42. The Three Duties

"We have important things to do at our office tomorrow. But you are asking for leave tomorrow!"

"Sir, my father's death anniversary falls tomorrow. I have to perform the ceremonial rites. That's why I am asking for leave."

"What is this? In this modern era, you have been performing annual ceremonial rites to the deceased!"

"The phenomena of birth and death don't change with time. Performing ceremonies for the dead also falls in the same category!"

"Ok. What will you do during the ceremony?"

"I will engage a priest to recite hymns. I will then offer food to my deceased father and forefathers."

"You will offer food to the dead! Will they come and eat the food?"

"No, sir. I will offer food to a couple of poor people, considering them to represent my forefathers." 

"Oh, the food you offer to these poor people will reach your forefathers!"

"Definitely, sir!"

"How are you so sure?"

"It is a belief, sir."

"Is such a belief rational? Even if we assume that the departed souls are present somewhere, how will the food eaten by someone on the earth reach them?"

"I don't know how, sir. But it will reach them for sure!"

"How can you believe in something happening, when you don't know how it will happen?"

"Sir, we send a fax from our office to our head office at Calcutta. I don't know how the message reaches Calcutta. But we know that it reaches all the same. I don't know the science behind the working of the fax. But I know that when a fax is sent from here to our head office, it will definitely reach them. My belief about offering food to my forefathers is also similar to this."

"Ok. I can't question your belief. But I am unable to envisage that the deceased people dwell at some place."

"Sir, you listen to film songs. There is a song written by lyricist Vaali and beautifully composed by the legendary M. S.Viswanathan, which has a line 'Though I have left this world, I have not gone away from you.'"

"You are clever. You have floored me quoting a line from a song composed by my favourite composer. Okay. When will the ceremony get over?"

"By about 1 p.m."

"Then, you can come to the office in the afternoon, can't you?"

"Pardon me, sir. But after the ceremony is over, I will go to an orphanage and offer food to the children and spend some time with them. By the time this gets over, it will be evening."

"Oh, that's great. I don't know how you manage all these with the modest salary I pay you!"

"People born in this world have to perform three duties, whatever their economic status be. I am just performing those duties, sir."

"What are those three duties?"

"The first duty is to help the noble saints who have renounced the worldly life and are engaged in serving other people. The second duty is to help the destitute and the third one is to perform the ceremonial rites to our forefathers."

"Of the three duties you have mentioned, the first one is towards the ascetics. You told me how you have been performing the second and third duties. Don't you carry out your first duty?"

"I do, sir. The person who runs the orphanage I mentioned is a saint who has renounced the worldly life and dedicated his life to taking care of the orphans. What help can I do to him? I will meet him, pay my respects to him and offer a small donation to the orphanage. You know that there is a story in the Ramayana in which a squirrel carried a tiny amount of sand on its back for use in the construction of a bridge across the sea. My tiny contribution is similar to that."

"You are a great person. I need to learn a lot of things from you. But where did you learn these things?"

"From a book I have been reading from my childhood days."

"What is that book?"

"'Thirukkural' written by Thiruvalluvar."

Thirukkural
Section 1
The Path of Virtue

Chapter 5
Family Life

Verse 42 (In Tamil)

thuRanthArkkum thuvvAdhavarkkum iRandhArkkum
ilvAzhvAn enbAn thuNai.

Meaning:

A person leading a family life should help the ascetics who have renounced worldly life, the destitute and his deceased ancestors.

(This is the English version of the Tamil story 'onRu, iraNdu, mUnRu' by the same author)

Verse 43

Verse 41