Putra: The son who cares for parent in after-life

There is a significant meaning behind the word "Putra". Let us look at the etymological origin of the word, as follows:

Pu-nāmno narakāt trāyate iti putraḥ.

Pu is a hell from which the son who saves the departed parent is called Putrah. While "Pu" refers to hell - "trāyate" means to save.

In other words, a true son is one who contributes to the spiritual welfare of his parents, uplifting them and protecting them from spiritual downfall.

We should therefore understand not just the significance behind the meaning but also the responsibility of a putra who is not merely a son by birth. A true putra is one who becomes the cause of his parents' well-being in this world and beyond.

King Pṛthu stands as the ideal example of such a son. Let us look at the following verse from the Śrīmad Bhāgavatam:

yad venam utpatha-gataṁ dvija-vākya-vajra-niṣpluṣṭa-pauruṣa-bhagaṁ niraye patantam

trātvārthito jagati putra-padaṁ ca lebhedugdhā vasūni vasudhā sakalāni yena

Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 2.7.9

King Pṛthu rescued his father, Vena, who had deviated from the path of righteousness and was destined for a hellish condition. By the power of his own virtue and righteousness, Pṛthu delivered his father and thereby demonstrated the true meaning of the word putra.

This verse teaches that a true son is not merely one who serves his parents during their lifetime, but one who also becomes the cause of their spiritual welfare and ultimate upliftment.

As part of our spiritual counselling to the bereaved we should teach ourselves and the generations to come the signficance in coping with the loss of the beloved parent and remind the responsibility we have for care towards the parents here and in their after-life. Various traditions have their own ways to rememeber the departed. These traditions should be respected and followed as in my view they were originally designed to be part of bereavement process to come to terms with the loss of the beloved parent. The example of Venu and Prithu Maharaja, goes a step further to remind us that we should not be clouded by the quality of the relation we may have shared as a parent and child and even if it was sour the child still has the responsibility to remember, respect and help the departed parent in the after-life.

By: Dr. Malladi Srinivasa Sastry

www.hindumitra.org