Significance of Rin/Runa ऋण (Dharmic Debt)
Rin or Rina or Runa means debt and Rin Mochan means debt repayment; Rin and Rin Mochan are two important concepts in Sanatan Dharma. Rin refers to the Dharmic or Spiritual & Moral debt that a human owes to others. One of the most important Hindu scriptures, the Bhagavad Gita, discusses the idea of Rin and Rin Mochan. The scripture states that a person who has accumulated a large amount of Dharmic Rin will be reincarnated into a lower form of existence until they repay their debt. The Gita also mentions that Rin is a form of bondage that can keep a person trapped in the cycle of birth and death. Dharma refers to the moral and ethical duties that a person has to undertake. By fulfilling one's dharma (Moral duty), a person can repay their Rin and progress towards spiritual liberation. In Dharma, a person not only accumulates Karmic debt through his Karma (actions) but he owns various types of debt when he or she has taken birth as a human. This human birth itself is a blessing and every individual owes the universe in different ways just because he/she was born and given a chance to experience this world.
Types of Rins/Runas in Hinduism
It is duty of every being to square off his Dharmic debts. Failure to repay these debts causes various miseries and misfortunes in this life and the next. Different scriptures and school of thoughts mention different types and numbers of Runas. Some mention 3 Runas others 4 Runas, 5 Runas and also 6 Runas. The most widely accepted three Runas are Deva Runa, Pitru Runa and Rishi Runa, some scriptures mention Pancha Maha Runas which adds Manushya runa and Bhuta Runa to the three Runas. Still some scriptures mention about Matru Runa, and also Brahma Runa which is in fact another name for Rishi Runa.
Below are the most widely accepted six Runas of Sanatan Dharma.
Deva Runa – Dev Runa is debt towards the Gods
Pitru Runa – Pitru Runa is debt towards Father/Ancestor
Rishi Runa – Rishi Runa is debt towards Sages/Teacher
Matru Runa – Matru Runa is debt towards Mother
Manushya Runa – Manushya Runa is debt towards other Humans
Bhuta Runa – Bhuta Runa is debt towards Environment/Elements
How to repay various Dharmic Debts?
As per Vedic scriptures there are ways in which various Runas can be repaid.
- Pitru Runa (Rin) – Pitru Runa (Rin) gets cleared when one respects his elders; perform final rites of the father upon his demise and Shraddh for departed ancestors.
- Matru Runa (Rin) – Matru Runa (Rin) is the debt which one owes to his mother. This Runa (Rin) cannot be repaid, and a person always remains indebted to his mother
- Dev Runa (Rin) – Dev Runa (Rin) is repaid with Worship and Bhakti of Gods & Goddesses
- Rusha Runa (Rin) – This Runa (Rin) is repaid with a person lives his life as per teaching and wisdom of sages, attains knowledge and passes it to others
- Manushya Runa (Rin) – Manushya Runa (Rin) is the debt which one owes to other human beings. This Runa (Rin) is repaid by indulging in charity, donating to less privileged and treating others with love and respect
- Bhuta Runa (Rin) – Bhuta Runa (Rin) is the debt which one owns to the environment/society. This Runa (Rin) is repaid with planting trees, loving and caring for animals and by not polluting the environment.
Apart from performing these deeds to Repay Dharmic Debts (Rin Vimochana) it is also advised to perform Rin Vimochana Puja & Havan. In this puja we pray to Laxmi Devi & Narsimha Bhagwan and chant the Run Vimochana Mantra and perform Homa as per Vedic Vidhi so you can resolve your Dharmic Debts.
Dharma Reddy
|March 2, 2024
Very unique concept of Sanatana Dharma to popularize and propagate instead of shouting about environment.