Home Work with Interest

Meaning: According to the line of Yajurved 14/59 — benevolent woman carry out every work of the home with interest. They should not be lazy for any work. They educate other women about the proper conduct of the house as is done by every woman of learning and excellence.

Message: What is the basis of married life? What is its root? The basis of a household is the wife. The responsibility for the home’s safety, organization, administration, supervision and progress is on her only. A house is not a home until there is a ‘grihini’ (mistress of the home) in it. There is also a proverb that a house without a woman is a shelter for ghosts. A home without the lady-of-the-house feels forlorn and desolate. With the presence of a woman, there is increase in ‘shree’ (it has several meanings such as wealth, décor and beauty) and ‘aishwarya’ (aishwarya also has several meanings such as supremacy, superiority, something extra in the personality, wealth etc). For increase in ‘shree’ and aishwarya’ in the family, the woman must have the gentle qualities of willpower, moral simplicity, purity, virtues and discretion. Only such a morality simple, virtuous and skilful woman is beneficial for the family. Just as the plants and trees grow and bear flowers and fruits with proper watering, similarly with a virtuous and learned woman, there is all-round progress in the family. A virtuous woman is like Lakshmi (goddess of wealth) for the family.

Fortunate is the husband who has a beautiful, virtuous, faithful and soft-spoken wife. The wife is also called ‘dharma-patni’ (dharma means religion and patni means wife) because she conduct is herself according to religious tenets and takes part with her husband and the family in religious duties and deeds. The basis of happiness in marriage is the sameness of the conduct of both. If both are thoroughly attuned to each other and experiencing oneness of mind, honor each other and co-operate in the organization of the home, the life of both becomes pleasant and harmonious.

The responsibility of running the household lies on the wife. The man hands over the earned income to the wife and she has to make all the arrangements. Only that woman becomes popular who works cheerfully for enhancing the ‘shri’ in the family. To be full of sweetness, beauty, diligence and faithfulness to the husband is an indication of the woman’s good-luck. That woman’s dignity is enhanced who believes her husband to be the best and with it she never gets a feeling of inferiority. Married life will be automatically happy where a woman has the fine qualities of moral simplicity, gentleness, humility etc.

Only an industrious and dedicated woman can make a family happy. She should be eager in thinking of the benefits for all members of the family. It is the duty of the wife to serve her parents-in-law, her husband, to deal lovingly with all family members and to organize the meals etc for the family members. There should not be bitterness of cruelty in her attitude. If she creates a bitter atmosphere, then the harmony of the family will cease. Her own life will become unhappy and she will become a problem for others also. It is her responsibility to constantly strive for the happiness of the family. Only this is the duty for the home of excellent women.