Shankaranthi Discourse: Respect For Parents - The Greatest Virtue

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Shankaranthi Discourse

12 JAN 2004

Puttaparthi - Prashanthi Nilayam

Respect For Parents - The Greatest Virtue

 

RESPECT FOR PARENTS - THE-GREATEST VIRTUE

The sun shines serene and gentle. The brief daylight is softly wafting the cool

wind. The fields are ripe with golden crops. Marigold flowers are blossoming

like garlands of pearls on the banks of rivers. The farmers are rejoicing and

singing. The ripened chilies are coloring fields with vestments of bright red.

The sweet festival of Sankranti has come, filling our homes with the freshly

harvested grains of cereals and pulses.(Telugu Poem)

Of all the festivals, the imminent Sankranti is the most important. It is the

day on which the farmers bring home the harvested crop, feed the poor and,

rejoice. On this day, the Vedic scholars get up during the sacred

Brahmamuhurtha time and chant the Vedic Mantras, purifying the hearts of one

and all. This festival has a special significance even for the householders.

They invite their newly married sons in-law to their house, present them with

new clothes and the entire house abounds with joy. In this context, there is a

folk song in Telugu:

As Sankranti is the festival of festivals,Oh newly married bridegroom, visit

your in-laws' house,Come spend your time in fun and frolic with your

brothers-in-law and sisters-in-law,The entire household and the neighborhood

will honor you with love and affection.

It is also an occasion when the bullocks are decorated elaborately and taken to

various houses in the village. The bullocks are worshipped and fed sumptuously

as an expression of gratitude for all the hard work they do in the fields. Even

the bovine members of the household are feted, a symbolic marriage is performed

between a pair of bull and cow, naming them as Rama and Sita. They are taken

along the streets and made to dance to the delight of everyone. In this manner,

the festival of Sankranti bestows great joy and auspiciousness on farmers,

householders, priests and children. Not only have the human beings, even the

birds and animals rejoiced with the arrival of the sacred Sankranti festival.

At sunset, it is a wonderful sight to see the birds flying back to their nests

chatting merrily loudly in their own language Filling the air with a joyous

hum. It is .in equally delightful sight to see the cows rushing back from the

grazing fields to feed their

young ones and the young ones craving for the caresses of heir mothers, mooing

loudly to their mothers. Sankranti festival is so sweet and endearing to one

and all. Cool winds, mellifluous bird songs and the sweet sugarcane crops

herald the arrival of Sankranti. People celebrate his festival by distributing

sweets and 'ice puddings. This festival drives away all disappointments and

despair and fills our hearts with hope and enthusiasm. People get up early in

the morning, have a sacred bath and worship their chosen deities such as

Ganapati, Subrahmanya and Lord Easwara. The divine form of Lord Siva is

described thus:

The Lord of Kailasa has manifested his Divine form with the crescent moon

adorning his head, the cool water of the Ganga flowing between the matted

locks, with his radiant eye in the middle of the Forehead and the purple neck

gleaming like the sheen of a blackberry. He wears serpent bracelets and a snake

belt, his entire body is smeared with Vibhuti, his forehead is adorned with a

kumkum dot, his ruddy lips glow with the juice of the betel, diamond-studded

gold earrings dangle from his ears and his whole swarthy body glows with divine

effulgence(Telugu Poem)

However, nowadays people are not celebrating Sankranti in its true spirit. Their

celebration is confined to mere performance of rituals. They lack purity and

sanctity. They are unable to enjoy the bliss of Sankranti because of hatred,

jealousy and conflicts.

On this auspicious occasion of Sankranti, children aged 5 years are initiated

into the process of learning with the chanting of sacred Vedic Mantras. Our

ancient sages declared, Vedahametham Purusham Mahantham Adityavarnam Thamasah

Parasthath (I have visualised the Supreme Being who shines with the effulgence

of a billion suns and who is beyond Thamas - the darkness of ignorance). The

Vedas have extolled the Supreme Being in manifold ways. The Rig Veda contains

Mantras extolling God and His blissful form which attracts one and all.

