As a family what we shall do in our old age to please God?
Today, people are avoiding the children due to the probable quarrel between mother-in-law and daughter-in-law or lack of freedom with the son-in-law! The old couple stays separately and thinks always about the worldly problems only. If the old wife is not co-operating with you spiritually due to her worldly attachment, you can leave her with the children and live in association with true devotees and this is the state of sanyasa. This state can happen if your old wife, who was a spiritual friend, passes away before you. This is called as Krama Mukti, which is the gradual sequential order of the life. In the present time, there is no need of leaving the family in the beginning itself like Shankara.
If you cannot change your family into spiritual path, you are not competent to change the society into spiritual side. In spite of your trails to change your family in to spiritual side and if you feel the hindrance of your family in your spiritual development, you can still lead the married life taking its advantages and spend more time in association with true devotees than in the house. Of course, in extreme case of serious hindrance from your family, you can think of sanyasa as an exceptional extreme step and generally this does not happen unless it is a divine test.
At Thy Lotus Feet His Holiness Sri Dattaswami
Anil Antony
www.universal-spirituality.org
Universal Spirituality for World Peace