Devanagari
एतत्सर्वं गृहस्थस्य समाम्नातं यतेरपि ।
गुरुवृत्तिर्विकल्पेन गृहस्थस्यर्तुगामिन: ॥ ११ ॥
Verse text
etat sarvaṁ gṛhasthasya
samāmnātaṁ yater api
guru-vṛttir vikalpena
gṛhasthasyartu-gāminaḥ
Synonyms
etat
—
this
;
sarvam
—
all
;
gṛhasthasya
—
of a householder
;
samāmnātam
—
described
;
yateḥ api
—
even of the person in the renounced order
;
guru
—
vṛttiḥ vikalpena — to follow the orders of the spiritual master
;
gṛhasthasya
—
of the householder
;
ṛtu
—
gāminaḥ — accepting sex only during the period favorable for procreation .
Translation
All the rules and regulations apply equally to the householder and the sannyāsī, the member of the renounced order of life. The gṛhastha, however, is given permission by the spiritual master to indulge in sex during the period favorable for procreation.
Translation (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)
All these rules described apply equally to the householder and the sannyāsī. But the decision of the householder to maintain brahmacārī vows is according to his decision.
The rules from verse 6 apply to others as well. The person decides if he should or should not have children (vikalpena).
Purport
It is sometimes misunderstood that a
gṛhastha,
a householder, is permitted to indulge in sex at any time. This is a wrong conception of
gṛhastha
life. In spiritual life, whether one is a
gṛhastha, vānaprastha, sannyāsī
or
brahmacārī,
everyone is under the control of the spiritual master. For
brahmacārīs
and
sannyāsīs
there are strong restrictions on sexual indulgence. Similarly, there are strong restrictions for
gṛhasthas.
Gṛhasthas
should indulge in sex life only in accordance with the order of the
guru.
Therefore it is mentioned here that one must follow the orders of the spiritual master (
guru-vṛttir vikalpena
). When the spiritual master orders, the
gṛhastha
may accept sex life. This is confirmed in
Bhagavad-gītā
(7.11)
.
Dharmāviruddho bhūteṣu kāmo ’smi:
indulgence in sex life without disobedience to the religious rules and regulations constitutes a religious principle. The
gṛhastha
is allowed to indulge in sex life during the period favorable for procreation and in accordance with the spiritual master’s order. If the spiritual master’s orders allow a
gṛhastha
to engage in sex life at a particular time, then the
gṛhastha
may do so; otherwise, if the spiritual master orders against it, the
gṛhastha
should abstain. The
gṛhastha
must obtain permission from the spiritual master to observe the ritualistic ceremony of
garbhādhāna-saṁskāra.
Then he may approach his wife to beget children, otherwise not. A
brāhmaṇa
generally remains a
brahmacārī
throughout his entire life, but although some
brāhmaṇas
become
gṛhasthas
and indulge in sex life, they do so under the complete control of the spiritual master. The
kṣatriya
is allowed to marry more than one wife, but this also must be in accordance with the instructions of the spiritual master. It is not that because one is a
gṛhastha
he may marry as many times as he likes and indulge in sex life as he likes. This is not spiritual life. In spiritual life, one must conduct one’s whole life under the guidance of the
guru.
Only one who executes his spiritual life under the direction of the spiritual master can achieve the mercy of Kṛṣṇa.
Yasya prasādād bhagavat-prasādaḥ
. If one desires to advance in spiritual life but he acts whimsically, not following the orders of the spiritual master, he has no shelter.
Yasyāprasādān na gatiḥ kuto ’pi
. Without the spiritual master’s order, even the
gṛhastha
should not indulge in sex life.