People address their bullocks with names such as Ramudu, Bhimudu, etc.

Similarly, cows are named after Sita, Gowri, Lakshmi, etc. The inner meaning of

this is that even animals are treated with the same concern and care as human

beings. They decorate the cows and bullocks with Saris and Dhotis and take them

out in a procession.

These days even birds and animals lead their lives in accordance with their

natural qualities. So, they are able to enjoy happiness. On the other hand, man

has forgotten his true nature and is behaving like an animal. Consequently, he

is leading a miserable life. Birds and animals are better than men in the sense

they live in unity and harmony. But due to the impact of modern education, man

has degenerated to the level of a beast. He has lost the virtues of honesty and

integrity. Birds and animals have a reason and a season, but man has no reason

or season. In every house and in every human endeavour, money is given utmost

priority. People are ready to stoop down to any level for the sake of money.

Animals are satisfied once their hunger is satiated, but man has no sense of

satisfaction. The more he earns, the greedier he becomes.

When a dog, is sick, it does not eat food. If you have a pet dog, you might have

observed this. Even if you pour milk into its mouth by force, it refuses to

drink. It likes to remain on empty stomach. But man observes no such restraint

with regard to diet when he is sick. He wants to take complete rest even if

there is mild rise in his temperature. He covers himself from head to foot and

lies down on his bed. However, he gives no rest to his stomach nor does he

observe proper. diet restrictions even when he run high temperature. He likes

to eat sweet like Mysorepak, Burfi, Gulab Jamoon, etc., which will only

aggravate his sickness. Man is behaving like an animal and animals are behaving

like humans! When a person misbehaves the elders reprimand him saying, "Why do

you behave like an animal?" Due to the impact of modem education, man has lost

morality and integrity and ha become worse than an animal. He is acquiring high

academic qualification like B.A.

and M.A. But what is the use. He is adding the letter 'D' (dirt qualities) to

his qualification and becoming 'BAD' and 'MAD'. This type of perverted

behaviour is unbecoming of a human being. Man should develop good thoughts,

good qualities and good character. On the contrary, he is taking to wrong ways

to earn money Money comes and goes, morality comes and grows. But man is

selling morality in the market for the sake of money.

Embodiments of Love!

At least from this Sankranti day, make efforts to cultivate good qualities. Let

there be a change in your behaviour for the better. The festivals of Bharatiyas

are meant to impart sacred teachings and transform human behaviour. They are not

meant to merely eat, drink and make merry. First of all, there should be

transformation at the individual level. There should be unity in the family. In

olden days, people used to live in joint families. The young couples would live

with their parents, in-laws and other elders of the family in harmony. Whenever

there was any difference of opinion between the couple, the elders in the family

would give proper guidance and pacify them. The daughters-in-law would

implicitly follow the advice of their in-laws. As a result, there never used to

be any scope for conflicts in the family. But the modem trend is such that the

daughter in-law does not want to live in the house of her in-laws. She wants

the family to be divided.

Because of such divisive mentality, conflicts in the family are on the rise.

Consequently, Kali Yuga has become Kalaha Yuga (age of conflicts) and Kalmasha

Yuga (age of pollution). People in those days talked always in a pleasing

manner. They would welcome the guests wholeheartedly by exchanging pleasant

feelings like "How are you? Please have your food with us, etc." More than the

food, it was the warmth and affection of the host that appeased the hunger of

the guest. But nowadays, even on a festival day, people do not like to

entertain guests. When they find a guest entering their house, they greet him

with the remark, "Please come, hope you have already had your lunch; please be

seated." Man has become so narrow-minded that he does not want to offer even a

morsel of food to the guests. Such being the sorry state of affairs, how can

you expect the children to be ideal citizens? Due to the influence of parents,

even children are becoming narrow-minded. Parents want them to acquire

modern education and earn a lot of money. In order to get the children educated

in expensive prestigious schools, even the mother has to take up a job. The

children are left to the care of Ayas (female attendants). Consequently, the

children are unable to experience the love of the mother. They shed tears when

the Aya dies, but not when the mother passes away. The children should be

brought up under the loving care of the mother. They should listen to her

sacred teachings. Otherwise, how can they come up in life? Modern education

cannot redeem man's life.

