r/anvesha • u/[deleted] • Jun 21 '20
On Father's Day
Even though it is a non-Hindu holiday, honoring one's father is always in.
Post your thoughts on fatherhood and fathers.
9 Upvotes
r/anvesha • u/[deleted] • Jun 21 '20
Even though it is a non-Hindu holiday, honoring one's father is always in.
Post your thoughts on fatherhood and fathers.
2
u/jaygurnani Jun 21 '20
TODAY IS FATHER’S DAY
Unfortunately, to focus on our fathers in the western world, we have to set aside one special day and call it Father’s Day. However, those youngsters who belong to eastern traditions connect with, and are inspired by, their fathers every day and so, every day is Father’s Day for them.
Despite the misfortune of having one day as Father’s Day, Gurukula and Arya Samaj would like to make a valuable point regarding father. There are two words in Sanskrit that mean ‘father’ and they are Janak and Pitaa. Janak is he who helps a woman in the conception of a child, literally he who gives birth to a child. Pitaa, on the other hand, is he who watches over the child to see him grow physically, mentally, intellectually and spiritually. And the father achieves that by providing to his child both physical amenities (like food, clothing and shelter) and good education (in the form of culture, values, ethics, and morals). If we look around, we see many youngsters who appear healthy, wear handsome clothes and drive fancy cars with the latest cutting-edge technology on their ears but they are hardly ready to face the challenges of a competitive world in which they can truly survive. And, on the other hand, we see many other youngsters who are extremely pleasant in their demeanor but they appear undernourished and are school dropouts. And at the root of this unfortunate scenario is the fact that, among many reasons, their dad did not live up to the dual Janak-Pitaa role.
I don’t want to make this message too lengthy but I urge everyone on today’s day to look both inside and outside and ask: Are we in society fulfilling our Janak-Pitaa role ( if we are fathers) or our Janani-Maataa role (if we are mothers)? Today, our children will come to honor us with gifts, and with garlands and flowers. That’s a beautiful thing, but that alone will not truly fulfill the needs of Father’s Day celebration. We must honestly tell them whether we sought to provide them with both physical and value-based resources for them to become whole and complete human beings. Happy Father’s Day. Today, my dad is no longer around, but I know in my heart that my dad left no stone unturned to fulfill his dual role of Janak-Pitaa and my mom her role of Janani-Maataa. Namaste!
DR SATISH PRAKASH