Husband and Wife - United in Kṛṣṇa Consciousness
In the material world, the relationship between husband and wife is often based on mutual lust and temporary convenience. However, in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, this union is transformed into a sacred duty. Śrīla Prabhupāda teaches that when a husband and wife combine to serve the Supreme Lord, their household becomes an āśrama, a place of spiritual cultivation. The perfection of their relationship is not found in sensual enjoyment but in their shared determination to return back to Godhead.
The Spiritual Purpose of Marriage
The Vedic concept of marriage is captured in the term dharma-patnī, which means a wife accepted for the execution of religious duties. Śrīla Prabhupāda emphasizes that human life is meant for reestablishing one's relationship with God, and marriage should facilitate this goal. When a couple cooperates to worship the Lord, their home becomes as good as Vaikuṇṭha, free from the anxiety of material existence.
- A husband and wife establish a relationship by marriage, and then they live together. In a similar way, human life is meant for reestablishing our relationship with God.
- A man should be an ideal servant of the Lord, and a woman should be an ideal wife like the goddess of fortune. Then both husband and wife will be so faithful and strong that by acting together they go back to Godhead.
- According to Bhaktivinoda Thakura, a husband and wife can turn the home into a place as good as Vaikuntha.
- Being absorbed in Krsna consciousness, even in this world husband and wife can live in Vaikuntha simply by installing the Deity of the Lord within the home and serving the Deity according to the directions of the sastras.
Respective Roles and Duties
Peace in the family is maintained when both husband and wife understand their respective positions. The husband is the protector and spiritual master of the wife, responsible for her maintenance and enlightenment. The wife is the source of energy and inspiration; by her chaste service and submissive attitude, she satisfies her husband and keeps his intelligence in good order for spiritual activities.
- Husband and wife, the wife is supposed to be the energy. The husband works day and night very hard, but when he comes home, the wife gives him comfort, eating, sleeping, mating, in so many ways. He gets fresh energy.
- A conscientious wife should be chaste and should abide by the orders of her husband. She should very devoutly worship her husband as a representative of Vasudeva.
- The wife is supposed to inquire from the husband about spiritual advancement of life, and the husband must be competent to reply all the questions of wife. That will keep relation very nice.
- It is the duty of the husband to save, give protection to the wife.
United in Practical Service
The theoretical understanding of marriage must be translated into practical service. Śrīla Prabhupāda notes that Kṛṣṇa consciousness is not about dry renunciation but about engaging in active service together. Whether it is managing a temple, preaching the gospel of Lord Caitanya, or simply maintaining a peaceful home for the children, the combined effort of husband and wife is a potent force for spreading the movement.
- We must be fully equipped, and the preaching work by pairs of husband and wife will be an unique example to the world.
- Grhasthas live outside the temple... Both men and women are preaching the gospel of Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu and Lord Krsna with redoubled strength.
- This is the ideal householder’s life. The husband and wife live together, and the husband works very hard to secure paraphernalia for worshiping Lord Visnu.
The Unbreakable Bond
In the Age of Kali, relationships are often fragile, filled with disagreement and divorce. However, Śrīla Prabhupāda insists that in Vedic culture, the bond between husband and wife is unbreakable. Differences of opinion are natural, but they should not lead to separation. The couple must tolerate difficulties and remain united to execute their duties in Kṛṣṇa consciousness.
- We do not know what is divorce. In our country there is no divorce, at least in Hindu law. Yes. Wife and husband, once combined, that is for life.
- There is no question of divorce or separation. In any condition of life, happiness or distress, you shall continue as husband and wife, because our main business is Krsna consciousness.
- You have got experience that rumbling early in the morning - never there is heavy shower of rain. Similarly, a husband and wife may fight, but if you don't give them any seriousness, they will mitigate.
Ideal Examples of Devotion
The śāstras provide us with historical examples of perfect couples who exemplified these principles. Queen Arci followed King Pṛthu into the forest and eventually into the fire, demonstrating absolute loyalty. Similarly, Kardama Muni and Devahūti showed how a powerful yogi and a qualified wife can unite to produce great progeny and then detach themselves for higher spiritual perfection.
- Prthu Maharaja's wife, Arci, was steadily determined to execute the duty of a wife, and while her husband was in the forest, she followed him in eating only fruits and leaves and lying down on the ground.
- The husband and wife, Kardama and Devahuti, were advanced in yoga practice; the husband was a maha-yogi, great mystic, and the wife was a yoga-laksana, or one advanced in yoga.
- If she (the wife) simply follows in the footsteps of her husband, who must be a devotee, then both husband and wife attain liberation and are promoted to the Vaikunthalokas.
The Path to Renunciation
Family life is not an end in itself but a preparation for ultimate renunciation. The Vedic system prescribes the vānaprastha stage, where the husband and wife retire from household affairs and travel to holy places. In this stage, the wife remains an assistant to her husband, helping him cultivate detachment until he is ready to accept the renounced order of sannyāsa, at which point they separate to fully focus on the Supreme Lord.
- At the age of fifty, the husband and wife goes away from the home and they travel in all places of pilgrimage, just to detach them from family affection.
- In this way (following vanaprastha stage) both husband and wife can advance in spiritual consciousness. This advanced stage is called the paramahamsa stage.
- One can keep his wife as an assistant in the vanaprastha stage. The idea is that the wife will assist the husband in spiritual advancement.
- When the practice is complete, the same retired householder becomes a sannyasi, strictly separate from woman, even from his married wife.
Conclusion
The union of husband and wife in Kṛṣṇa consciousness is a dynamic journey of spiritual partnership. From the early days of raising children and establishing a temple-like home to the final years of pilgrimage and renunciation, the relationship is guided by duty rather than whims. When both partners fulfill their roles with sincerity—the husband as the guide and the wife as the faithful assistant—they navigate the ocean of material existence together and ultimately achieve the perfection of life: returning home, back to Godhead.
Dive Deeper into Śrīla Prabhupāda's Vani
Śrīla Prabhupāda lives within his instructions. This article is a summary of the profound truths found in the Vaniquotes category Husband and Wife. We invite you to visit this link to study the complete compilation and experience Śrīla Prabhupāda's teachings in their direct, verbatim form.