Debts

Even a small toy from a toy store comes with instructions. However, a child arrives with no such instructions as such. How should one live? What are our debts or obligations? This must have bothered humanity from the dawn of civilization. Ancient seers of India proposed three debts, which everyone should fulfill. Debt implies there is no way out of it. The three debts are:

1. To the Devas (divinities that sustain our existence/mother nature), 
2. To one's parents, and 
3. To the learned. 

Debt to the Devas is fulfilled by doing some good deeds simply for goodness sake. Having a spirit of sacrifice, without expecting anything in return.

Debt to parents is fulfilled by raising or helping to raise a child. 

Debt to the learned is paid by making an effort to learn the contribution made by the learned.  All the know-how we take for granted is a product of people who toiled before us.

In pragmatic terms, it simply means that we be nice to the world we live in, help/ raise a child and learn something for leading life.

Credit: Credit for precisely re-writing the above words (modified a bit post his rewrite) once I sent him an initial writeup goes to Sri Koti Shreekrishna Tatachar.