Parents’ love is unconditional and eternal. Parents are able to love their children, no matter who they are or what the circumstances are. A child doesn’t have to earn parents’ love; it is showered on them even before their birth.
Similarly, our love, respect and care towards our parents should also be unconditional and genuine, no matter at whichever phase of life they are, or under what situation we are. We should recognise and render assistance, not only to our parents, but to our elderly relatives and neighbours also.
When Jesus Christ was crucified and dying on the cross, He was deeply worried about His Mother Mary and according to St. John – Chapter 19, Jesus saw Mother Mary standing with one of His favourite disciples and said to Her “Woman, here is your son,” and to the disciple, “Here is your mother.” From that time on, this disciple took her into his home.” The thought of leaving His mother in good hands was uppermost in His mind, despite His imminent death on the cross.
Likewise, in the episode known as Yaksha Prashna in Mahabharata, Yudhishthira finds all his four brothers, lying dead beside a lake, for having tried to drink water from the lake without answering the questions asked by Yaksha (Lord Yama). Yudhishthira gave appropriate replies, and Lord Yama was pleased and gave Yudhisthira, the choice to bring back one of His brothers back to life.
Yudhishthira chose Nakula, the son of Madri, instead of Bhima or Arjuna who were his own blood brothers by Kunti. He justified the same, stating that his father had two wives, Kunti and Madri, both of whom he treated equally as his mothers. As he, Kunti’s eldest son was alive, it was only just and equitable that Nakula, the eldest son of Madri, should also be alive. Yudhisthira could foresee the desolation and anguish that Madri, as a mother, will go through on seeing two of Kunti’s children alive and none of hers.
Let us not be so busy growing up, that we forget they are also growing old. They didn’t leave us to fend for ourselves when we were young. So, let us not leave them to fend for themselves when they are old. Not only honouring our parents, but all the elderly people we come across is the need of the hour.