Religious debts in Hinduism are basically the obligations and duties that people have towards someone else. These could be towards ancestors, Gods, teachers, parents, or anyone else. And these duties are not something that Hindus shrug off! These ‘rins’ are diligently repaid, and elaborate rituals are also done to remove these debts. It is believed that when these debts are not repaid, it results in blocks and obstructions in life, success, opportunities, and more.

‘Rin’ translates to debt in Sanskrit and is a part of Hindu dharma. It is the moral and spiritual duty of an individual to repay their rin to attain moksha in their life. And Hindus are, by birth, under 3 rins, or debts, Pitr rin, Dev rin, and Rishi rin. The Pitr rin is of the ancestors, the Dev rin is for the Gods, and the Rishi rin is for the teachers and gurus who bless us with wisdom.

Pitr rin is the debt owed to one’s ancestors, including parents and forefathers. Ancestors are respected in the Hindu culture for they are the ones because of whom we came onto Earth. The parents and ancestors gave us life, nurtured us, and passed onto us values, traditions, and faiths that we cherish.This is a debt to the family, to lineage, and asks people to continue the cycle of life. As the ancestors guide us and their descendants spiritually, the descendants too shall honour this debt.

Dev rin is the debt that Hindus have to the Gods and the forces we cannot see. Why and what do we owe to the Gods? Well, the 5 elements of nature that sustain life be it fire, or water, or land, is given to us by the Gods. They control the winds, the waters, have given us the soil and land, and much more. And thus, humans owe some form of debt to the Gods for providing them with basic forces of life.

Rishi rin is the debt we owe to the sages, teachers, and gurus who taught us and gave us the knowledge we need to survive in this world. The teachers, be it the gurus of Gurukuls, or the professors in Universities, have always done their best to teach the next generation and help them progress in life. And so, every Hindu is under debt of their Gurus, and has to fulfil his or her duty of paying it back to them. The Rishi rin makes people realise the importance of wisdom, education, and guidance in human life.

For Hindus, fulfilling these debts and duties is of utmost importance. It is believed that a person who can fulfill even one of the 3 duties attains Moksha. And to fulfill these duties there are many rituals and everyday activities that are done. For example, to fulfil the Pitr rin people perform rituals and ceremonies to honour their ancestors. Some believe that the Pitra Paksha is the perfect time to repay the Pitr rin and ‘Tarpana’ or offering water to the departed souls, also helps here. In Dev rin, people are expected to perform everyday pujas and rituals to honour the Gods. Something as little as a 5-minute chant and prayer or as big as a Yagna is said to help repay the Dev rin. And for the Rishi rin, people are expected to study the Vedas, the Upanishads, the Ramayan, Mahabharat, and the likes and also further their learnings to the society for greater good.