The Four Goals of Family Life by Jagannathesvari-devi dasi is a major contribution to the literature on family life and on progressive life in general, from the perspective of Vedic culture and civilization. In fact, except for rare souls who can remain celibate in pursuit of higher ideals, family life—grhastha-asrama—is recommended for the development of responsible, regulated life. In a talk on the Bhagavad-gita in London, Srila Prabhupada said, “According to Vedic civilization, it is the duty of the parents to get the sons and daughters married, so that they will have family attraction, they will be established, they will be organized, and things will go nicely. If there is no family attraction, no responsibility, then the things will not go nicely. This is the basic principle. Family attraction is required for regulated life. If there is no family attraction, there is no regulated life. Unregulated life cannot make any progress. Therefore in the Vedic civilization the grhastha-asrama is recommended.”
Jagannathesvari’s book is well conceived, well documented, and well presented, and we expect that it will be well received. To the information she has collected, she has added her own perspective, gained from her life of spiritual practice—mainly in grhastha-asrama. Her care, compassion, and love—Krsna consciousness—shine forth on every page and in every word. Reading and assimilating The Four Goals of Family Life will give us a solid basis and strong impetus the reach the fifth goal, the ultimate goal of life: pure love of God, which includes love for all of his creation.
—HH Giriraj Swami

Years of careful research and a lifetime of devotion have gone into writing The Four Goals of Family Life.  Jagannathesvari Devi has personally raised a beautiful family with humility, wisdom and devotion and she has infused this book with her realizations of the sacred teachings it is based on.  The foundation of a society is the family. The principles of this book can inspire healthy and happy families with love for God in the center. The author shares with us a tradition rooted in the wisdom of family relationships where the harmonizing principles are mutual respect, dedication and a spirit to serve with love.  I am sincerely grateful to Jagannathesvari Devi for this invaluable contribution.
H.H. Radhanath Swami

Your presentation is very philosophically rigorous.The research has been
thorough & comprehensive.That is a creditable achievement in itself.
However,the most striking & pleasing part to me is that you have maintained
the pure,traditional (some would say 'orthodox') Vedic perspective without
watering it down & even without an apologetic tone.Rather you have offered
rational explanations of its validity based on common,universal principles
in a sober,non-threatening & disarming way.Modern 'liberalists'may disagree
but they will not react aggressively.
Furthermore, despite the traditional approach,you have wisely & pragmatically
dealt with issues & problems that modern life has spawned.
All in all, an excellent effort. My heartfelt congratulations. I hope & pray
the book will get the kind of recognition, exposure & readership it deserves.
Thank you for this valuable contribution.
My request is that once you are done with this book, please take up another
book on any issue that you feel needs to be discussed within our society.
HH Bhakti Rasamrita Swami

Congratualtions! The book is a thorough compilation about the duties in grhastha ashrama. It is an easy book to read with plenty references. It is a valuable book for young people entering into the household life and those who are already in the ashrama to remind themselves what is grhastha life about, from dharma to moksha.The first chapter is a very helpful start telling one how to choose one's life partner.
HG Sesa Das (ISKCON Minister of Education)

Jagannathesvari devi dasi's book on the grhastha asrama is the most comprehensive, scientific and inspiring read on this subject that I have come across. If married couples are able to take even a fraction of the instruction and inspiration contained in this book and apply that to their lives, then their married life will be little short of perfection.
There is no doubt that our ISKCON can only be benefitted by a stable and successful grhasta asrama.  I would urge any grhasta's seeking to be successful in their asrama (which of course means all married couples), to both read and imbibe the profound guidance that Jagannathesvari dasi is offering.
Here is one of many gems from Jagannathesvari dasi's book that puts everything into context:
“That which is generally known as ‘love’ between a man and a woman in this world, when it is carefully analyzed, can be more accurately understood as lust. It is not surprising that the two feelings are commonly confused, considering that lust is actually the material transformation of our original love for God”
What more can anyone add?
HG Praghosa Das (GBC)

ISKCON is a large worldwide movement that started as a string of small communities of highly motivated, mainly young, single people. Forty years on, and with almost one million members, the movement is predominantly made up of families. Married life - family life - can be a hindrance to the spiritual life, and that is why the world's religious traditions tend to value the life of the lone mystic or the celibate monk.

Not so this spiritual movement's founder, Srila A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, who said that marriage is factually no obstacle to the spiritual life if conducted according to the teachings of the ancient Vedas. He constantly spoke - and wrote in his many books - of how a worldwide spiritual revolution would come about only when a similar revolution took place in every home. And that meant in every marriage.

It is quite astonishing that given this vision, and with the numberless conversations and classes, letters and lectures on the subject, the members of ISKCON did not gather together all their founder's encouraging and life-enhancing wisdom on spiritual married life. It might have helped quite a few marriages over the years, and would have inspired many young couples before they committed themselves.

Jaganathesvari Dasi saw that gap and has now produced something quite brilliant with this book. It is remarkable in its simplicity. She took everything Srila Prabhupada said or wrote on the subject of a successful and spiritually prosperous married life and has compiled it in an orderly and logical sequence. She has linked all her quotations together with a well written commentary that serves to help the reader understand her spiritual master, yet never obstructs his intentions. The result is highly readable and a guide that no serious couple should be without. Like all good things, it is a surprise that no-one has done this before. Now they have, and every devotee of Krishna should give it as a gift to a young couple they know.

HG Kripamoya Das, (married for 28 years, but who still learned something by reading The Four Goals of Married Life)
 (ISKCON Europe Minister for Congregational Development)

 This book by Jagannathesvari dasi is extremely important for many reasons. It is full of vital information on what Krishna conscious family life entails, and is full of evidence given on the basis of shastra (scripture) and the words of ShrilaPrabhupad. There are many books that give a compilation on the philosophical understanding of what grihastha ashram (householder life) is about. However, often what are missing are clear, logical reasons as to why the roles of the husband and wife in Vedic culture are the way they are. This book serves this purpose. In addition, it contains information about how the norms of Vedic culture best facilitate the harmonisation of contrasts between male and female psychology. It also gives practical steps as to how to implement such norms in the context of 21st century family life in today’s mainstream society.  Above all, however, it gives those who are intending to enter household life or are already in householder life, the tools necessary to face the challenges of householder life with knowledge, maturity and patience, and thus aids individuals, couples and the community of devotees in general to create a framework for successful and happy householder life  
HG Srutidharma Das (Temple President, Bhaktivedanta Manor, UK)