RUNA - AN INDIAN CONCEPT

CONCEPT OF RUNA (DEBT)

In the Indian context, when a person is born, he brings with him three debts (Runas), which he is supposed to repay as his duty.

These are a) Pitr Runa:  Debt towards forefathers

                b) Deva Runa: Debt towards the Creator

                c) Acharya/Guru Runa:   Debt towards the Teacher, usually a spiritual Master.

Each of these debts emerge from the fact that these three sources are responsible for our (re)birth from the previous birth. Although these are termed as Runa – Debt, they are to be considered as duties to be fulfilled for an individual's spiritual progress. Instead of getting bogged down to “repaying” these debts grudgingly, one must repay these with a sense of understanding, gratitude and reverence. Many are not even aware of these Debts to be “repaid” and carry on with their lives “ignorantly”.

Let’s analyze these debts.

a)     Pitr Runa: All the ancestors of a lineage by virtue of their fulfillment of their duties and understanding the spiritual context of life, through the path of rightful living, created families, by having children after marriage and their children in turn did the same down the lineage. The creation of children is perceived not as a mere “product of sexual pleasure” but more as a repayment of what the ancestors have paid us being instrumental in giving us birth. In fact, the context of having children is a “duty-based repayment” course of action. Thus the repayment of this “debt” is prescribed through the simple act of having children through marriage and raising a family. By doing this the individual is said to repay the Pitr Runa.

b)     Deva Runa :  The world in which we are born consists of beauty and bounty from the Creator, naturally endowed by the Almighty for our consumption and benefit. The creation around us is taking care of us by satisfying our physical, emotional, spiritual needs and even more. We take Creation for granted most of the time. Through the prescribed act of Dana (Charity) we are expected to fulfill the debt of Deva Runa. Through Dana, we are also ensuring that we don’t get greedy and that we lead a balanced need-based living.

c)     Acharya/Guru Runa: The teacher has an important role in traditional Indian ethos. The teacher is not an ordinary teacher who transfers knowledge to students. He imbibes values and character-forming habits and puts the student on the self- transformation path. He gives the students inputs through multiple dimensional training & an inner confidence of facing life  without any “crutches”. Thus his role is of a larger significance. The repayment of this debt is through ensuring that we pass on the knowledge to others down the line, through Jnyana Dana. In simple terms, it is considered that knowledge cannot be “cornered” within oneself alone. It becomes truly useful only when it is shared through transference. It must be remembered that Guru Dakshina is a gratitude paid by the Shishaya to the Guru on his own, not a compulsion, while transfer of knowledge is a duty and a prescribed repayment to be done.

To sum it up, all Runas are repaid through selfless duty-bound service (Nishkama Karma).By doing so we constantly remind ourselves that we need to be grateful to our parents and ancestors, the Creator, and the Master. While our ancestors facilitate our presence in this material world, our Guru through his spiritual excellence adds immense value to us and the Creator of course sets the wonderful backdrop/setting for all this to happen.