Most of us seek livelihood, raise families, do odd duties and finally leave the world disillusioned. In so doing we hardly realise how we are distancing ourselves from the essential purpose of life. But can one doing household duties ever evolve? Household duties if spiritually intertwined could serve the divine purpose. If it is so rewarding then why do we shun this soul-purifying dharma? Perhaps a sense of opportunism, and selfishness enters our domestic lives to eclipse the glorious potential.
We have become so self-centred that have blinded us on our real values of the past. For instance, elderly were earlier taken care of by the extended support system of the family; but now we are no longer shameful of admitting them in the old-age homes.
Once a devout Brahmin was studying Vedas under a tree; when a bird sitting on the tree soiled his head. The Brahmin looked up at the bird in extreme anger, and the bird was instantly burnt to death. This fact instilled a sense of Ego in Brahmin’s mind. Later one day when he approached a house for alms, the lady of the house kept him waiting.
Apologising for the delay, she told him that she was attending to her work-fatigued husband, as she considered this as her priority. This raged the Brahmin. At this point the lady reminded him not to be too much swayed by ‘the burning of the bird’ incident. The Brahmin was amazed as to how she knew as there was no one when this incident took place. She told him that she had been blessed with some powers because of her dedicated service of the husband and his family and advised him to meet her Guru Dharmabyadh.
When Brahmin approached Dharmabyadh, he welcomed the Brahmin and took him to his house as he already knew the purpose of Brahmin’s visit thru his divine powers. Pointing to his aged parents Dharmabyadh said taking care of their welfare was his first priority while performing other duties. He never used any unsavoury words and never hurt them.
To build a family with a human face, we need to practice sacrifice with humility. This divine quality helps us to