# Family Life & Relationships *On marriage, raising children, and family duties in spiritual life* --- ### No Separation, No Divorce > This marriage ceremony is not for sense gratification. We should always remember. It is helping one another. The husband will help the wife, the wife will help the husband, so that both of them become advanced in Kṛṣṇa consciousness and make their human life perfect. So there is no question of divorce. There is no question of separation. Because divorce, separation, these are meant for sense gratification. — [[spoken/1969/690604in.nv|Initiation Lecture, New Vṛndāvana, 1969]] --- ### A Spiritual Obligation > Vedic marriage is not a farce; it is a spiritual obligation. The husband gives the wife all protection, all subsistence, and the wife serves the husband throughout the life so that the husband may feel always comfortable. This is the relationship between husband and wife. — [[spoken/1971/710813l2.lon|Lecture, London, 1971]] --- ### Māyā Will Attack > Our this new bride and bridegroom should always remember that in any condition of life they should remain together. And that will be possible if they concentrate their ideas to Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Then it will be possible. Otherwise *māyā* will attack in so many ways and cause disruption in so many ways. — [[spoken/1969/690604in.nv|Initiation Lecture, New Vṛndāvana, 1969]] --- ### Relationship Based on Sex > In this age, Kali-yuga, it is stated—*dām-patye ratim eva hi:* the relationship between husband and wife will continue only on sex life. That is very degraded. And actually we have seen many cases, as soon as there is some discrepancies in the sex life, there is separation. But according to Vedic scriptures there is no question of separation. Husband and wife must live throughout the life together, in distress and happiness. — [[spoken/1971/710813l2.lon|Lecture, London, 1971]] --- ### Cats and Dogs > Religious principle means married life; otherwise cats and dogs. If everyone has without any limitation sex life, then what is the difference between cats and dogs? Religion means they are not cats and dogs, because religion is in the human society, not in the cats' and dogs' society. — [[spoken/1974/740620r1.ger|Room Conversation, Germany, 1974]] --- ### Duty of the Father > "Father" means responsibility. According to our Vedic literature, one should not become a father unless he can deliver his son from the cycle of birth and death. At the present moment we are in the cycle of birth and death in the conditioned stage. So it is the duty of the father how to save the son from the cycle of birth and death. This is responsibility. — [[spoken/1976/760615r3.det|Room Conversation, Detroit, 1976]] --- ### This Child Will No More Come > That is the duty of the father and mother, parents, to raise the children to complete Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Then she will no more have to come back in the womb of any other mother. This is the duty of father and mother. Father and mother should think that "This child will no more come in any other womb. I shall train him or her in such a way." — [[spoken/1970/700622in.la|Initiation Lecture, Los Angeles, 1970]] --- ### From Childhood > This is the age for injecting Kṛṣṇa consciousness. If children are taught Kṛṣṇa consciousness from this age, the face of the world will be different. — [[spoken/1968/680818r1.mon|Room Conversation, Montreal, 1968]] --- ### Everyone's Duty > Actually the students, the children, should be given chance to become Kṛṣṇa conscious. That is the duty of the state, that is the duty of the parents, that is the duty of the *guru,* that is the duty of kinsmen. — [[spoken/1971/711112le.del|Lecture, Delhi, 1971]] --- ### One Should Not Become > One should not become a father, one should not become a mother, one should not become a teacher, one should not become a king unless they are able to elevate their dependents to this spiritual knowledge, which can save him from repeated birth and death. — [[spoken/1970/700514ip.la|Initiation Lecture, Los Angeles, 1970]] --- *10 quotes from Śrīla Prabhupāda on family life and relationships* [[wiki/quotes|Back to Quotes]]