तद्बन्धुष्वनुवृत्तिश्च नित्यं तद्व्रतधारणम् ॥२५॥
strīṇÄá¹ ca pati-devÄnÄá¹
tac-chuÅ›rÅ«á¹£ÄnukÅ«latÄ
tad-bandhuá¹£v anuvá¹›ttiÅ› ca
nityaá¹ tad-vrata-dhÄraṇam
strīṇÄm - of women; ca - also; pati-devÄnÄm - who have accepted their husbands as worshipable; tat-Å›uÅ›rÅ«á¹£Ä - readiness to render service to her husband; anukÅ«latÄ - being favorably disposed towards her husband; tat-bandhuá¹£u - unto the friends and relatives of the husband; anuvá¹›ttiḥ - being similarly disposed (to treat them well for the satisfaction of the husband); ca - and; nityam - regularly; tat-vrata-dhÄraṇam - accepting the vows of the husband or acting exactly as the husband acts.
To render service to the husband, to be always favorably disposed toward the husband, to be equally well disposed toward the husband’s relatives and friends, and to follow the vows of the husband — these are the four principles to be followed by women described as chaste.
It is very important for peaceful householder life that a woman follow the vow of her husband. Any disagreement with the husband’s vow will disrupt family life. In this regard, CÄṇakya Paṇá¸ita gives a very valuable instruction: dampatyoḥ kalaho nÄsti tatra Å›rīḥ svayam ÄgatÄḥ. When there are no fights between husband and wife, the goddess of fortune automatically comes to the home. A woman’s education should be conducted along the lines indicated in this verse. The basic principle for a chaste woman is to be always favorably disposed toward her husband. In Bhagavad-gÄ«tÄ (1.40) it is said, strÄ«á¹£u duá¹£á¹Äsu vÄrṣṇeya jÄyate varṇa-saá¹…karaḥ: if the women are polluted, there will be varṇa-saá¹…kara population. In modern terms, the varṇa-saá¹…kara are the hippies, who do not follow any regulative injunctions. Another explanation is that when the population is varṇa-saá¹…kara, no one can know who is on what platform. The varṇÄÅ›rama system scientifically divides society into four varṇas and four ÄÅ›ramas, but in varṇa-saá¹…kara society there are no such distinctions, and no one can know who is who. In such a society, no one can distinguish between a brÄhmaṇa, a ká¹£atriya, a vaiÅ›ya and a śūdra. For peace and happiness in the material world, the varṇÄÅ›rama institution must be introduced. The symptoms of one’s activities must be defined, and one must be educated accordingly. Then spiritual advancement will automatically be possible.
