Principle #7: A Well-Equipped, Fragrant Home

     A chaste wife should collect the household paraphernalia 

     and keep the house always aromatic with incense and flowers.  

                                                                                                           Srimad-Bhagavatam 7.11.26-27

For some of us, collecting the household paraphernalia is easy, and we can sometimes go overboard.  I get excited every time I see a kitchen store or a "kitchen gadgets" department in a variety store.  Because "stri" means "to expand," many of us in women's bodies have a tendency to over-collect.  Then again, there are others who are at the other extreme.  Some women want nothing to do with shopping and would rather live like pythons and just let whatever comes come.  Somewhere in between is the happy medium which will assure that our households are well-equipped with implements to ensure the comfort and well-being of our husbands, children and guests.

One of the most important areas of the house to keep well-outfitted is the kitchen.  I have been in kitchens where I couldn't find a sharp knife, a strainer (sieve) or a grater, a large enough pot to cook what I needed to cook, a sufficient variety of spices, or a sharp enough peeler to peel potatoes with.  These are basics that we women are responsible to collect for our kitchens so that we can cook quickly, easily and successfully without stressing out too much.  Life is stressful enough in Kali-yuga.  We don't need to have a poorly equipped kitchen to stress us out further.  

Another thing that we need to make sure we have enough of is linens.  If we have a spare sheet set for every bed in the house, including the guest bed, we'll be able to keep our family's bedding clean while we're washing and drying the sheets they've been using.  We also need to make sure there are sufficient towels for drying off after baths.  If we have plenty of towels, there is a clean one for every body after every bath.

We are not only responsible to make sure that our houses are well-equipped with paraphernalia for cooking, bathing and sleeping, but also for cleaning.  Cleaning supplies are something that gets used up frequently and we need to keep on top of them.  Keep a running list of what you're getting low on.  Jot it down on the shopping list and get a bottle or a can or a package of whatever you need before it runs out, so you'll never be out.  

Keep appliances in good running condition and keep them clean inside and out.  They are your little kitchen and laundry room helpers.  And speaking of the laundry room, that's another place we need to keep supplies current.  Make sure you always have soaps and supplies stocked up so you don't have to run out of any essentials.

As far as keeping the house aromatic with incense and flowers, flowers are usually out of season where I live, so I offer incense several times a day to our Deities.  I like to keep a few different fragrances on hand so that I can offer Their Lordships a variety of yummy-smelling agarbhatti throughout the day.  When flowers are in season, it is good to have some blooming right outside your house.  Roses, lilies, jasmines, and irises are some of the flowers that grow nicely in our area.  Annuals like marigolds and cosmos add color and cheer to your yard, but have to be re-planted each year.  Perennials are convenient, because they'll bloom every year without having to be re-planted.  Check out the types that grow well where you live, and plant some nice-smelling flowers to offer to your Deities.  Vases of flowers, not only on the altar, but also here and there around the house add a nice, feminine touch to the pleasing atmosphere of your home. 

Although it's not mentioned in the above verse, keeping ourselves fragrant is also important.  Bathing with a nice-smelling moisturizing soap is a good idea.  After a bath, some softly-scented powder or a pleasant essential oil can leave a lovely scent wherever we walk.  To keep ourselves smelling nice for our husbands as well as for our children is an added touch that says to them, "You are important enough to me to keep myself smelling good for you!"

Keeping our households well-stocked so that we are always able to render effective service to our husbands, children and guests is therefore actually recommended in the Srimad-Bhagavatam.  And keeping ourselves and our homes pleasantly fragrant can help to fill our husband's and children's minds and hearts with peace, joy and enthusiasm.