humility
Children Story: “Yaksha Prashna”
The epitome of dharma and righteousness, Yudhishtira had to face a tough challenge of Yaksha to save his 4 brothers from the mouth of death. When thirsty Nakul went in search of water and found the crystal clear water for quenching his thirst, he was warned by a voice to answer his questions before drinking the water. Ignoring the voice Nakul went forward to drink the water and he immediately fell down on the ground. Similar situation happened with Sahdeva, Arjuna and Bhima and now all four brothers were lying dead.
Finally Yudhishtira went to inquire about his brothers and got anxious to see their state. Since there were no wounds or any marks of injury on their bodies, Yudhishtira was sure that it is some kind of supernatural power. Soon he heard the voice of Yaksha, “I am Yaksha and I warned all your brothers to answer my questions before drinking the water. But they overlooked my warning and now lying dead.” Yaksha further told Yudhishtira that in order to save the lives of his brothers he need to answer his questions. Yudhishtira realized that it is the Lord Himself who is testing the righteousness of Him and his brothers. He payed his respect to Yaksha and with great humility, he requested the Omnipresent to ask questions and he will try to answer them with the best of his ability. I any case he will abide by his Dharma and Yaksha terms. To test the wisdom of Yudhistira, Yaksha asked may questions and answers to which reveal the great values of life. Most important of them are listed below:
Yaksha: What is weightier than the Earth?
Yudhishtira: Mother
Yaksha: Which is taller than the sky?
Yudhishtira: Father
Yaksha: What is faster than the wind?
Yudhistira: Mind
Yaksha: By renouncing what does one become affectionate?
Yudhistira: Pride
Yaksha: Which is the best wealth?
Yudhishtira: Education
Yaksha: What is the principal duty of man?
Yudhishtira: Charity
Yaksha: Who doesn’t have a heart?
Yudhishtira: Stone
Yaksha: Where does Dharma reside?
Yudhishtira: Dharma resides in good deeds of human beings.
There were other questions in similar lines covering various other deep and subtle aspects of life. After replying to all the questions of Yaksha, Yudhistira saved the life of Nakul first and Arjuna and Bhima later. Yaksha was surprised and became curious to know the reason behind saving the step brothers before real ones. Yudhistira replied, “I do not differentiate between any of my brothers. Dharma is the priority for me and I will always protect Dharma”. Yaksha was pleased to hear his reply and said, “Because you uphold Dharma victory will always be yours”.
Relevance of Good Friday
The most solemn day in the Christian calendar or the beginning of God’s plan to save his people from their sins; in which ever context you consider- Good Friday is the holiest day for Christians. It is the day on which Jesus was crucified. It comes on the Friday immediately preceding Easter Sunday. The day is known for the sacrifice of Jesus and His sufferings on account of our sins.
All Christians observe this day with great humility and reverence. People spend this day in fasting, prayer, repentance, and meditation on the agony and suffering of Christ on the cross. They honour and memorize the event, passion and suffering through which Jesus went through.
Origin of Good Friday:
There are two possible origins for the name “Good Friday”. The first may have come from the Gallican Church in Gaul (modern-day France and Germany). The name “Gute Freitag” is Germanic in origin and literally means “good” or “holy” Friday. The second possibility is a variation on the name “God’s Friday,” where the word “good” was used to replace the word “God,” which was often viewed as too holy to be spoken aloud.
From the prayers to ceremonies to official recites services, each one f them may have a different ritual on this day; yet everybody is sorrowly mingled with joy. It’s a day to become aware of our thoughts, words and actions which brought the world in such state; but also to adore the grace and love of God. Each one of us should remember his sacrifice and live up to the expectation of creating a loving world.
Message of Shradh
The various rituals performed during Shradh or Pitru paksha are a way of seeking forgiveness from the departed souls. This can also be termed as a way to confess our guilt about the inefficiency to serve our elders. Also if knowingly or unknowingly we had performed actions of hurt or pain for them. Shradh is a period of introspection and overcoming our own weaknesses.
Scientifically we may say that our services in the form of food or pind daan may not be received directly by our ancestors; but our noble intentions for them are surely received. Our humility and love is transmitted to the souls and moreover in order to adore them, we feed the needy and poor people.
By offering charity and donations for the happiness of our ancestors, we make an effort to contribute something for the welfare of humanity. Thus this period of shradh is actually an eye opener where people contribute their time, effort, wealth and even love to those who need it, in the reflection of their dead ancestors.
Moreover performing fast during this period is purely a healthy act of rejuvenation. This reveals that shradh is purely an occasion of performing noble and humble acts, in honour of our loving departed souls.
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