Hare Krsna
Please accept my humble obeisance. All glories to Srila Prabhupada
Simply living in a home with a husband/wife and children does not make one a Grhastha. A grihamedhi is one who lives externally in a Grhastha environment but whose goal of life is sense enjoyment.
A Grhastha lives a God centered life. He knows the ultimate goal of life but is not able to be completely renounced. A Grhastha is aware that the sense gratification permitted to him will eventually lead to misery and therefore he sincerely endeavors to overcome his tendency for sense gratification by practicing Krishna Consciousness.
If a husband and wife combine together in Krishna consciousness and live together peacefully, help each other and serve each other that is very nice. However, if one is attracted to the opposite sex simply for sex enjoyment, then it becomes an impediment to spiritual progress and the implications of materialistic life will again resume.
It is a glorious combination when the husband engages himself and his wife in devotional service, and the wife is faithful and religious according to the Vedic injunctions.
The Supreme Lord Krishna compassionately describes how a householder should act until his natural propensity for sense gratification, for enjoying sense objects is overcome and he fully attains the characteristics of a pure devotee.
“Having awakened faith in the narrations of My glories, being disgusted with all material activities, knowing that all sense gratification leads to misery but still being unable to renounce all sense enjoyments, My devotee remains happy and worships Me with great faith and conviction. Even though he is sometimes engaged in sense enjoyment, My devotee knows that all sense gratification leads to miserable result and he sincerely repents such activities.”
Within this material world, the sex impulse is so strong that even a sincere candidate in the loving service of the Lord may sometimes be disturbed by sex attraction or by lingering sentiments for wife and children. Although attached to material things he can see clearly that they lead to no good because they simply give him trouble and disturb his devotional service to the Supreme Lord. Therefore, he sincerely repents his foolish attachment to many material things and patiently awaits Lord Krisna’s mercy. [Shrimad Bhagvatam, 11.20.27-28]
2.2. The status of Grhastha asrama and Varna asrama systems
Srila Prabhupada has said that it does not matter whether one is a brahmacari, a Grhastha or a sannyasi. He must try to be a confidential servant of Lord Krishna. The institution of marriage in the Vedic perspective is not to be condemned. Lord Brahma, Lord Shiva and Yamaraja, who are described as mahajanas are Grhasthas.
Lord Gauranga was an ideal Grhastha and later an ideal sannyasi. Many of the associates of Lord Gauranga also had a married life. Arjuna was a Grhastha, a king and a politician. The Supreme Lord Krishna selected Arjuna for imparting the highest
transcendental knowledge. Srila Vyasadeva was a householder.
It is our sacred duty to serve the original system so that Krishna Consciousness can prevail all over the society and usher in happiness for all.
3. Duties and responsibilities in general in Grhastha asrama.
The foremost duty of a Grhastha is to render service. The Grhastha asrama is
meant to serve all four asramaas besides serving brahmanas within its own asrama.
It is described that service in the Grhastha asrama is like crossing over a hill because there are so many obstacles. The duties and responsibilities can be painful at times. However, the service should be rendered in a spirit of detachment, sense of duty with proper understanding for a harmonious living in Krishna Consciousness.
Grhastha asrama is an asrama of sacrifice. A Grhastha works for the benefit of everyone facing all sorts of circumstances.
Vedic culture is a culture of sharing and giving with the consciousness that everything in the universe is controlled and owned by the Lord and that one should accept only those things that necessary for himself, which are set aside as his quota.
A Grhastha’s main duty is to constantly chant the Holy names of the Lord, serve vaishnavas and the Supreme Lord, with the help of one’s relatives and wealth acquired through one’s pious life.
4. Debts in Grhastha Asrama :
It is to be remembered that when one is born and lives in the material world, one becomes the recipient of so many benefits from different sources. Therefore, one is indebted and all through one’s life, one accumulates more and more debts. [Purport;
Caitanya Caritamrita Madhya 22.141; Lecture on Bhagvad-gita at Los Angeles 681211BG LA among others.]
However, Lord Chaitanya Mahaprabhu has recommended for this age, the most practical way of discharging one’s debts, that is, to become a sincere devotee of the Supreme Lord Krishna, perform the sankirtana yajna by chanting the mahamantra and thus become free from all types of obligations.
Comments