Vanaprastha:Example of King Malayadhvaja and Queen Vaidarbhi

Reference Post for context: Activities of a Disciple in Separation from Spiritual Master

Srila Prabhupada's purport on vanaprastha life SB 4.28.45:

1. The wife especially should remain austere, not desiring luxurious dresses and living standards. She should accept only the bare necessities of life and minimize her eating and sleeping.
   
2. There should be no question of mating. Simply by engaging in the service of her exalted husband, who must be a pure devotee, the wife will never be agitated by sex impulses. The vānaprastha stage is exactly like this. Although the wife remains with the husband, she undergoes severe austerities and penances so that although both husband and wife live together, there is no question of sex. In this way both husband and wife can live together perpetually.
   
3. Nonetheless, the wife is expected to give up all luxurious habits. She should not even dress nicely or comb her hair. Hair combing is one of the main businesses of women. In the vānaprastha stage the wife should not take care of her hair. Thus her hair will become tangled in knots. Consequently the wife will no longer be attractive to the husband, and she herself will no longer be agitated by sex impulses.
   
4. In this way both husband and wife can advance in spiritual consciousness. This advanced stage is called the paramahaḿsa stage, and once it is obtained, both husband and wife can be actually liberated from bodily consciousness. If the disciple remains steady in the service of the spiritual master, he need no longer fear falling down into the clutches of māyā.

Example of King Malayadhvaja:

1. He was a powerful king and great devotee.
   
2. He was not attached when retiring from family life as we can see he divided his kingdom amongst his sons and then engaged in worship,executing austerities and following regulative principles in a solitary place(nirjana bhajan).SB 4.28.33
3. Practiced austerities and became equipoised in dualities.Austerities prescribed in the sastras help one transcend the material body.Sense control can be achieved automatically by engaging in the Lord's service. SB 4.28.37
4. He became fixed by following these principles for 36000 years.
   
5. He attained the perfection of life: Not only did he come to the conclusion that Krsna is everything but he also remained fixed in that realization.

Example of Queen Vaidarbhi:

1. She gave up all sensual enjoyment and in complete renunciation followed the principles of her husband, who was so advanced. Thus she remained engaged in his service.SB 4.28.43
2. Srila Prabhupada says in this regard:"If a woman is fortunate enough to be the wife of a pure devotee, she can serve her husband without any desire for sense gratification. If she remains engaged in the service of her exalted husband, she will automatically attain the spiritual perfections of her husband."
   
3. She remained austere, accepted only bare necessities of life, minimized her eating and sleeping and dressed in old garments.
4. While serving her husband the Queen did not even talk to her husband while serving.he would simply perform her prescribed duties without talk.This is evident from text SB 4.28.45
5. When she discovered her husband had left his body, she cried out of affection for him and she then prepared a blazing fire with firewood and placed the dead body of her husband upon it. When this was finished, she lamented severely and prepared herself to perish in the fire with her husband.SB 4.28.50
   

Activities of a Disciple in Separation from Spiritual Master

In SB 4.28 "Puranjana Becomes a Woman in the Next Life" -King Puranjana owing to excessive attachment to his wife and being engrossed in thoughts of worrying about her at the time of death, he is born as a woman in his next life. He takes birth as the daughter Vaidarbhi of King Vidarbha.

Vaidarbhi gets married to King Malayadhvaja and during vanaprastha follows her husband and serves him and performs austerities herself. Her relationship with her husband is compared with the relationship of the disciple with his Spiritual Master. The example and comparison teaches us at two levels:

1. Vanaprastha duties for wife and husband
2. Relationship of disciple with spiritual master

This post has been drawn out from Srila Prabhupada's purports on point 2.

Synopsis:
Making the order and mood of the spiritual master as one's life and soul is extremely important.
If one is successful in doing that one can imbibe the spiritual master's teachings and thus serve as an instrument in the mission of the spiritual master and Krishna.

If one fails to do that one will not be able to fulfill his duty as a disciple as enunciated below.
thus one should use one's life in training as per the guidance of the spiritual master and eventually fulfilling the spiritual masters preaching mission/desires in the process.

