19870613 Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 7.14.2 Chipped Rice festival/ Wedding Fire Sacrifice

The following is a class given by His Holiness Jayapatākā Swami on June 13th, 1987 in Atlanta, Georgia. The class occurred during the Chipped Rice festival and was about the Srimad Bhagavatam 7th canto, chapter 14, text 2.

mūkaṁ karoti vācālaṁ
paṅguṁ laṅghayate girim
yat-kṛpā tam ahaṁ vande
śrī-guruṁ dīna-tāraṇam
paramānanda-mādhavam

(ŚB 7.14.2)

śrī nārada uvāca
gṛheṣv avasthito rājan
kriyāḥ kurvan yathocitāḥ
vāsudevārpaṇaṁ sākṣād
upāsīta mahā-munīn

Translation: My dear King, those who stay at home as householders must act to earn their livelihood, and instead of trying to enjoy the results of their work themselves, they should offer these results to Kṛṣṇa, Vāsudeva., The Supreme Personality of Godhead. How to satisfy Vāsudeva in this life can be perfectly understood through the association of great devotees of the Lord.

Purport: The format for gṛhastha, householder life should be dedication to the Supreme Personality of Godhead. In the Bhagavad-gītā (6.1) it is said:

anāśritaḥ karma-phalaṁ kāryaṁ
karma karoti yaḥ
sa sannyāsī ca yogi ca
na niragnir na cākriyaḥ

One who is unattached to the fruits of his work and who works as he is obligated is in the renounced order of life, and he is the true mystic, not he who lights no fire and performs no work. Whether one acts as a brahmacārī, gṛhastha, vānaprastha or sannyāsī, he must act only for the satisfaction of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Vāsudeva — Kṛṣṇa, the son of Vasudeva. This should be the principle for everyone’s life. Nārada Muni has already described the principles of life for a brahmacārī, vānaprastha and sannyāsī, and now he is describing how a house holder should live. The basic principle is to satisfy the Supreme Personality of Godhead.

The science of satisfying the Supreme Lord can be learned as described here: sākṣād upāsīta mahā-munīn. The word mahā-munīn refers to great saintly persons or devotees. Unless one associates with devotees, one cannot learn the science of vāsudevārpaṇa, or dedicating one’s life to Vāsudeva, Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Personality of Godhead.

In India the principles of this science were followed strictly. Even fifty years ago, I saw that in the villages of Bengal and the suburbs of Calcutta, people engaged in hearing the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam daily, sacred scriptures daily, when all their activities ended, or at least in the evening before going to bed. Everyone would hear the sacred Bhāgavatam. Bhāgavatam classes were held in every village, and thus people had the advantage of hearing Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, which describes everything about the aim of life — liberation or salvation. This will be clearly explained in the next verses.

Jayapatākā Swami: So, the purpose of human life is the same whether one is a student or a householder or retired or in the renounced order. The goal of life is to go back to home, back to Godhead, to develop love for Godhead. The purpose is not different. Similarly, the basic activities of spiritual life are not different for persons in different āśramas. However, the household āśrama has got some specific, spiritual, some specific programs which are not existing in the other āśramas, namely they can raise a family, they have, they can have a house or some place to live, raise a family. They have the license to, in this way do certain activities in family life which are not allowed in the other āśramas.

Still Prabhupāda says one must find some time for hearing Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam and Bhagavad-gītā. This is Vedic culture, one should work eight hours at the most to earn his livelihood and either in the afternoon or in the evening a householder should associate with devotees to hear about the incarnations of Kṛṣṇa and His activities and thus gradually be liberated from the clutches of māyā. However, instead of finding time to hear about Kṛṣṇa, the householder after working hard in offices and factories, find time to go to a restaurant or club, but instead of hearing about Kṛṣṇa and His activities. Hearing about God they are very much pleased to hear about the political activities of demons and non-devotees and into enjoying sex, women, wine, meat and in this way waste their time. This is not gṛhastha life. Kṛṣṇa conscious movement however, with its centres all over the world gives such fallen persons an opportunity to hear about Kṛṣṇa.

