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EDITORIAL April 9, 1999 VNN3551 See Related VNN Stories Polygamy - Chaitanya's Example BY KULASEKHARA DAS EDITORIAL, Apr 9 (VNN) — It has been interesting reading the debate regarding polygamy, but the arguments posted for this to be allowed in our society are laughable. How can one compare himself to Sri Krsna in the Dvapara Yuga? As Gaudiya Vaishnavas, we need to follow the example of Sri Krsna in the Kali Yuga. Lord Chaitanya, the self same Supreme Personality of Godhead set the example for THIS age during his appearance, as did his associates. I do not claim to be a scholar of the Gaudiya Vaishnava history, but from all of my studies, I believe that Lord Chaitanya only had one wife at a time, as did Advaita Acharya, Lord Nityananda and all their associates and descendants. We are (hopefully) following in the footsteps of these avatars, (Sri Krsna, Lord Balaram and Lord Siva), all of whom were quite capable of having (and supporting) thousands of wives, yet only had ONE wife during their manifested pastimes during this Kali Yuga, as did Srila Prabhupada and Bhaktivinoda Thakur. One of the most logical reasons for this is that in this age men are of reduced intelligence, as proven by Ameyatma das, who's arguments in this regard are absurd. I would advise Sriman Ameyatma das to follow our grihasta Acharyas examples in this age and become a good and devoted husband to his present wife, instead of continuing his ludicrous propositions. What a good and devoted wife he must have to stay with him while he constantly pursues his arguments on the Internet for giving shelter, to other women. It is obvious that his mind is agitated in this regard and his propositions are driven more by lust than compassion. Srila Prabhupada once told me the story of a man who was crippled. He could not use his legs at all and his wife used to carry him around in a basket on his back. His good and devoted wife lived to satisfy her husband. She noticed that he was morose despite all of her efforts to make him happy, so she approached him and asked him the source of his displeasure. He said that he wanted to spend the night with a certain prostitute. This prostitute was so beautiful and qualified that it took a palmful of diamonds just to spend one night with her. At this Srila Prabhupada began chuckling. "Just see! She has to carry him around in a basket on her back, but he wants to sleep with the most beautiful woman." Now this couple were very poor and there was no way they could afford a palmful of diamonds. The wife, could not be happy while her husband was morose, so she went to the prostitutes house in the morning after the prostitute had been up all night entertaining. She went into her home and cleaned up the whole place until it was spotless. When the prostitute awoke the next morning she thought - "who has done this?" The poor woman went back every day, cleaning and leaving before the prostitute awoke. Each day the prostitute wondered who was coming and cleaning, so after a week of this, one night she did not entertain anyone, but waited to see who was coming in to clean. When the poor woman arrived, the prostitute inquired as to why she was doing this. The poor woman answered, "I am a very poor woman, and my husband is a cripple, he is so morose and said the only thing that will make him happy is to spend a night with you. As we are so poor, there is no way that we can afford your price, so I am coming here to clean in the hopes that you will have mercy on us and let my husband spend a night with you, as I cannot bear to see my husband unhappy." The prostitute said O.K. bring your husband over tonight. At this the woman was jubilant and rushed home to tell her husband the good news. So that night she put her husband in his basket and carried him over to the prostitutes house. At this Srila Prabhupada started to laugh, he said, "Just see, he has no legs and has to be carried on his wives back in a basket! Yet still he wants this most beautiful woman." Now in those days the prostitutes would entertain their clients for a whole evening, first with food and then an evening of song and dance before sexually entertaining them. So when the man was settled, his wife left and the prostitute began by serving him his meal. She served this in two sets of dishes, one gold, the other clay. He ate the sumptuous meal and when he had finished she quizzed him about the food. "So, how did you like the meal?" she inquired. "Oh it was wonderful," he replied. "Which tasted better, the food in the gold dish or the food in the clay dish?" "They both tasted the same," he answered. "Then why have you come here when you have a good and devoted wife at home," All glories to Srila Prabhupada. Kulasekhara das. See Related VNN Stories | Comment on this Story This story URL: http://www.vnn.org/editorials/ET9904/ET09-3551.html
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