References from purports:

1. When one is trained by the spiritual master in devotional service, the disciple should allow the spiritual master to retire from active preaching work and engage in nirjana- bhajan. The disciple should take preaching activities in their own hands. SB 4.28.33
2. The disciple and spiritual master are never separated because the spiritual master always keeps company with the disciple as long as the disciple follows strictly the instructions of the spiritual master. When the spiritual master is no longer present one should serve his instructions just like when he is present one serves his physical body. SB 4.28.47
   
3. When an acarya disappears rogues and non-devotees take advantage and immediately introduce unauthorized principles. However the perfect disciples of the acarya try to relieve the situation by sincerely following the instructions of the spiritual master.SB 4.28.48
   
4. A devoted disciple of the spiritual master would rather die with the spiritual master than fail to execute the spiritual master's mission.To execute the will of the spiritual master , the disciple should be prepared to lay down his life and abandon all personal considerations.SB 4.28.51

Chaste wife: Srila Prabhupada's comments from the pastime of Arci

Refer synopsis and verses from Arci's dedication and devotion to Prthu Maharaj

1. Follows the husband in every situation:Being the wives of great personalities like Pṛthu, Lord Rāmacandra and Dhṛtarāṣṭra, Arci,mother Sita and Gandhari were ideal chaste women. Such queens also instructed the general people by showing them how to become a chaste wife and follow the husband in every stage of life. When the husband is king, she sits beside him as the queen, and when he goes to the forest, she also follows, despite having to tolerate all kinds of difficulties in living in the forest.4.23.19
2. Duty in householder life:The words bhartur vrata-dharma-niṣṭhayā indicate that a woman's duty, or religious principle, is to serve her husband in all conditions. In Vedic civilization a man is taught from the beginning of his life to become a brahmacārī, then an ideal gṛhastha, then vānaprastha, then sannyāsī, and the wife is taught just to follow the husband strictly in all conditions of life. After the period of brahmacarya, a man accepts a householder's life, and the woman is also taught by her parents to be a chaste wife. Thus when a girl and boy are united, both are trained for a life dedicated to a higher purpose. The boy is trained to execute his duty in accordance with the higher purpose of life, and the girl is trained to follow him. The chaste wife's duty is to keep her husband pleased in householder life in all respects, and when the husband retires from family life, she is to go to the forest and adopt the life of vānaprastha, or vana-vāsī. At that time the wife is to follow her husband and take care of him, just as she took care of him in householder life. But when the husband takes the renounced order of life, namely sannyāsa, the wife is to return home and become a saintly woman, setting an example for her children and daughters-in-law and showing them how to live a life of austerity.
3. Simply follow in footsteps of husband who is a devotee:A woman does not need to attain high qualifications, but if she simply follows in the footsteps of her husband, who must be a devotee, then both husband and wife attain liberation and are promoted to the Vaikuṇṭhalokas. This is evinced by the inconceivable activities of Mahārāja Pṛthu and his wife.

Arci's dedication and devotion to Prthu Maharaj

Prthu Maharaj retired from family life and entered the forest and strictly followed the regulations of retired life.His wife Arci also followed her husband to the forest as a chaste wife.

Synopsis:

1. She was a daughter of a king and was not accustomed to walking barefoot and living outside of the palace.
   
2. She tolerated all difficulties of living in the wilderness and followed the regulative principles of living in the forest like great sages.
3. Her body became very frail and thin by eating only fruits and leaves.
   
4. She did not feel any difficulties because she derived pleasure in the honor of serving her great husband
5. She lamented only for a little while, when her husband no longer displayed any symptoms of life( -dehino smin- sober person is not bewildered by such a change) .
6. She prepared his funeral pyre following all regulations and herself entered its flames
7. She thus served her husband just like the goddess of fortune serves Lord vishnu.
8. By dint of her chastity and pious activities she followed her great husband to vaikuntha.

