During a recent trip to India I was looking for books for teaching young children about Hinduism. I came across a series of books, attractively illustrated, quite unlike anything I’d seen in Britain. These were made by a company called ‘Dreamland Publications’, and included books on important aspects of Hinduism, such as the Gita, Mahabharata, Ramayana and about the popular Deities. For this review I shall refer to their book on the Bhagavad Gita, which spanned some 79 pages.

I was ecstatic at first glance, thinking that I’d found the ultimate book for the purpose of teaching the Bhagavad Gita to children. The artwork was colourful, engaging and clear. Each frame told a story. And I feel children, along with adults are more interested and better able to comprehend a story with visuals to accompany words. The words were large print and the style of writing was relatively simple, which is always a great thing, considering Hinduism deals with many complex topics. So what better format could there be to introduce Hinduism?

However as I read the book, my enthusiasm subsided, and I was left feeling dejected. As someone who has read the Gita, I feel that this book totally failed to deliver its’ message, and more than anything could actually be confusing and harmful to the kid reading it.

A young mind is a blank canvass and early religious influences and experiences will leave an imprint, for better or for worse. Later in life, these previous imprints often form the basis of one’s opinions. So, books, especially this type, hold the responsibility of portraying a strong \\ and clear message. Unfortunately, as with so many other children’s books on Hinduism, the authors did not seem to understand anything about the mind of a child, and of the responsibility to explain the teachings in a simple and practical context.

At the beginning, the book explained the basics of the Gita okay. The Mahabharat was briefly summarised and the human problems were introduced, such as Arjuna’s dilemma, the yog of action, choice and knowledge. So far so good. However, when the book began to discuss in further detail, many of the ideas being portrayed as definite truths were merely personal interpretations of the authors.

A chapter in the book discusses desire, and states that “desire is for the weak and if you are to conquer your mind, you must free yourself from all desire”. It makes the teachings seem harsh and aloof, even though this is not what the Gita is saying. For a young person reading this, they may think, ‘well, I’m not giving up my playstation and I’m definitely not giving up chips’.

In actual fact, in Chapter 7 of the Bhagavad Gita, Krishna says “I am the desire which is not contrary to dharma”. The Bhagavad Gita has to be read as a whole – it certainly doesn’t denounce all desire as evil – it is attachments and desires that obstruct the fulfillment of dharma which Krishna teaches against.

For a young mind that has limited life experience, this sort of black and white material can be harmful and serve to scare and push away. A writer with more skill and understanding, would be able to clarify and place into correct context what is meant by the Gita when it speaks about desires.

Furthermore, the book suggests in several places that the Mahabharata war never happened; it is just a metaphor of life, the internal struggle.

This is NOT mainstream Hindu belief – most Hindus do believe that the Mahaharata happened, and feel that evidence points to the overall historicity of the epic. If the author feels otherwise he should not be shoving it down kids’ throats in children’s books.

It would be one thing to say that the message of the Gita is applicable even if the war had never happened – that is, that the truth of the message stands up regardless of the historicity of the event. But to actually say that the Mahabharata never occurred as if its fact is not material for children’s books, and is not going to inspire faith and interest in the study of the Hindu epics.

Overall I feel this book is dangerous (not to sound over dramatic) as young people will base much of their future opinions on influences they will pick up at a young age. We all know that many of the topics discussed in the Gita are complex and their real significance may not be able to be delivered in a children’s book. But such books could be used to instill a sense of reverence and a desire to study further in the future. But this book does not achieve this. It provides, a great format to get young people learning about Hinduism but apart from the artwork and a few of the basics, the actual content was poor. Hopefully similar projects will be undertaken in the future by individuals with a more practical and integrated understanding of the Gita, and a better understanding of how to write for children.