Marriage in the West. is Becoming a Thing of the Past

[Guest guest]

On 29 Nov 1999, Pancha Tattva Dasa wrote:

 

> The track record for marriages in ISKCON is

> abysmal. It's to the point where, when my wife visits a temple she hasn't

been to for years, devotees are genuinely surprised she's still with the same

husband. I don't think this is the result of trying accept the values of Vedic

culture (what to speak of Krishna Consciousness).

>

 

 

Could also be that in a more traditional culture there was an extended family

which maintained a vested interest in helping arrange suitable marriages and

then sticking by them as a support group, like that. In ISKCON, we still do

not have a well developed culture of successful examples who can share their

experience with the younger generation.

 

I believe I heard that Jayavaita Swami made the statement that the trouble

with ISKCON is that we do not have any grandmothers, something along those

lines. In a more Vedic type situation, it seems there was a matronly influence

from elderly women who were in a position to share practical realized

knowledge about how to make the family life of the younger generations more

productive.

 

So we can paint broad sweeps of generalizations with regards to

'materialistic' and 'spiritual'. Still, one does not necessarily have to be

particularly spiritual to cultivate a successful marriage, but it is a credit

to those who can pursue their devotional vows in a manner pleasing to Srila

Prabhupada.

 

ys,

 

Sthita