The phenomenon of child prodigies

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The phenomenon of child prodigies.

 

Nowadays we hear frequently about child prodigies in various fields. We

attribute this to pUrva janma vAsanA. This is not a mere belief. There is

authority in the upanishad for this view. In his bhAshya on bRhadAraNyaka

upanishad, 4.4.2, SrI Sankara says: "It has been said that the departing

self goes like a loaded cart, making noises. Now, as it leaves for the next

world, what is its food on the way and for consumption after reaching that

world, and what are the materials for making the new body and organs? The

answer is: the self, journeying to the next world, is accompanied by all the

knowledge acquired, the result of all actions (karma) and the impressions of

past actions. These impressions are the cause of the initiation of fresh

actions and the bringing to fruition of past actions. When the organs are

prompted to work by the impressions of past actions, they can easily attain

skill in certain spheres even without any practice in the present life. It

is observed that some persons are skillful in certain activities, such as

painting, from their very birth, even without any training in the present

life (child prodigies). This is due to skill attained in past lives.

Similarly, in the enjoyment of sense objects also, some are found to be

skillful by nature and others are not. Hence it is said that these

three—knowledge, work and past experience—are the food on the way to the

next world (or next life) and after reaching there (i.e. taking a new body)..

Therefore one should cultivate only the good forms of these three so that

one may get a desirable body and desirable enjoyments".

 

S.N.Sastri