Also refer Chaste wife: Srila Prabhupada's comments from the pastime of Arci

Reference texts:

SB 4.23.20: Although she was not accustomed to such difficulties, Queen Arci followed her husband in the regulative principles of living in the forest like great sages. She lay down on the ground and ate only fruits, flowers and leaves, and because she was not fit for these activities, she became frail and thin. Yet because of the pleasure she derived in serving her husband, she did not feel any difficulties.

SB 4.23.21: When Queen Arci saw that her husband, who had been so merciful to her and the earth, no longer showed symptoms of life, she lamented for a little while and then built a fiery pyre on top of a hill and placed the body of her husband on it.

SB 4.23.22: After this, the Queen executed the necessary funerary functions and offered oblations of water. After bathing in the river, she offered obeisances to various demigods situated in the sky in the different planetary systems. She then circumambulated the fire and, while thinking of the lotus feet of her husband, entered its flames.

SB 4.23.23: After observing this brave act performed by the chaste wife Arci, the wife of the great King Pṛthu, many thousands of the wives of the demigods, along with their husbands, offered prayers to the Queen, for they were very much satisfied.

SB 4.23.24: At that time the demigods were situated on the top of Mandara Hill, and all their wives began to shower flowers on the funeral pyre and began to talk amongst themselves as follows.

SB 4.23.25: The wives of the demigods said: All glories to Queen Arci! We can see that this queen of the great King Pṛthu, the emperor of all the kings of the world, has served her husband with mind, speech and body exactly as the goddess of fortune serves the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Yajñeśa, or Viṣṇu.

Desire to serve Vaishnavas should be stronger than a materialist's desire to enjoy Sense gratification

SB 4.22.3: Seeing the four Kumāras, Pṛthu Mahārāja was greatly anxious to receive them. Therefore the King, with all his officers, very hastily got up, as anxiously as a conditioned soul whose senses are immediately attracted by the modes of material nature.

Wife is adorned with fine garments and ornaments

Synopsis:

Its a wife's responsibility to be an inspiration and keep the husband's intelligence in good order so that they can carry on duties of grhastha asrama together peacefully.

SP's purport:
A woman is generally accustomed to dress herself nicely with fine garments and decorative ornaments. She may even sometimes wear flowers in her hair. Women especially dress themselves up in the evening because the husband comes home in the evening after working hard all day. It is the duty of the wife to dress herself up very nicely so that when her husband returns home he becomes attracted by her dress and cleanliness and thus becomes satisfied. In other words, the wife is the inspiration of all good intelligence. Upon seeing one's wife dressed nicely, one can think very soberly about family business. When a person is too anxious about family affairs, he cannot discharge his family duties nicely. A wife is therefore supposed to be an inspiration and should keep the husband's intelligence in good order so that they can combinedly prosecute the affairs of family life without impediment.

Reference text:
SB 4.27.2: The Queen took her bath and dressed herself nicely with all auspicious garments and ornaments. After taking food and becoming completely satisfied, she returned to the King. Upon seeing her beautifully decorated attractive face, the King welcomed her with all devotion.

Wife should not be neglected

King Puranjana neglected his wife and went for hunting. When he returned he found she was lying on the ground because she was neglected by her husband.
Srila Prabhupada writes in this regard:

"The wife of King Purañjana was lying on the ground because she was neglected by her husband. Actually the woman must always be protected by her husband. We always speak of the goddess of fortune as being placed on the chest of Nārāyaṇa. In other words, the wife must remain embraced by her husband. Thus she becomes beloved and well protected. Just as one saves his money and places it under his own personal protection, one should similarly protect his wife by his own personal supervision. Just as intelligence is always within the heart, so a beloved chaste wife should always have her place on the chest of a good husband. This is the proper relationship between husband and wife. A wife is therefore called ardhāńganī, or half of the body. One cannot remain with only one leg, one hand or only one side of the body. He must have two sides. Similarly, according to nature's way, husband and wife should live together. In the lower species of life, among birds and animals, it is seen that by nature's arrangement the husband and wife live together. It is similarly ideal in human life for the husband and wife to live together. The home should be a place for devotional service, and the wife should be chaste and accepted by a ritualistic ceremony. In this way one can become happy at home."

