|| Shri Hari ||

Duties in a Household Life

 continued

Question -  Do manes receive the oblation offered to them ?  

Answer -  continued...

Today the necessities of life such as food and clothes etc.,   that we honorably receive may be either the fruit of our virtuous actions of the past or of the oblation offered by our sons and grand sons etc.,  of the previous life.  But it is certainly decided by the fate.  

As a person deposits an amount of a hundred thousand rupees in a bank in three accounts -  his own, his wife’s and his son’s,  he can withdraw the money only from his own account.  As far as the money deposited in the accounts of his wife and son is concerned, only they can withdraw it.  Similarly, the oblation offered to manes is received by them only.  But if we offer oblation in the form of cooked rice ball and water in our name,  we shall receive it after death.   In Gaya,  the cooked rice balls and water offered in the name of beasts, and birds is received by them.  A person loves his cow very much.  When the cow died,  he had a dream and he saw thtat the cow was in a very miserable and sad condition.  He went to Gaya and offered oblation of cooked rice ball and water for her.  She again appeared to him when he had a dream and she was very happy.  

We have not so much of claim to the money earned by our father,  grand-father and great-grand-father as we have on our own earned money.  According to the family tradition,  our sons and grand-sons have a claim to the money of our father and grand-father etc.  Similarly the manes receive the water and oblation offered to them by sons and grand-sons according to the family tradition.   So it is the responsibility of sons and grand-sons to offer oblation and water to father and grand-father etc.   

It is not a rule that after death, all people must go to the world of manes,  because they meet with destiny according to their actions.   

Question -  What happens to the water and oblation offered by the son whose parents have attained salvation and gone to the Abode of God ?   

Answer -  If the son’s parents have attained salvation and gone to the Abode of God,  but the son does not know it,  the oblation and water offered and the charity given in their name,  is deposited in the account of the son and he receive it after death, in the same way as the money sent by the sender,  comes back to him if the addressee is not available.   

(to be continued....... ) 

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

|| 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