Day 7 of Das Lakshan is Uttam Tap — Supreme Austerity.

What it means for you:

• Austerity isn’t only about fasting. It’s about making your desires quieter and practicing self-control.
• External ways this can show up: eating a little less, not taking extra tasty foods, spending a calmer, simpler day, and avoiding actions that tempt you to be unkind or boastful.
• Internal ways this can show up: keeping a calm mind, thinking before you react, saying sorry when you hurt someone, and studying or meditating to stay close to your true self.

How to explain it to kids 10 and 12:

• Think of your thoughts and feelings like a stream. Uttam Tap is learning to let the stream run a little slower so the important things don’t get carried away.
• It helps us grow patience, self-control, and kindness. When we practice Uttam Tap, our bad moods and easily-spoiled desires don’t rule us.

Simple kid-friendly ideas for Day 7:

• Choose one small thing to reduce today (like a smaller snack or a shorter screen time). Notice how you feel before and after.
• If you feel upset, pause, take a deep breath, and count to three before you answer.
• Do a small service for someone else (help a family member, share a toy, or do a quiet chores task) without being told.
• Spend a few minutes reading or listening to something calm or uplifting about the soul.

If you’d like, I can give you a short, kid-friendly verse or story to read together that reinforces Uttam Tap in simple terms.

You can read more here