My Dear Sahana
You are now 2 months old. You are starting to smile, make cooing noise and noticing people around you. You have been a joy to watch for everyone around you.
It is time for your second moral. The second moral that you need to learn is
“Matha Pitha Guru Theivam”.
What does this mean? In my previous letter, I explained to you about God. In your young age, it is not easy to understand someone who is invisible. Hence, this term.
Matha means Mother. She is the one who carried you and shared her food for 10 months and brought you to this world. She is the one whom you identify first in this world. So, you must learn to respect and worship your mother.
Your mother then points you to your father. Your father works hard to make sure that have a very happy and prosperous life. You should learn to respect and worship your father.
The Father then takes you to the Guru (Teacher). The Guru guides you through and right and wrong and imparts wisdom and education to you. You should always learn to respect and worship Guru.
With the help of wisdom and education provided by the Guru, you will identify God. (Theivam). You should always worship God. He is the Almighty and the invisible one. He is omnipotent and omnipresent.
To illustrate this words, I am now going to give you your first story.
Once upon a time, Shiva and Parvati received the gift of a ripe mango. Their children Ganesha and Karthikeya, both wanted the full fruit. The parents were in a dilemma and decided to give them a test: the winner would get the fruit. They announced, “Whoever goes round the world and reaches back first will be the winner.” Karthikeya immediately set off on his vehicle the peacock. Ganesha with his vehicle Mooshika (mouse) prostrated himself in front of his parents, went around them once and claimed the prize. To the question of how, Ganesha said, “Our parents are the whole world to us. So by going around them once, I have gone around the world.” The happy parents gifted the fruit to Ganesha. When Karthikeya came back after going round the world, he saw Ganesha with the fruit in his hand. His non-understanding of this simple truth upset him so much that he went away to live alone and meditate in the hills of Palani.
An extension of this moral is, you should learn to respect all the elders. They all have something to offer. By respecting all elders, you can receive invaluable guidance and blessings from them. This will keep you happy and help you lead a prosperous life.
With love
Appa and amma