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Chapter 12: गृहस्थ जीवन (Married Life)

The second of the four ashramas or stages of life is  the household life or the Grihastha ashrama. Grihastha ashrama forms the  foundation of society. To care for the family, to extend the ambit of one’s  family beyond the walls of one’s home, to serve the society, to care for  others – all these form the very challenge as well as the beauty of this  stage of life.

 

For this, the interesting story of the famous poet  Maagha and his wife Vidyavati has been chosen. The great poet Maagha used to  give away in charity everything he received as gifts. Once, a brahmin  approached him for help to conduct his daughter's wedding. Maagha sold items  from his home and sent the money to the father. All arrangements were made,  but for golden ornaments; so the compassionate Maagha took the golden bangle  off his sleeping wife Vidyavati's wrist and sent it to the brahmin. In the  morning, when Vidyavati awoke, she took off the second bangle, and giving it  to Maagha, said, "We should not bid farewell to our daughter with a  single bangle."

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