Do Unto Others
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Hare Krishna Prabhujis and Matajis,
Please accept my humble obeisances. All glories to Srila Prabhupada and Srila Gurudeva.
In olden days, the relationship between living entities in the home and society were based on love, respect, friendship and gratitude, as people were all leading a God-centered life. But nowadays relationships are based on utility value. As a long a person is of some use, he/she will be treated with respect by family, society etc. But the moment the utility value decreases then they are neglected, rejected and discarded. People who reject others fail to understand that nothing goes un-noticed by the Lord. What we sow, so we reap. If we are neglecting someone today, then in the near future, Krishna in the form of eternal time would ensure that we go through the same pain. In Bhagavad Gita Lord Krishna many times insists on the important quality of being samadarshi - being equal to all living entities as every living entity is part and parcel of Krishna. But many a times we discriminate and behave differently with different living entities. Lord Kapila warns us in Srimad Bhagavatam verse 3.29.26 that, "As the blazing fire of death, I cause great fear to whoever makes the least discrimination between himself and other living entities because of a differential outlook."
In this regard we came across a nice short story. In Haripura lived a merchant named Sankha, who had four sons. As long as he was hale and hearty and earning lot of money his family members respected him. When he became old, he handed over his business and all his wealth to them. He was not able to earn anymore. Within no time, he lost the respect and love which he had earlier. His sons no longer obeyed him; their wives mistreated him; and the old man crept into a corner of the house, wasted by hunger and oppressed with years.
Once in the cold time of the year he asked his oldest son, Kumuda, for a cloth to protect him from the night frost. Kumuda replied with anger, "For an old man whose wife is dead, who is dependent on his sons for money, who is cut by the words of his daughters-in-law, death is better than life." Then he said to his son Kuntala, "Give him that curtain there!" Kuntala, however, gave the old man only half of the small curtain. When the old man showed the piece to Kumuda, Kumuda angrily asked his son why he had not given his grandfather the whole curtain. Respectfully placing his hands together, Kuntala replied, "Father, when old age also overtakes you, there will be ready for you the half-curtain which corresponds to the one here." Then Kumuda was shamed; and he said, "Son, we have been instructed by you; you have become a support for us whose senses have been stupefied by the delirium of power and wealth." And from that time on he began to show his father love, and so did the whole family.
The moral of the above story is, "Do unto others as you would like others to do unto you."
Our beloved spiritual master H H Mahavishnu Goswami Maharaj used to quote the below verse from Padma Purana 19.333:
shruyataam dharma sarvasvam/ shrutvaa ca eva avadhaaryataam
aatmanah pratikulaani / pareshaam na samaacaret
"After hearing all the instructions and realizations from the shastras, one can arrive at the conclustion that you should do unto others what you want others to do unto you."
Our interaction with any living entity in this world is not an accident. Based on our past karma and Krishna's sanction we come in touch with different living entities. Everyone is a gift from Krishna and are also part and parcel of Krishna. So seeing each living entity in connection to the Lord, we should genuinely respect them and treat them with love and care and never hurt or harm them by our thoughts, deeds or actions.
Thank you very much.
Yours in service of Srila Prabhupada and Srila Gurudeva,
Sudarshana devi dasi.
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