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> Also people get married becuse they are physically attracted to each

> other. Krishna says in the Bhagavad Gita that "Of causes for procreation ,

> Iam Kandarpa, the god of love." So children are the primary reason for

> sanctioning the relationship between the sexes.

 

People also marry because they need help, support and a dear friend in their

life on who they can count, to whom they can entrust their heart, reveal

their mind in confidence, share their realisations and doubts, etc.

 

> Also bringing up children involves a lot of sacrifice and patience that

> parenthood mellows our hard and selfish hearts. Marraige without children

> would mean no responsiblity or service together, and so it would be just

> there for sense enjoyment(gross and subtle).

 

Marriage without children could just mean more responsibility or service

together because both partners don't have to share their time, energy,

money, etc. with others but fully fix their mind on each other, be there for

each other and doing all kinds of devotional service together without being

disturbed or interrupted by others.

 

> Children bring the couple closer to each other

 

Then why there are so many divorces in the world and especially in ISKCON?

And the children are suffering because of this.

 

> as well as with the other family members, as they all have a common

> important purpose of raising a child who is of great value to their

> families as well as to society at large.

 

Nowadays people don't marry for family tradition. Relationships with

families doesn't go so far or deep as it used to be in the past, especially

as is used to be in Vedic culture.

 

> Also for non devotees there are 4 debts that they owe.. to the devas,

> pitris, acharyas and to common people in general. So to be freed of the

> debt to the ancestors one has to continue the family line.

 

We came in ISKCON to become devotees not to remain or become non-devotees.

 

> It is so important that when maharaja Pandu wanted to go to the sun

> planets with the rishis, they said that he was not elligible, as he had

> no issues and was not yet free from his debt to his ancestors. He

> considered it so important that he gave permission to his wives to beget

> children through the devatas as he was cursed to die if he attempted the

> act of procreation.

 

In Bhagavad-gita 1.41 Purport Srila Prabhupada is writing:

 

According to the rules and regulations of fruitive activities, there is a

need to offer periodical food and water to the forefathers of the family.

This offering is performed by worship of ViŠu, because eating the remnants

of food offered to ViŠu can deliver one from all kinds of sinful actions.

Sometimes the forefathers may be suffering from various types of sinful

reactions, and sometimes some of them cannot even acquire a gross material

body and are forced to remain in subtle bodies as ghosts. Thus, when

remnants of pras€dam food are offered to forefathers by descendants, the

forefathers are released from ghostly or other kinds of miserable life. Such

help rendered to forefathers is a family tradition, and those who are not in

devotional life are required to perform such rituals. One who is engaged in

the devotional life is not required to perform such actions. Simply by

performing devotional service, one can deliver hundreds and thousands of

forefathers from all kinds of misery.

It is stated in the Bh€gavatam (11.5.41):

devari-bh™t€pta-nŠ€ˆ pitŽŠ€ˆ

na ki‰karo n€yam Š… ca r€jan

sarv€tman€ yaƒ araŠaˆ araŠyaˆ

gato mukundaˆ parihtya kartam

“Anyone who has taken shelter of the lotus feet of Mukunda, the giver of

liberation, giving up all kinds of obligation, and has taken to the path in

all seriousness, owes neither duties nor obligations to the demigods, sages,

general living entities, family members, humankind or forefathers.” Such

obligations are automatically fulfilled by performance of devotional service

to the Supreme Personality of Godhead.

 

Your servant,

Premanjana das