So Prabhupāda, he thought that the modern, materialistic society was lacking in this one aspect, people could have family life they could have happy life, but instead of having as the entertainment, things which are actually against God consciousness, which are detrimental, which are by nature even tending to be demoniac. Then instead husband and wife with children, they could engage in their livelihood, at the same time chant the names of Kṛṣṇa. Hear the pastimes, the lessons from the scriptures and do some devotional service. Now, here Ganga mantri and Neela Madhuri they are serving in the temple as full time devotees, doing their services, in serving the public through giving Kṛṣṇa consciousness in different ways, by helping in the functioning. This type of dedicated household life Prabhupāda also appreciated it, as being of the nature of the brāhmaṇa.

At the same time, whether one is in this situation or whether one is for instance, Pāṇḍava and Caitanya Rūpa at the present time, they have their employment, their house outside. They regularly come to the temple and they perform devotional service, both in their homes as well as in the temple. During the day they have their jobs, where they work in one in for AT&T and another in a private enterprise. So in this way they are also showing the other aspect that Prabhupād mentioned. Working during the day and then hearing about Kṛṣṇa katha and chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa in the morning. And then in the evening before going to bed hearing some more about Kṛṣṇa. So, in this way, the center of life should be kept with God in the center, Kṛṣṇa in the center, so that at the end of life we can go back to home, back to the spiritual world, back to the kingdom of Godhead. So that although we are in the material world, husband, wife help each other to keep Kṛṣṇa in the center. To keep their goal very much focused.

Even when they have children, the children may also be trained, who they are, what is the purpose of life, what is this world and what is the spiritual world where God resides or Kṛṣṇa resides. And how to achieve liberation or salvation in life. All these things should be taught to the children, not so that they only know the material side of life and they don't know that there is a spiritual side, there is higher purpose to life. More than living and trying to gratify whatever demands, the senses give, make of us. Prabhupād said this was the basic difference, the vedas says there is difference in human life and animal life. Animal life doesn't have marriage, marriage is considered a sacrifice.

What is this meaning of sacrifice, to voluntarily do something, restricting our activities or limiting our activities or doing a particular activity as an offering for the pleasure of God. So, to accept the responsibility of being a husband and wife that is a sacrifice. In the modern world where people are becoming in many places, less religious people don't bother to get married. Why bother, what do you need a piece of paper for, they so many things like that, actually the purpose of marriage is to take God as a witness and to engage cooperatively as husband and wife with the blessings of The Supreme Personality of Godhead. So that one, although living in material life, in material life there is going to be happiness, there is going to be suffering. We have to tolerate both. We cannot avoid the happiness, neither one can completely avoid suffering. So one has to learn to tolerate both the different aspects. Suffering, of course nobody thinks about tolerating happiness, everyone thinks about tolerating or trying to avoid suffering. But for spiritual life one learns to become gradually equal both in happiness and distress. One learns not to lose sight of the goal even though one is experiencing material happiness and even though there is difficulty, one should not also lose the spiritual perspective on life.

So, in taking this responsibility as husband and wife, this is going to be explained later, that the husband sees the wife as being the property of Kṛṣṇa of Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa. As the mantra said at the end, where the father states that I am giving this daughter but actually the daughter is not mine, in the real sense the daughter belongs to God, to Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa and on their behalf, I gave the daughter. So may they bless the daughter and the bride groom to have a happy life and that in this consciousness that the daughter may be protected. Similarly the daughter or the bride, the wife, she sees the husband as the representative of Kṛṣṇa, husband is to act as the representative of guru and Kṛṣṇa to. So that when the wife is serving the husband or assisting the husband in his material life as well as his spiritual activities, she is doing it with the consciousness that I am serving God. i am serving Kṛṣṇa because the husband is acting on behalf of Kṛṣṇa to protect me or to give me guidance or association. So I am also assisting him with this idea that I am serving Kṛṣṇa through the husband.

So, in both the regards, both aspects, the bride, the bridegroom, they both keep their mind Kṛṣṇa conscious. As I mentioned before, that the karmic responsibilities therefore also are unifying, so they are considered one unit, husband and wife now become one. And the Veda says they are considered one and wife is considered one half, husband is considered one half. Of the two, they call the wife the better half. So, in this way they don't have a separate interest. They should work with one interest, with one common goal, one common interest, one common co-operation.

