Page 49 - Powerful Feminine Qualities

All spiritual striving and desires for achieving love of God are made easily available to the person who chants the
names of Krishna and engages wholeheartedly in His service. Any other method of God realization is difficult in this
age and lacks the immediate and sustainable joy attributed to chanting, dancing and feasting for Krishna. In Krishna
consciousness more emphasis is given to hearing, chanting and dancing instead of performance of rituals. Srila
Prabhupada remarks that Lord Caitanya performed the funeral ceremony for Haridas Thakura, “So Caitanya
Mahaprabhu began to dance. That was the ceremony. Because in a Vaishnava ceremony, everything is kirtana and
dance.”(Conversation San Francisco, April 5-6, 1967)
Krishna has given special dispensation for attaining Him in this present age because of the unfavourable environment
created by the materialist leaders of the world. He says, “This divine energy of Mine, consisting of the three modes of
material nature, is difficult to overcome. But those who have surrendered unto Me can easily cross beyond it.”
Surrendering unto Krishna is easy in this age. Simply chant, dance, take prasadam and always engage in the service of
the Lord in the association of devotees. Practical service offered to the Lord is the best way to remain always in
contact with Krishna. Of all the services available, hearing and chanting about the Lord in the company of genuine
devotees is most favorable for spiritual advancement.
The ideal husband takes the straightforward and easily accessible path of pure Bhakti as set forth by Lord Caitanya for
spiritual practice in this age. He organizes his family life with the consent and support of his wife, who like her
husband, has reached the conclusion that the real goal of life is to return to Godhead. If the parents are not capable of
educating their children in Krishna consciousness, then it is not recommended they have children. It is said, “One who
cannot deliver his dependents from the path of repeated birth and death should never become a spiritual master, a
father, a husband, a mother or a worshipable demigod.” (SB 5.5.18) The responsibility of parenthood is very serious
and requires unflinching dedication to perseverance to follow the spiritual path with the guidance of genuine spiritual
master(s).
Above all, the husband must be qualified to win the respect of his wife by exemplary behavior characterized by gentle
and kind gestures and regulated spiritual practice that inspires his wife to remain chaste and supportive while evolving
her own creative talents in Krishna consciousness. An inspired wife becomes the husband’s greatest friend in the
steady practice of Krishna consciousness.
The husband must learn the importance of curbing the appetite for sense gratification. King Rsabhadeva instructed his
sons the following wisdom, “When a person considers sense gratification the sim of life, he certainly becomes mad
after materialistic living and engages in all kinds of sinful activity. He does not know that due to his past misdeeds he
has already received a body, which, although temporary, is the cause of his misery. Actually, the living entity should
not have taken on a material body, but he has been awarded the material body for sense gratification. Therefore I
think it is not befitting an intelligent man to involve himself again in the activities of sense gratification by which he
perpetually gets material bodies one after another.” (SB 5.5.4)
Curbing the appetite for sense gratification is impossible for the person who lacks the association of genuine devotees.
In such association, one realizes the importance of accepting a bona fide guru(s) for ongoing spiritual instruction and
inspiration. The devotee husband molds his life and that of his family in such a way that he will not forget Krishna in
any circumstance. This is possible when one has a personal relationship with the spiritual master, meaning the diksa
and siksa gurus. One needs constant inspiration to stay engaged in devotional service. Therefore following the daily
temple schedule in the morning and evening is necessary whether at home or in the temple. How one uses spare time
before and after work will determine the quality of one’s spiritual life. Slacking away from steady devotional service
due to negligence of duty will result in an increase of miseries due to willful abandonment of spiritual vows of duty.
Again, Lord Rsabhadeva explains to his sons, “As long as one does not inquire about the spiritual values of life, one is
defeated and subjected to miseries arising from ignorance. Be it sinful or pious, karma has its resultant actions. If a
person is engaged in any kind of karma (good or bad), his mind is called karmatmaka, colored with fruitive (selfish)
activity. As long as the mind is impure, consciousness is unclear, and as long as one is absorbed in fruitive activity, he
has to accept a material body.” (SB 5.5.5)

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