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DISCOURSE 37
193
The purity of conduct and behaviour is of great importance even in the life of Sadhus. As long as you have to deal with others and mix with others, so long you have to carry on your duties in an excellent way. In the family-life mostly it is the mistress of the house that manages the affairs and activities and the mutual dealings of the members. The master of the house may not find time to manage those affairs. If the woman has practical sense, prudence and ability, she can manage her family excellently and increase its honour, prestige and glory. You have to maintain happy relations with friends and relatives in this life. In order to maintain such mutual friendly relations, each family has to do something for the other. The mistress of the house knows what help is to be extended; to whom it should be extended and when such help is to be extended to others. Such an able woman manages the household even in the absence of her husband, in case, he has to be absent for sometime. If you have such an able and prudent woman, there will be purity and order in the activities of the family. Even this is an important fruit of marriage. Of course, at present, when the family system and its sanctity have been undermined, we cannot find purity and sanctity in the activities of the members of the family. The love of leisure and pleasure has made man negligent of his duties and many impurities and derogations have crept into family life.
HOW CAN THE HONOUR OF A WOMAN INCREASE ?
Hospitality to guests has been described to be one important purpose of married life. Ethically speaking marriage must enable the husband and the wife to extend hospitality to guests, and to treat friends and relatives with hospitality. When the master of the family has gone out on business and when in his absence, sadhus and saints happen to visit the house, the mistress of the house treats them with due hospitality and reverence. If friends and relatives visit the house the mistress of the house extends a hospitable treatment to them. The glory of the family increases if in that family hospitality and respectful treatment of this kind are extended to visitors. Speaking with a sweet and tender voice to the visitors, entreating them to be seated; giving
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