Question: The family has always been seen as the centre of both the religious and the social formation of 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 lies in the discovery of the real reality of each individual. You may ask why each individual has 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 a particular family out of the millions of families on earth in order to fulfil the promise he made to God, in order to do something special for God. He promised to realise God, to reveal and manifest God. This sacred promise can come to the fore only when the individual becomes conscious of what he is going to become. 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. If he claims some higher reality which he will achieve only by transcending himself, then he is doing the right thing. While transcending, himself, he comes to realise the sacredness and divine purpose of his own existence and of the family that he belongs to.