Marriage is a great institution in every culture. In India it is additionally considered as sacred as well. In most cultures it is a social arrangement that lets a man and a woman live together. But in India it is also considered one of the several means to attain liberation. In India there are only 2 options for living in the Society - one where you get married and be devoted to attending the needs of the partner and the family and other one where you grow beyond marriage and choose to serve the entire society. There is no 3rd option which would serve just oneself. It is not possible at all, but unfortunately many in the west make a futile attempt at it and fail miserably. Unfortunately while making this attempt, it might look flashy for an observer from outside and hence many countries even in the east have been recently trying this 3rd option and of course failing miserably as well.
Service is the very purpose of life and if somebody is not being in service, he/she is only being a burden to this mother earth. Even a tree which is way below in the chain of evolution is useful both alive and dead. Naturally it is only meaningful for a human who is the highest in the chain of evolution to be useful to the world. Whether one marries or not, it really does not matter, but being useful is the sole purpose of being a human. When we see marriage as a social arrangement which lets the couple serve each other, that is the supreme form of it. Of course over a period of time, the very nature of the couple transforms to one of service to the entire society. This is the real purpose of marriage.
I see a recent trend where young people are scared to get married. This is mainly because there is a sort of expectation out of the marriage and there is a fear of that expectation not being met. Expectations are natural, but one should also be aware that expectations keep changing over time. If we base the marriage on one's expectations that could be disastrous as nobody can keep pace with the changing expectations. That is the very reason why marriage is rather a commitment than a convenience. Both good and bad times are part of a marriage and that is the very basis for the learning to happen. If we only look for a cozy relationship, the relationship simply falls off. Unless the partner is truthful , the relationship cannot last longer and truth by definition is multi dimensional and it includes opposite values as part of it. All emotions being part of the marriage adds the real juice to the marriage. So my advice to the young people is to be open to marriage and never be afraid of it. Most importantly if you have a Guru with you and a strong faith that Guru will always be there to guide you in the evolutionary journey, fear simply falls off like a dry leaf from the tree.
Service is the very purpose of life and if somebody is not being in service, he/she is only being a burden to this mother earth. Even a tree which is way below in the chain of evolution is useful both alive and dead. Naturally it is only meaningful for a human who is the highest in the chain of evolution to be useful to the world. Whether one marries or not, it really does not matter, but being useful is the sole purpose of being a human. When we see marriage as a social arrangement which lets the couple serve each other, that is the supreme form of it. Of course over a period of time, the very nature of the couple transforms to one of service to the entire society. This is the real purpose of marriage.
I see a recent trend where young people are scared to get married. This is mainly because there is a sort of expectation out of the marriage and there is a fear of that expectation not being met. Expectations are natural, but one should also be aware that expectations keep changing over time. If we base the marriage on one's expectations that could be disastrous as nobody can keep pace with the changing expectations. That is the very reason why marriage is rather a commitment than a convenience. Both good and bad times are part of a marriage and that is the very basis for the learning to happen. If we only look for a cozy relationship, the relationship simply falls off. Unless the partner is truthful , the relationship cannot last longer and truth by definition is multi dimensional and it includes opposite values as part of it. All emotions being part of the marriage adds the real juice to the marriage. So my advice to the young people is to be open to marriage and never be afraid of it. Most importantly if you have a Guru with you and a strong faith that Guru will always be there to guide you in the evolutionary journey, fear simply falls off like a dry leaf from the tree.
1 comment:
Ramu, no doubt, you fully realised the Role of a Guru in one's life as you have practically experienced it. But that is not the case for most of the people. But as you rightly said, there is no third option. People are blissfully unaware about the realities and rigors of life and are unnecessarily forming pre-conceived notions and fears about the sacred institution of Marriage. And service to Humanity and the world at large is always an available option, whether inside or outside of Marriage
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