Sanskrit

“Matru devo bhava, Pitru devo bhava, Acharya devo bhava, Atithi devo bhava” (Taittiriya Upanishad)

English Translation

“Mother, father, Acharya [practicing teachers] and stranger [or guest] should be served and honored as God”.

Explanation

Acharya – Gurus (Teachers) who teach what they themselves practice and they set good examples for others to follow with their actions. For example, truthfulness and compassion are the most qualities that everyone should have and especially gurus. But many gurus are not truthful nor compassionate. Living a simple life, not making demands on others, seeing everyone with equal vision, and being a servant to everyone are some of the qualities that a genuine Acharya will have.

The Godhead is one, Lord Krishna, but we should treat the mother, father, teachers, and guests as if they were God. Giving them the same level of respect as we give God.  We must respect, serve, and be obedient to the elders. This is what makes us kind and loving to all living beings.

Lord Krishna is present in the heart of all living beings and thus when we give respect to others, we are also giving respect to God (Lord Krishna). When we insult others or treat them badly, we are also insulting God, who is present in everyone. The law of Karma is infallible and thus if we do wrong to others, we will be punished. God (Lord Krishna) is the witness to all our actions, and He is the judgement giver.

“I am present in every living entity as the Supersoul. If someone neglects or disregards that Supersoul everywhere and engages himself in the worship of the Deity in the temple, that is simply imitation. (Lord Krishna, Shrimad-Bhagavatam 3.29-21)

If a person engages in Deity worship but treats others badly then this is considered low-level devotional service.

“One who worships the Deity of Godhead in the temples but does not know that the Supreme Lord, as Paramātmā, is situated in every living entity’s heart, must be in ignorance and is compared to one who offers oblations into ashes.” (Lord Krishna, Shrimad-Bhagavatam 3.29-22)

If one worships God in His Deity form and treats any living being badly, then his/her worship is simply useless and will yield no results. We must realize that God is present in every living being and thus giving pain to anyone is giving pain to God. We must not give pain to any living being. 

“The devotee must know that in every living entity, however insignificant he may be, even in an ant, God is present, and therefore every living entity should be kindly treated and should not be subjected to any violence.” (Swami Srila Prabhupada, Shrimad-Bhagavatam purport 3.29.22)

“One who offers Me respect but is envious of the bodies of others and is therefore a separatist never attains peace of mind, because of his inimical behavior towards other living entities. My dear mother, even if he worships with proper rituals and paraphernalia, a person who is ignorant of My presence in all living entities never pleases Me by the worship of My Deities in the temple.” (Lord Krishna, Shrimad-Bhagavatam 3.29-23-24)

One must respect and treat every living being nicely, otherwise worshiping and performing rituals (pujas, chanting, pilgrimage, fasting etc..) will never please God.

Why do People with Good Moral Values (Sanskar) Become Bad?

Bad association. One moment of bad association can ruin the whole life.

Some people have good morale values but still they can give up the morale values and become bad at any time if they keep bad association. We must always be on alert to stay away from people who are bad.

Some examples of people who are bad association

• Those who lie, cheat, or deceive.
• Those who hype up people.
• Those who claim to be gurus but have no proper knowledge of the scriptures. Such people will misguide by giving false teachings.
• Those who engage in sex outside marriage.
• Those with no family values. Such people will break up families.
• Those who have no service to others attitude.
• Those who are completely self-centered.

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