Sambodhi 1989 Vol 16

Author(s): Ramesh S Betai, Yajneshwar S Shastri
Publisher: L D Indology Ahmedabad

Page 29

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bride in later Hindu period were to the effect that she may become the mother of eight sons. This was unfortunate development in Hindu society. There was a time in eighteenth and nineteenth century when in Hindu society among Kshitrayas daughters were tortured and done to death right in their childhood. Males married second and third time in order to get male issue. Radhakrishnan deplores this unhealthy attitude towards daughters in family. He says, 'In patriarchal families and in primitive conditions a son is economically more valuable than a daughter. This does not mean that parents loved their daughter less. An educated daughter is the pride of the family."19 He tries to defend the preference for boys. 'There is also the difficulty of procuring suitable husbands, and even after marriage there is a large element of chance in regard to the future. This difficulty of securing happiness for girls is the cause of preference for boys and not any unfairness to the female sex.20
Radhakrishnan is appreciative of healthy marriage relationship and expresses optimism if marriages are largely successful in society. The ideal of family, monogamy and four stages of life which are although traditional and much is to be desired, to improve upon them, yet when in countries of Europe and U.S.A., divorce and desertion of married responsible life are common, these ideals build up the pillars of healthy social and cultural life. In Sweden the statistical analysis of married life and later desention indicate that sixty percent of married couples live outside their family life and prefer desertion of spouse and children. Radhakrishnan advocates the healthy creatively mental and spiritual union of husband and wife. Of course such an ideal may be in contravention of modern earning couple and struggling to adust to the hardships of business and industrial machine and market life. In India too many couples in urban areas live and continue to adjust to such demands of ecconomic stress and strain. Emotional and mental tensions as well as anguishes are bound to crop up among the couples during such adjustments. They may affect and disturb the harmonious relation between husband and wife. However the ideal and standard of mental and creative union helps the couple and family to make progress in the long run. Radhakrishnan says in this connection. "The marriage relation is intended to contribute to both life and mind. While woman is entangled more in the activities which life has assigned to her, man in engaged more in creation of mind. It is vital national service to work hard, to serve and rear family. If woman is engaged in activities which prejudice the work of preservation, she comes into conflict with her own inner nature. She is the giver of joy and the inspirer of activity and she cannot do her part successfully if she immitates man. Modern woman is discontented with her role of child