A lot of the communication problems we experience as a couple comes from “not what we say, but what we don’t say.” When we fail to be honest and direct about our feelings because we don’t want to disturb the relationship, we create a much more insidious relationship problem. Often we suppress or repress unspoken […]
Selfishness
By Visakha Dasi If, in our marriage, we focus on what we need and negate the needs of our partner, the relationship can’t last. If we give up who we are to please our partner, we may suffocate and become frustrated, resentful and depressed. One who is self-controlled doesn’t need to lord it over another, […]
For Better or Worse
Mature practitioners in the Hare Krishna tradition choose to accept vows of purity. Individuals or couples solemnly vow to avoid intoxicants, illicit sex, meat-eating and gambling, and to chant 16 rounds of the maha-mantra daily. To preserve these holy vows that are taken before the Deity, before the fire and before the Vaishnavas are […]
The Yoga of Marriage
My Gurudev explained this is the solution for any problem in marriage- these two words, ‘forget it’. Because whatever the problems that you have based on circumstances, based on two different egos, because the ego is such a thing that when two egos are living so close to each other there sometimes has to be […]
Vedic & Vaisnava is Not Always the Same
maitreya uvaca stuvatisv amara-strisu pati-lokam gata vadhuh yam va atma-vidam dhuryo vainyah prapacyutasrayah The great sage Maitreya continued speaking: My dear Vidura, when the wives of the denizens of heaven were thus talking amongst themselves, Queen Arci reached the planet which her husband, Maharaja Prthu, the topmost self-realized soul, had attained. PURPORT According to Vedic […]
Letters From Srila Prabhupada to Disciples About Marriage and Family Life
Letter to Bhagavan, Los Angeles, 7th July ,1971 The two marriages recommended by you may be performed at that time as well, but only after having sufficiently counseled the respective devotees. This marriage business should not be taken as a farce, but is a very serious matter. Recently so many couples have been cast adrift […]
The Thrill is Gone, Baby!
Recently, in Saranagati, an interesting class was given by Vishaka dasi on verse 18.76 of Bhagavad Gita. “O King, as I repeatedly recall this wondrous and holy dialogue between Krishna and Arjuna, I take pleasure, being thrilled at every moment.” From the purport, she read, “The understanding of Bhagavad-Gita is so transcendental that anyone who […]
The Importance of Understanding Family Dynamics
I believe that family life, the grihastha asrama, is a theme of universal interest. Some will get married and some will not, some will have children and some will not. But even those who don’t get married and those who have already surpassed this phase of life will greatly benefit by knowing the basic dynamics, […]
A Sanctified Union
Hare Krishna couples know from the start that their life together has a spiritual purpose. IN MY MOTHER’S wedding photo, she holds a thin bunch of flowers as if she wished to hide it somewhere. The Town Hall marriage chamber resembles a waiting room of an old-fashioned office. My parents, in their everyday attire of […]
The Nectar of Commitment
For some reason unknown, I have always been fascinated by Arctic and Antarctic adventurers. I live in Canada, at Saranagati where winter weather reaches -25C (-10F) and occasionally -40C (-40F). At such times I feel driven to put on my woolies, step into cross country skis, challenge the adverse weather and go off into the […]
