Srila Gurudeva: You know that there was once a brahmana and he was a realized soul. His name was Yajnavalka. He was the Guru of Maharaja Janaka. Yajnavalka was not an ordinary person. He was a realized soul and so many rsis like Sukadeva Gosvami and others used to go to him. He had two wives,
Maitreya and Katyayani.
They both had some children, some sons and daughters, and when Yajnavalka became around the age of fifty or sixty, he went to his wives Katyayani and Maitreya. He went to Maitreya and asked her, “My dear darling wife, I have given you sons and daughters. Also I have given you so much wealth, so much gold, gardens, and so many cows. I have given you everything. Now I have crossed the age of sixty and now I want to meditate on Krsna. I want to give up householder life. So please let me do this.”
She told him, “I know that you have given me children, you have given so much wealth, so many cows, so much gold, so many big good buildings, and gardens. You have given me everything. But why are you going to the jungle now? You have all these same things that you have given me, so why are you are leaving it all? I want to ask you one thing. Whatever you have given to me; wealth, gold, children, everything, can anyone in this world be happy by these things or not? Can anyone be happy in this world by all these things? And if anyone can be happy by these things, then why are you not happy? Why are you giving it all up and taking the renounced order and going to meditate in the jungle? Please tell me, will I be happy?”
Then he embraced his wife and told her, “Oh, really you are my wife. You are like the other half of my body. Now I am going to tell you that all these things, whatever I have given you, these things cannot make anyone happy. These things cannot give happiness or peace of mind to even an ant or any animal. Never, never, never. Only you should realize that you are the atma, a part and parcel of Krsna and you are an eternal maidservant of Krsna. Then, meditating on Him and after becoming matured in bhakti, then after giving up this body and mind, then the pure atma will go to Vrndavana. This is the success of this life. Otherwise, anyone cannot be happy in this world. Unless he realizes Krsna mercy and he is matured in bhakti and detached from this world and some attachment comes for the lotus feet of Krsna, then his life is successful. Then he will never have to be born again in the womb of any mother. Otherwise, he will have to be born in this world and be stuck in the endless chain of birth and death, sufferings and sorrows.”
So Indian ladies should be married and both husband and wife together should worship Krsna. This is the aim and object of this life.
[Spoken by Srila Gurudeva on December 4th, 1998, Malaysia, published as part of the Bhakta Bandhav Anthology, Volume 25]