The four debts of life

Rishi Kindamb explains the three debts of life, with the fourth debt explained by his wife at the end of episode 8. Buffer up to 35:00 to 38:50.

The session starts with Rishi Kindamb and Raja Pandu, Kunti and Madri.
Rishi: Life is both thirst and its quenching. Truth and falseness are the banks of the river of life. In its water is a mixture of both. But a knowing person is he who draws only righteous action from the water and doesn't allow falseness in his life.

Raja Pandu: So is this all life is? After filtering falseness in the filters of knowledge and experience, what does a person do about the truth? Does he return it to the same river?

Rishi: Oh king, I need not tell you anything. You know that after drawing truth from life, it doesn't need to be returned back. After truth is in ones hands, then a man should realize that he is a debtor. That he must fulfill his debts before dying. These are:

1) Dev rin (Money debt) 2) Rishi rin (Knowledge debt) 3) Pitru rin (Parental debt)

A man must fulfill these three debts before leaving his mortal self. And if somebody does so, life has been disrespected.

Raja Pandu: So what if somebody's fate does not allow him to fulfill these debts?

Rishi: Your adherence to duties should be more than your fear of fate, oh king. It is not as if man has never changed his fortune. To fulfill these debts, if you have to change your fortune, then a try must be made. This is because these debts are extraordinary.

1) Rishi rin: This belongs to Lord Shiva.

2) Dev rin: This belongs to Lord Vishnu.

3) Pitra rin: This belongs to Lord Brahma.

A man cannot escape from Shiva, Vishnu and Brahma.

Madri: So what are these debts?

Rishi: The first of these is Dev rin. This is fulfilled by donations. The second, Rishi rin is fulfilled by acquiring knowledge and spreading it. The third debt is Pitra rin. This is fulfilled by getting heirs/heiresses and continuing the family.

Kunti: What is the duty of a woman?

Rishi: Woman, or in other words, awareness, encouragement and joy is the earth. All the seeds of life are within her. She is the soul of married life. And this soul is born in the form of a child.

"यत्र नारियेस्तु पूजयन्ते, रमन्ते तत्र देवता ।"

Which means that wherever a woman is prayed to, the Gods are happy. Whoever disrespects a woman, is not a human. To protect a woman is the duty of a man.

(Session ends, all the four depart)

This part starts at 43: 33 and is said by the Rishi's wife.

"The earth is the mother of all living beings. When I think of this, I get sad that I haven't fulfilled the fourth debt, the debt of mother nature."

Epilogue: With turmoils aplenty in today's life, I found this section most appropriate to solve many problems in today's day and age. Hindu society today falls short of at least three of the above four parameters, donations of wealth, knowledge, getting children and caring for nature. With substantial amounts of all the four, we might just succeed in putting our nation on the right track.