DUTY OF GRHASTHA
[First Srila Bhaktivinoda quotes SB
11.18.42] grhino bhuta-raksejya, "The main duties of a householder are to
give shelter to all living entities and perform sacrifice."
[...]
What is proper occupation? To know this,
one should see the behavior of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu's followers. As far as
possible I will try to briefly compile them in this essay. First I will write
about the behavior and occupation of the grhastha, as found in the character of
Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu and His devotees.
* As a support for his devotional
service, a householder should find a suitable wife. (CC Adi 15.26-27)
* While maintaining religious family
life with one's wife, sons and daughters born in the form of Krsna's servants
and maidservants, to nourish them is called maintaining the family. In these
activities there is a need for piously accumulating wealth. (CB Antya 5.41, CC
Madhya 15.96)
* One must be educated at a proper age.
But he should not study atheistic literatures. (CB Adi 12.49, Madhya 9.241-242)
* Serving guests is the principal duty
of a grhastha--this is the Lord's instruction. (CB Adi 14.21, 26)
* A grhastha should act with simplicity
in his dealings with people; he should not allow any kind of cheating or
duplicity in his heart. (CB Adi 14.142)
* It is the principal duty of a grhastha
to serve superior persons. (CC Adi 15.21)
* A householder should take the
principles of renunciation to heart; but he should not dress as a renunciant.
(CC Madhya 16.237-239)
* A householder is dutybound to work for
the benefit of everyone. (CC Adi 9.41, 7.92)
* A householder should fully depend on
the will of the Lord in all his activities. (CB Madhya 28.55)
* A householder should cautiously give
up the association of nondevotees, women, and uxorious people. (CC Madhya
22.87)
* By following his prescribed duties a
grhastha Vaisnava should accumulate wealth for his maintenance. He should not
accumulate wealth by sinful means. (CB Antya 5.685-688)
* A householder should not hanker for
another's wife or prostitutes. (CC Madhya 9.227-228)
* There is no difference between smartas
and Vaisnavas regarding following the codes of religion. (CB Antya 9.388-389)
* It is the duty of a grhastha to
constantly chant the holy names of the Lord and serve the Vaisnavas and the
Lord with the help of his relatives and by the wealth he has earned through his
pious life. Regarding serving the Vaisnavas, one should know that there are
three types of nonduplicitous devotees. SErving such Vaisnavas is called
vaisnava-seva. (CC Madhya 15.104)
* There is no need to gather many
Vaisnavas by invitation [for prasada --VGD]. Whenever a Vaisnava comes for any
purpose he should be properly served with care. By gathering many Vaisnavas,
one may commit offenses. (CC Madhya 15.198)
* It is the duty of the grhastha
Vaisnava to show mercy on the poor and the fallen. (CC Antya 3.238)
* A grhastha Vaisnava should not desire
to give up his body merely out of some sentiment or anger. (CC Antya 4.57)
* There is no consideration of superior
or inferior status due to social position in regard to worshipping Krsna. In
worldly occupations there are different activities according to the different
social divisions, which are due to superior and inferior grades of
intelligence. There are no such distinctions in the process of devotional
service. (CC Antya 4.66-67, 5.84)
* A grhastha Vaisnava should feel
satisfied with whatever food and clothing he gets without difficulty. (CB Antya
4.293)
* A grhastha Vaisnava should perform
devotional service with undeviated attention, knowing Krsna as the Lord of all.
