Prabhupada's lecture - Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 1.7.32-33 - Vṛndāvana, September 27, 1976
How in the family one become enemy? Cāṇakya Paṇḍita has analyzed how in the family we can become enemies of one another. Cāṇakya Paṇḍita says, ṛṇa-kartā pitā śatruḥ: "A father in debts to others is enemy." Ṛṇa-kartā pitā śatruḥ. Because according to Manu-saṁhitā, the son inherits the property of the father. That is everywhere. So Manu-saṁhitā also makes responsible the son for the father's debt. Nowadays, if my father is debtor, I am not responsible. But according to the Vedic laws, the son is responsible the father's debt. Because he inherits the property, why he shall not inherit the debts of the father? According to Manu-saṁhitā law he is obliged to pay the debts of the father. We have seen one very practical example. Even fifty years ago, in Calcutta there was a very big barrister. He was a political leader. He was Mr. C.R. Das. So his father died insolvent. His father was also very respectable man, but later on he became so much debtor that he died insolvent. Declared... This Mr. C. R. Das, he did not get any property from the father, but by his practice as a barrister he became very rich man.
In those days his monthly income was fifty thousand rupees. So he called all the creditors of his father and paid paisa to paisa, that "My father died in debtor. Now I have got money, you can take." So this is the duty of the son. But if one is poor man, he cannot pay. So he becomes a subject matter of criticism. Under the circumstances the father becomes the enemy. So therefore the Cāṇakya Paṇḍita's enunciation, ṛṇa-kartā pitā śatruḥ. And mātā śatrur vyabhicāriṇī. And if the mother, either she becomes prostitute or marries for the second time in the presence of elderly children, she is enemy. Ṛṇa-kartā pitā śatrur mātā śatrur vyabhicāriṇī. And Cāṇakya Paṇḍita had very bad experience with his wife. So he says, rūpavatī bhāryā śatruḥ: "If the wife is very beautiful, she is enemy." And putraḥ śatrur apaṇḍitaḥ: "And if the son is a rascal, no education, he is enemy." So these are the family enemies.