PURPORT

According to Vedic principles, a woman cannot have many husbands, although a husband can have many wives. In special instances, however, it is found that a woman has more than one husband. Draupadi, for instance, was married to all of the five Pandava brothers. Similarly, the Supreme Personality of Godhead ordered all the sons of Pracinabarhisat to marry the one girl born of the great sage Kandu and Pramloca. In special cases, a girl is allowed to marry more than one man, provided she is able to treat her husbands equally. This is not possible for an ordinary woman. Only one who is especially qualified can be allowed to marry more than one husband. In this age of Kali, to find such an equipoised woman is very difficult. Thus according to scripture, kalau panca vivarjayet. In this age a woman is forbidden to marry her husband's brother. This system is still practiced in some of the hilly tracts of India. The Lord says: aprthag-dharma-sileyam bhuyat patny arpitasaya. With the blessings of the Lord, all things are possible. The Lord especially benedicted the girl to surrender equally to all brothers. Aprthag-dharma, meaning occupational duty without difference of purpose, is taught in Bhagavad-gita. Bhagavad-gita is divided into three primary divisions-karma-yoga, jnana-yoga and bhakti-yoga. The word yoga means acting on behalf of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. As confirmed by Bhagavad-gita:

yajnarthat karmano 'nyatra
loko 'yam karma-bandhanah
tad-artham karma kaunteya
mukta-saṅgah samacara

"Work done as a sacrifice for Visnu has to be performed, otherwise work binds one to this material world. Therefore, O son of Kunti, perform your prescribed duties for His satisfaction, and in that way you will always remain unattached and free from bondage." (Bg. 3.9)

One may act according to his own occupational duty just to satisfy the yajna-purusa, the Supreme Personality of Godhead. That is called aprthag-dharma. Different limbs of the body may act in different ways, but the ultimate objective is to maintain the entire body. Similarly, if we work for the satisfaction of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, we will find that we satisfy everything. We should follow in the footsteps of the Pracetas, whose only aim was to satisfy the Supreme Lord. This is called aprthag-dharma. According to Bhagavad-gita:

sarva-dharman parityajya
mam ekam saranam vraja
aham tvam sarva-papebhyo
moksayisyami ma sucah

"Abandon all varieties of religion and just surrender unto Me. I shall deliver you from all sinful reaction. Do not fear." (Bg. 18.66)

This is the advice of Lord Krsna. Our only aim should be to act in Krsna consciousness for the satisfaction of the Lord. This is oneness, or aprthag-dharma.