He should not disrespect the demigods worshipped by the smarta-sampradaya. (CB
Antya 2.243)
* It is the duty of a grhastha to work
for the benefit of others even by giving up his own self-interest. (CB Antya
3.365)
* A grhastha Vaisnava should respect and
worship tulasi. (CB Antya 8.159-160)
* A householder with devotion is
glorious, while a householder without devotion is insignificant. Whatever
social dealings a householder has to perform should be done while taking
shelter of the holy name of Krsna. (CC Antya 16.6-7)
* Everyone is prohibited from corrupt
earning or spending, and workers are prohibited from accepting bribes. (CC
Antya 9.90, 142-144)
* A grhastha should accept a spiritual
master who is full of devotion and of pure character. (CB Madhya 21.65)
* A householder should be particularly
careful not to commit offenses against the Vaisnavas. (CB Madhya 22.33)
* Serving devotees is a householder's
main duty. (CC Antya 16.57, 60)
* In the SB 11.20.27-28 Lord Krsna
describes how a householder should act until his natural propensity for
enjoying sense objects is overcome and he fully attains the characteristics of
a pure devotee: "Having awakened faith in the narrations of My glories,
being disgusted with all material activities, knowing that all sense
gratification leads to misery, but still being unable to renounce all sense
enjoyment, My devotee remains happy and worships Me with great faith and
conviction. Even though he is sometimes engaged in sense enjoyment, My devotee
knows that all sense gratification leads to a miserable result, and he
sincerely repents such activities."
* When a householder has faith, he
should take initiation into the chanting of the Hare Krsna maha-mantra. (CC Madhya
22.64)
* A grhastha Vaisnava must gradually
acquire all the qualities mentioned in the Caitanya Caritamrta (Madhya
22.78.80): "Devotees are always merciful, humble, truthful, equal to all,
faultless, magnanimous, mild and clean. They are without material possessions,
and they perform welfare work for everyone. They are peaceful, surrendered to
Krsna, and desireless. They are indifferent to material acquisitions and fixed
in devotional service. They completely control the six bad qualities---lust, anger,
greed, and so forth. They eat only as much as required, and they are not
inebriated. They are respectful, grave, compassionate, and without false
prestige. They are friendly, poetic, expert and silent."
* A grhastha Vaisnava should be eager to
associate with advanced devotees. (CC Madhya 22.83)
* Out of all the processes of devotional
service, one should give earnest attention to the five limbs mentioned in
Caitanya-caritamrta (Madhya 22.128-129): "One should associate with
devotees, chant the holy name of the Lord, hear Srimad Bhagavatam, reside at
Mathura, and worship the Deity with faith and veneration. These five limbs of
devotional service are the best of all. Even a slight performance of these five
awakens love for Krsna."
* A grhastha Vaisnava should not
endeavor for any knowledge or renunciation other than knowledge of one's
relationship with the Lord in devotional service and renunciation born from
devotional service. If one begins the worship of Krsna with special care and
eagerness, then he achieves all auspiciousness. (CC Madhya 22.145)
* A grhastha Vaisnava should constantly
chant the holy names while carefully giving up the ten offenses. (CC Antya
4.70-71)
* A householder should accept pure
devotional service that is not based simply on religious sentiments. (CB Madhya
23.41)
* The mood of servitude is proper for a
living entity, and the mood of being lord is detrimental. (CB Madhya 23.480,
482)
* A grhastha Vaisnava should model his
character after that of Lord Caitanya and His followers. A householder should
follow the ways of life and obtain his means of livelihood as exhibited by Lord
Caitanya and His followers. If one desires Krsna in all his activities, then
those activities are auspicious. By endeavoring to gratify one's senses and
attain irrelevant fruits, one becomes a materialist... Srila Ramananda Raya,
Sri Pundarika Vidyanidhi, Sri Srivasa Pandita, Sri Sivananda Sena, Sri
Satyaraja Khan, and Sri Advaita Prabhu were all grhasthas and have shown us the
way of faultless living. The difference between a householder and a renunciate
is due to their different means of livelihood. If the home is favorable for a
devotee's devotional service, he then becomes eligible to leave home. At that
time the detachment he develops for his house through his devotional service is
accepted. For this reason, Srivasa Pandita did not leave home. For this reason,
Svarupa Damodara took sannyasa. All genuine devotees have remained either at
home or in the forest due to this consideration. Whoever has left home due to
this consideration is called a genuine renunciate. He is always careful to not
commit offenses against the holy name.