Live the Bhāgavatam · SB 6.14.40
Ūti· What drives us to actHome Without Care Becomes Painful
“A wife who has no sons is neglected at home by her husband and dishonored by her co-wives exactly like a maidservant. Certainly such a woman is condemned in every respect because of her sinful life.”
What the purport teaches
- The verse describes a sonless wife neglected by her husband and dishonored by her co-wives like a maidservant. Its lament includes condemnation of her life as sinful.
- Śrīla Prabhupāda quotes Cāṇakya Paṇḍita: a person without a mother at home and with a wife who does not speak sweetly finds home no better than the forest.
- The purport similarly says that, for a sonless woman who receives neither care nor respect at home, going to the forest is better than remaining there.
Try this today
Speak gently to someone at home and give them a few minutes of respectful attention.
Ask yourself
How do my words and attention help make home a place of care rather than distress?
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.