Of course, two people they are always going to have difficulty sometimes. Some type of misunderstanding may come up, even though karmically through the marriage sacrifice one may be considered one but mentally we may not always be able to adjust or see that we may see our all through false ego. Think our interest is different from the wife’s and forget or vice versa. In this way, there might be some discussion or some, it's a natural thing. But Śrīla Prabhupāda said that this should be considered like the disagreements among little children. Should not be taken seriously. One should take it with the higher objective to being Kṛṣṇa conscious to being responsible as a husband and wife. As a gṛhastha couple and tolerate any kind of difficulties as test, as little tests, as insignificant matters that don't really count. Of course, at this time we would hope that there would never be any kind of disagreement or anything. But just for the record in case if it does happen, that shouldn't be taken very seriously. According to this to the Vedic custom, the marriage should be until forever, until there shouldn't be separation, until death. Either physical or civil, apart from that. Civil death of course means of course sannyāsa sometimes after the age of 50 and other death we already know what that is. So till then, there shouldn't be any separation, husband and wife should be together. This is their specific license that they can associate with each other. They are friends with each other, they are helpful to each other.

Now the Vedas say that a man should respect every woman as a mother except his wife, wife he respects as his wife. But the man doesn't look to other woman with that type of attitude that one might look as a to a wife having that type of intimate friendship or intimate relationship in a more of an amorous level. Man would look to other woman with respect as a mother, this should be the training. This is so that one can give maximum attention to spiritual life and not be distracted. If he allow the mind to be distracted then there is no, there is no there is no limit to distractions that are there in the material world. So by taking this responsibility, taking a married life one should take advantage of the situation to try to control the mind and be peaceful within this relationship. And use maximum energy to associate with devotees, to serve Kṛṣṇa, to hear about Kṛṣṇa, chant Hare Kṛṣṇa in addition to the other normal activities that one has to do to survive in the material world. So that at the end of life one can go back to Kṛṣṇa, this is the basic formula. So do that, there are certain regulations and certain systems for responsible gṛhastha life under the guidance of the spiritual master. Which one accepts, so therefore as I mentioned human life has marriage and animal life doesn't have marriage.

Marriage is meant as a sacred institution, this also this marriage is accepted by Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa says in the Bhagavad-gītā that the married life, the procreation with the activities which are done according to the Vedic, not against the vedic principles are non-different from Him. So in this way we wish all a good fortune for the couples that they can advance in their Kṛṣṇa consciousness. They can have a peaceful family life, we hope that any children they have will grow to be great contributionist to the society, to the world as first class human beings, and devotees of Kṛṣṇa, of God. Let me thank all the parents and friends for coming here to encourage the bride and bridegroom in this the newly weds, in their life of responsibility and for happy life.

We are in the renounced order, so someone may say why someone who is a monk or renounced order participating in the marriage ceremony. As mentioned here in the verse, that one who stops lighting fires or doing sacrifices, fire. One who stops engaging in different activities for the pleasure of Kṛṣṇa, of God, he is not a real sannyāsī, so this is one of the activities which is meant for spiritual advancement, for those in the preceding ashrams of life. The brahmacārī becomes gṛhastha, so to encourage people to take this responsibility of vivāha, of marriage, this is one of the sacrifices recommended in the Vedas. So therefore a sannyāsī for helping disciples in advancing in spiritual life, they are prescribed, they may participate in the ceremonies, even though they themselves have already left this stage of life. And are no longer, doesn't apply to them personally, but for helping others in the less advanced stage of life, certainly recommended to encourage them. So

Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa, Hare Hare
Hare Rāma, Hare Rāma, Rāma Rāma, Hare Hare .

Just to bring in focus with our festival which we are going to be having tomorrow, Pāṇihāti is famous for its different spiritual festivals. And one of the special features was that Rāghava Paṇḍita, one of the great devotees of Lord Caitanya, he used to cook feasts and prasādam for Lord Caitanya. It's also one of the duties of the gṛhastha is to feed the renounced orders in life. And one of the important aspect to know is that Raghava Pandit and his sister Damayanti, they were both considered to be very great devotees of Lord Caitanya. But they were in the gṛhastha order of life, they were considered as already liberated souls because of their absorption in Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Therefore, if one as a gṛhastha absorbs themselves in spite of all the distractions that may be there in family life, but they somehow are able to continue keeping their focus on Kṛṣṇa and serving Kṛṣṇa, then they are also considered to be on a liberated platform. Even while they are in the family life and that will not be an obstacle for their advancement in Kṛṣṇa Consciousness.

Hare Kṛṣṇa!