One may have acquired high academic qualifications such as B.A. and M.A. and

attained name and fame,One may have all the wealth and one may do acts of

charity and earn merit and good reputation,One may have all the physical

strength and lead a long and healthy life,One may be a Vipra (Brahmin) who

teaches the Vedas and performs spiritual practices such as penance and

meditation, But none of them can be equal to the devotee of the Lord.(Telugu

Poem)

What is this education? It is only leading to agitation. People are only

acquiring degrees, but are not broadening their mind. True education is that

which brings about transformation of the heart. There should be expansion of

love. But, the present-day education system is leading to narrow-mindedness.

People are highly egoistic of their academic qualifications. They have given up

morality and integrity, the very essence

of Indian culture. Without the virtue of honesty, how can one attain Ananda

(bliss)? How can education bereft of morality redeem your life? Today the

students are going to countries like America, Japan, Germany, etc., as soon as

they complete their studies. When the parents go all the way to spend their

time with their children, they are asked to have their food in restaurants.

Modem educated people are not so fortunate as to serve food to their parents

with their own hands. They do not show gratitude to their parents who have

brought them up with love and care. This is the worst sin. You should look

after your parents well. You should take care of their needs in their advanced

age and protect them with love and concern. Today, when parents become old, the

children demand a share of their property. They are interested in property but

not in developing a proper mind. They do not hesitate to go even to the Supreme

Court to settle their property disputes.

Instead, one should strive to attain the Supreme State by cultivating virtues.

The more one is educated, the more virtuous one should become.

Dear Students!

Just now you have seen Me calling an American boy. This boy is studying in our

Institution. Simultaneously, he is also learning Veda. In whichever portion of

the Veda you question him, he will be able to chant the concerned Mantra

beautifully. In fact, it is the good fortune of the parents to have such

children. It is only because of such parents, children are able to cultivate

good qualities. This boy's parents are living in America, yet they have

admitted him in our Institute which is far away from their native place to

enable him to learn good qualities and good behaviour. In fact, they have all

the facilities available in America to educate their son there itself. But,

they did not want to educate their son in America. They love our country and

the noble qualities that the children imbibe here. Here the children learn

education coupled with love. The children prostrate before their parents with

respect and reverence. Such noble qualities have

impressed these parents and therefore they have brought their son to pursue his

education in our Institution.

Here is a small example. Once upon a time, there lived a Hindi Pundit who was

reputed for' his literary skills. His two sons were studying in Allahabad,

while he and his wife lived in a small town. One day he and his wife had to go

by train on a visit to another town and they had to pass through Allahabad. He

wrote to his sons to come and meet them at the station on that particular date.

The train halted at the station and the parents stood at the door of the

carriage. They saw their sons hurrying towards them. The elder one touched the

feet of both the parents before talking to them, while the younger son did not

show such respect and reverence. The parents enquired about their health and

studies. The elder son said, "We are fine here. Please take care of your

health. Your happiness is our happiness." On the other hand, the younger son

did not enquire about their health at all. He asked for more money. As the

train was about to start, once again the elder one bent and touched the feet of

his parents while the younger one just waved his hand. As the train was leaving

the platform, the parents were watching their sons through the window. The

elder one was offering his Namaskar till the end, whereas the younger son was

keeping his hands in the pocket and looking somewhere with a callous attitude.

The mother became worried seeing the behavior of the younger son. She blamed her

husband for the reckless behavior of the younger son. She said, "'You have kept

him away from us for the sake of his education. He is behaving like an animal

as there is no one to guide him properly." The father pacified her saying,

"After all, he is young, he will learn and improve in course of time." But, the

mother could not come to a compromise and said, "He is already doing his degree

course, if not now when will he learn?" Unable to control her feelings, she

shed tears. The mother's words proved to be true. In course of time the elder

son, by virtue of his diligence and good behavior, attained a high position in

society. He was very much respected for his manners and sense of courtesy. He

prostrated before his parents and said, "It is because of your blessings that I

have come up in life." The parents shed tears of joy and blessed him profusely,

"Son, it

is because of your virtues that you have attained an exalted position in life."

