Fwd: How Much Have You Served Your Elders ?

[Guest guest]

Hare Krsna

 

Have great respect for your mother and father, your in-laws and elders. Serve them, then these impressions will be imprinted on the children, and in old age they too will serve you. But if you do not do this, if you do not serve the elders, then the children too have the same impressions in their mind and their nature too will become the same. We cannot remain the same at all times and there will be a time when this body too will become old and incapable of doing a lot. At that time, your children will not come to help out. Then you will complaint that they do not help, they do not listen. Well! How much have you served your elders? Now why must you expect anything from your children? Therefore make your conduct and behavior good. If you are a son, be a good son. Serve your mother. Do not want

anything from her, only ask for her blessings to be able to serve her. One can never become debt free, from serving their mother and father. Whatever we may have done for them, we can never pay back our debts to our parents. We can never be free of what we owe them. There is no way out of this debt. We are totally indebted to our parents. So then what? We can only serve them and make themhappy. By making them happy, all our debts are excused. The amount ofdifficulty a mother has born for her child, the child can never serve his mother to that extent. Nowadays we make up big stories. We are called educated, decent men, where did we get this body from ? From the mother. It is the mother that took care of this body. However educated and intelligent we may

become, in childhood we did not know how to sit, but our mother taught us to sit. She taught us to walk, by holding on to our fingers. We did not know how to eat, but mother made us sit and spoon-fed us and gradually taught us to eat. Our brothers and sisters too were in the same helpless boat as we were. Even in this state, after undergoing a lot of difficulties our mother managed to take care of us. While we were between gamesand sports, often breaking things, and scraping knees from climbing trees, catching scorpions (bitchuu) and putting hands in fire. Mother always protected us. Playing in dirt and other gross things, to the extent that now even thinking about it makes us shirk. At that time we were not aware about anything, but mother patiently made us aware. In the most extraordinary manner, she took care of us. Sometimes men taken over by their pride casually say to me, so what is

the big deal? I say to them - try to keep a child for two days on your lap and see for yourself. It is because of mother's motherly strength (matru shakti) that we have all been taken care off. Therefore however we can, whatever way we are capable, we must serve our parents. Those who don't understand, pray that they understand to respect their elders. God will not respect, those who don't respect their parents. No one will trust them, because the one who could not be there for his parents, who could he be there for? God is happy when one serves his parents. By following orders, certain Siddhi (supernatural powers) are attained, rather God realization is attained. Therefore, Brothers and Sisters, we must obey our parents.So what will happen by obeying our parents? They will be served and we will become free of "I-ness" i.e. ego-less (nirahankar) . By

serving them with material goods, we will become free of "mine-ness." (nirmama). As many things as we put to use, to put service, from that many things we will become detached and attain eternal "peace" (shanti).