Live the Bhāgavatam · SB 3.14.21
Manvantara· The Manus and right dutyAppreciating a Wife’s Support
“O queen of the home, we are not able to act like you, nor could we repay you for what you have done, even if we worked for our entire life or even after death. To repay you is not possible, even for those who are admirers of personal qualities.”
What the purport teaches
- Kaśyapa’s extraordinary praise of his wife is spoken in a joking manner. Yet it also acknowledges the benefits a husband receives from his wife.
- The purport describes household life as safer than renunciation followed by renewed pursuit of sexual pleasure. Merely leaving home does not remove sexual desire.
- Even a husband who appreciates his wife’s good qualities cannot fully repay her. Kaśyapa says that a whole lifetime of effort would not settle this debt.
Try this today
Thank your spouse, if married, for one specific good quality or act of support.
Ask yourself
Do I sincerely appreciate the support I receive, rather than take it for granted?
Carry the question through the day, then answer it in your own words before sleep.
The study points, practice and question are short summaries drawn from Śrīla Prabhupāda's translation and purport. Read the full purport to go deeper.