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Is Polygamy prohibited under hinduism

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vinay

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Modern day Women's Liberation is very nice.

Now, instead of being 'raped' by their husbands at home...

They can be raped by their boss at work.

This much progress they have made.

Why maintain family life if we can smash it to pieces?

Why follow time-tested tradition if we can become animals overnight?

Why have a co-wife if we can hire an unknown unmarried maid?

Why bother to solve any problem if we can create new ones?

Why live simply if I can complicate everything I do?

Why Chant Haray Krishna if I can chant some nonsense thing?

 

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Originally posted by Avinash:

Are many people committing bugamy in Australia? I was not aware of it. And, what about bigamy?

 

You have called me a teacher. But, by prefession, I am not a teacher.

No no Prefesser. They are simply saying "bugamy" all the time. What it means? Please?

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As far as polygamy, I don't think it should be illegal. Right now, if a man has multiple girlfriends that is not illegal. But if a man, based on his religious beliefs, takes on more than one wife, then he can be prosecuted. I don't think it is a practical lifestyle today. I don't think most can properly practice it. But still I see no reason for it to be outlawed, provided no one is forced into such a situation.

 

Gauracandra

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I agree with Gauracandra.

Generally it won't work, due to ahankar, dveza, moha, krodha.

But when it does, it's a very beautiful, far superior to monogamy.

Much more effective & efficient.

One Alachua devotee has 2 wives; maybe they are sisters.

2nd wife was abused, so she took shelter.

1st had no objection.

Main thing is they all share daily chores, chant & read together.

They were criticized by whom?

Initiated persons not yet familiar with Vedik-VaiSNav Culture.

That's whom. Instead of good will, just the opposite: destroy!

I have no harmony in my own life, so why should they? Grrr!

* * *

While one who chants japa with his tongue on fire

Gargles in the rat race kIrtan choir

Bent out of shape by society's pliers

Cares not to come up any higher

But rather get you down in the andha-kUpa hole that he's in.

* * *

For them that must obey authority

That they do not respect in any degree

Who despise their jobs, their destiny

Speak jealously of them that are free

Cultivate their garland flowers to be

Nothing more than something they reluctantly invest in.

(It's Alright Ma, I'm Only Bleeding - Dylan)

(

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I haven't beenlogging on for a few days. My (only) wife just arrived, and we've been busy getting settled. I have a couple of quick comments on polygamy.

 

Although we know Srila Prabhupada sometimes commended polygamy as a feature of an advanced society, he also forbade it for his disciples on many occasions. I cited some of these in a VNN article a few years ago. I don't have the text available here in my office, but I can include quotations in another post when I get home. On a couple of oocasions, he said it was just for increasing sense gratification. Perhaps the most notable is a purport he wrote in a Bhagavatam purport instructing us to follow Lord Ramachandra's example of following eka-patni vrata--being satisfied with one wife. These are, of course, meant for those interested in advancing in love for Krishna. Other arrangements may certainly be acceptable for helping others come to a more human standard of life.

 

Another note is that Bhaktivinoda Thakura also wrote condemning polygamy. This was before he was apparently active in krishna consciousness. I have that quotation at home, too.

 

Finally, the fact is that, in most countries, polygamy is illegal. Our ignoring those laws does little to enhance others' faith in our movement,which Srila Prabhupada said was founded on principles of cleanliness, austerity, truthfulnees, and mercy.

 

Babhru das

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Here's the quotation from Bhaktivinoda:

 

"Polygamy is the bane of native [indian]society-a curse that enslaves many of the softer sex. The Kulina Brahmins are inseparable companions of polygamy. In their society it is as firmly advocated as is American slavery in the Southern States. The Kulina women are no better off than the African blacks. But an African black has many advocates around: he has a voice in the "Anti-Slavery League," whilst a Kulina Brahmini has no zealous friend to tell of her sorrows and relieve them. The legislature ought to hear the cries of the people as far as their interest is concerned. Reform in everything is sought for and as the first movement we desire the removal of polygamy by an enactment."

 

Babhru

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Let's get these terms right -

 

There is Polygamy, and there is Polygyny

 

Polygamy = where both male and the female members of a society, group etc can have multiple marriage partners at the one time

 

eg Mahabarata: Kunti her co-wives and her Husbands, Drupadi her co-wives and the Padavas.

