The stress on this ‘GEM’ from Mahaperiyava is on taking care of your parents when they are alive.
The growing stream of old age homes belie this truth.
Shraddha should be first shown to the Service of Living parents.
Only then the Shraddha-Karma after their departure will carry any significance and merit.
Dear Smt Bhuvana, Thanks for this post, as always it is of immense value.
Learned Sri Sridhar Sir, has quoted from holy scripts. Thanks sir, immense value to read the learned reference.
From a common man and novice like me, a perspective that comes to my mind from an incident in august presence of Sri Periyava… One time a devotee who is a catering contractor by profession comes To Sri Periyava’s Darshan and tells Him, business is going well, he is offering Annadhanam to xxxx number of people. Sri Periyava listens and keeps silent, after a while a mami (not so affluent like that contractor) who runs a small eatery (mess) comes as regularly and offers her Namaskars to Sri Periyava… Sri Periyava, turns to that contarctor and tells him, that this mami is offering annadhanam to 1000 everyday… Mami & contractor both were shocked to listen to this… Then Sri Periyava turned to the mami and asked her to tell what her routine is, and asks her, after all her morning work is she not offering ‘handful of rice’ to ants?, will it not suffice for 1000+ ants?… Mami was astonished to how Sri Periyava knows this and with tears offers her Namaskarams again.
Srartha Karyams and all other fore father rituals are Divine Blessings and is a form of Charity to offer & makes us to do it compulsorily…
Taittriya Upanishad says when parents are alive,treat them as god with respect and it says ” Mathru Devo Bhava,Pithru Devo Bhava, Acharya Devo Bhava”.After their demise,don’t neglect the performance of pithru karyam and the Upanishad says deva pitru karyabhyana pramadhi thavyam” Probably Maha periyava must have had these Upanishad vakyams in his mind when he gave this advice to people like me.
When we perform pitru karmas periodically without break, they promote great values like gratitude etc. They also enable us to remember their outstanding contribution to the family, community, society etc.They help us to follow our tradition.
The stress on this ‘GEM’ from Mahaperiyava is on taking care of your parents when they are alive.
The growing stream of old age homes belie this truth.
Shraddha should be first shown to the Service of Living parents.
Only then the Shraddha-Karma after their departure will carry any significance and merit.
Dear Smt Bhuvana, Thanks for this post, as always it is of immense value.
Learned Sri Sridhar Sir, has quoted from holy scripts. Thanks sir, immense value to read the learned reference.
From a common man and novice like me, a perspective that comes to my mind from an incident in august presence of Sri Periyava… One time a devotee who is a catering contractor by profession comes To Sri Periyava’s Darshan and tells Him, business is going well, he is offering Annadhanam to xxxx number of people. Sri Periyava listens and keeps silent, after a while a mami (not so affluent like that contractor) who runs a small eatery (mess) comes as regularly and offers her Namaskars to Sri Periyava… Sri Periyava, turns to that contarctor and tells him, that this mami is offering annadhanam to 1000 everyday… Mami & contractor both were shocked to listen to this… Then Sri Periyava turned to the mami and asked her to tell what her routine is, and asks her, after all her morning work is she not offering ‘handful of rice’ to ants?, will it not suffice for 1000+ ants?… Mami was astonished to how Sri Periyava knows this and with tears offers her Namaskarams again.
Srartha Karyams and all other fore father rituals are Divine Blessings and is a form of Charity to offer & makes us to do it compulsorily…
‘Nee Pirarukku Koduppathellam, thankku thane koduthukk kolgirayi – Bagawan Sri Ramana Maharshi’
Om Namo Bagawathe Sri Ramanayh
Taittriya Upanishad says when parents are alive,treat them as god with respect and it says ” Mathru Devo Bhava,Pithru Devo Bhava, Acharya Devo Bhava”.After their demise,don’t neglect the performance of pithru karyam and the Upanishad says deva pitru karyabhyana pramadhi thavyam” Probably Maha periyava must have had these Upanishad vakyams in his mind when he gave this advice to people like me.
When we perform pitru karmas periodically without break, they promote great values like gratitude etc. They also enable us to remember their outstanding contribution to the family, community, society etc.They help us to follow our tradition.