The Siri Singh Sahib (aka Yogi Bhajan) recommends that mothers say this prayer 11 times a day for their children. It was written by Guru Arjan, based on his mothers prayers for him. His mother was Bibi Bhank, daughter of Guru Amar Das and wife of Guru Ram Das.
POOTAH MAATAA KEE AASEES
Pootah maataa kee aasees
Nimaakh na bisarau toom kau har har sadaa bhajaho jaagdees
Jis simrat saabh kilveekh naasay pitaaree ho-ee
oodhaaro
So har har toom saad hee jaapaho jaa kaa ant na paaro
Satigoor toom kau ho-ee da-ee-aalaa sant sang
tayree preet
Kaapar pat parmaysar raakhee bhojan keertan neet
Amrit peevaho sadaa chir jeevaho har simrat anand anantaa
Rang tamaasaa pooran aasaa kabeh na
bi-aapai chintaa
Bhavar toomaaraa eeho man hovau har charnaa ho-o kaulaa
Naanak daas un san g lapataa-ee-o jee-o boonday chaatrik maulaa
How I pray for my children is that when I see things wrong, I don’t give them any energy. I emphasize the behavior that I would like to see in them, and give that energy instead. I set up a special altar for my children. I keep Sukhmani Sahib playing and keep their photos on the altar. I do a special Ardas every single morning, especially when they are not with me. I visualize taking them to the Golden Temple. And I practice something that SSSji taught one time for Guru Amrit Kaur at KWTC: I imagine that the prayer of the sangat actually lifts them so that they are floating in the air, being sustained by the prayer. And then I picture them at the Golden Temple, right over where the Guru sits, and I let them be held by the prayer.
I pray for my children through my radiant body and my prayer from my heart, at any place at any time. And what I do models the behavior that I want them to learn from. They get energy from that, too.
I have my son’s picture on my altar. I repeat the “Poota Maata Ki Assees” shabad 11 times each day for him. This shabad has been given to Mothers as a gift. It allows whatever the child needs to come to him in order for him or her to become what they are truly meant to become at a soul level. It allows what they need to come to them, you don’t have to impose something onto them, it just flows to them naturally and they receive it easily. I also always whispered this to him as I was tucking him into bed each night : “Always be one with God and always have his Name on your lips until your last breath.” So that no matter what challenge he was facing, he would have that connection to carry him through it.