​Is begetting children a duty to one’s ancestors?

Answer Podcast

Transcript

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Yeah. Is there any reference for that? Actually, first of all, we definitely see that anxiety among kings.
You know, kings often go to great extents performing various yajnas and doing various things to get air so that their kingdom can continue. So, that is definitely responsible. Now, we may say that is the responsibility primarily for the king so that the successor won’t maintain the kingdom.
But then the same applies to others also. There are landlords, there are ministers and in general, especially for Kshatriyas, it’s a very important responsibility. And there is actually there are different kinds of yajnas that are talked about.
So, there is Deva Yajna, there is Pitra Yajna, Rishi Yajna. So, for the Devatas, we do yajna by doing the Agni Uttara and other sacrifices. The Rishis, we do yajna by studying the scripture from them, studying the scripture that they are given and by serving them.
And the Pitras, we do yajna by actually offering Pinda to them and by procreating and continuing on the dynasty. So, Prabhupada talks about Pancha Maha Yajna. So, there is yajna for the general living beings, for other human beings and for all living beings.
So, there are Pancha Maha Yajna which are described to avoid the Pancha Maha Surya, the five great sins that are there which inevitably happen in material existence. This is to be done. So, it’s a standard part of the Karmakand way of living.
Sometimes we talk about Karmakand is denigrated. But Karmakand is the system of material harmony and material prosperity. It’s not wrong.
So, there is, what has happened in India is that the material responsibility is equated with responsibility itself. People think that my only responsibility is to make sure that my son gets settled, my daughter gets married and I take care of my family members. That is a responsibility.
But that is not the only responsibility. So, now as far as people being asked and made fun of who is your ancestor, who is your great grandfather, great great grandfather, there are different ways of perceiving things in different cultures. So, especially in the modern culture, it’s a highly individualistic culture.
You know, people in general are I-specialists. So, it’s such an individualistic culture where I come from, my connectedness with where I am coming from, that is not given much importance. But not only in India, even if you look at pre-colonial Europe or colonial Britain or pre-colonial Europe, at that time people would have, in the west also they would have something called a family bible.
Family bible is not the family’s bible, the sacred book. But family bible means, that is a book where they would have the list of their ancestors. And then every new member that is born in the family, the name is added.
Every person that has died, that is added over there. It’s a standard tradition, not just it is in Europe but in America also. So, that connectedness, wherever there is a culture that is individualistic, that is lost.
But whether there is a community-based culture or not, that is quite an important part. And we see that even the Bhagavatam, Bhagavata Bhagavatam, it repeatedly talks about people in terms of their dynastic connections. You are Kurunandana, you are Vrishni.
So, why does it say, it’s just something which is unimportant, why is it talked about? The idea is, often our awareness of our connection invokes responsibility within us. It’s like, if I understand, that I am representing this particular dynasty and there are so many great people in this dynasty, then I have to maintain that legacy and I also have to act responsibly. So, there is a, the Bhagavad Gita also talks about Kuladharma, isn’t it? Kuladharma Sanadana, he says that Kuladharma will be destroyed, if we kill people.
So, Kuladharma, it is not the Paradharma, but it is an important Dharma also. So, that’s how the, that is also a part of the broad Vedic culture. You clear? Yes ma’am.