Text 18] Pregnancy of Diti in the Evening 543

tual duties so that at the time of cooperation both will be benefited. The
training of the boy is brahmacarya, and the training of the girl is chastity.
A faithful wife and spiritually trained brahmacari is a good combination
for advancement of the human mission.

TEXT 18

TAMINGIRT AAA SAAT |
RAMA «= - TATA TaTTTT 121

sarvasraman upadaya
svasramena kalatravan

vyasanarnavam atyeti
jala-yanair yatharnavam

sarva—all; d§sraman—social orders; upadaya—completing ; sva—own;
asramena—by the social orders; kalatravan—a person living with a
wife; vyasana-arnavam—the dangerous ocean of material existence; atyeti—
one can cross over; jala-ydnaih—seagoing vessel; yatha—as; arnavam—the
ocean.

TRANSLATION

As one can cross over the ocean with seagoing vessels, similarly one can
cross over the dangerous situation of the material ocean by living with a
wife.

PURPORT

There are four social orders for cooperation in the endeavor for
liberation from material existence. The orders of brahmacarya or pious
student life, household life with a wife, retired life and renounced life all
depend for successful advancement on the householder who lives with
a wife. This cooperation is essential for the proper functioning of the
institution of the four social orders and the four spiritual orders of life.
This Vedic varnasrama system is generally known as the caste system. The
man who lives with a wife has a great responsibility in maintaining the
members of the other social orders—the brahmacaris, vanaprasthas and
sannyasis. Except for the grhasthas or the householders, everyone is sup-
posed to engage in the spiritual advancement of life, and therefore the
brahmacari, the vanaprastha and the sannyasi have very little time to earn
a livelihood. They therefore collect alms from the grhasthas, and thus they
secure the bare necessities of.life and cultivate spiritual understanding. By
