Remembering Srila Prabhupada - Little Drops of Nectar

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Little Drops of Nectar

 

 

Srila Prabhupada repeatedly instructed that in a Krsna

conscious marriage there is no divorce. This was based

on the authority of Vedic injunctions, and he intended

his own disciples to strictly follow the rule. One

time, however, Srila Prabhupada received a written

request by a disciple for permission to divorce his

wife and marry another. In his reply, Srila Prabhupada

somewhat reluctantly gave his permission. Srila

Prabhupada's servant at that time, Srutakirti, was

bewildered by Srila Prabhupada's action in this case,

and he waited for an opportunity to inquire. Srila

Prabhupada can do anything he wants, thought

Srutakirti, but I can't understand why he would do

this.

 

Finally, in the evening, while massaging Srila

Prabhupada in his bed, Srutakirti asked, "Srila

Prabhupada, this devotee who is asking about the

divorce?"

 

Srila Prabhupada replied that he had told him he could

do it.

 

"Yes, I know," said Srutakirti. "But I was wondering.

You always say that divorce is against the Vedic

society. There can never be any divorce."

 

Prabhupada replied that in "your society" these things

are accepted.

 

"But in Western society," said Srutakirti, "they also

accept meat-eating and intoxication, so why aren't any

of these things allowed?"

 

Srila Prabhupada then replied that whether he gave

permission or not, the disciple in question was going

to get a divorce. Prabhupada explained that if he had

told his disciple no and the disciple had gone ahead

and done it anyway, the offense would have been

greater. Prabhupada said that he had given permission

since he knew the man was going to do it anyway. In

this way, the offense was not so great.

 

Srutakirti immediately appreciated that Srila

Prabhupada knew just what to do in each individual

case for the benefit of his disciple.

 

Srila Prabhupada demonstrated that he wanted to deal

with his disciples in sensitive and particular ways.

This even applied to the case when a disciple would

fall down or go away from devotional service. On one

occasion when a prominent sannyasi disciple fell down,

Srila Prabhupada became disturbed when he heard that

his secretary had broadcast the news widely, in

detail, of the sannyasi's falldown.

"You may have made it impossible for him to come

back," said Srila Prabhupada. Prabhupada explained

that the event should have been a personal matter

mostly between the spiritual master and the disciple,

and perhaps a few others concerned could have been

informed. Prabhupada said if it had been treated in

this way, then there was more chance that they could

rectify the fallen soul and that he would come back

and be accepted by the devotees. By the wide

broadcasting of his misbehavior, however, the man's

pride would not enable him to come back very easily.

Thus Srila Prabhupada showed another aspect of his

training and his compassionate, transcendental

personality.

 

Srutakirti dasa, interview; Ramesvara Swami,

interview.

 

- From the Prabhupada Nectar by HH Satsvarupa dasa

Goswami Maharaj

 

 

 

 

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