Text 29] The Perfect Society: Four Social Classes 49
PURPORT

According to the injunction of Yajfiavalkya, an authority on religious
principles, @Suddheh sampratiksyo hi mahdpataka-disitah. One is con-
sidered contaminated by the reactions of great sinful activities when one
has not been purified according to the methods of the dasa-vidha-
samskdra. In Bhagavad-gita, however, the Lord says, na mam duskrtino
midhah prapadyante narddhamah: “Those miscreants who do not sur-
render unto Me are the lowest of mankind.” The word narddhama
means “nondevotee.” Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu also said, yei bhaje sei
bada, abhakta—hina, chara. Anyone who is a devotee is sinless. One
who is not a devotee, however, is the most fallen and condemned. It is
recommended, therefore, that a chaste wife not associate with a fallen
husband. A fallen husband is one who is addicted to the four principles
of sinful activity —namely illicit sex, meat-eating, gambling and intoxi-
cation. Specifically, if one is not a soul surrendered to the Supreme Per-
sonality of Godhead, he is understood to be contaminated. Thus a chaste
woman is advised not to agree to serve such a husband. It is not that a
chaste woman should be like a slave while her husband is narédhama,
the lowest of men. Although the duties of a woman are different from
those of a man, a chaste woman is not meant to serve a fallen husband. If
her husband is fallen, it is recommended that she give up his association.
Giving up the association of her husband does not mean, however, that a
woman should marry again and thus indulge in prostitution. If a chaste
woman unfortunately marries a husband who is fallen, she should live
separately from him. Similarly, a husband can separate himself from a
woman who is not chaste according to the description of the sdstra. The
conclusion is that a husband should be a pure Vaisnava and that a woman
should be a chaste wife with all the symptoms described in this regard.
Then both of them will be happy and make spiritual progress in Krsna
consciousness.

TEXT 29
TT fa ett waq ets TT |
ea ATS Ter tT AeA RAM
ya patim hari-bhavena
bhajet srir iva tat-para
