Duty of the son

Expressions researched:
"duty of the son" |"duty of a son" |"duty of the grown son" |"duty of the servant or son" |"duty of the elderly son"

SB Canto 2

Mahārāja Pṛthu, the incarnation of God, descended by the prayer of the brāhmaṇas to rectify the disorders on earth. He produced all kinds of crops. But, at the same time, he performed the duty of a son who delivers his father from hellish conditions

SB 2.7.9, Purport: Long life, obedience, good reputation, righteousness, prospects of being promoted to higher planets, and blessings of great personalities are all vanquished simply by disobedience to a great soul. One should strictly try to follow in the footsteps of great souls. Maharaja Vena became a king, undoubtedly due to his past deeds of righteousness, but because he willfully neglected the great souls, he was punished by the loss of all the above-mentioned acquisitions. In the Vamana Purana the history of Maharaja Vena and his degradation are fully described. When Maharaja Prthu heard about the hellish condition of his father, Vena, who was suffering from leprosy in the family of a mleccha, he at once brought the former king to Kuruksetra for his purification and relieved him of all sufferings. Maharaja Prthu, the incarnation of God, descended by the prayer of the brahmanas to rectify the disorders on earth. He produced all kinds of crops. But, at the same time, he performed the duty of a son who delivers his father from hellish conditions. The word putra means one who delivers from hell, called put. That is a worthy son.

SB Canto 3

A son is indebted to his parents in so many ways, and it is the duty of the son to serve his parents, however great the son may be

SB 3.25.5, Purport: These are all glorified pastimes of the Lord, and there is no contradiction in such manifestations. Since Kṛṣṇa is the Supreme Lord, He was never afraid of Kaṁsa, but to please His father He agreed to be so. And the most brilliant part of His supreme character was that He begged pardon from His parents for being unable to serve their feet while absent from home because of fear of Kaṁsa. The Lord, whose lotus feet are worshiped by demigods like Brahmā and Śiva, wanted to worship the feet of Vasudeva. Such instruction by the Lord to the world is quite appropriate. Even if one is the Supreme Lord, one must serve his parents. A son is indebted to his parents in so many ways, and it is the duty of the son to serve his parents, however great the son may be. Indirectly, Kṛṣṇa wanted to teach the atheists who do not accept the supreme fatherhood of God, and they may learn from this action how much the Supreme Father has to be respected. Uddhava was simply struck with wonder by such glorious behavior of the Lord, and he was very sorry that he was unable to go with Him.

In the absence of the father it is the duty of the grown son to take charge of his mother and serve her to the best of his ability so that she will not feel separation from her husband

SB 3.25.5, Tanslation and Purport: Maitreya said: When Kardama left for the forest, Lord Kapila stayed on the strand of the Bindu-sarovara to please His mother, Devahuti. In the absence of the father it is the duty of the grown son to take charge of his mother and serve her to the best of his ability so that she will not feel separation from her husband, and it is the duty of the husband to leave home as soon as there is a grown son to take charge of his wife and family affairs. That is the Vedic system of household life. One should not remain continually implicated in household affairs up to the time of death. He must leave. Family affairs and the wife may be taken charge of by a grown son.

SB Canto 4

It is the duty of the son to depend upon his father without asking anything from him. The good son has faith that the father knows best how to benefit him

SB 4.20.31, Tanslation and Purport: My Lord, due to Your illusory energy, all living beings in this material world have forgotten their real constitutional position, and out of ignorance they are always desirous of material happiness in the form of society, friendship and love. Therefore, please do not ask me to take some material benefits from You, but as a father, not waiting for the son's demand, does everything for the benefit of the son, please bestow upon me whatever You think best for me. It is the duty of the son to depend upon his father without asking anything from him. The good son has faith that the father knows best how to benefit him. Similarly, a pure devotee does not ask anything from the Lord for material benefit. Nor does he ask anything for spiritual benefit. The pure devotee is fully surrendered unto the lotus feet of the Lord, and the Lord takes charge of him, as stated in Bhagavad-gita (18.66): aham tvam sarva-papebhyo moksayisyami. The father knows the necessities of the son and supplies them, and the Supreme Lord knows the necessities of the living entities and supplies them sumptuously. Therefore the Isopanisad states that everything in this material world is complete (purnam idam [Isopanisad, Invocation]). The difficulty is that due to forgetfulness the living entities create unnecessary demands and entangle themselves in material activities. The result is that there is no end to material activities, life after life.

