What is paativratyam and is there any mention of it in the Vedas?

[An online spiritual discussion was conducted on November 15, 2020, in which several devotees participated. Some of the questions of devotees answered by Swāmi are given below.]

[Śrī Bhagat Konduri asked: What is pātivratyam (పాతివ్రత్యం)? Why did Anasūyā Mātā, Goddess Lakṣmī, Goddess Pārvatī and Sītā Mātā follow it? Could You please explain, the importance of pātivratyam?]

Swāmi replied: Bhartā, in Sanskrit, means the maintainer. It commonly means the husband. But more properly, it means God, the maintainer of all souls in the world. Bhāryā commonly means a wife, but, more properly, it means the soul maintained by God. Sometimes, a particular bhartā might happen to be a husband as well as God (Incarnation) and in that case, a distinction between the two is not possible. In the ancient tradition, the husband maintained the wife and that is why the husband was called the bhartā. God is the actual bhartā or husband of all souls, irrespective of the gender of the souls. In pravṛtti or worldly life, since the husband maintains the wife, the wife should be grateful to the husband and so, pātivratyam, which is the wife’s devotion to the husband has meaning. But, in nivṛtti, God alone as the bhartā of all souls is to be given the topmost importance by every soul; be it male or female.

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