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“Spiritual hunger is common to all; but tastes differ.
There are different forms of God to suit all tastes.”
- Swami Yogaswarupananda, of the Divine Life Society,
a Vedanta-based foundation in Rishikesh.

Three debts an individual is born with
according to the Vedic Scriptures

Gyan Rajhans P. Eng.
BHAJANAWALI RADIO PROGRAM

According to the Vedic scriptures an individual is born with three debts. The debt to God is called “Dev-rin”. The debt to the sages and saints is called “Rishi-rin”. The third debt to one’s parents and ancestors is called “Pitri-rin”. These three debts are like three mortgages on one’s life, they are not like liabilities. But, it is an attempt by Hindu scriptures to create an awareness of one’s duties and responsibilities.

“Dev-rin”

“Dev-rin” implies that we must be thankful to God for sustaining our life from the cradle to the grave. We owe our every breath to God, who has provided us with the air we breathe, milk in our mothers’ breasts, the food we eat, the environment which nourishes us, parents who look after us, the mind, intellect and soul which guide us. The list goes on and on. Everyday we receive God’s blessings in one form or another. So how is it repaid? It is done by dedicating one’s life in the service of God.

To a Hindu, a service of God means a service to all mankind, regardless of caste, color or creed. Reverence for all forms of life, including plants and animals and protection of the environment are an important part of this first step. Service of God also includes a practice of non-violence and truthfulness, obeying scriptural injunctions, practice of self control and purity of thought and a pleasant and respectful attitude towards others, especially all elders. In Hindu culture, respect and reverence for the elderly is recognized as a partial repayment of this debt to God. Taittiriya Upanishad declares that parents and teachers must be treated as gods: “Matri devo bhava, Pitri devo bhava, Acharya devo bhav”

“Rishi-rin”

The second debt is to the sages and saints. Sages have given a vast store of knowledge in the form of scriptures. The scriptural knowledge, which is a treasure of immeasurable value, is the heritage of every human being, not only Hindus. However, much of the Vedic wisdom has not been yet explored, very little has been introduced to people. Humanity at large is not aware of the great treasure that lies in the Hindu scriptures. The great wealth of knowledge related to psychology and parapsychology is in Rajyog sutras, commonly known as the yoga of meditation. There are profound insights and practical techniques of improving one’s personality in the scriptures dealing with Gyanyoga – the yoga of wisdom, Bhaktiyoga – the yoga of devotion, and Karmyoga – yoga of action and its numerous ramifications.

How is this debt repaid? This debt can be paid by preserving and enriching the cultural heritage that is handed down through each generation. To preserve and enrich the cultural heritage an individual should learn and practice the philosophical and psychological themes of Hindu dharma. To accomplish this goal, one should donate generously to temple, community service organizations or programs, participate and organize pilgrimages, support, coordinate or host religious celebrations, festivals, and birthdays of saints, sages. As an individual, one should help to organize religious conferences, seminars, symposia, discussions and debates at temples, community centers, libraries and educations institutions. These activities help to expound the teachings of the scriptures and to illustrate how the spiritual wisdom of Hindu sages and saints can be utilized to solve problems facing the modern world.

“Pitri-rin”

The third debt an individual is expected to pay during one’s life is to one’s parents and ancestors. One’s entire existence, including the family name and the great dharma one belongs to are the gifts of one’s parents and the forefathers or fore-parents. Just like your parents, who brought you into this world, protected you when you were weak and frail, fed you, clothed you, taught you, even tolerated you, your grandparents performed similar duties for your parents.

So how is this debt repaid? Everything that one does in this world should enhance the fame and glory of one’s family, and of one’s forefathers. One should conduct themselves in a way that would make their parents and ancestors proud if they were here to see such actions and achievements. If someone in a family does great virtuous deeds, the ancestors also rejoice in heaven. Either a son or a daughter, by his or her righteous actions brings delight to the living parents and to the souls of the ancestors. It is the responsibility of everyone to keep up the pride of the family line by the performance of actions that promote the good of all. Only good actions and attainments can delight the living parents and the forefathers. On the other hand, negative actions or sinful deeds are displeasing to parents as well as the ancestors.

According to Swami Vivekanand, “before parents one must not utter jokes, must not show restlessness, must not show anger or temper, before mother or father a child must bow down low and stand up in their presence, and must not take a seat until they order him to do so.”

Gyan Rajhans, an internationally recognized heath & safety professional has been broadcasting the only non-commercial Vedic religion radio program in North America since 1981 & worldwide web cast on www.bhajanawali.com since 1999. Mr. Rajhans has published extensively on religious and spiritual matters. Some articles are available on the Bhajanawali web site. He has translated Sri Mad Bhagvad Gita in English for the younger generation. Mr Rajhans has been conferred various titles, including that of Rishi by Hindu Prarthana Samaj of Toronto Hindu Ratna by Hindu Federation of Toronto. He received Canadian Journalists' and Writers' Club (CEJWC) award for 2005 in the Internet category - Opinion - for his Spirituality columns in South Asian Outlook e-Monthly.]

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