TEXT 11
tat praticcha dvijagryemam
sraddhayopahrtam maya
sarvatmananurupam te
grhamedhisu karmasu
SYNONYMS
tattherefore; praticchaplease accept; dvija-agryaO best of the brahmanas; imamher; sraddhayawith faith; upahrtamoffered as a presentation; mayaby me; sarva-atmanain every way; anurupamsuitable; tefor you; grha-medhisuin the household; karmasuduties.
TRANSLATION
Therefore please accept her, O chief of the brahmanas, 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 grhamedhisu karmasu mean in household duties. Another word is also used here: sarvatmananurupam. 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 grhamedhi. Two words are used in Sanskrit literature; one is grhastha, and the other is grhamedhi. The difference between grhamedhi and grhastha is that grhastha is also an asrama, or spiritual order, but if one simply satisfies his senses as a householder, then he is a grhamedhi. For a grhamedhi, to accept a wife means to satisfy the senses, but for a grhastha 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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