Reference verse and purport:
SB 4.26.17: All the women addressed the King: O master of the citizens, we do not know why your dear wife has taken on this sort of existence. O killer of enemies, kindly look! She is lying on the ground without bedding. We cannot understand why she is acting this way.

Good wife increases family's engagement in devotional service

Synopsis:

1. Success in household life is measured by how well husband and wife are executing Krishna Consciousness.
2. A good wife is one who can help her husband in executing Krishna Consciousness and save him from dangers offered by material existence.
3. There is no difference between good intelligence and a good wife as both help a person on the path of devotional service.
4. With such a good wife the family's engagement in devotional service of the Lord actually makes the home a grahastha-asrama or household dedicated spiritual cultivation.
5. If one is fortunate to have a good wife, he can decide by mutual consultation that human life is meant for advancing in Krishna Consciousness and the children should also be expansion of their Krishna Consciousness.

Reference Text and Purports:
SB 4.26.15: King Purañjana said: I do not understand why my household paraphernalia does not attract me as before. I think that if there is neither a mother nor devoted wife at home, the home is like a chariot without wheels. Where is the fool who will sit down on such an unworkable chariot?
Purport:
Actually, a woman is supposed to be the energy of the man. Historically, in the background of every great man there is either a mother or a wife. One’s household life is very successful if he has both a good wife and mother. In such a case, everything about household affairs and all the paraphernalia in the house becomes very pleasing. Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu had both a good mother and pleasing wife, and He was very happy at home. Nonetheless, for the benefit of the whole human race, He took sannyāsa and left both His mother and wife. In other words, it is essential that one have both a good mother and wife in order to become perfectly happy at home. Otherwise home life has no meaning. Unless one is religiously guided by intelligence and renders devotional service unto the Supreme Personality of Godhead, his home can never become very pleasing to a saintly person. In other words, if a man has a good mother or a good wife, there is no need of his taking sannyāsa — that is, unless it is absolutely necessary, as it was for Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu.


SB 4.26.16: Kindly let me know the whereabouts of that beautiful woman who always saves me when I am drowning in the ocean of danger. By giving me good intelligence at every step, she always saves me.
Purport
Herein we see that King Purañjana was searching after his good wife, who always helped him out of the dangerous situations that always occur in material existence. As already explained, a real wife is dharma-patnī. That is, a woman accepted in marriage by ritualistic ceremony is called dharma-patnī, which signifies that she is accepted in terms of religious principles. Children born of a dharma-patnī inherit the property of the father, but children born of a woman who is not properly married do not inherit the father’s property. The word dharma-patnī also refers to a chaste wife. A chaste wife is one who never had any connection with men before her marriage. Once a woman is given the freedom to mingle with all kinds of men in her youth, it is very difficult for her to keep chaste. When butter is brought into the proximity of fire, it melts. The woman is like fire, and man is like the butter. But if one gets a chaste wife, accepted through a religious marriage ritual, she can be of great help when one is threatened by the many dangerous situations of life. Actually such a wife can become the source of all good intelligence. With such a good wife, the family’s engagement in the devotional service of the Lord actually makes a home a gṛhastha-āśrama, or household dedicated to spiritual cultivation.

SB 4.27.6: Purport for Point 5 in synopsis.
 If a man is in good consciousness, he consults with his religious wife, and as a result of this consultation, with intelligence, one advances in his ability to estimate the value of life. In other words, if one is fortunate enough to have a good, conscientious wife, he can decide by mutual consultation that human life is meant for advancing in Kṛṣṇa consciousness and not for begetting a large number of children. Children are calledpariṇāma, or by-products, and when one consults his good intelligence he can see that his by-products should be the expansion of his Kṛṣṇa consciousness.

