Speak The Truth

Dear Children,

The Ramayana and the Mahabharata have many such stories to tell. On our visit to ‘Gaya’ we heard one. Sri Ram was performing the shradh for his father Dasaratha who used to come in the human form to receive his food. But Dasaratha felt very hungry before Ram could offer and so went to Sita and asked for food. As Sita could not refuse she therefore offered food. Dasarath felt full and left the place. He did not come when Ram called him. Sita stated that she had already served.
She called upon the river Falguni, the herb Tulsi, the cow, the Brahmin and the Akshya Vriksh as witnesses. Except for the tree the others refused to confirm her claim. She cursed them for not speaking the truth. The Falguni River was cursed to dry up; the cow that could speak and think lost both; the Tulsi was cursed to grow anywhere and the Brahmin was cursed to be dissatisfied for ever. Only the tree that stood by truth is even today worshipped. Hence speak the truth. What I deduce from this story is that even if you have committed an error, being in the proximity of good people has its value, as even today the above mentioned are respected inspite of the curse.
How nice it would have been if our parents had come in person to take the food from us! But that was not to be so. In the city of Gaya, as you perform the rites, they make us realize how important our mother is. What all she had endured for our sake. It is the moment of truth as we feel that no matter what we do for our mother it is never enough. But the mother does not ask you for anything. She can only give. We were silent on our way back from Gaya, each lost in our own thoughts.
It prompted me to write the poem 'When the time comes' dated 29th March 2010.