Question: The family has always been seen as the centre of both religious and social activities in most religions. Can you explain the sacred and divine purpose that the family is supposed to have?

Sri Chinmoy: The sacred and divine purpose of each family is to enable an individual to discover his real Reality. If one does not discover the real Reality in himself, then he denies the promise that he made once upon a time in the soul’s region. When the individual was in the soul’s region, he chose to take birth in a particular family out of the millions of families on earth in order to fulfil the promise that he made to God, in order to do something special for God. He promised to realise God, to reveal God and to manifest God, and he felt that taking birth in this particular family would help him fulfil his promise.

This sacred promise can come to the fore only when the individual becomes conscious of his divine birthright. If he claims God as his very own and feels that one day he shall become one with God, then he is destined to reach his Goal. He will achieve this higher Reality only by transcending himself. While transcending himself, he comes to realise the sacredness and divine purpose of his own existence and of the family that he belongs to.