Mahavigyan By Shri Shri 108 Mahatma Baikal Das Part-2
Dev debt is about the prime duty for us when in the world. Lord Rama told Sita at the time of their departure to forest:
Bhoomi sayan balkal vasan asanu kand fal mool Te ki sada sab din milahi sabui samay anukool (they)Slept on floor, wore rough clothes, ate roots and fruits That too not every day, but only when available
Sita was born from earth. One should not forget his mother. Sita forgot the love of earth after getting Sunayana as mother. There are three mothers to whom everyone is indebted. The earth is our third mother after mother and cow.
Sant sukhi vicharant mahi Saints blissfully roam the earth
So this debt must be paid. Earth is mother. What are the duties of a son to his mother? Shri Goswami Tulsidas wrote in Ramcharitmanas in his eloquent language the tale of great soul Bharat, who said upon seeing the condition of his stepmother:
Ko tribhuvan mohi saris abhagi Gati asi tori matu jehi lagi Who is as unfortunate as me in the three worlds I am responsible for this condition of yours o mother
Who can explain the word mother? I will answer this later because time does have some effect on the present. Grains (ann) are produced from this earth and is called Ann Dev. Saints wander in world to look that gods - are here or somewhere else. That is why food is available for them everywhere. So it seems that Dev Rin is paid in this way, as is written by Tulsi Das in Ramcharitmanas:
Sir bhar jaun uchit us mora Sab te sevak dharma kathoraIt would be better if I go with my head down The duty of servant is the most difficult of all
This shows that Bharat was incarnation of God Vishnu, who nourishes everyone - even he has expectation from earth. In ‘Ram Patal’ it is written - Earth, the world depends on you and you depend on Lord Keshav. I perform my ablutions here. O mother earth, forgiveness personified, please forgives my sins. This is the mantra recited by the saints before defecating. This shows that whenever demons torture deity and human, the mother earth helps them. Tulsidas wrote:
Bhoomi bichari gotun dhari gayee viranchi ke dhama. Earth took the form of cow and went to Brahma’s place (to ask for help)
From this it is clear that mother loves her child. Earth is the best of all mothers. That is why Dev Rin should be expounded very cautiously. Prithvi is called Para (transcendental) i.e. which is out of reach. Only the earth has helped righteousness. Hence she is considered mother. More is written in Ramayan:
Mata pitahi urin bhae neeke Guru rin raha soch bad jee ke debt of parents was paid well Now Guru debt bothers
Here Parashuramjee tells the way he paid debt of mother-father. His mother was at fault of laughing at coupling fishes. That fish was a celestial minstrel. Parashuram cut off his mother’s head at his father’s command, and granted him a boon. Jamdagni (Parashuram’s father) was very pleased with his son. It means, like a poet has said, ‘putra wahi jo pita ko navai’ – ideal son is one who is obedient to the father. Son should be like Parashuram who killed his mother obeying his father and father should not let his son down, just as Jamdagni did not show stringency and granted boon to his son (Parashuram asked that his mother be brought back to life). What was the boon asked by the son?
Ripu ran jeet sujas sur gavat Sita anuj sahit prabhu aavat
gods sung praises of his victory over enemies in battle (when) the Lord comes, with Sita and younger brother
Parashuram’s mother was at fault. He killed that fault. Enemy in battle is as is written about Parashuram. Sita is ‘not anger’ - it is dharma and peace. Thus, Parashuram and his father both got peace.
Man can always be victorious in this world by adhering to both duty and action, like Parashuram