Housewife

Expressions researched:
"housewife" |"housewives"

SB Canto 1

SB 1.9.17, Translation and Purport:

O best among the descendants of Bharata (Yudhiṣṭhira), I maintain, therefore, that all this is within the plan of the Lord. Accepting the inconceivable plan of the Lord, you must follow it. You are now the appointed administrative head, and, my lord, you should now take care of those subjects who are now rendered helpless.

The popular saying is that a housewife teaches the daughter-in-law by teaching the daughter. Similarly, the Lord teaches the world by teaching the devotee. The devotee does not have to learn anything new from the Lord because the Lord teaches the sincere devotee always from within. Whenever, therefore, a show is made to teach the devotee, as in the case of the teachings of Bhagavad-gītā, it is for teaching the less intelligent men. A devotee's duty, therefore, is to ungrudgingly accept tribulations from the Lord as a benediction. The Pāṇḍavas were advised by Bhīṣmadeva to accept the responsibility of administration without hesitation. The poor subjects were without protection due to the Battle of Kurukṣetra, and they were awaiting the assumption of power by Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira. A pure devotee of the Lord accepts tribulations as favors from the Lord. Since the Lord is absolute, there is no mundane difference between the two.

SB 1.10.6, Translation and Purport:

Because of the King's having no enemy, the living beings were not at any time disturbed by mental agonies, diseases, or excessive heat or cold.

To be nonviolent to human beings and to be a killer or enemy of the poor animals is Satan's philosophy. In this age there is enmity toward poor animals, and therefore the poor creatures are always anxious. The reaction of the poor animals is being forced on human society, and therefore there is always the strain of cold or hot war between men, individually, collectively or nationally. At the time of Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira, there were no different nations, although there were different subordinate states. The whole world was united, and the supreme head, being a trained king like Yudhiṣṭhira, kept all the inhabitants free from anxiety, diseases and excessive heat and cold. They were not only economically well-to-do, but also physically fit and undisturbed by supernatural power, by enmity from other living beings and by disturbance of bodily and mental agonies. There is a proverb in Bengali that a bad king spoils the kingdom and a bad housewife spoils the family. This truth is applicable here also. Because the King was pious and obedient to the Lord and sages, because he was no one's enemy and because he was a recognized agent of the Lord and therefore protected by Him, all the citizens under the King's protection were, so to speak, directly protected by the Lord and His authorized agents. Unless one is pious and recognized by the Lord, he cannot make others happy who are under his care. There is full cooperation between man and God and man and nature, and this conscious cooperation between man and God and man and nature, as exemplified by King Yudhiṣṭhira, can bring about happiness, peace and prosperity in the world. The attitude of exploiting one another, the custom of the day, will only bring misery.

Bhagavad-gita As It Is Lectures

Lecture on BG 1.31 -- London, July 24, 1973:

So we are also living in house, very nice house. But still, we are not gṛhastha. A Gṛha, to live in a house, does not mean a gṛhastha. Na gṛhaṁ gṛham ity āhuḥ. Gṛhastha means gṛha. Gṛhe tiṣṭhati iti gṛhastha. Every Sanskrit word has got elaborate meaning. Gṛhastha means one who stays in gṛha, in house. He is called gṛhastha. So we can be called gṛhastha also. We are living in house. No. Śāstra says, na gṛhaṁ gṛham ity āhuḥ: "Simply a house is not gṛha." There must be the housewife. That means wife. Gṛhiṇī gṛham ucyate. In Hindi this word is used, garbhali means if there is no wife, that is not gṛha. And another Cāṇakya Paṇḍita says, putra-hīnaṁ gṛhaṁ śūnyam. "You have got wife, but if you have no children, that gṛha is also void."

Lecture on BG 2.32 -- London, September 2, 1973:

So ideal state means the king must be very responsible. There are many instances. Just like Yudhiṣṭhira Mahārāja, he was a pious king. In Bengali there is a proverb—rājar doṣe rāja naṣṭo doṣe gṛhastha bhraṣṭa.(?) If the king is not pious, then the whole kingdom is spoiled. Similarly if the housewife is not good, the whole family is spoiled. Everyone has got this experience. So, the king must be very honest, pious, religious. Therefore they are called rājarṣi. Although they are king, but they are just like saintly person. Just like Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira.

