negative things.

So even though following niyams can be difficult, especially when you are around your friends, we should always take a moment and think, “Would this make Swamishri happy?” If the answer is no, we should stop doing that action right then and there. We can all help one another stick to our niyams and make it easier for each other too when we give support!

Until next time!

Jay Swaminarayan from the ‘kids.baps.org’ team