Father's Day 2021: Gurbani and Sikh History

Father's Day 2021: Every year on the third Sunday in June, Father's Day is commemorated. This year Father's day is going to be celebrated on June 20. It was made to go along with Mother's Day, a day dedicated to moms and motherhood. Unlike Mother's Day, which has been observed since 1914, Father's Day was only established in 1972, when President Nixon signed it into law. The assumption that it's all a man's world is shattered.

In Sikhism, there is no such thing as Father's Day. Throughout the year, respect for elders, particularly your parents, is expected. Nonetheless, because such a day honours the noble ideas of reverence for one's father, Sikh households and institutions are increasingly commemorating it. In any family, the father performs a critical role. He is one of the two cornerstones of any decent family.

Most dads were negligent and shirked their responsibilities prior to the arrival of Guru Nanak Dev Ji. It was normal for men to abandon their families after having a few children. They roamed aimlessly in pursuit of God and higher spirituality. Such searches, needless to say, were a complete failure.

Guru Arjun Dev Ji outlines such useless endeavours in a rousing Shabad at Ang 1348 in Raag Parbhati, and shows that the only route to God is to take the sharan of a Satguru, and it is the 'man,' your intellect, that needs to be channelled towards God.

The concept of 'Pither Rin,' according to Baba Nanak's texts, was borrowed from Vedism. This notion is translated into English as a child's debt to their parents in Sanskrit and Punjabi.

Because our parents looked after us when we were unable to look for ourselves. They are, in essence, just second to the divine intent and karmic system that gave us life. We can't in any way deny it.

From the Gurmat perspective, Baba Nanak's life lesson is an even clearer message for the celebration of the 'Aatamic Bandhan,' or a connection that arises from the soul relations. Baba Nanak's older son, Baba Sri Chand Bedi, would continue to honour his father, and is credited with establishing the foundations for Baba Dera Nanak and Baba Nanak's Samadhi. Despite the fact that he was not chosen as Baba Nanak's successor, both Baba Sri Chand Bedi and Baba Laxmi Chand Bedi would honour their father for the remainder of their lives.