Ep 35: The Family Today

In this podcast, Shri Pankaj Saxena helps us understand the role of the family in the overall context of Hindu cosmology. He explains that the Hindu worldview is based on Kartavya Bodh, a sense of duties toward one another in the family and beyond. We explore how it is clashing with the rights narrative around us today.

The family unit makes it easier for a Hindu to repay the Panch Rna-s and live a fulfilled life with psychological, spiritual, physical and intellectual comfort. Listen to an exposition on the pyramid of identities that a Hindu is part of. How do these identities help us with a larger goal and how do they balance human existence with nature and culture?

For the family to be remain relevant in today’s scenario, we need to step out of our idealistic bubble and take a realistic look at the problems within the family today. Once the situation is understood, we can attempt to explore the way forward.

Pankaj Saxena is Co-Founder and Director, Cultural Research at Brhat. He is an author on Hindu temples, arts, literature, history and culture. His writing explains the beauty of Sanātana Dharma through stories about traditions, communities and culture. He has a deep interest in cultural anthropology, evolutionary biology and ecology, and has visited more than 1200 Hindu temples.

Link to books of Shri Ram Swarup and Shri Sita Ram Goel, mentioned in the podcast. You can also find PDFs of these books online which can be downloaded.

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Contents of the podcast:

0:00 - Introduction to the topic, Family

0:54 - Introduction to speaker, Pankaj Saxena

1:54 - Courses offered by Pankaj Saxena

5:25 - Idea of Family in Hindu society (Grihasthashram)

12:49 - Attacks on Traditional family structure today

23:09 - Kartavyabodh in Sanatana Dharma, Duties vs Rights

30:42 - Varnashrama Dharma

39:13 - Convention vs Tradition

45:08 - Understanding the Hindu Family structure

52:03 – Dowry vs Sthreedhan

55:43 - Closing Remarks

58:07 - Authentic References for parents to learn

59:56 - Message for Hindu Parents

1:00:46 - Hindu Parenting Platform Info

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