Hazir Swaroop Sai Sadhram Saheb explained the significance of marriage in one of his very beautiful satsangs: Marriage is a sacred bond that should never be broken; instead, it should always be mended and maintained.
He narrated a very intriguing story about a newlywed couple. Saijan shared that the bride told her groom she would do her best to live happily in their home and uphold the dignity of their family. However, she added that while he was free to see everything she had brought from her parents’ house, one suitcase was off-limits.
She told her husband that he could look at everything else, but he must never ask what was kept inside that suitcase. The groom assured his new bride that he would never question her about the suitcase.
Many years passed, and the couple lived together happily, nurturing their home and family. Time went by, and they both grew old. Eventually, the wife’s health worsened severely, and she became bedridden. The husband then said to his wife, ‘So many years have passed, and I have never asked about that suitcase. But now that so much of life has gone by, can I ask what is inside it?
The wife replied that not only could he ask, but he could also open the suitcase and see for himself. The husband eagerly opened the suitcase and was astonished to find two small dolls made of cloth, sewn with needle and thread.
The wife explained that when she was coming to her husband’s home after marriage, her mother had told her that marriage is an unbreakable bond and can never be torn apart. To make a home as blissful as heaven, one should never engage in retaliatory actions. Her mother had advised her that whenever she felt upset with him or disliked something he said, she should avoid arguments and instead focus on mending a doll with needle and thread. Her mother had emphasized that they believe in mending, not in breaking.
The mother also mentioned that to mend, we need needle and thread, but to break or cut, we need scissors. She told me that she would give me the needle and thread, so I would always mend my relationship with you and never think of breaking or severing it.
That’s why, whenever I was upset with you, felt hurt by something, or felt like arguing with you, I would remember my mother’s words. I never complained to you or anyone else, but instead, I would take needle and thread and start stitching a doll, because my mother had said that relationships should always be mended, never broken.
Hearing this, the husband was overjoyed and said that seeing only two dolls made it clear that he must have been a good husband and had never troubled his wife much. That’s why she had made only two dolls over so many years. Then, when he opened a pocket in the suitcase, he found one lakh rupees inside. Surprised, he asked his wife where the money had come from and whether it, too, was given to her by her mother.
The wife lovingly told her husband that the one lakh rupees were earned by selling the rest of the dolls she had made.
Hearing this, the husband began to recall all the mistakes he had made. He remembered how he used to trouble his wife in various ways, get angry with her over trivial matters, demean her, and how he had insulted her on numerous occasions.
Saijan explained that when we live together, we often fail to understand each other’s feelings.
We diminish respect and honor for each other. We fail to understand each other’s love, expressions, and feelings.
If we take a little effort to understand each other and give respect to one another, our home will become like heaven.
