Muraleedharan Appath
‘Pitru-Paksha’, homage to ancestors performed as a ritual during a certain period every year, reminds us to express our gratitude to our elders and lighten our burden of any debts we feel we owe to them for not having given thanks earlier. A high gratitude quotient is the hallmark of inner growth. Karna, in the epic Mahabharata, remained eternally grateful to his benefactor Duryodhana.
For a single act of saving him from humiliation, Karna was always thankful; he even paid back with his own life. Remembering the goodness of others and sending positive vibes towards them are natural processes of pure minds. Divinity graces such hearts that have embraced prayerful gratitude.
Ancestors symbolize the past. Past modified in time, is the present. Present being an extension of the past, cannot be separated from it. Therefore, remaining grateful to all those who came into our lives, including the lineage, teachers, friends, institutions, situations, struggles and opportunities — and also remembering their contributions to our lives — contribute greatly to making our lives total and holistic.
To quote Thunchath Ezhuthachan, a 14th-century Malayalam devotional poet, “The one who forgets his debt content is dead, though alive.” The shradh ceremony institutionalized once a year, however, is indicative of having such a grateful heart all the time. It is an opportunity for remembrance and reflection, and feeling thankful to our ancestors. Pitru Paksha is being observed from September 24 and concludes on October 9.
DISCLAIMER
The views expressed in the Article above are Author’s personal views and kashmiribhatta.in is not in any way responsible for the opinions expressed in the above article. The article belongs to its respective owner or owners and this site does not claim any right over it. Copyright Disclaimer under section 107 of the Copyright Act of 1976, allowance is made for "fair use" for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, education, and research. Fair use is a use permitted by copyright statute that might otherwise be infringing."
Courtesy: Economic Times: The speaking tree: 5th Sep 2018
Muraleedharan Appath
‘Pitru-Paksha’, homage to ancestors performed as a ritual during a certain period every year, reminds us to express our gratitude to our elders and lighten our burden of any debts we feel we owe to them for not having given thanks earlier. A high gratitude quotient is the hallmark of inner growth. Karna, in the epic Mahabharata, remained eternally grateful to his benefactor Duryodhana.
For a single act of saving him from humiliation, Karna was always thankful; he even paid back with his own life. Remembering the goodness of others and sending positive vibes towards them are natural processes of pure minds. Divinity graces such hearts that have embraced prayerful gratitude.
Ancestors symbolize the past. Past modified in time, is the present. Present being an extension of the past, cannot be separated from it. Therefore, remaining grateful to all those who came into our lives, including the lineage, teachers, friends, institutions, situations, struggles and opportunities — and also remembering their contributions to our lives — contribute greatly to making our lives total and holistic.
To quote Thunchath Ezhuthachan, a 14th-century Malayalam devotional poet, “The one who forgets his debt content is dead, though alive.” The shradh ceremony institutionalized once a year, however, is indicative of having such a grateful heart all the time. It is an opportunity for remembrance and reflection, and feeling thankful to our ancestors. Pitru Paksha is being observed from September 24 and concludes on October 9.
DISCLAIMER
The views expressed in the Article above are Author’s personal views and kashmiribhatta.in is not in any way responsible for the opinions expressed in the above article. The article belongs to its respective owner or owners and this site does not claim any right over it. Copyright Disclaimer under section 107 of the Copyright Act of 1976, allowance is made for "fair use" for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, education, and research. Fair use is a use permitted by copyright statute that might otherwise be infringing."
Courtesy: Economic Times: The speaking tree: 5th Sep 2018