Srimad Bhagavatam Canto 3 Chapter 22 Verse 11

Canto 3: The Status Quo | Chapter 22: The Marriage of Kardama Muni and Devahūti

Bhaktivedanta VedaBase: Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 3.22.11

tat pratīccha dvijāgryemāḿ

śraddhayopahṛtāḿ mayā

sarvātmanānurūpāḿ te

gṛhamedhiṣu karmasu

SYNONYMS

tat — therefore; pratīccha — please accept; dvija-agrya — O best of the brāhmaṇas; imām — her; śraddhayā — with faith; upahṛtām — offered as a presentation; mayā — by me; sarva-ātmanā — in every way; anurūpām — suitable; te — for you; gṛha-medhiṣu — in the household; karmasu — duties.

TRANSLATION

Therefore please accept her, O chief of the brāhmaṇas, for I offer her with faith and she is in every respect fit to be your wife and take charge of your household duties.

PURPORT

The words gṛhamedhiṣu karmasu mean "in household duties." Another word is also used here: sarvātmanānurūpām. The purport is that a wife should not only be equal to her husband in age, character and qualities, but must be helpful to him in his household duties. The household duty of a man is not to satisfy his sense gratification, but to remain with a wife and children and at the same time attain advancement in spiritual life. One who does not do so is not a householder but a gṛhamedhī. Two words are used in Sanskrit literature; one is gṛhastha, and the other is gṛhamedhī. The difference between gṛhamedhī and gṛhastha is that gṛhastha is also an āśrama, or spiritual order, but if one simply satisfies his senses as a householder, then he is a gṛhamedhī. For a gṛhamedhī, to accept a wife means to satisfy the senses, but for a gṛhastha a qualified wife is an assistant in every respect for advancement in spiritual activities. It is the duty of the wife to take charge of household affairs and not to compete with the husband. A wife is meant to help, but she cannot help her husband unless he is completely equal to her in age, character and quality.

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His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda, Founder Ācārya of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness