Women and Chastity, As Well As Their Combined Devotional Power
Śrīla Prabhupāda emphasizes that the bedrock of a peaceful, progressive human society is the chastity of women. In Vedic culture, a chaste wife is not considered a subordinate servant, but a powerful, spiritually elevated partner who brings auspiciousness to her family. By faithfully serving a Vaiṣṇava husband, a chaste woman perfects her life and ensures her return to the spiritual world.
The Definition of Chastity
Chastity means unbroken faithfulness and service without duplicity. Śrīla Prabhupāda explains that a conscientious wife respects and worships her husband as a representative of the Supreme Lord, taking inspiration from the supreme chastity of mother Lakṣmī.
- A conscientious wife should be chaste and should abide by the orders of her husband. She should very devoutly worship her husband as a representative of Vasudeva.
- For a chaste woman, service to the husband without duplicity is the best religious principle.
- Mother Laksmi is described in this verse as sati, the supremely chaste, because she never diverts her attention from the Supreme Personality of Godhead to anyone else.
- The faithfulness of the goddess of fortune is the ideal for a chaste woman. The Brahma-samhita says, laksmi-sahasra-sata-sambhrama-sevyamanam.
Protection of Society and Progeny
The primary social reason for chastity is to produce a good generation. Śrīla Prabhupāda warns that when women are given unrestricted freedom and become polluted, society is ruined by the birth of unwanted, degraded children (varṇa-saṅkara).
- The protection of women maintains the chastity of society, by which we can get a good generation for peace, tranquillity and progress of life.
- There must be good population. So to have good population, the women should be very chaste.
- If women do not remain chaste, then unwanted population will come out. That is called varna-sankarah.
- According to Manu-samhita, a woman needs a great deal of protection in order to remain pure and chaste so that her children can be fully engaged for the benefit of human society.
The Spiritual Power of a Chaste Wife
Vedic history proves that chastity generates immense mystic and spiritual strength. Śrīla Prabhupāda often cites the extraordinary examples of chaste women who were able to control the forces of nature, revive the dead, and bring great personalities under their influence through the sheer power of their faithfulness.
- She stopped the movement of the sun, brought her dead husband back to life and satisfied the three principal demigods.
- Because of her chastity, the woman was very powerful. Therefore when she heard about the curse, she vowed to stop the sunrise.
- There is a very nice story. Nice story not, a fact. Savitri-Satyavan. This, incidences are mentioned in the sastras to give us lesson. Savitri was a very chaste, devoted woman.
- To insult a chaste woman means to bring about disaster in the duration of life. Duhsasana, a brother of Duryodhana, insulted Draupadi, an ideal chaste lady, and therefore the miscreants died untimely.
The Path to Spiritual Perfection
Chastity is not an end in itself; it is a path to God realization. Śrīla Prabhupāda concludes that when a man dedicates his life to Kṛṣṇa consciousness and his wife faithfully follows and serves him, both are guaranteed to return back to Godhead.
- A man should be trained to be a first-class devotee of Lord Krsna, and a woman should be trained to be a very chaste follower of her husband. That will make the lives of both of them happy.
- The conclusion is that a husband should be a pure Vaisnava and that a woman should be a chaste wife with all the symptoms described in this regard. Then both of them will be happy and make spiritual progress in Krsna consciousness.
- Vedic system advises women to become very chaste and accept the husband as master. Your husband is especially good because he is progressing in Krishna Consciousness.
- The woman who engages in the service of her husband, following strictly in the footsteps of the goddess of fortune, surely returns home, back to Godhead, with her devotee husband, and lives very happily in the Vaikuntha planets.
Conclusion
Śrīla Prabhupāda clearly defines chastity as an essential spiritual discipline that elevates both the individual and society. In the material world, unrestricted freedom and a lack of chastity lead to the degradation of the population and the destruction of peace. Conversely, the strict adherence to the vows of a chaste wife generates extraordinary spiritual power and ensures the birth of a noble, religious generation. However, the ultimate perfection of chastity is found in relation to the Supreme Lord. By faithfully serving a Vaiṣṇava husband without duplicity, a chaste woman mirrors the eternal devotion of the goddess of fortune. Through this dedicated service, she transcends the miseries of material life and securely returns home, back to Godhead, alongside her husband, to eternally reside in the Vaikuṇṭha planets.
Dive Deeper into Śrīla Prabhupāda's Vani
Śrīla Prabhupāda lives within his instructions. This article is a summary of the profound truths found in the Vaniquotes category Women and Chastity. We invite you to visit this link to study the complete compilation and experience Śrīla Prabhupāda's teachings in their direct, verbatim form.