SB Canto 6

SB 6.7.28, Translation: O brahmana, the highest duty of a son, even though he has sons of his own, is to serve his parents, and what to speak of a son who is a brahmacari?

SB Canto 7

SB 7.10.22, Translation: My dear child, your father has already been purified just by the touch of My body at the time of his death. Nonetheless, the duty of a son is to perform the sraddha ritualistic ceremony after his father's death so that his father may be promoted to a planetary system where he may become a good citizen and devotee.

SB Canto 9

When Jaṭāyu died, Lord Rāmacandra did the duty of a son by performing the funeral ceremony, and then He made friends with the monkeys to deliver Sītādevī

SB 9.10.12, Tanslation and Purport: Lord Ramacandra, whose lotus feet are worshiped by Lord Brahma and Lord Siva, had assumed the form of a human being. Thus He performed the funeral ceremony of Jatayu, who was killed by Ravana. The Lord then killed the demon named Kabandha, and after making friends with the monkey chiefs, killing Vali and arranging for the deliverance of mother Sita, He went to the beach of the ocean. When Ravana kidnapped Sita, he was obstructed on the way by Jatayu, a large bird. But the powerful Ravana defeated Jatayu in the fight and cut his wing. When Ramacandra was searching for Sita, He found Jatayu almost dead and was informed that Sita has been carried off by Ravana. When Jatayu died, Lord Ramacandra did the duty of a son by performing the funeral ceremony, and then He made friends with the monkeys to deliver Sitadevi.

Krsna, The Supreme Personality of Godhead

Krsna Book, Chapter 89: The plan decided upon by the sages was for Bhṛgu to test which one of the predominating deities possesses the quality of goodness in full. Therefore, when Bhṛgu Muni reached his father, Lord Brahmā, because Bhṛgu wanted to test whether Brahmā had the quality of goodness, he purposely did not offer his respects to his father, either by offering obeisances or by offering prayers. It is the duty of a son or a disciple to offer respects and recite suitable prayers when he approaches his father or spiritual master. But Bhṛgu Muni purposely failed to offer respects, just to see Lord Brahmā’s reaction to this negligence.

Srimad-Bhagavatam Lectures

So it is the duty of the son, śrāddha ceremony

Lecture on SB 1.5.24 -- Vrndavana, August 5, 1975: After death, if by chance the father does not get ordinary life or goes to the hellish condition of life, the son will deliver. Therefore śrāddha ceremony. There is śrāddha... What is that śrāddha ceremony? Śrāddha ceremony means to offer foodstuff to Viṣṇu, and with the prasādam, to the forefathers or father it is offered so that by eating prasādam, if he is in ghost life or in hellish life, he'll be delivered. This is called śrāddha. So it is the duty of the son, śrāddha ceremony. And Advaita, Advaitācārya, He was also performing the śrāddha ceremony, and He offered the prasādam, the remnants of foodstuff, to Haridāsa Ṭhākura.

So he called all the creditors of his father and paid paisa to paisa, so this is the duty of the son.

Lecture on SB 1.7.32-33 -- Vrndavana, September 27, 1976: He was Mr. C.R. Das. So his father died insolvent. His father was also very respectable man, but later on he became so much debtor that he died insolvent. Declared... This Mr. C. R. Das, he did not get any property from the father, but by his practice as a barrister he became very rich man. In those days his monthly income was fifty thousand rupees. So he called all the creditors of his father and paid paisa to paisa, that "My father died in debtor. Now I have got money, you can take." So this is the duty of the son. But if one is poor man, he cannot pay. So he becomes a subject matter of criticism. Under the circumstances the father becomes the enemy.

