SACRED MARRIAGE – WHAT IS IT REALLY?
Srila Prabhupada has stated that married life – grihasthasram – is meant for regulating the human mind so that it may become peaceful for spiritual advancement. A human being is endowed with a gross body and a subtle body. To maintain the gross body, there is a need for accumulating wealth, a house, household items, grains etc. For the prospects of the subtle body, one needs proper spiritual knowledge and occupation. Grihastha ashram is a complete package in the Vedic culture. Thus it is accepted that a grihastha can earn wealth, acquire a household and other facilities. As per the sastra, he is also allowed limited sense gratification inclusive of sex for raising Krishna conscious and responsible children. Unfortunately, in the depraved society of today, the sex element has been separated from the Vedic package and has been made the focus of married life. Sexual relationship between a man and a woman outside the sanctity of marriage is considered the “in thing”.
GOAL OF GRIHASTHA ASHRAMA
An ashrama is a place where one takes shelter of the Supreme Lord. Therefore, the goal of all ashramas is to take the shelter of the Lord. Grihastha ashrama is “griha stitha ashrama” or in other words, a place where one has taken shelter of the Lord by staying in a home, living with family members but keeping Lord Krishna in the centre.
All the four ashramas are equal in terms of importance that is given to the principle of taking ashraya or shelter of the Lord. Performing devotional service to the Lord Hari is the only purpose of life.
IMPORTANCE OF GRIHASTHA ASHRAMA
The importance of the grihastha ashrama is because it gives birth to, nourishes, sustains and preserves all the four äshramas. By serving other ashramas and also brahmanas within its own ashrama, the grihastha ashrama flowers, prospers and becomes nourished in the spiritual culture of Vedic civilization.
It is through the grihastha ashrama that the Vedic and spiritual culture is best manifested to the society.
WHO IS ACTUALLY A GRIHASTHA
Simply living in a home with a husband/wife and children does not make one a grihastha. A grihamedhi is one who lives externally in a grihastha environment but whose goal of life is sense enjoyment. A grihastha lives a God centered life. He knows the ultimate goal of life but is not able to be completely renounced. A grihastha is aware that the sense gratification permitted to him will eventually lead to misery and therefore he sincerely endeavors to overcome his tendency for sense gratification by practicing Krishna Consciousness.
If a husband and wife combine together in Krishna consciousness and live together peacefully, help each other and serve each other that is very nice. However, if one is attracted to the opposite sex simply for sex enjoyment, then it becomes an impediment to spiritual progress and the implications of materialistic life will again resume.
It is a glorious combination when the husband engages himself and his wife in devotional service, and the wife is faithful and religious according to the Vedic injunctions.
(*excerpts from Grihasta Manual based on teachings of Srila Prabhupada*)
REAL FREEDOM! 
Grhasta is meant to uplift mankind to a higher status namely, to being a refined human being. The regulated life of certain restrictions actually helps the mind become ‘shanta’ in a peaceful mode ,unlike the mind which is not bridled ( control of sense gratification ) runs havoc in a married life .We have seen here in Western countries ,the marriage code is primarily based on sense gratification ,based solely on body and if he or she can satisfy my senses therefore when sex life is diminished than they get divorced .Our Bharat had maintained a marriage of harmony,as the husband he took up their marriage very seriously maintaing both spiritually as well as maintaining the household affairs, however due to being greatly influenced namely to become super rich ,the greed of becoming rich has spoiled our real marriage code of spirituality ,following in western way of life ,now our Bharatis are rapidly falling astray by taking up bad habits such as meat eating drinking alcohol ,dressing almost naked ,sex with any partners has become an accepted norm in our sacred Bharat ,therefore the media is filled with rape incidents ,abortions ,drugs trafficking ,child prostitution has proliferated .The Hare Krishna movement is here simply to educate our younger generation to Halt for a moment to check their fast track of degradation —to bring balance by accepting the science of Bhagavat gita –as Krishna says to Sri Arjuna ch 9 txt 2 —raj vidya raj guyam ,—raj vidya means the top most knowlege and raj guyam means most confidential —-
One may ask why this king of knowledge is most confidential ,by which one becomes free of degradation —so why is it confidential —-,It is confidential because a lay person a common person who has not become a sober person ,one whose senses are wild stallions ( wild stallions cannot be placed on a chariot ) one whose has not become a proper grhasta ,one who is not reformed namely giving up the 4 regulated principles cannot understand the higher –this Raj vidya ,not only it is king of knowledge but once when one becomes sober minded ,one who has bridled his stallion like mind ,than this knowledge which is also —pavitram most pure idam and uttamam —highest –can fully relish this Highest Krishna consciouness .To sum up one must in any ashrama become a proper human being, be he in a grhasta ,a bhramacari,or varnaprasta .Srila Prabhupada has urged everyone in particular the young intellectual to take up this Krishna consciouness ,try it out as it is susukam kartam avyayam—Yes you will perceive it directly —try it what is the loss but you will gain .