Study a Verse

• If one is intelligent, he can think of his wife’s body as nothing but a lump of matter that will ultimately be transformed into small insects, stool or ashes.
• In some societies the body is given to the vultures to be eaten, and therefore the body ultimately turns to vulture stool.
• In some societies the body is immediately burned after death, and thus it becomes ashes.

Śrīla Prabhupāda's own sentences, chosen from the purport as its central points. Read the full purport on Vedabase to see them in place.

Seriousness → Principled living. The example of bhakti becomes a guide to daily life.

Chapters 11–15 of Canto 7: Teachings on social and spiritual conduct. An editorial reading of the story's mood, not the text itself. See the emotional arc

Chapter 14: Ideal Family Life

From the chapter summary, the lines nearest this verse:

In this way the gṛhastha’s attraction to his wife and children will gradually be reduced. As for the maintenance of his family, a gṛhastha, while earning what he requires for his living, must be very conscientious and must not undergo extraordinary endeavor simply to accumulate money and unnecessarily increase in material comforts.