What happened to the younger son? He could not fare well in the examinations

and ultimately had to be contented with a clerical job. While the elder one

received salutations from everyone, the younger son had to salute everyone. How

can one who does not respect his parents be respected by others? Yad Bhavam Tad

Bhavati (as is the feeling, so is the result). Our future depends upon our

present behavior. In Western countries today, they give respect and take

respect. But this quality is becoming extinct in our country. When you do not

respect your own parents, even dogs would not care to look at you. Therefore,

wherever you go, you should never forget to respect your parents. The Vedas in

our country have also exhorted, Matru Devo Bhava, Pitru Devo Bhava, Acharya

Devo Bhava, Atithi Devo Bhava (revere your mother, father, preceptor and guest

as God). Thus, they promoted noble qualities by

their exhortation. Whoever respects his parents and obeys their commands will

certainly reach high positions in life. In fact, the festival of Sankranti

exhorts us to. Cultivate such noble qualities. "Kranti' means transformation.

Therefore, Sankranti is supposed to bring about a transformation in our lives.

But, how are we reacting to this? Are we able to achieve transformation in our

life? No. The purpose of our education is to remove the bad qualities and

cultivate good qualities and good behaviour. This is what the festivals in

India are meant for. But nobody realizes the inner meanings of these festivals.

Embodiments of Love! Students!

Your parents are struggling hard to feed you, educate you and bring you up in

life. Even if they have to starve, they would somehow try to feed you and look

after your welfare. They always struggle to keep you in good mood and good

condition. They give you good food good clothing and good education. If you do

not respect such parents, how do you expect to be respected by society?

You all know about Abraham Lincoln. He used to go to school in the company of

wealthy boys, in his childhood. Those boys were wearing costly clothes and

ornaments. Lincoln, however, had to go to school with worn out clothes that

were mended by his mother. One day, his friends made fun of his poor dress. He

could not control himself. He went straight to his mother crying and told her,

"Mother! I will not attend school hereafter. My classmates are making fun of

me. They are looking .down upon me as a poor boy unable to wear decent dress."

Then, the mother took him into her arms lovingly and consoled him saying, "My

dear son! You need not have to feel sorry for such a trivial issue. All this is

going to help you in your future life. You must keep our family condition in

view. Do not give attention to what others say. Lead a life of self-confidence

and self-respect. Respect every individual and be respected by every

individual." From that day onwards, Lincoln

put his mother's advice into practice and started respecting everybody.

Gradually, Abraham Lincoln could command respect from all people by his good

behavior. He earned a very good name for himself. After sometime, elections

were held in America. He was persuaded by his friends and well wishers to

contest the elections. At last, he bowed to the wishes of his friends and

well-wishers and contested the elections. He won the elections with a thumping

margin and was elected President of the United States of America in due course

of time. He attained such an exalted position because he implicitly followed

the advice of his mother and respected everybody. Truly speaking, he did not

have much money, but he had the wealth of virtues. He was happy at the

prosperity of others. He was contented with what he had and did not crave for

money and material possessions. Because of such noble qualities, he rose to

become the President of America. During his tenure, he passed a decree for

abolishing

slavery of black Africans in America thereby putting an end to their inhuman suffering.

It is self-respect that protects man and takes him to an exalted position. You

may be poor financially, but if you uphold your self-respect, you will be

respected by all. Do not look down upon the poor. Respect them and treat them

with love. That is the true human nature. Lincoln's mother inculcated such

noble qualities in her son. That is why Lincoln considered his mother as God

and revered her. Whoever inculcates sacred qualities in you is your God. He is

not to be sought after somewhere else. When you develop self-respect, He will

manifest right in front of you.

Dear Students!