Lecture on BG 5.22-29 -- New York, August 31, 1966:

His wife was sick and the maidservant was also sick. So the gentleman called for a doctor, and the doctor treated both the patients, and the doctor said that "Your wife has got 98 temperature, nothing serious. But your maidservant, she has got 104 temperature, so she should be taken care of." Now, the housewife, she became angry. She told the doctor, "Oh, I am the head of the family. I have got only 98 temperature? And my maidservant has got 104? So you are not a doctor!"

Lecture on BG 9.20-22 -- New York, December 6, 1966:

Then "All right, my dear boys. You come on." And gave him shelter. And, "No. I shall go because Arjunācārya again comes. He will chastise us." "No, no. You sit down, take foodstuff." He(she) prepared foodstuff, and then they went away. And when Arjunācārya came back, then he saw that his wife is eating. Because it is the system of Indian families that after the husband has taken the food, the wife will take. So they don't take together. After the family members—the boys and the husband is sumptuously fed—then the housewife takes

Srimad-Bhagavatam Lectures

Lecture on SB 1.8.40 -- Mayapura, October 20, 1974:

It was very difficult to adjust where the another festival, in which month it should be observed. So we have got experience—in Lakṣmī-pūjā, all new cloth. The children, at least, at least the children and the housewife will have new cloth for every function. And what was the price of cloth? Very cheap. One rupee, four annas; one rupee, six annas, per pair. So we have seen it.

Lecture on SB 1.10.4 -- Mayapura, June 19, 1973:

So due to good king, in... There is a maxim in Bengali: rājera doṣe rāja naṣṭa, rājya naṣṭa, gṛhiṇī doṣe gṛhastha naṣṭa(?). This is very important instruction. If the king of the state is an impious man, sinful man, that kingdom will never be happy. Naṣṭa. Everything is spoiled. As much as in a family, if the housewife is not good, contaminated, then there is no good life in the family. In Western countries especially, and in this country also, nowadays, there is no peace between husband and wife, and there is no, practically, no family life.

Lecture on SB 7.6.1 Excerpt -- San Francisco, March 16, 1968:

Their meditation fails. But in our case Your lotus feet is so much fixed up in our heart that we are thinking of You and we cannot discharge our family duties. So kindly get out of our heart." Just see. "Please excuse. Kindly go out of our heart so that I, we can do our duties." That was their prayer. Therefore that is Kṛṣṇa consciousness, ideal Kṛṣṇa consciousness. You have to mold your life in such a way that you cannot think of Kṛṣṇa, you cannot think but Kṛṣṇa, only. The gopīs were doing their duties. They were household..., housewife, girls. They had their husbands, children. But in spite of all these things, they were thinking of Kṛṣṇa.

Lecture on SB 7.9.11 -- Montreal, August 17, 1968:

There is a story that some sannyāsī went to a householder, because a sannyāsī goes to householder for begging. They are begging also like that. They are not beggars, but they introduce as beggar so that the householder may receive and take some advantage of his knowledge. He is not beggar. So one beggar went to a householder, and the housewife said, "Oh, this beggar has come from door to door. Give him some ashes." So the sannyāsī replied, "All right. Give me some ashes. Just begin your charity." Just begin your charity. So similarly, Kṛṣṇa, when He wants, "Give Me a little flower, a little fruit, a little water," it does not mean that He is begging. He is just inducing me to the practice of offering everything which belongs to Kṛṣṇa.

īśāvāsyam idaṁ sarvaṁ

yad kiñcid jagatyāṁ jagat

tena tyaktena bhuñjīthā

mā gṛdhaḥ kasya svid dhanam

(ISO 1)

Nectar of Devotion Lectures

The Nectar of Devotion -- Bombay, January 4, 1973:

Neither they were any disturbed with anxieties. These are stated in the Bhāgavata. If the king, if the government men, they become devotee, then automatically the prajās will be happy. Why they are hankering after Rāma-rājya? Because the head of the kingdom is the purest. So in a, in our Bengali language, it is said that if the king is sinful, the whole kingdom becomes lost. And if in the family, if the housewife is sinful, then the whole family becomes lost. It is a common saying. So the difficulty is that nobody... We are grudging against government. So many complaints we have got. But there is no question of grudging against government; because we are not Kṛṣṇa consciousness, Kṛṣṇa conscious, therefore we are electing our representatives, fools and rascals.

