Mathur Devo Bhava

In our Hindu culture from childhood we are taught to respect and obey parents. We believe in MATRU DEVO BHAVA, PITRU DEVO BHAVA, ACHARYA DEVO BHAVA. Answering parents, disobeying them or talking loud at them are considered to be not acceptable in particular with traditional families. Now things have changed and children are taught to talk freely anything to every thing to parents or teachers and question them too if they do not feel happy with what they say. It is a scientific way of bringing up and giving space to children and giving them an opportunity to learn things with reasoning power.

But this freedom has been proving in most of the cases being misused and children are becoming over confident and arrogant. If a child is praised for his intelligence in front of him, our elders used to avoid it he is getting a feeling that he is on top of the world. I have seen a 9 years old girl who used to stand first in class did not get good marks in Mathematics and lost her rank to another kid in the class. Her mother was questioning her and meanwhile her dad said “Sarayu, you have to put more focus on Maths”. Suddenly he was snapped by the little daughter “Dad, I know very well that you were never first in your class.

So, don’t tell me how to study”. Immediately mother took a long lesson to the daughter saying that she should never talk like that and Dad is not to be questioned. She explained the kid in what kind of stressful circumstances he was grown up and still he made his life successful so that today his daughter is studying in prestigious public school with all luxuries at home and outside. The girl offcourse learnt the lesson and realised her mistake. Similarly, today when we see children and youngsters least respecting their parents and teachers offcourse, our heart wreathes in pain.

We see young boys calling their Dads “Hey stupid guy, you don’t understand that” or calling names their mothers and insulting them is something very terrible. In my opinion, if that youngster may be a Noble Prize winner or a highly paid executive in a Blue chip company, but he is just a Zero in his character as he does not have basic values. To remind one and all the importance of parents, herewith I am sending a nice message which I came across recently. If this changes even slightly the behaviour of spoilt kids and youngsters, I feel that I have done a good job.

It is never too late to realise our mistakes in life. MOTHER : This is a truly BEAUTIFUL piece please read this at a slow pace, digesting every word and in leisure… do not hurry…. this is a treasure… For those lucky to still be blessed with your Mother, this is beautiful. For those of us who aren’t, this is even more beautiful. For those who are Mother, they will love this. The young mother set her foot on the path of life. ‘Is this the long way? ‘ she asked. And the guide said: ‘Yes, and the way is hard. And you will be old before you reach the end of it. But the end will be better than the beginning. But the young mother was happy, and she would not believe that anything could be better than these years. So she played with her children, and gathered flowers for them along the way, and bathed them in the clear streams; and the sun shone on them, and the young Mother cried, ‘Nothing will ever be lovelier than this. ‘ Then the night came, and the storm, and the path was dark, and the children shook with fear and cold, and the mother drew them close and covered them with her mantle, and the children said, ‘Mother, we are not afraid, for you are near, and no harm can come. And the morning came, and there was a hill ahead, and the children climbed and grew weary, and the mother was weary. But at all times she said to the children, ‘A little patience and we are there. ‘ So the children climbed, and when they reached the top they said, ‘Mother, we would not have done it without you. ‘ And the mother, when she lay down at night looked up at the stars and said, ‘This is a better day than the last, for my children have learned fortitude in the face of hardness. Yesterday I gave them courage. Today, I’ve given them strength. ‘

And the next day came strange clouds which darkened the earth, clouds of war and hate and evil, and the children groped and stumbled, and the mother said: ‘Look up. Lift your eyes to the light. And the children looked and saw above the clouds an everlasting glory, and it guided them beyond the darkness. And that night the Mother said, ‘This is the best day of all, for I have shown my children God. ‘ And the days went on, and the weeks and the months and the years, and the mother grew old and she was little and bent. But her children were tall and strong, and walked with courage.

And when the way was rough, they lifted her, for she was as light as a feather; and at last they came to a hill, and beyond they could see a shining road and golden gates flung wide. And mother said, ‘I have reached the end of my journey. And now I know the end is better than the beginning, for my children can walk alone, and their children after them. ‘ And the children said, ‘You will always walk with us, Mother, even when you have gone through the gates. ‘ And they stood and watched her as she went on alone, and the gates closed after her. And they said: ‘We cannot see her but she is with us still. A Mother like ours is more than a memory.

She is a living presence… ‘ Your Mother is always with you…. She’s the whisper of the leaves as you walk down the street; she’s the smell of bleach in your freshly laundered socks; she’s the cool hand on your brow when you’re not well. Your Mother lives inside your laughter. And she’s crystallized in every tear drop. She’s the place you came from, your first home; and she’s the map you follow with every step you take. She’s your first love and your first heartbreak, and nothing on earth can separate you. Not time, not space… not even death! MAY WE NEVER TAKE OUR MOTHERS FOR GRANTED… WHAT A WONDERFUL MESSAGE