Category:Wanting to Marry

Theme Analysis

Śrīla Prabhupāda presents a highly practical and deeply philosophical approach to the institution of marriage. He strictly emphasizes that the desire to marry must be accompanied by the grave responsibility of maintaining a family. A man cannot enter gṛhastha life simply to satisfy his senses; he must first prove his earning capacity and be prepared to support his wife and home independently. Historically, the Vedic standard of marriage was noble and well-regulated, as seen in the flawless union of Kardama Muni and Devahūti, which was conducted strictly according to scriptural injunctions. Furthermore, royal kṣatriya marriages often required a display of great chivalry, where a prince had to defeat all competitors to win the hand of a qualified princess like Queen Rukmiṇī. However, Śrīla Prabhupāda also warns of the dangers of entering marriage due to sudden sensual agitation—like the great yogī Saubhari Muni who fell from his austerities simply by watching fish. Ultimately, for those fully trained in spiritual knowledge as brāhmacārīs, the desire to marry naturally diminishes, and for those ready to accept sannyāsa, past family attachments are left behind to preach Kṛṣṇa consciousness freely.

• The Burden of Responsibility: Marriage is not meant for cheap sense gratification. Any man who wants to marry must be responsible enough to generate an outside income to maintain his wife and family properly.
• Scriptural and Arranged Unions: The ideal Vedic marriage is arranged by qualified parents and conducted according to strict scriptural injunctions, beautifully exemplified by the history of Kardama Muni and Devahūti.
• Royal Chivalry: In the kṣatriya tradition, a prince who wants to marry a highly qualified princess must be prepared to fight and emerge victorious over all his rivals.
• The Danger of Sensual Agitation: Even highly elevated yogīs can fall down if their senses become agitated. Saubhari Muni abandoned his severe austerities and wanted to marry simply after witnessing the mating of fish.
• The Perfection of Renunciation: When boys are properly educated in spiritual science, they often lose the desire to marry. Conversely, for an older man ready to take sannyāsa, releasing his wife to re-marry or live independently frees him for unhindered preaching.

• Explore the synthesized essence of this category in this Vanipedia article: If Anyone Wants to Marry, First of All He Must Show That He Has Some Earning Capacity.