How about Cause or Reason?

From the Bhakti List Archives

• January 1, 1996


>>Dileepan says Approval /cooperation or lack of it <<
with reference to influence of the wives on the lives of Thirumangai and
Ramanuja 

 Perhaps a more suitable terms in my opinion is  CAUSE ,  REASON or KARANAM.
I will try to justify why I think so.

 Thirumangai, perhaps would have settled down for a happy romantic life with
Kumuduvalli. It was her demand that transformed Thirumangai into Thirumangai
Alwar.

Ramanuja perhaps would have continued his married life,  if only his wife was
not such a big abstruction to his religious and caste free life style.  It
was her attitude and behavior that made Ramanuja to push her out of his life.
Now he got full time to devote and became a paramacharya. I am reminded of
what Socrates said about marriage: Marry without a second thought. If you get
a good wife, you will enjoy your life; if not, you will become a philosopher!

In the case of Purandara Dasa, his wife was solely the cause of
transformation of a stingy Jeweler into a Bhkta. He  has awcknowledged this
in his comositions (Hendati santhati saviravagali gandige betta
hidisidalayya( the sense meaning is: Let  wives prosper , because it is a
wife who transformed me into a saint)
-tatachar