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DISCOURSE 35
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If the husband is good-looking, a beautiful wife may not be attracted towards other men by their appearance. If she develops intimacy with other men for other reasons, that is a different matter. If the husband is poor, though he may be handsome, the wife say fall into the snares of an affluent and handsome man and thus she might be taken in by the other man's affluence. That is why, the enlightened people have emphasised the importance of the parity of beauty and appearance.
Even if the husband is handsome, affluent, pure and of noble birth, the wife may develop intimacy with some other man on account of her violent passion. She attracts men by her beauty and appearance. In the same manner, a passionate man may develop intimacy with other women though his wife is beautiful. Excessive lust in man or woman brings about their ruin. Why did Pingala, the wife of king Barthrihari become intimate with another man? Did not Barthrihari possess handsomeness ? Did he not possess strength ? Was he not a man of high birth? Was he not a man of purity ? He possessed all these virtues; yet Pingala was not satisfied with his company and became intimate with another man. She became an immoral woman. These conflicts and contradictions of life cannot be averted at any time nor can they be put off. You have to live in this Samsar and have to carry on your spiritual activities. Therefore, convenient and congenial family life is highly desirable. You can get a happy and congenial family only on account of the effect of punya; otherwise you cannot get that felicity. To the extent you can use your intelligence and knowledge, you must choose brides and bride-grooms in accordance with the guidance given by the enlightened people. Beyond that only fortune or destiny can decide the direction of their life.
SAMSAR IS FULL OF DEFECTS AND DEROGATIONS
Samsar is so full of contradictions that we feel amazed when we think of them. There are beautiful women who, inspite of having handsome husbands, develop intimacy with men who are ugly. There were such women in the past; and there are such women now. In the same manner, there are men who inspite of having beautiful, loyal and loving wives, go to prosti
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