 

Polygyny = a male has multiple female marriage partners eg Islam, Mohammad, Bin Laden et al. Judaism, Mormon, Hindus etc.

 

 

 

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Originally posted by stonehearted:

Mercy, yes--he did! Why are you restraining yourself?

Restraining, retraining, myself and everything else depends solely on His Divine Grace whom I consider the very source of mercy as well as unlimited, unconditional Love. Like anything else in this world, I suppose, all must be applied judiciously in accordance with personal realization and perceived duty.

 

The more we are in touch with our own sinful nature and accept our absolutely fallen state, the more we are capable of forgiving others. Nothing personal was meant here, towards you or anyone else, just emphasizing certain words from Srila Prabhupada as so many others do. How we may apply them is, of course, between ourselves and His Divine Grace. That said, I have no idea what your last post meant!

 

valaya

 

 

 

------------------

Radhe Radhe always Radhe!

HARIBOL! HARIBOL! HARIBOL!

amanpeter@hotmail.com

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  • 1 year later...
Guest guest

Greetings! I would agree that it is a man's responsibility to care for his wife except that woman have equal rights and that liberates a man from the sole responsibility of caring for the wife and the family. Woman are equal and must do and equal amount of work and earning money as a price for having the right to vote and hold public office and be able to hold positions of authority in the workforce above both woman and men.

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This also applies to war. Allthough I personally think most wars are avoidable that is beside the point. Since woman enjoy the rights and privledges of citizenship they should be forced against their wills the same as the men currently are if they are going to continue having the same rights. If not then this is blatent sexual discrimination and the only soluttion to this situation is to take away woman's rights to justify men caring for them and defending them in the battlefield. Sad but true. My life is too precious to defend the life of a person who has more rights and privledges than me or to form a family with them. This is unfortunatly the current situation with woman in the west these days. This equal but special status that woman enjoy is unjustified and ethically wrong.

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Polygamy in this day and age is poppagated by very lustfilled devotee men who want to justify their desire with guru and shastra. In this day, women are not only fully competant but polygamy is a maha insult to the spiritualized woman.

 

Bottom line? They can find quotes by Prabhupada to support it but his LAST instruction in the last btwm he translated was a very clear "No" to polygamy. Gesh, we can't even stay in one relationship and make one mariage work yet insist on thinking to be so great that men can take on more than one wife? Give me a break. Its merely for sense gratification or grhamati, and very little to do with grhasta.

 

Short from going to 'church' or having a home altar, the seriousness about getting out of the material world is not the focus of such lusty marriages, with few men thinking how they are going to have to be responsible for getting all these women out of the material world in one lifetime.

 

Krishna consciousness is about giving up sex life, not increasing it. So they can bable on all they want about the great service they are doing by taking on many wives and sleeping with them, while some men may buy into it, very few women fall for it. Its a lie.

 

This polygamy nonsense is very very very bad for preacihng too. Even someone comes here to these message boards and reads it, turns their back on Krishna cosciousness. "Oh, come join our Krishna society and your daughter too can enter into a polygamous marriage." Yuck.

 

Time such lusty men admit to their trutful desires. sex results in sex, so stop avoiding that topic using/abusing the tpoic of "protection." Start getting off the bodily platform and achievely achieve transcendence, when such desires will naturally fall away. Materially, sex is the highest pleasure, spiriutally it is the worst, so just imagine so many! Gross spiriutally!

 

I've had my say, now do with it as you will.

 

Devi Dasi

 

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mataji prabhu

i completely agree with you... there's nothing more evil than apply some ancient vedic customs without having recreated a complete vedic environment..

 

if one need to have more sex than the "licit" one, better to behave in the normal, legal, human, monogamic way instead of speculating on vedic rules and customs

 

 

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This equal but special status that woman enjoy is unjustified and ethically wrong.

 

 

You are so right. As a white male, I have been unfairly discriminated against for most of my adult life. I have been denied or passed over for jobs based on my gender and color of my skin. Just one more reason to become aloof from this society and to engage more wholeheartedly in devotional service.

 

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