Krsna’s householder life
- Perfectly happy, free from all contamination, entanglement, untouched by modes of material nature, no struggle, difficulty and problems
KB CH 70 Lord Krsna’s daily activities
- SB Laksmi praying to Lord: Anyone who has a husband other than You is missing out: She has got some incompetent person who can’t even protect himself what to speak of protecting his wife and children
- SB Rukmini: Anyone who has a husband other than You just has a bag of mucus, bile and air, with eyebrows and moustache …
- We make a distinction: This is external potency and this is internal potency
- But even if you think Krsna appears in the external potency: For Krsna the external potency works just like the internal potency – no difference
- Yogis can expand themselves into 8 similar forms who act in the same way at the same time
- But Krsna expanded Himself into 16108 forms who acted differently at the same time – this only the SPOG can do
Krsna showed the ideal example of a grhasta
Prabhupada: Our KC-movement is meant for family life
But not this material family (husband, wife and children) but Krsna’s family
The goal of our KC-movement is to enter into the family of Krsna in the spiritual sky
Either in Dwaraka or Goloka Vrndavana Krsna has his eternal pastimes and as living entities we are also meant for taking part in those eternal pastimes of Krsna
At the present moment we are entangled in material desires, activities and consciousness but when we become purified by chanting Hare Krsna and engaging in devotional service then we’ll be freed from all material desires and we’ll be able to see Krsna and enter into the direct service of Krsna’s pastimes in the spiritual sky
This is our goal – not an ordinary thing
The materialists are very eager to get some comfortable temporary situation but the devotees know that this is not possible and they are after this spiritual situation to become situated in the association of the Lord or the devotional service of the Lord
(30:02)
Q&A
Only get children if
- You can make them Krsna-conscious
- You can support them – especially in Kali-yuga very difficult (Prabhupada: 1 or 2 children – otherwise in previous times they had many children and also many wives – big family – that wasn’t a big problem) in Kali-yuga if a man can support a wife and one or two children he is considered very expert – one or two children: otherwise more become a burden
Marry only if you are capable to support a wife and children
- For some to manage a wife and one child goes beyond their capability – they should remain brahmacari
- Those who are capable can get married
- System was that a very capable person would marry several wives and thereby free some men who would not marry any
Brahmana – brahmacari – grhastha – vanaprasta - sannyasi
Ksatriya – brahmacari – grhastha - vanaprasta
Vaisya – brahmacari – grhastha
Sudra – grhastha
Prabhupada’s attitude towards marriage in ISKCON
- At one point Prabhupada was very pleased with his householder devotees particularly those preaching in England (maybe some other places also) – they were doing so nicely – so he made more householder couples to do the same thing
- So many unmarried girls would come – ok, get married, become nice householder couples and open centres, spread KC – husband and wife can work combined
- Some did that which was very nice – some are doing that now which is also very nice
- But when he saw that among these grhastha couples there are so many couples who are in difficulty – Prabhupada got tons of letters about problems in grhastha life
- So for Prabhupada it became a huge burden that they were becoming frustrated, entangled and sinful
- So he became disgusted with it: No more householders
- Otherwise he was encouraging them: As this grhastha couple did you can also do
- But then he saw that they wouldn’t follow their vows and they had so many difficulties and became disgusted
- That was the end of that wave
Tendency: If not properly engaged in devotional service one seeks a wife
- When people are nicely engaged in the Sankirtan movement: strictly following the regulative principles, get up early, chanting, engaging in service of deity, having ecstatic kirtan, preaching, distributing books, morning till night engaged in devotional service – then naturally the force of that devotional service minimizes material desires
- When material desires are minimized one forgets I am a man or woman and I am supposed to be happy with temporary material comforts and one forgets about these things and just wants to go on serving Krsna, chanting Hare Krsna and spreading the glories about Krsna
- In that atmosphere the number of people who marry is expected to be less – because there is no need
- But when devotees are not properly engaged or in some other ways there are discrepancies like that – material desires become more prominent:
- Men start thinking: Unless I have a wife and can’t be happy
Prabhupada became disgusted that everyone was making him into the counsellor
Prabhupada at all times recommended
- Better to remain brahmacari (throughout different Cantos)
- Or after the age of 50 take sannyasa
- And even within household life sex life should be minimized
- Disciple of Prabhupada got married and the suddenly he got an unsolicited letter from Prabhupada – right when he was getting married and Prabhupada counselled him: Your wife is not a machine for sense gratification – and now I have this facility of unlimited sense gratification – NO! Strictly following the principles and engaging in devotional service
In the beginning there were arrangements or asramsas for unmarried ladies
- But it was generally found that the ladies were not very settled
- They would fight with one another
- Or there would be this problem or that problem
- Because generally women need husbands
- In one sense married life is so troublesome let them avoid – women also – but the general experience is that women require husbands
- So even if the brahmacarini asrama was there it would not be very much settled up – so they would want to get married
If they are single women are dissatisfied – if they are married they are dissatisfied
- Therefore the only solution is to chant Hare Krsna and become Krsna-conscious
- There is no materially good arrangement
- Real solution to all the problems of life is to become Krsna-conscious
- Arrangements for material happiness will never succeed
Temples are for preaching
- Not for our comforts
- Brahmacaris can travel and preach – that’s ideal brahmacari life – they don’t need a temple
- Temple is for public – that is mainly grhasthas
- Still one can be brahmacari without preaching: like two bothers of Mayapur who are just serving the deities – that’s there preaching – they don’t need to go out and preach – thousands of people are coming to get the mercy of Radha-Madhava – they don’t require to travel and preach – they also don’t require a wife: when you have Radha-Madhava what do you need a wife for? They are happy and peaceful.
- Generally for brahmacaris travelling and preaching is very nice – ‘Prabhupada: A rolling stone gathers no moss’ – don’t stay packed-up in the temple: travel, preach, distribute books, spread KC
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