Gautama Chopra - Child of the Dawn

Copyright 1996 by Gautama Chopra

Published by Amber-Allen Publishing, Inc.
P.O. Box 6657
San Rafael, CA 94903

Cover art: Scala/Art Resource, NY. Episode of the Bhagavata Purana.

All rights reserved. This book may not be reproduced in whole or in part, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or other, without written permission from the publisher, except by a reviewer who may quote brief passages in a review.

Copyright infringement is against the law. If you believe this book was illegally distributed and infringes on the authors copyright, please notify the publisher at copyright@amberallen.com.

Printed Book: ISBN 978-1-878424-38-9
Digital Book: ISBN 978-1-934408-19-3

To my four grandparents:

Nani, Nana, Ma, and Daddy, who are the best examples of enlightenment, ageless wisdom, and innocence that I have ever known.

The same sun is newly born in new lands in a ring of endless dawns.

Rabindranath Tagore

In the Vedic tradition of India there is a belief that ones name and form are inseparable. Gautama is an old name that literally means the enlightened one. It was given to the ancient prince who attained enlightenment ages ago as the Buddha.

Gautama Chopra, my son, is a child of the dawn the dawn of a new consciousness which is ready to transform the world. A critical mass of enlightened new leaders in the coming generation is necessary to ensure that our relationship to our Mother Earth once again becomes sacred and pure. I believe Gautama is one of these new leaders.

When Gautama was about four years old, my wife, Rita, and I made sure that he learned to meditate. Meditation was an important part of his upbringing, and he became familiar with the experience of inner silence at a very early age. He was also told that, although we had begotten him, he did not belong to us. He was a gift from the universe, and we were his caretakers for the time being. It has been our privilege and honor to have that role.

In The Seven Spiritual Laws of Success, I have written about The Law of Dharma, which says that we are here for a purpose and that each of us has a unique gift or special talent to give to others. In accordance with this principle, Gautama was never told that he needed to perform well in school, get good grades, or go to the best colleges. He was only told that he must find out what his unique talents are and put them to the service of humanity. Today, Gautama is a young man of twenty-one years, a student at Columbia University with a passion for religious studies and literature. This book is an expression of his unique talents.

Child of the Dawn is a bold and provocative statement of freedom. It is about escaping the prison of the known and stepping into the unknown the field of infinite possibilities. It is a testimony to the way in which The Seven Spiritual Laws can actually be lived in the life of a young boy, Hakim. Through Hakims trials, tribulations, and adventures, one can glimpse how these principles can be a guiding light in our own search for meaning and empowerment.

Most of my books have been works of nonfiction. It is therefore liberating to see my son express the principles from The Seven Spiritual Laws of Success in a parable. Fiction in many ways expresses the truth more lucidly than nonfiction. As Tagore once said, Truth in her dress finds facts too tight. In fiction, she moves with ease. When we discover the essential message of Gautamas book, we catch a glimpse of a reality that transcends the practical and touches upon the magical and the divine.

On our many travels to India, Gautama has witnessed the harsh reality of the street children who have no belongings other than their beautiful souls. In India, even amidst the immense poverty and destitute conditions, one finds in the children no trace of violence, no hostility, no rage, no anger. There is a simple, sweet innocence even among the extremely impoverished.

Child of the Dawn is a touching story about a child who is lost, alone, and seeking to find his purpose in life. This child exists within all of us. Child of the Dawn is a metaphor, in a sense, for all our lives. We come alone into this world, and one day we shall leave it all alone. In between, we meet as travelers for a few precious moments on a cosmic journey.

When Gautama was six years old we spoke about this. He said, We came here on different trains, and we have encountered each other at the train station. Before we embark on separate trains again, on separate journeys, lets have fun! He also told me that we had met before, a long time ago on a bridge near a mountain in Tibet and that we were in the habit of switching roles. We are all ancient souls, and indeed it is our destiny to play an infinity of roles. But we are not the roles we are playing. The alert witnessing of the roles we play is the first step on our journey of awakening.

I hope you will enjoy Gautamas book. If you are young, perhaps you will resonate with the dreams and aspirations of the principal character in this book. As you do so, you may find in his journey of awakening the story of your own life. And if you are not so young and are a parent like me, perhaps you will recognize, as I am beginning to, that our children are our greatest teachers.

It has been said that the child is father of the man. As I read the pages of this book, I am more convinced than ever that this, indeed, is true.

This book would not have been possible if not for the efforts and attention of many people. I would like to express my love and gratitude in particular to:

Janet Mills, without whose loyalty, dedication, and professional skills as an editor, this book would have never emerged in its final form. Thank you, Janet. I love you!

Lynn Franklin for all your insight and guidance.

Arielle Ford for all your enthusiasm, love, and unsurpassed energy.

Peter Guzzardi for sharing your brilliance and wisdom and helping me to grow as a writer.

Uma Ergil for your countless hours spent silently behind the scenes.

Mom and Papa for giving me infinite possibilities through your unrelenting love and wisdom.

Mal for showing me, through your own example, the courage to pursue my dreams. What a year! Good luck. And even more so to you, Sumant.

All my family for all your unconditional love and support.

Candice for showing me what true beauty and friendship really are.

And last, but not least, my BOYZ (you know who you are) for making life laughs and fun. Whats up?

He was lost. Somehow during his young life, he had lost his way. Lost from where? Lost from what? Ah, well, you will see, we are not speaking of being lost in a labyrinth of streets in a twisted medieval city. His displacement, his disorientation, was of a more desperate and desolate nature, for he did not understand what he was lost from.

The child was alone, truly alone, with no mother or father, no family, no home nothing to call his own. Each day, as dawn woke the sleeping metropolis, he watched the world pass him by. There was little reason to persevere. He had no one to love, no one to laugh with, no one with whom to share his deepest secrets. There were no enchanted memories, nothing sacred at all to hold close to his heart.