Page 70 - Hinduism

up to his forefathers, ṛṣis and gods and so he has to repay his debt of gratitude to them. The Gṛhastha has to do his duties and not assert his civic rights. The duty to the fore-fathers consists in the performance of śrāddha to them and the continuance of the species worthy of the race. The duties to the ṛṣis, lie in the study of the Vedas as they are the Vedic seers of God. The Gods are pleased by Vedic sacrifices and worship. The first and the third can be accomplished only with the assistance of a wife. So marriage is a religious sacrament, according to our people and not a civil affair to satisfy our senses. Not only the above three functions, but also the remaining two of the pañch- yajñas can be performed only with the assistance of a wife to look after the house. So our people assigned domestic work as the primary duty to the wife. It is also the duty of a gṛhastha or householder to feed all people who are in need of food, the brahmacārin, the other gṛhasthas who approach him for food, the sannyāsin who has neither home nor relations, and even the vānaprastha. So every other āśrama depends upon the gṛhasthāśrama for its support as the children depend upon their mother. As a Gṛhastha has to offer bhūta-bali also, even the birds and insects derive support from him. So a Gṛhastha is the mainstay of the society and his āśrama is the most humanitarian and therefore the bes.t of the āśramas.
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