The Supreme Protector - God As the Ideal Husband
The material world is full of fear and instability, prompting the conditioned soul to constantly seek shelter. In Vedic culture, a husband is meant to be that fearless protector. Śrīla Prabhupāda explains that while mundane men proudly claim this title, the Supreme Personality of Godhead is the only factual husband of all living entities, and He sets the perfect, ideal standard for this intimate relationship.
Lord Rāmacandra: The Ideal Standard
To teach human society the principles of perfect family life, the Supreme Lord appeared as Śrī Rāmacandra. Śrīla Prabhupāda emphasizes that Lord Rāmacandra acted as the ideal, faithful husband (eka-patnī-vrata). When Mother Sītā was kidnapped, the Lord did not simply replace her, even though He could have manifested millions of Sītās from His internal potency. Instead, He fought a massive war and annihilated Rāvaṇa's entire dynasty to demonstrate how a husband must protect his wife.
- Lord Ramacandra could have produced hundreds and thousands of Sitas from His pleasure energy, but just to show the duty of a faithful husband, He not only rescued Sita from the hands of Ravana but also killed Ravana and all the members of his family.
- Sitadevi was kidnapped. Ramacandra is the Supreme Lord; He could have married many thousands of Sita. But as the dutiful husband, to rescue one wife He killed the whole family of Ravana. This is protection.
- He (Lord Ramacandra) fought with demons like Ravana, He carried out the orders of His father, and He remained the faithful husband of mother Sita. Thus there is no comparison to Lord Ramacandra's acting as an ideal king.
- As Lord Ramacandra is the ideal husband (eka-patni-vrata), mother Sita is the ideal wife. Such a combination makes family life very happy. Yad yad acarati sresthas tat tad evetaro janah: whatever example a great man sets, common people follow.
The Husband of the Goddess of Fortune
A common misconception in the modern age is the idea of daridra-nārāyaṇa, or the "poor God." Śrīla Prabhupāda strongly refutes this nonsense by pointing out that Lord Nārāyaṇa is the eternal husband of Lakṣmī, the goddess of fortune. Because the goddess of fortune is restless and only finds peace by the side of her husband, true prosperity is only achieved when wealth is recognized as the property of Nārāyaṇa and engaged in His service.
- Nowadays it has become a fashion, daridra-narayana-seva, to give protection to the daridras. That is good idea. But why you should bring Narayana amongst the daridras? Narayana is not daridra. Narayana is the husband of Laksmi.
- Think always that the money which is accumulated is the wealth of the Lord. Wealth is considered to be the goddess of fortune (Laksmi), and the Lord is Narayana, or the husband of Laksmi. Try to engage Laksmi in the service of Lord Narayana and be happy.
- The goddess of fortune cannot stay anywhere but by the side of Narayana; therefore another of her names is Cancala, restless. She cannot be peaceful unless she is in the company of her husband, Narayana.
- She (Laksmidevi) examined every one of the candidates, but she could not find anyone suitably qualified to be her shelter. In other words, Narayana, the natural husband of Laksmi, cannot be superseded by anyone in this material world.
The Only Factual Protector
In the deepest spiritual sense, the word "husband" means one who provides absolute shelter. Śrīla Prabhupāda explains that mundane men are very proud to become husbands, but they themselves are subjected to fear, old age, and death. Because only the Supreme Personality of Godhead is completely fearless and self-sufficient, He is the only true husband and protector of everyone in His creation.
- The conditioned soul is very proud of becoming the husband of even one wife, but the Lord laughs at this; the intelligent man can know who is the real husband. Factually, the Lord is the husband of all the women in His creation.
- He alone who is never afraid but who, on the contrary, gives complete shelter to all fearful persons can actually become a husband and protector. Therefore, my (Laksmi's) Lord, you (Kamadeva) are the only husband, and no one else can claim this position.
- If you (Lord Kamadeva) were not the only husband, You would be afraid of others. Therefore persons learned in all Vedic literature accept only Your Lordship as everyone's master, and they think no one else a better husband and protector than You.
Fulfilling the Devotees' Desires
The Lord is completely self-satisfied (ātmārāma) and has no personal hankering for a wife or family. Yet, He happily accepts the role of a husband simply to reciprocate the pure, intense love of His devotees. Whether appearing like a mundane husband to His Queens in Dvārakā or accepting the worship of the gopīs, His relationships are entirely transcendental and unconditioned by the material modes of nature.
- The Lord is always perfect in Himself, and thus He has no hankering for Himself. He, however, becomes a master, a friend, a son or a husband to fulfill the intense love of the devotee concerned.
- If anyone desires the Lord to become one's husband, the Lord fulfills such desires in full.
- The Lord appeared like a mundane husband, but factually His relation with His wives was transcendental, pure and unconditioned by the modes of material nature.
- When a mother loves a child, she is not forced to do so, nor does she do so out of expectation of some salary or remuneration. Similarly, we can love the Supreme Lord in so many ways - we can love Him as master, as friend, as child or as husband.
Conclusion
The supreme position of the Lord as a husband reminds us that true safety, wealth, and love cannot be found in the temporary relationships of the material world. By accepting the Supreme Lord as our ultimate protector and by faithfully following the ideal standards He set during His pastimes, we can elevate our consciousness and return to a state of absolute, fearless shelter.
Dive Deeper into Śrīla Prabhupāda's Vani
The instructions of the pure devotee are our eternal guide. This article is a summary of the profound truths found in the Vaniquotes category God As a Husband. We invite you to visit this link to study the complete compilation and experience the teachings in their direct, verbatim form.