Om Gurubhyo namah, I bow to my Guru; Om ParamaGurubhyo; I bow to the Lineage of the Guru (my Guru’s Guru and so forth); Om ParatparaGurubhyo namah, I bow to the Guru who is higher than the highest; Om Parameshti Gurubhyo namah, I bow to the Supreme Lord of All Gurus (Lord Shiva).
The Guru gave birth to our spiritual body which is eternal, and therefore is the first to be appreciated. Then comes the lineage through which this knowledge was acquired. Then comes the Father who gave birth to this body, and now we have acknowledged the Father of our body, of our mind, and of our soul.
The famous story of Shunahshepa from the Rig Veda tells of the Great King Harishchandra, who was cursed by Varuna for failing to sacrifice his son, Rohit, as per his promise. When Rohit heard he was to be sacrificed before God, he ran away in fear, and the King was cursed with unbearable pain. Unable to bear the pain, the King called his ministers and asked for a way to be free of the curse. They decided to purchase a child to complete the offering, and he bought and paid for the young boy Shunahshepa, from his father, Ajigartha.
Shunahshepa was tied to the sacrificial post, the executioner raised his sword, the Brahmin priests chanted the mantras, and the Rishi Vishwamitra said, “Stop! This child is crying so pitifully. Oh King, you cannot execute a young boy who is experiencing such fear!”
The King replied that Varuna should free him from his curse. Vishwamitra went to the boy and whispered the mantra in his ear. It is called Bandhan Mukta Shukta from the Rig Veda, and he told Shunahshepa to recite it. Immediately Varuna came and freed the King from his curse. The King freed Shunahshepa from his bondage, and Shunahshepa asked, “Who is my Father? To whose house should I return?”
Some of the Brahmins said, “Ajigartha gave you birth. That will never change. He is your father. You go home with him.” Others said, “The King Harishchandra bought and paid for you. You now belong to him.” Then Vashishtha stood up in the assemble and proclaimed, “The Rishi Vishwamitra gave you the mantra by which you were freed from worldly bondage. He is truly your father! You go home with him!”
On this Father’s Day we bow down to all our Fathers, those who gave birth to our body, mind, and soul, and celebrate what an honor it is to have come from such a lineage.
All our Love and blessings,
Happy Father’s Day
Shree Maa and Swamiji