Baba's Storytime - Remember your Parents

Once, when Siva and Parvati were moving about in the sky, they saw a person cutting the branch of a tree on which he was sitting. As he was on the verge of falling, Parvati prayed to Siva to save him, “Oh Lord, Please save him when he falls on the ground.”

But Siva said to Parvati, “It is you who saw him first. It is you again who realised that he would die when he falls down. So it is your responsibility to save him.”

Parvati replied, “Dear Lord, when someone falls on the ground, he will utter either amma(mother) or appa (father). If this man utters amma, then I will save him, but if he utters appa, you should save him.” Easwara agreed to this proposal.

As the branch broke, both Siva and Parvati came forward to save him. But while falling, this man did not utter either amma or appa; he said, ayyo! (alas!). Though both Siva and Parvati were waiting to save him, he did not call them.

The moral of the story is that we should always remember our parents. One who does not remember the parents even in times of difficulty is really a fool. Lord Easwara and Mother Parvati are the universal parents. If one constantly remembers them, one will not encounter any difficulty or suffering. Unfortunately, today, people do not remember their parents. That is why they are denied protection.

(From the Divine Discourses of Bhagawan Sri Sathya Sai Baba)