Marriage without children -Child is the father of man...

[Guest guest]

Hare Krishna!

If a couple chooses not to have children for what ever reason, it might help

for the time being. Just from the practical point of view, while they can

travel and preach together. Children are a big botheration when it comes to

wanting to attend Srimad Bhagavatam class for example. When you have children

you have to sacrifice a lot. There are so many reasons why one could choose not

to have children.

However, what will happen in the future during old age? will the wife still

stay with the husband until he leaves his body? Is the husband willing to care

for his aging wife when he could be renouncing the material world and devote

his life completely to Krishna? Who will care for both of the aging partners

when they are unable to care for themselves?

This is where the children come in. The children will somehow look after their

parents in their old age. This is natural.

To chose not to have children (son or daughter) may not be such a good idea.

 

If you give your children Love, that love will come back to you. it might seem

a thankless task sometimes to raise children in KC. But it is also a great

service to the KC society to bring up KC children.

there is a nice conversation I found, where Srila Prabhupada explains the

importance to take care of our children.

 

Prabhupada: So in my childhood, when I was one and one-half years old, I

suffered from typhoid, and the Dr. Karttika Candra Bose, he said that he,

"Please give him chicken juice." So my father refused: "No, no, we

cannot.No, no he has to be given. Now he has become very weak.No,

no, I cannot allow.Don't mind, I shall prepare in my own house and

send. You simply..." So it was sent from his house, and when it was given

to me, immediately I began to vomit. And my father threw it away, and when

the doctor asked that this was the... "No, no, then don't bother." This

story I heard. This allopathetic system of medicine introduced all these

things in India. Otherwise they did not know.

 

Hari-sauri: What system?

 

Prabhupada: This meat-eating, chicken juice, tea, these things are unknown

to India. No, why India? By nature, you say that you refused meat.

Although you were born of a father and mother meat-eaters, still. What a

horrible civilization they have made. He's human being born. Making him

animal by culture. Instead of making him more cultured towards the

spiritual life, making him redirected again to animal life. This is the

civilization, Western civilization.

 

Hari-sauri: Yes, there's not much choice, not any choice.

 

Prabhupada: These children are fortunate. Yesterday I was astonished how

these children were receiving just like friend, laughing and something

saying, you have seen it? As an old friend. Their mother pushes they would

not come, but they were very glad to see me.

 

Hari-sauri: Everybody's very glad to see you.

 

Prabhupada: I was astonished, that how these children take me as friend.

 

Hari-sauri: I don't think that's too difficult. You're the best friend for

everyone.

 

Prabhupada: No, but after all, they are children. How they can take it as

it is? So they are fortunate children, and their parents and everyone

should take care of them. A very difficult age.

 

Hari-sauri: You always said they're our asset for the future.

 

Prabhupada: If they can be trained up, they can become very good preacher,

each one of them. And they can make hundreds of devotees. In this way we

can expand. Are you realizing that there is no civilization? Actually

civilization we are introducing. Except Aryan civilization, Vedic

civilization, there is no civilization -- animal society. What do you

think? Are you convinced about it?

 

Harikesa: Oh, yes, every time I walk out the door I'm convinced. And when

you come back to the temple, it's marvelous, the spiritual world. No

matter what going on, may be bad, may be good, doesn't matter. It's very

relieving.

 

Prabhupada: Civilization means to push the man forward for perfection. That

is civilization.

 

Hari-sauri: Development.

 

Prabhupada: Yes. Society and economic condition, everything should be so

arranged that this human child should be gradually pushed for perfection

of life, go back home, back to Godhead. This is civilization. And modern

civilization is "Don't care for what is going to happen. So long you live,

eat, drink, be merry, enjoy," that's all. Sense gratification. This is

called nastika-vada. Very dangerous. And that is going on all over the

world. How a gentleman can live in that society?

 

Hari-sauri: They can't. Gradually people...

 

Prabhupada: Therefore my Guru Maharaja used to say, "This is not a place

for a gentleman." Formerly, therefore, they used to go away from the

society, go in the forest, to give up this bad association. Live alone.

 

Hari-sauri: Practically speaking, that's what we've done. By your

establishing these temples, it's given us someplace to go where we can get

out of Kali-yuga.

 

Prabhupada: Therefore our temples should be very carefully managed. It may

not become again another pandemonium.

 

Harikesa: Pan-demon. Pan-demon-ium.

 

Hari-sauri: Says that in the dictionary.

 

Harikesa: Place of demons.

 

Prabhupada: Krsna has given us many nice places. People can live very

comfortably. There will be no scarcity. Cultivate Krsna consciousness very

seriously. That is wanted. Therefore in this old age I am struggling so

much to see that things are going on nicely. So far I have seen, it is

going on nice. But maybe the management is lacking. It may be the Maya is

very strong. So be careful. All, you are all old students, and try to

organize more and more solidly. The children should be taken, you can give

lectures to the mothers, that children should be taken care of. They are

future hopes. Child is the father of man. They say that we escape. What we

are escaping? We have got all types of social society. There is grhastha,

there is sannyasi, there is brahmacari. Whichever position is suitable,

you accept and keep yourself sincere, that's all. Unnatural there is

nothing. Is there anything unnatural? And if they think that we're

prohibiting this meat-eating, this is unnatural, that we cannot. That is

not unnatural, that is natural.

 

Hoping this will meet you in the very best of health by the grace of Krishna.

 

Your humble servant,

Hrimati dasi