1968 Conversations and Morning Walks

Room Conversation -- October 27, 1968, Montreal, With First Devotees Going to London On Evening of Their Departure:

Prabhupāda: I think I have cited this example many times, that a foolish patient thinks that increase of fever is very nice. Fever, so what should be the ideal? Fever should decrease. But those who are less intelligent, they think, "Yes, it must increase." (chuckles) There is a drama in Bengali that in a house a doctor came to diagnose. There were two patients, the housewife and the maidservant. So doctor said, "The maidservant's fever is 105, so there is some anxiety. I give some medicine. And the, that landlady, she has no fever practically, 99, so there is no anxiety." But the landlady became angry, that "This doctor is useless.

1969 Conversations and Morning Walks

Room Conversation -- April 12, 1969, New York:

Prabhupāda: Prasāde sarva-duhkhānāṁ hanir asyopajāyate. (pause) Thank you. Govinda dāsī has become very good housewife.

1974 Conversations and Morning Walks

Room Conversation with Richard Webster, chairman, Societa Filosofica Italiana -- May 24, 1974, Rome:

Prabhupāda: If you dedicate something which is not sanctioned by God, then that offering is not pleasing. Suppose I have got a certain taste. If you ask me, "What kind of food I shall prepare for you..." In India, still the system is that the housewife asks the husband, the head of the family, "What you want to eat?" (break) ...offer something to God, you must take sanction from the God if He wants to eat that.

1976 Conversations and Morning Walks

Room Conversation -- July 7, 1976, Baltimore:

Prabhupāda: Woman should be expert in cooking. That is their natural tendency. They should be educated how to cook nicely, how to please the husband, how to take care of the children. This is Vedic civilization. In the beginning a woman, childhood, she's trained up by the mother. Then as soon as she is married, formerly, child-marriage, so she's transferred to the care of mother-in-law. There she is trained up. Then she becomes very good housewife, takes care of household affairs, husband, children, and home becomes happy.

1969 Correspondence

Letter to Govinda -- Los Angeles 16 January, 1969:

I am very glad to learn that you have now become a very good housewife with your very good husband. It is learned also that you are cooking very nice foodstuffs for him. This is very good. Your husband is very busy now, otherwise I would have asked him to continue the work on Caitanya Caritamrta. Now I shall be glad to know what you are doing. Do you propose to manufacture Kartamasi from there? But whatever you do, do it in a program. I hope this will find you in good health.

Letter to Govinda -- Los Angeles 26 January, 1969:

Please accept my blessings. I was very pleased to read your letter of January 19, 1969. I know that you will always be thinking of me as you described in your letter because you are so affectionate to this poor old man. And by your sincere affection you have also made me think of you how you are doing there in Hawaii. I understand from your letter and from Gaurasundara's letter also that you are now engaged as a nice housewife. It is a great pleasure for me to know this. In London, the six couples who are working very hard there have been very much appreciated by the people of London, and their character, behavior, and devotion are attracting sincere people to our movement. I want similar thousands of couples for my disciples to propagate our movement throughout the world. You can always help me in this matter because you are an intelligent girl and you have many talents. So you can utilize your god-gifted qualities for utilizing in Krishna Consciousness.

1971 Correspondence

Letter to Laksmimoni -- Bombay 1 May, 1971:

Please accept my blessings. I am in due receipt of your letter dated 21st April, 1971 as well as the photos of the altar and your fine looking Vaisnava son, sent by separate post. If he grows more teeth you will have to supply him more prasadam. That's nice. And he is such a fortunate child. From the very beginning he is having association with devotees, when he was 6 months old he chose Bhagavatam. So take care of him nicely and raise him a Krishna Conscious child and be blessed with your good husband and child and Lord Jagannatha, and be full of transcendental bliss.

So far as taking care of the Deities and your family simultaneously, you have to do both mutually, but the main importance is Deity worship. Just like a busy housewife always busy in household affairs, yet still she is engaged in dressing herself nicely, combing her hair, etc. So both things go together.

Yes, at least once daily the Deity's clothes must be changed, in the morning. If the Deities are small, as they appear to be from the photograph, then they can be laid down in a bed at night. And they can be given nightgowns to wear before taking rest.