Also from purport to 4.26.15:

The great politician Cāṇakya Paṇḍita said:

mātā yasya gṛhe nāsti
 bhāryā cāpriya-vādinī
araṇyaṁ tena gantavyaṁ
 yathāraṇyaṁ tathā gṛham

“If a person has neither a mother nor a pleasing wife at home, he should leave home and go to the forest, because for him there is no difference between the forest and home.” The real mātā, or mother, is devotional service to the Lord, and the real patnī, or devoted wife, is a wife who helps her husband execute religious principles in devotional service. These two things are required for a happy home.

Actually, a woman is supposed to be the energy of the man. Historically, in the background of every great man there is either a mother or a wife. One’s household life is very successful if he has both a good wife and mother. In such a case, everything about household affairs and all the paraphernalia in the house becomes very pleasing. Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu had both a good mother and pleasing wife, and He was very happy at home. Nonetheless, for the benefit of the whole human race, He took sannyāsa and left both His mother and wife. In other words, it is essential that one have both a good mother and wife in order to become perfectly happy at home. Otherwise home life has no meaning. Unless one is religiously guided by intelligence and renders devotional service unto the Supreme Personality of Godhead, his home can never become very pleasing to a saintly person. In other words, if a man has a good mother or a good wife, there is no need of his taking sannyāsa — that is, unless it is absolutely necessary, as it was for Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu.

Transcendental benefit of serving Vaishnavas

After getting blessings from Lord Vishnu, Prthu Maharaj instructed his citizens after performing another yagna. He instructed them on various aspects like following varnashrama duies,etc and also speficially talked about respecting and serving the brahamans and the vaishnavas.

The following verses spoken by him are wonderful in how they inspire one to serve the brahamana and the vaishnavas and also set the expectation that the Supreme Lord has from us.
Synopsis:

1. The Supreme Lord Himself engages in the service of brahamanas and vaishnavas
2. The Lord is pleased if we engage in their service as He is dear to them and they are dear to Him.
3. Be regular service one's heart becomes cleaned and one can get liberation from material attachment and still be very blissful and satisfied.
4. One is relieved from sinful reactions
5. One develops all good and desirable qualities.
   
6. It is more superior that any fruitive activity.
7. It is pleasing to the demigods who one tries to please by performing sacrifices
   

SB 4.21.39: The Supreme Personality of Godhead, who is everlastingly independent and who exists in everyone's heart, is very pleased with those who follow in His footsteps and engage without reservation in the service of the descendants of brāhmaṇas and Vaiṣṇavas, for He is always dear to brāhmaṇas and Vaiṣṇavas and they are always dear to Him.

SB 4.21.40: By regular service to the brāhmaṇas and Vaiṣṇavas, one can clear the dirt from his heart and thus enjoy supreme peace and liberation from material attachment and be satisfied. In this world there is no fruitive activity superior to serving the brāhmaṇa class, for this can bring pleasure to the demigods, for whom the many sacrifices are recommended.

SB 4.21.41: Although the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Ananta, eats through the fire sacrifices offered in the names of the different demigods, He does not take as much pleasure in eating through fire as He does in accepting offerings through the mouths of learned sages and devotees, for then He does not leave the association of devotees.

SB 4.21.42: In brahminical culture a brāhmaṇa's transcendental position is eternally maintained because the injunctions of the Vedas are accepted with faith, austerity, scriptural conclusions, full sense and mind control, and meditation. In this way the real goal of life is illuminated, just as one's face is fully reflected in a clear mirror.

SB 4.21.43: O respectable personalities present here, I beg the blessings of all of you that I may perpetually carry on my crown the dust of the lotus feet of such brāhmaṇas and Vaiṣṇavas until the end of my life. He who can carry such dust on his head is very soon relieved of all the reactions which arise from sinful life, and eventually he develops all good and desirable qualities.

SB 4.21.44: Whoever acquires the brahminical qualifications — whose only wealth is good behavior, who is grateful and who takes shelter of experienced persons — gets all the opulence of the world. I therefore wish that the Supreme Personality of Godhead and His associates be pleased with the brāhmaṇa class, with the cows and with me.