So therefore it is the duty of the elderly son, those who are advanced, not to kill the insufficient son, but to give them education of Kṛṣṇa consciousness

Lecture on SB 1.16.8 -- Los Angeles, January 5, 1974: Kṛṣṇa says like this, "I am their father." To whom? Sarva-yoniṣu: "In all species of life, beginning from Brahmā down to the ant." So if you kill your brother, say, who is not important, will your father approve, "Oh, you have done nice. You are very nice son. You are earning millions of dollars, and this man is useless, this, this boy. So you have killed. It is very nice"? No, father will never tolerate. To the father, the useless son and the earning son, both are equal in affection. So therefore it is the duty of the elderly son, those who are advanced, not to kill the insufficient son, but to give them education of Kṛṣṇa consciousness. This is the duty.

Lecture on SB 3.25.5-6 -- Bombay, November 5, 1974: So as soon as Kapiladeva was grown up, the mother, Devahūti, was given in His charge and Kardama Muni left home. Therefore it is said that pitari prasthite araṇyaṁ mātuḥ priya-cikīrṣayā. Now it is the duty of the son. Women should be under the protection. In the Manu-saṁhitā it is said that woman should not be given freedom.

Lecture on SB 3.25.41 -- Bombay, December 9, 1974: That is the beginning of knowledge, when we can understand that we are eternal, we are sons of Kṛṣṇa, eternal servant of Kṛṣṇa. Just like by nature a son and servant, there is no different. Son also gives service to the father, and the servant also gives service to the master. So there is affection, either as master or servant or son and father, but it is the duty of the servant or son to give service to the Supreme.

Sri Caitanya-caritamrta Lectures

Lecture on CC Madhya-lila 20.124-125 -- New York, November 26, 1966: Everything is born out of the energy of God. So we are also born... Therefore we say God, "Father." This is accepted in every religion. There is no argument. Now, what is the relationship between father and son? Is it the relationship to exact only from father? There is no duty of the son, simply to take from father? No. There is duty. If a son is sensible and grown-up, he knows that "I have got my duty: to love my father." That is very simple thing, to love father. "Father has done so ma..., so much for me, I am just going to own the estate of father, and I am enjoying the earnings of my father. So is it not my duty to show respect to my father?"

Philosophy Discussions

It is the duty of the son, as it is said, putra. Pu means there is a hell pundama (?). The hell's name is pundama, pun. So I mean, pu and tra, tra means one who delivers

Philosophy Discussion on Plato:So marriage is for having good son, that's a fact, who will deliver me even if I am in the hell. Therefore the çraddhä ceremony in there. So even the father is in hell, by this çraddhä ceremony he will be delivered. This is the idea. So unless one has got son, nobody is going to offer him çraddhä oblation, and even one may be very benevolent, but it is not expected. But it is the duty of the son, as it is said, putra. Pu means there is a hell pundama (?). The hell's name is pundama, pun. So I mean, pu and tra, tra means one who delivers. If by chance I am put into pundama naraka trayate, one who delivers me from that hellish condition of life, he is putra, and for this kind of putra I accept a wife, not for my sex enjoyment.And it is confirmed in the Bhagavad-gétä, one who uses his sex for these religious activities, that "I shall get good father, a good son who can deliver me," then marriage is required. Otherwise it is useless.

1975 Conversations and Morning Walks

So it is the duty of the son to be obedient to the father, to act according to his order

Room Conversation with Yoga Student -- March 14, 1975, Iran:

Young man: If one does not lose one's identity when one is returned to the Godhead, what is the nature of the relationship?

Prabhupāda: Servant. God is supreme, we are all subordinate. God is maintaining us just like father maintains. So it is the duty of the son to be obedient to the father, to act according to his order. Then everything is perfect. At the present moment on account of this bodily concept of life every one of us thinking nationality and duty of nation, duty of the community, duty of the family, so many duties. But actually we, being spiritual, our only duty is to serve God. We are serving; everyone is serving. That is our constitutional position, to serve.