|| Shri Hari ||

Duties in a Household Life

 continued

Question -  There are five debts which are to be paid to manes, gods, sages, creatures and human beings, in the scriptures.   Out of them what is the debt which is to be paid to manes and how to pay it ?  

Answer -   The obsequies performed at the death of parents, grand-parents,  great grand-parents,  maternal grand-parents and maternal-great-grand parents are known as ‘Pretakaarya’  and offerings of oblation of cooked rice ball and water to manes are known as ‘Pitrakaarya.’ After death a being may go to any species - of gods, human beings, birds,  beasts, ghosts,  evil spirits,  trees and creepers etc.,  he is called a ‘Pitara’ (manes).  

The body is constituted of the ovum and sperm of parents.  It is nourished by the mother’s milk and the food-stuff earned by the father.  The son receives education and talent from parents.   The parents get him married.  Thus a son is indebted to his parents,  the parents are indebted to the grand-parents,  and the grand-parents are indebted to the great grand-parents.    

Thus in order to be free from this ancestral debt and to lead the manes to salvation,  a son should offer oblation of cooked rice balls and water etc., to them.  

If a son offers oblation of cooked rice balls and water to his manes,  but he does not produce any offspring for offering cooked rice balls and water to the manes,  he is not freed from debt which he owes to them  i.e. he remains indebted to them.  When an offspring is born,  he does not remain indebted to them any more,  the debt is transferred to the offspring.  Manes want the offerings of cooked rice ball and water.  Therefore they are happy if they receive them,  but sad without them.  ‘They are also sad if no offspring is born to the son because they think that no one will offer the oblation of cooked rice balls and water to them.  

Question -  Do manes receive the oblation offered to them ?  

Answer -  Yes,  manes receive the oblation offered to them in the form of food and drink in whatsoever life (species) they are.  If they are in animal species,  the oblation offered to them is received by them in the form of grass.  But if they are in divine form of life,  they receive it in the form of nectar.  It means that they receive it as sustenance.  As money sent by us in rupees to America by money-order is received in the form of dollars over there,  so is the oblation offered to manes in the form of cooked rice ball and water,  and charity given,  is received by them in the form of food and drink according to their species.   

(to be continued....... ) 

 ‒From the book ‘Jeevan ka Kartavya' by Swami Ramsukhdasji