Who is the best friend of a man who travels, Yaksa asks Yudishtra, in the Mahabharata. Yudishtra answers that knowledge is the best friend one can have on a journey. An educated man is welcome everywhere, and it is his knowledge that is his companion when he travels to foreign lands. In the journey of life, Brahma Vidya is the best friend a person can have. What is the longest journey a person undertakes? It is the journey of the atma to Sri Vaikuntha, when life on this earth ends. And it is Brahma Vidya that takes us there.
Who is the best friend of a grihastha? It is his wife, says Yudishtra. Our Sastras do not give man a higher status, or a woman a higher status, but point out that both are equal. A man cannot perform any yaga if his wife is not beside him, explained V.S. Karunakarachariar, in a discourse. In case, for some reason, he performs a ritual in her absence, then he must get her approval for his action afterwards, and in case her approval is not forthcoming, then the effects of his having performed the ritual are nullified.
The mantras recited at the time of marriage also show us the equal status of both husband and wife in a marriage. The husband and wife take a pledge to remain friends forever. A happy marriage makes for happy individuals. Purananooru talks of Pisirandhaiyar, a man who had no grey hairs even at the age of eighty! The secret for his youth was the fact that his wife never troubled him in any way.
Who is an Acharya’s best friend? It is his disciple. A disciple, through his understanding of what is taught, shows to the world the greatness of his Acharya. He has his Acharya’s welfare at heart, and so he is his Acharya’s best friend.
