They are, women, are very simple, soft-hearted. The whole idea is they should be given protection. No freedom. That is injunction of the Manu-saṁhitā. Na strī svātantryam arhati. Women should not be given freedom. They must be protected. Not that if . . . Sometimes we receive the complaint in foreign countries, they say that "You keep your women like slaves." I replied, "We do not keep our women as slaves. They're very respectful at home. The sons offer their highest respect to the mother. The husband gives the topmost protection to the wife." This is the example. Just like Lord Rāmacandra. Lord Rāmacandra is the Supreme Personality of Godhead, but Rāvaṇa took Sītā from His protection. Rāmacandra could marry many millions of Sītā, or He could create many millions of Sītā, but He's showing the example that it is the husband's duty to give protection to the wife at any cost. And He did it. For one woman He killed the whole Rāvaṇa's dynasty. This is husband's duty. So protection, not slave. It is protection. The husband should give to the wife the topmost protection, and the wife should be so faithful to the husband that . . . Sītā-devī, she was king's daughter; Videha-rāja, she was the daughter. She was not a poor man's daughter. And Daśaratha Mahārāja did not ask her to go to the forest with her husband. She could easily say, "My dear husband, You are going to the forest. I am king's daughter. I cannot take so much trouble. Better You go. Let me go to my father's house." No. No. "I shall take all the troubles with my husband." This is faithfulness.
Similarly, Draupadī. Draupadī also went with the Pāṇḍavas in the forest when they were banished, and Kuntī-devī also went with her sons in the forest. This is the system. Kuntī-devī had nothing to do with the gambling of Pāṇḍavas and Duryodhana, but because the sons were to go to the forest, the mother also followed and the wife also followed. This is Vedic system. Vedic system . . . Caitanya Mahāprabhu also had very nice, beautiful wife at home and very affectionate mother. Both personalities are very good asset in family. Cāṇakya Paṇḍita said that if one hasn't got mother at home, and the wife is not very agreeable or not very peaceful . . . He said,
- mātā yasya gṛhe nāsti
- bhāryā cāpriya-vādinī
- araṇyaṁ tena gantavyaṁ
- yathāraṇyaṁ tathā gṛham
- (Cānakya-śloka 57)
He advises, if one has no mother at home and wife is apriya-vādinī, she talks very roughly, not very nicely, then that person immediately leave that home and go to the forest. Yathāraṇyaṁ tathā gṛham. For him, either at home or in the forest, the same thing. Yathāraṇyaṁ tathā gṛham. This is Vedic culture. Woman should be trained up from the very beginning how to become good wife and good mother. That is the duty. Vāma-svabhāvā. So here is example; Kuntīdevī is one example, Draupadī one example. We have got many examples how to train woman. They are very soft-hearted. They can be molded in any way. And Bhīṣmadeva has advised . . . When Bhīṣmadeva was in the bed of arrows, śara-śayyā, so the Pāṇḍavas, the Kurus, they took many advices about politics, sociology, many things—religion, king's duty, so many instruction was taken. In that instruction he also confirmed the Vedic injunction that woman should be always protected very carefully. There is one quality of shyness. If you break that shyness of woman, it will be very dangerous. It will be very dangerous. That is the one . . . (indistinct) . . . to check.
So modern civilization is not strictly following the Vedic injunction. Therefore, especially I have seen in the Western countries, there is no home practically. There is no homely happiness. Because women are allowed to mix freely, and there is no protection, they are not married, there is no husband. The father also does not take care. As soon as the girl becomes fifteen, sixteen years, she goes away. Therefore I have practically seen there is no home, there is no peace in the Western countries. These are very important things, that soft-hearted woman, vāma-svabhāvā, they should be given protection. They should be trained up how to become faithful wife, affectionate mother. Then the home will be very happy. And without happiness we cannot make any spiritual progress. We must be peaceful. This is the preliminary condition. Therefore, as far as possible, the Vedic injunction is there should be division in the society, varṇāśrama, varṇāśramācāravatā. Because the whole aim is to reach the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Viṣṇu. Viṣṇur ārādhyate panthā nānyat tat-toṣa-kāraṇam. Varṇāśramācāravatā puruṣeṇa paraḥ pumān viṣṇur ārādhyate (CC Madhya 8.58, Viṣṇu Purāṇa 3.8.9). Our only aim should be how to approach Viṣṇu.