You must respect your parents, whoever they may be and in whatever condition

they may be. You must respect their words and obey their commands, without any

reservation. Then only you will be able to command respect from society. All

the great people in yester years did obey and respect their parents and set an

example to the world. Do you know the underlying meaning of the ancient customs

and traditions of Bharat? For example, they used to build big mansions with

small doors. Do you know why? We think that these small doors were to prevent

thieves from entering the houses and escaping with ease. No, that was not the

reason. These doors were purposely kept low to enable the visitors to observe

the custom of entering the houses with their heads bent in reverence to the

inmates. Thus, every custom and tradition of Bharat was meant to promote mutual

respect and goodwill among people. It was established with great care and

wisdom. But, even the Bharatiyas have

forgotten such noble traditions. Nowadays you will not find even a 'gadapa'

(threshold) to the door frame of the main entrance to the house. They think

that the threshold is an unnecessary hindrance to enter the house. No, it is

not a hindrance at all! The ancient traditions and customs of Bharat are meant

to promote humility, respect and reverence among people.

Dear Students!

You must learn and observe such great traditions and command the respect of

people. You must bring joy to your parents, by your behavior. The parents must

feel happy that their children are obeying them. It is enough if you earn such

a good name. God's grace cannot be obtained by performing mere rituals like

worship. However highly qualified you are it will only promote ego, but not

humility and respect towards parents and elders. Therefore, you must cultivate

the qualities of humility, respect and reverence. Then only you will become

good citizens of the country. It is not necessary that you should become great.

It is enough if you become good citizens. Name and fame come today, but may be

lost tomorrow. But, the good name acquired will last forever. Therefore, earn a

good name. We must earn the 'grace' of God. But, contrary to this, people are

craving for the "grass' of worldly desires. Grass is something that is consumed

by the cattle. You should not

become cattle by developing a taste for grass. You must strive to earn God's

grace and thus become good individuals.

Dear Students!

These are the sacred days of the festival of Sankranti. On this occasion, we

must cultivate the quality of giving respect to others and taking respect. I am

giving you a small example here. (Swami called the American boy, a student of

Sri Sathya Sai Higher Secondary School, and said), "This boy is securing first

class not only in studies but also in the study of Vedas. He has given immense

joy to his parents with his good behavior. His father is very happy that his

son has earned a very good name and is appreciated by one and all." (Swami

called his father to the dais and showered His blessings on him.) This boy's

mother is working in our Primary School and spending her time blissfully. The

boy's parents have earned the love and respect of all because of his exemplary

behavior. In this manner, every one of you should strive to bring good name to

your parents. Only then will your parents experience, the real joy of begetting

you as their son. You may earn

a lot of money and build big mansions, but they cannot bring you good name. They

are temporary. Once you earn good reputation, it will remain with you forever.

Bring good name to the institution in which you have studied. Observing your

noble qualities, people should be able to recognize you as Sathya Sai students.

You are aware that we are not charging even a paisa from our students. Further,

I am also providing books and other facilities for the needy and deserving

students. The students have immense love for Swami and Swami also showers His

love and grace on them. Even while leaving their parents and coming here, they

do not shed tears. But when I go to Brindavan and return to Puttaparthi, the

students in Brindavan start shedding tears unable to bear the separation from

Me. How did they acquire such intense love? It is Swami's love that is

responsible for this. It is only the love that I disseminate to all. My

property does not comprise mansions and palatial buildings. Love is My

biggest property. I am giving My love and receiving your love in return. I often

tell the students, "Give Me your love, I will give you whatever you want." That

is why the students have such intense love for Me. Develop love more and more.

Love your parents. Obey their command. Your lives will certainly be sanctified.

Think of God always. Wherever you are, in the forest or in the sky, in the

village or in the city, on the hilltop or in the middle of the deep sea, love

alone can come to your rescue. It is always with you, in you, around you, above

you and below you.

Chaala Santhosham (very happy).

(Bhagawan concluded His Discourse with the Bhajan, "Hari Bhajan Bina Sukha Santhi Nahin ... ")

 

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