Pitru Rna or the idea of discharging the pious obligation towards parents is one of the most cherished values of Dharma. Ancestral worship is a part of this pious obligation but not the whole. The Vedas directed every individual to treat his mother and father as Devatas. This concept itself is so inspiring. For, as far as the child born is concerned, not only it gets birth from its parents but it is also looked after by its father and mother. The child gets its early nourishment and care from its parents. It is the parents who secure education for the child. Again this concept of worshipping the father and the mother as equal to the Supreme also flows from the basic value of Gratitude. As one gets birth from the Parents and one gets education from the parents and they shape the life of the children, it was regarded as the duty of the children to worship the father and the mother as equal to the Supreme and to look after them in old age. It is this value which has sustained the moral character of the individual and also it is this sense of gratitude, which makes him serve not only the parents but also the brothers and sisters and other dependents who all belong to the same family. It is therefore laid down that it is the duty of every individual to discharge the pious obligation towards parents. | Pitru Rna or the idea of discharging the pious obligation towards parents is one of the most cherished values of Dharma. Ancestral worship is a part of this pious obligation but not the whole. The Vedas directed every individual to treat his mother and father as Devatas. This concept itself is so inspiring. For, as far as the child born is concerned, not only it gets birth from its parents but it is also looked after by its father and mother. The child gets its early nourishment and care from its parents. It is the parents who secure education for the child. Again this concept of worshipping the father and the mother as equal to the Supreme also flows from the basic value of Gratitude. As one gets birth from the Parents and one gets education from the parents and they shape the life of the children, it was regarded as the duty of the children to worship the father and the mother as equal to the Supreme and to look after them in old age. It is this value which has sustained the moral character of the individual and also it is this sense of gratitude, which makes him serve not only the parents but also the brothers and sisters and other dependents who all belong to the same family. It is therefore laid down that it is the duty of every individual to discharge the pious obligation towards parents. |