Lord vishnu asks Prthu Maharaj to forgive Indra

Lord Indra disturbs Prthu Maharaj's 100th ashvamedha yagna as he doesnt want Prithu Maharaj to surpass him in being known as one who has performed 100 horse sacrifices.
However later he comes with Lord Vishnu to Prthu Maharaj to ask for forgiveness.
Lord Vishnu says the following powerful words asking Prthu Maharaj to forgive Indra.

Synopsis:
Whenever we feel offended we must realize that it arises from the bodily conception of life.For one who is advanced in spiritual life situated in the real ego, does not feel offended as He discovers that pleasure and pain as well as their interactions, which he attributed to his own self, are actually due to the false ego, which is a product of ignorance.

Knowing that the Lord's position as the ultimate giver of sanction and the condition soul's position as always empowered by Maya, saintly persons do not take seriously the offenses of the materialists - Ref:Unveiling His Lotus feet SB 4.6.47

Reference verses:

SB 4.20.3: O King, one who is advanced in intelligence and eager to perform welfare activities for others is considered best amongst human beings. An advanced human being is never malicious to others. Those with advanced intelligence are always conscious that this material body is different from the soul.

SB 4.20.4: If a personality like you, who are so much advanced because of executing the instructions of the previous ācāryas, is carried away by the influence of My material energy, then all your advancement may be considered simply a waste of time.

SB 4.20.5: Those who are in full knowledge of the bodily conception of life, who know that this body is composed of nescience, desires and activities resulting from illusion, do not become addicted to the body.

4 kumaras advocate process of hearing

The 4 kumaras visit Prthu Maharaj and he asks them 2 questions:

1. How can those who are entangled in material existence, such as householders be blessed with good fortune?
2. How can one make quick advancement in spiritual life?

Sanat Kumara the chief of the kumaras responds by stating various things like: engagement in Devotional service,enquire abt SPG,apply Bhakti Yoga, follow rules and regulations, take shelter of pure devotee,etc from verses SB 4.22.20 to SB 4.22.24

He then states how the process of hearing helps increase attachment to the Lord and detachment from material life.

SB 4.22.25: The devotee should gradually increase the culture of devotional service by constant hearing of the transcendental qualities of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. These pastimes are like ornamental decorations on the ears of devotees. By rendering devotional service and transcending the material qualities, one can easily be fixed in transcendence in the Supreme Personality of Godhead.

SB 4.22.26: Upon becoming fixed in his attachment to the Supreme Personality of Godhead by the grace of the spiritual master and by awakening knowledge and detachment, the living entity, situated within the heart of the body and covered by the five elements, burns up his material surroundings exactly as fire, arising from wood, burns the wood itself.

Prthu Maharaj requests benediction of one million ears

The Lord appears at the fire sacrifice arena and offers a benediction to Prithu Maharaj being extremely pleased with his qualities to which Prithu Maharaj says that he doesnt want liberation as he will not be able to hear the glories of the Lord and he says he only wants to hear the glories of the Lord from the mouths of pure devotees -that is the only benediction he desires.

SB 4.20.24: My dear Lord, I therefore do not wish to have the benediction of merging into Your existence, a benediction in which there is no existence of the nectarean beverage of Your lotus feet. I want the benediction of at least one million ears, for thus I may be able to hear about the glories of Your lotus feet from the mouths of Your pure devotees.

SB 4.20.25: My dear Lord, You are glorified by the selected verses uttered by great personalities. Such glorification of Your lotus feet is just like saffron particles. When the transcendental vibration from the mouths of great devotees carries the aroma of the saffron dust of Your lotus feet, the forgetful living entity gradually remembers his eternal relationship with You. Devotees thus gradually come to the right conclusion about the value of life. My dear Lord, I therefore do not need any other benediction but the opportunity to hear from the mouth of Your pure devotee.

SB 4.20.26: My dear highly glorified Lord, if one, in the association of pure devotees, hears even once the glories of Your activities, he does not, unless he is nothing but an animal, give up the association of devotees, for no intelligent person would be so careless as to leave their association. The perfection of chanting and hearing about Your glories was accepted even by the goddess of fortune, who desired to hear of Your unlimited activities and transcendental glories.