Introducing Hindu Mythology to Your Little Ones

I get asked a lot about how I introduced cultural and religious stories to Krishnav. My answer is, I had always intended to teach my son about our culture and heritage through the Ramayan and Mahabharat epics and other mythological stories*. However, how it happened was completely organic.

One night, when Krishnav was about 3.5 years old, he asked his Papa to tell him a bedtime story. My husband decided to give Krishnav his first teaser of one of our epic stories, the Mahabharat. He shared a bite-sized story from the larger storyline, telling him about the five young Pandav brothers and their guru, Drona, and the famous story of shooting the bird on the tree with a bow & arrow. There was a lesson in there too, about how complete focus and concentration upon your goals will lead you to achieving them. That night began the first of many nights where Krishnav became increasingly spellbound with the Mahabharat and demanded to hear more and more. Soon, we moved to the Ramayan which further captured his imagination. Before age 4, he was singing the entire Hanuman Chalisa at least 5 times a day (to the point where we had to ask him to stop singing it because we could hardly hear ourselves think!). What's more, he began rounding up his friends in the playground every evening to act out scenes from the stories. Care to be part of the Vanar Sena anyone? By the time I was pregnant with my second one, there was almost no point in refuting Krishnav's proclamation that his baby brother-to-be would be named Arjun. :)

As a parent who wishes to share stories on religion and mythology to your little ones, my advice would be: don’t feel like you have to know everything to begin with. Whatever little you know and pass down to your children is a great start towards creating a sense of connection to one’s roots and cultural heritage. If you are thinking about how to start on this journey, here are some suggestions:

1. Get a headstart for yourself first. As I mentioned earlier, don’t feel like you need to be the authority on this topic. But if you prefer to brush up on your own knowledge about the stories before you can talk to your child, seek out the right resources...or it’s not the worst thing if you read and learn along with your kids, right?

2. Baby steps. Begin by sharing small, bite-sized stories from the bigger story arc which are age-appropriate and relatable to the kids. This will spark their initial curiosity without overwhelming them with the full, complex storylines. Over time, you can add more stories to feed their interest. For example, tell the story of Eklavya. Or how Arjun won the swyamvar of Draupadi by shooting the arrow through the fish’s eye. Or the stories of Bal Krishna. Endless little stories to tell!

3. Take the opportunity to share a lesson or a takeaway from the stories you tell, no matter how small. Importantly, keep it relevant to our modern times. Stories like the Ramayan and Mahabharat are works of literature that portray the conflict between good and evil and the various facets of human emotions and character such as love, loyalty, anger, pride, and jealousy. In many ways, the stories are as relevant in today’s age. It’s how you choose to present it to your child in an engaging and relatable way. As an example, here is a good read about what your child can learn from the Ramayan.

4. Focus on verbal storytelling to start with. There is a huge power of verbal storytelling and, in our case, was the most effective in drawing Krishnav into the rich, fascinating story threads. My husband and I shared whatever we had remembered from our own childhood memories of these stories. For example, we would talk about certain characters (Do you know about Ravan’s sleepy giant of a brother, Kumbhkaran? Let me tell you…) or side stories (Do you know how Abhimanyu knew how to break into the chakraview during the Battle of Kurukshetra?) during car rides, over meal times, or as part of bedtime.

5. Besides verbal storytelling, opt for books on Hindu mythology over videos. I have a collection of about 30 books from the classic Amar Chitra Katha collection from my school days. Sadly, I realized they are not appropriate for very young kids. Also, I don't think you need to show any videos on this topic initially (in fact, with a few exceptions, I find many cartoons and movies of this genre to be quite violent in depiction for the younger age groups). Luckily, there is an increasing number of children’s books and materials that cater to the toddlers and preschoolers.

To name a few:

• Meet My Hindu Gods by Desi Babies (Reena Puri, Mital Telhan): A great introduction to your toddler or preschooler to the Hindu gods and goddesses
• Kahaani Puraani by t4tales (Pridhee and Alicia Souza): A beautiful boardbook on the Ramayan story for toddlers and up
• Amma Tell Me series by Bhakti Mathur
• Ganesha’s Sweet Tooth by Emily Haynes and Sanjay Patel: A funny retelling with a twist of how Ganesh came to write the Mahabharat)
• Collection of books by Swamini Supriyananda. Examples include: Mata Mama & Me, Go Hanuman! Go!, Ganesha’s Mousecapade
• Toka Box has also provided some great resources and links to additional books on the Hindu epics: 
• 14 Amazing Children's Books on the Ramayana
• The Boys Who Fought | The Mahabharata for Children
• Not a book but learning materials from Jai Jai Hooray: The Goddess Power Tower which teaches about the iconic Hindu goddesses and the Hindu deity flash cards
• Not a book but an app which you can use to teach about Hindu gods on-the-go: The Jai Jais

6. If possible, enlist the help of grandparents or your neighborhood elders. These are your sources with bountiful knowledge to impart on our culture and traditions. Giving where credit is due, both sets of our paternal and maternal grandparents played a huge role in drawing Krishnav into stories on Hindu gods, teaching him about our festivals and their importance, learning prayers, etc. Indeed, the grandparents have played a key part in our children’s religious and cultural upbringing.

7. Visit temples not just for worship but also for bringing the stories to life. You’ll find that temples often feature carvings and murals on walls/ceilings, depicting scenes from familiar mythological stories. Indeed, they serve to parallel what the children might have learned from you at home. I remember how Krishnav was so keenly interested to see the figures of the different avatars of Vishu carved on the side of one temple wall in Singapore. So yes, temple visits can be fun learning for the kids!

Srinivasa Perumal Temple in Singapore

8. Classes? You may consider putting your child in Balvihar/ Balvikas classes if you really wanted to formalize the teachings. We didn’t do this for Krishnav but it is an option. It’s not difficult to find such classes being run in most big cities.

(*Admittedly, I struggle a bit with using the term “mythology" when referring to our Hindu epics, Mahabharat and Ramayan. This is a controversial topic as many believe that these stories are based on real life occurrences whereas others believe they are meant to convey religious teachings and lessons and hence are myths. For the sake of simplicity, I will use these terms interchangeably with the hope that it doesn’t offend anyone’s sensibilities).