Devadas, Chapter 7

BY: SUN STAFF - 27.11 2024

Now Devadas is twenty-one years old. On seeing Devadas's gentle behavior and sharp intelligence, Shrikrishna Babu became very influenced. He was so much attached to Devadas that he did not perform any activity without consulting Devadas. In fact Devadas's uncle was always ready to work according to Devadas's desire in order to make him happy.

Devadas was a greatly learned gentleman and engaged in a high-class government service. Many rich people began to try to get their daughters married to him. Someone agreed to give four thousand rupees, some agreed to give five thousand rupees and yet some one agreed to give six thousand rupees in dowry. Someone said my daughter is very beautiful please come and see her one time. If you like her then there will be no problem regarding the dowry. But Devadas's mother and uncle did not answer to any bodies proposal without Devadas's consent. But their utmost desire was that now is the time that Devadas should get married so that they can live happily in the company of a new daughter-in-law.

Soon the topics of marriage reached the ears of Devadas. He contemplated within his mind whether this system is good or bad. It cannot be good! Abstract money from someone and be rich! Moreover the processes for abstracting money is so cruel troublesome to others that no kind-hearted person can tolerate them. One feels hurt by hearing the merciless incidents related to this. Instead of developing a pure marital relationship between one family with another, instead of feeling happiness and distress on seeing the happiness and distress of others, the whole concept is totally selfish. Whether one family is suffering distress no one cares about it. The main purpose is to abstract money. If one can abstract money from another than his mission is successful. A human being should be compassionate or faithful to another human being, they should related among each other as brothers- this is the rule of the Supreme Lord who is the controller of the universe. The living entities are not at all hesitant to smash this pure rule under their feet. There is nothing more lamentable than this. But the kind-hearted saintly persons who are distressed by seeing other's distress are still found today. They see this entire process with hatred. The way they act in establishing marital relationship is actually proves their broadmindedness. But today their numbers are so less in the society that it will not be exaggeration to say that do not exist.

There is no doubt that if this system remains prominently active, then the entire society will be ruined. Every parent wants that their daughter be married to a qualified man. Since one will have to spent so much money in order to get his daughter married to a qualified man, therefore it is often becomes impossible for a person to get their daughter married to a qualified man. Then he searches for a groom whose nature is good and who can provide food and clothing to his daughter. If a person is even unable to get his daughter married to a latter mentioned groom then he simply depends on his luck and he forced to marry his daughter to ordinary man. One will have to get his daughter married at an early age otherwise the society will criticize. But the society will not criticize or find fault with an unmarried man however aged he may be. This is the reason the guardian of a daughter forced to spend lavishly in the marriage of his daughter, and this is the reason even if the bride has no special qualities still she become valuable at the time of marriage.

The condition of the society is such that a person who has many daughters will certainly become a penniless even if he possesses big amount of wealth and properties, or else he will have to borrow money from others and suffer the pains of debts in this world and lead a life like a poor man. In the society some has one, someone has two and someone else has more daughters. It is very rare that a person does not have a daughter. Therefore since this gravely harmful system is current in the society all most everyone suffers its consequences. Those who take money in exchange of marriage all their money is simply spent only the ornaments of the bride remain for some time. A person who takes money in his sons marriage is duty bound to give money in his daughters marriage. It never becomes successful to get one's daughter married with the money received as a dowry from his sons marriage.

Since everybody has to tolerate the effect of such an unlawful system which destroys the society then is it not the duty of the learned man to endeavor the uprooting of such a system? One should not keep quite thinking that it is embarrassing to protest against the work of one's father or other authorities. By keeping quite in this way this formidable demoniac system will never be stopped. One should try his best to request his father or other authorities to sever the root of this greatly harmful system. O learned young patriots, just as you are determined to make advancement in the field of industry and technology and thereby benefit the general mass of people similarly if you can uproot this most harmful and demoniac system then you can protect the society from the most dangerous disease. If this disease is cured, then society will become healthy. If the society is healthy, then it will become strong by the wealth earned by the people. When the society is strong, then unlimited activities that are beneficial to the living entities will be performed. You may marry a woman today being blinded by selfishness and become unhappy in spite of receiving abundance of wealth. But the same woman will become the in charge of your family tomorrow. Therefore who else then your wife and children will become dear to you and desire your benefit in this world?

Marriage is meant for begetting children. To be blessed with good children is a person's highest pleasure. If one wishes to have good children, then he should marry the daughter of honest parents. If the daughter has no good qualities, then what is the use of her beauty? Just as a man who has no good qualities yet handsome, is not appreciated by any one. Similarly should such a consideration be not established in the case of women? Prominence of one's good qualities determines his superiority. Actually beauty is of no use. Whether the bodily color of a man or women is dark or fair there is no gain or loss at all. If a husband is attracted by the good qualities of his wife, he does not care about her bodily complexion. The mother is the object of children's happiness and affection. Do the children ever cast a glance at the bodily color of their mother? If a person gets the association of a good wife, good son or good daughter as long as he lives in this world as a honest householder then he is able to enjoy full happiness in his family life. Even if one suffers thousands of miseries in the family life but by the association of his good wife all the pains are vanquished. Many examples of the unlimited miseries a husband suffers in the association of his unchaste wife who has no good qualities are found in this world. In spite of clearly seeing these bright examples if a man gets married out of greed for beauty rather than qualities then who can be more foolish then such a person.

As long as a girl is not married, she lives in the shelter of her parents. She gets proper training from her parents. She becomes habituated to imitate the nature and behavior of them. However a son receives the opportunity to get the examples and instructions other then the examples and instructions from his parents. Due to bad association a son can become dishonest but since the girls of our country lived under the shelter of their parents until they are married they normally get the nature of their parents. Therefore there is no doubt that if the parents are honest then their daughters will certainly be honest and well-behaved. That is why one should marry a daughter of a honest parents. The children born from the womb of a such a girl become good children. The more society will have good children the more the society will be happy and prosperous. Although on the strength of intelligence and genius a bad son can become a learned, but even if a person with loose character is learned he becomes the cause of distress in the society. Everybody always remains in anxiety by his actions. Only he knows what kind of mischief he is going to create. Association with such people should always be rejected. Good children with good character are the ornaments of the society. Contemplating within his mind in this way Devadas emotionally spoke to the learned community of his country in a soft voice.

O learned country men! You are the leaders of the society and are in charge of removing all kinds of immoralities. You are the inaugurators of moral characteristics. Ordinary people of the society imitate your examples. Corruption regarding marriages have entered into the bones of Bengal. It is impossible to uproot this corruption without your collective endeavor. Do not hesitate to remove this corruption due to either shyness or selfishness. Of course there are various obstacles on the path of removing all corruptions. Do not pay attention to these obstacles. Try to carry out your duties to the best of your abilities. If you neglect your duties then you will incur sin and guide your country in the path of destruction. You should uplift your position by your own earnings. You can not remove your poverty by sucking money from others. Will you increase your happiness by making others poor and fallen. Will you not be happy by knowing that the parents and relatives of your would be wife are living happily? If this bad system remains prominent in the society will you not suffer like the parents of your wife? Therefore try your best to remove this corrupt practice.

Devadas was deadly against this system of marriage. He often expressed his intention to his uncle and mother in this regard. After hearing the reasonable words of Devadas his uncle and mother became reluctant to accept marriage proposals presented by the match maker. When they heard Devadas's conclusive words regarding the welfare of the society, they praised him profusely and tried their best to bring an end to this corrupt practice in this world. When the match makers did not get any assurance from them they left.