As we think about honouring our fathers on this day, we should also think about honouring our universal father and mother — God, writes Sant Rajinder Singh
Father’s Day is a day when we give special honour and gratitude to our fathers. The celebration of Father’s Day is a broad one that encompasses celebrating those who are fathers, grandfathers, and great- grandfathers. It is also a day when we remember the one who created all fathers, God.
On this day we can look back and remember warmly all the gifts we received from our physical fathers. It is also a time to reflect on the gifts we received from our heavenly father, God. In this connection, there is a wonderful story. Once there was a king who had no child. He was worried that he had no son or daughter to become his successor and receive his inheritance, which included his kingdom. The king made an announcement that he was looking for an orphan to adopt as his own child.
His ministers asked him, “Are you going to have any qualification criteria in selecting a child to adoptIJ” The king thought for a while and said, “Yes, you are right. We need some criteria.” The ministers made their own suggestions, saying, “The person should be handsome or beautiful. The one selected should come from a rich or noble family.”
The king considered all the suggestions and being a wise and spiritual man said, “The only requirement I will make for adoption is that the person has love for God and neighbour.” After much debate among the ministers who feared that the person may be someone who was lowly, poor, or simple, the king, of course, had his way, as kings do.
The ministers commanded that all those who wished to apply to become the king’s adopted child should come to the palace on a particular date. An orphaned peasant boy read the notice and wanted to apply. But when he looked at his rags, he thought he won’t be selected because he was poor. Then, he had an idea. He thought if he worked longer hours, he might make enough money before the deadline to buy clothes that would make him look more presentable to the king.
The boy worked hard day after day, late into the night, until he had enough to buy a new outfit. Feeling a bit more confident, he decided to head to the palace on the set date. He hoped that the king would choose him for adoption.
He set out on the journey. Along the way, the peasant boy met a poor beggar on the side of the road. It was a cold day, and the peasant could see the beggar shivering with cold. The peasant felt sorry for the beggar and without even thinking about himself, he exchanged clothing with the beggar so that he could warm up. He forgot about the hard work he had put in to buy the new outfit and, being a loving, caring person, helped the beggar. The beggar was grateful to him and even though it was cold outside, the boy felt warm inside from the wonderful feeling of giving and making someone else happy.
As the peasant boy set out on his journey to the palace, he realised that he had given away the outfit that would make him presentable to the king. He knew he won’t be accepted in the beggar’s torn clothes.
The boy decided there was no point in continuing to the palace, since he would never be accepted in his rags. He was about to turn back when he said to himself, “Well, you have come this far to the palace. You may as well keep going and try out anyway. The worst that will happen is that you will not be chosen.” He decided to go to the king’s palace anyway. When he reached the palace, the ministers, courtiers, and guards took one look at him. “What are you doing hereIJ” the peasant was asked at the gates. “I am applying to be the king’s adopted son,” he replied. They all made fun of him, sneering at him.
“You have some nerve thinking the king will choose you as his son. look at your clothes. You are not even fit to clean the king’s chambers in those torn rags.” The peasant was about to turn back when another minister came out and saw what was going on. The minister said, “The king did not restrict us from letting anyone in. No matter what he looks like, the king has ordered that we let all the applicants in. The peasant was then taken to the king’s chamber.
What a shock for the peasant when the chamber doors opened and he found that sitting on the king’s throne was the very beggar he had met on the roadside and that the beggar was still wearing the clothes he had given him. The peasant stood dumbfounded to see that the beggar was actually the king! The king got down from his throne, came up to the peasant boy, embraced him, and said, “Welcome, my son!”
This story is a wonderful illustration of what every father wishes for his son, and what God, the universal father and mother, wishes for each of us. Every parent is looking for his or her child to have certain qualities that the parent values. Every father wants his son or daughter to grow up to be a good person. Although parents have many expectations from their child, the bottom line is that they want their child to grow up to be a good person.
God is no different. When God created each soul, the hope was that each one would be in the image of God. Humanity was created in the image of God. God wanted each person to live up to that noble image. It is when a soul inhabits the human form that the mind makes it go astray from the original intent of God to stay true to the noble virtues.
In the story, the king specified that the criterion for selection of a son or daughter was someone who loved God and loved his or her neighbour. That meant more to the king than wealth, power, prestige, or outer beauty. Similarly, God wants the same for each of us. God wants each soul in creation to have love for God and love for one’s fellow creations. It was with this intention that human beings were created. It is said that God made humanity to have love and compassion for fellow beings. The angels are said to be made of only devotion. Their whole being is to adore and love God. However, God created humans to not only love God, but also the fellow beings.
As the story of the king and the peasant boy illustrated, the one who was most pleasing was the one who loved his fellow beings. The peasant sacrificed his own desires to help another person. This quality drew the kin’s attention and made him select the peasant to be his own son. Similarly, there are billions of souls on the planet. Many are leading selfish, uncaring lives. Numerous people are only out for their own selves. They want to gain possession, fame, power, and prestige, even if it means stepping on others. God, the parent, wants us to love him and others. Those people who do are truly sons and daughters of God. As we think about honouring our fathers on this day, we should also think about honouring our universal father and mother, God.
The writer is a spiritual leader