This is about any devotee who leaves home taking renounced order of life (sannyasa) and serving only his Guru and Krishna, and not the parents.
Common people think that he is running away from his duty. But it is actually way higher than they think. Materialistic people cannot know the truth in depth.
Our gurudeva left his family and took sannyasa to serve only his Gurudeva and Krishna.
But his other siblings decided to take care of his parents as the main duty. Now please listen to the saying of Gurudeva about this and then please resume reading after:https://youtu.be/eqHfj2gHnBc
Even though he was not materially serving his parents, Gurudeva says that by taking sannyasa, he was the one who did the topmost seva to his parents!
This may sound really bizarre. But the fact is that he not only did the topmost seva to his parents and also liberated many generations of his ancestors and forthcoming relatives in his line. His siblings could not do these!
There are several truths we can understand:
Our birth and any relations in this lives are purely temporary. They are like constant bubbles appearing in an ocean. The bubbles touch with other bubbles, like relatives, and then they all burst one after another and vanish. After death, the current relatives continue their own journey in their own way. So, who are our relatives?
kā tava kāntā kas tava tanayah
sthira-matir etan mrtim anu gaNaya … (Vrindavana Mahimamrta. 16.98)
“Who is your wife and who is your son? Use your intelligence and understand that we do not have ANY relation other than with Krishna.. and our death is coming soon than we think..”
Then what is the worthy relation? The only worthy relation to have is the association with devotees and does not matter if they are relatives or not.
We came alone and will go back alone, and so does every one. We had so many mothers, so many fathers, so many times wives/husbands and sons and daughters. We are just seeing only one of those temporary moments of our birth-death cycles we are caught in at present.
Srila Gurudev says that even though only his siblings took care of his material father and mother, the topmost seva to his parents were actually done by Gurudeva. Because, by materially serving one’s parents, one is not doing the ultimate (utthama) seva of liberating them.
Lord Krishna has said that when one devotees becomes His bhakta by surrendering to a guru, his 7 generation before and 7 generations after are liberated. By becoming a madhyama bhakta, Lord liberates his 14 generations before and after. By becoming a utthama bhakta (mostly renunciate), Lord liberates his 21 generations before and after. Bhakta Prahlad automatically liberated his father Hiranyakasippu.
It is also said in the sastras that when one becomes a Krishna devotee accepting a guru, all his ancestors who might be in hell, heaven, pitra-loka and any lokas or wherever, they all start to dance! Yes, they dance! Why? Because they are sure that they all will be soon liberated!
So, if we want to do a favor to our parents, taking care of them is fine, but ‘becoming a Krishna devotee’ is the topmost seva! This way, one does the greatest seva not only to the immediate parents liberating them, but also liberating so many generations of relatives who appeared or will appear in generations!
But can everyone become a Krishna bhakta?
dharmācāri-madhye bahuta ‘karma-niṣṭha’
koṭi-karma-niṣṭha-madhye eka ‘jñānī’ śreṣṭha
koṭi-jñāni-madhye haya eka-jana ‘mukta’
koṭi-mukta-madhye ‘durlabha’ eka kṛṣṇa-bhakta (CC Mad 19.147-148)
Among the followers of Vedic dharma, most of them follow the process of karma and karma yoga (fruitive activity). Out of millions of such people, there may be one who is actually wise (jnani). Out of many millions of such wise persons, only one may actually become liberated (mukta), and out of many millions of such liberated persons, a pure devotee of Lord Krsna is very rarely found.
So, the bottom line is: Even to serve the parents, ‘Become a Krishna bhakta in this very life. Do not waste this life.’
When one becomes a renunciate, Krishna assumes and takes over his duty of maintaining his parents or any duty. That is very easy for Him who creates and maintains so many worlds! Krishna assures this again and again in the sastras that He would take care. So, it is so obvious that if one takes shelter in Krishna, then Krishna takes care of the duties of His devotees. This depth of knowledge cannot be understood by materialistic people who are blinded by dharma and karma.
The conclusion is that when a renunciate who dedicated his full life to serve only Sri Guru and Krishna can be seen as a sacrificial lamb who saves so many born relatives, so many of his ancestors, and most of all so many other souls as well.
What more is the highest thing to do? Only the most fortunate and selected by the Lord can actually become a real renunciate to serve Sri Guru and Krishna!.