Every man, irrespective of the country, race or period of time in which he is born, comes into the world burdened with three debts. The first debt is owed to the Divine. The second is to the Rishis (sages). The third is to one’s Parents.

A debt is an obligation arising out of what one has received from others. We can easily identify these debts. In the human body different divine forces are present nourishing and protecting it. This divine energy permeates the entire body; it is called the Rasa (Divine Essence). We owe a debt of gratitude to the Divine, which has not only endowed us with this precious human body but which also sustains it. We shall be able to enjoy these gifts of the Divine only if we discharge this debt to the Divine. How is this to be done? It is by rendering service to other bodies saturated with the same Divine, by doing righteous deeds and consecrating all actions in the service of society. The debt to the Divine has to be discharged in full in this life itself or during many future lives. The earlier we repay this debt, the sooner we shall realise Divinity.

Next, the debt to the Rishis: By selfless investigations and experiments the sages discovered for mankind the paths to be followed for bettering our lives here and attaining mergence. They have laid down the types of right action that will help man to lead a good and worthy life and successfully strive for Self-realisation.

These guidelines and codes of conduct have come down to us in the form of Shastras (spiritual sciences). The Shastras also deal with rituals and forms of worship for propitiating the Divine. The sages have taught how man can proceed from the human to the Divine. Such codes have other names elsewhere. But, whatever the name, these are essential for human survival.

When man strays from these codes, he is subject to many calamities. Man will have to pay the price now or later for violating these codes. Because the sages of yore have given many of these precious guidelines for a righteous and sacred life, we repay the debt by respecting these codes and observing the injunctions laid down by them.

Today, instead of honouring and following the Shastras, people are dishonouring and violating them and committing many wanton sins in the process. When we follow the path laid down by the sages, we can lead exemplary lives and reach the full height of human potentialities.

The third debt we have to pay is to the Pitru-Runam (debt to the Parents). A person desires to have a son and feels that without a son he cannot escape hell. This is not a correct interpretation of the debt to the parents. The ancients desired to have sons who would lead righteous lives and help the parents in discharging the debt to the Daiva-runa (debt to the Divine). Many of them performed Yajnas (sacrifices) to secure such noble sons. They desired not only to acquire merit for themselves by having such sons, but also to ensure that the sacred traditions of the family were maintained and continued untarnished. In the old days, a father did not feel happy when a son was born; he was delighted only when the son earned name and fame by good conduct and righteous living.

When child is born, no one can know how it will turn out, whether into a good and noble person or a wicked or an evil person. The father too should set a good example to the son and try to keep him on the straight path. It is by following the example of the parents that a child grows in life.

It was to discharge his three-fold debt that Emperor Dasharatha performed yagas and Yajnas (ceremonial sacrifices) and ensured the presence of his sons on those occasions. He sent them to great Gurus so that they may learn the sacred heritage of the past, before they confronted the challenges of the world. He did not calculate that his sons should serve him in his old age. He had no selfish interest in rearing them. He desired sons for the sake of his spiritual well being. The son owes a deep debt to the parents for the trouble and expense they underwent to bring him up on right lines. This is the primary duty of a son.

The son is entitled not merely to a share in the father’s worldly property. He is entitled also to a share in the godly life lived by the father. He must follow the high ideals of the father. If the father is given to evil ways, the son can acquire merit himself and reduce to some extent the effects of the sins of the father by cultivating good company, entertaining good thoughts and doing good deeds. The sage Vashistha assured Dasharatha that many of the sins committed by him had been wiped out by the numerous Dharmic deeds of Shri Rama, such as destruction of the Rakshasas and protection guaranteed to Rishis.

It is to discharge the debt to one’s parents that rites like Shraaddha and Tarpanam (ritual offerings to the manes) are done. Only a few perform these ceremonies now. The ancients felt that it was sinful for children to be ungrateful to parents to whom they owed their bodies and their achievements.

Yajnas and Yagas (Vedic rituals of sacrifice) are symbolic rituals designed to redeem these three debts. (SSS Vol.16, pp.133-136)