Wales, July 2, 2000
I offer my so many humble obeisances at the lotus feet of my spiritual master, Om Visnupada Sri Srimad Bhakti Prajnana Kesava Gosvami Maharaja. And I offer my same obeisances in the lotus feet of my siksa-guru, Nityalila Pravistha Om Visnupada Sri Srimad Bhaktivedanta Svami Maharaja.
Once, during Navadvipa parikrama, two disciples of my Gurudeva were quarreling between themselves. Taking burning sticks of wood from the kitchen, both were bitterly quarreling. Someone came and told my Gurudeva, "Oh, they are quarreling very much. You should somehow make them stop. They are not listening to anyone." Guru Maharaja replied, "Let them quarrel. They should bitterly quarrel; and after that they should go to court and file a case against each other. I am not a judge. I have not come to always sit in court and decide about worldly things. I have not told them to quarrel. I told them that those who want to do bhajana of Krishna should follow the principles of trinad api sunicena, taror iva suhisnusa, amanina manadena. In this way, following these principles, they should be very humble, like a blade of grass. And they should be more tolerant than the trees. Trees never complain about anything to anyone, even if they are being cut down. Even if he is drying up, the tree never begs water. Rather, he is always serving others. You can throw any stone at him, and he will give you sweet fruits. His bark, his fruit, his wood, his everything, is for others.
"So I have told them that I came to help them to develop transcendental love and affection for Krishna. I have not come to be a judge. In India, and especially in Bengal, there are thousands of courts in which you can go and complain; no harm. But for this thing you should not come to me."
As you may know, when Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu was residing in Puri, Gopinatha Patinayaka, the brother of Srila Raya Ramananda and very dear to Mahaprabhu, had kept a great quantity of money which belonged to the king. He was given a service by the state to collect money, and he was collecting it, but he once withheld a large amount. So he was guilty. The son of the king went there and asked him, "Why are you not giving the money?" He arrested him and brought him to court, where he decided that he should be given the death sentence; the next day he should be put to death. All the devotees became very worried, and they came to Mahaprahu and complained, "O, You should save him." Mahaprabhu replied, "Oh, you want that I should go to the king? I cannot help him. I have not told him to do as he did. If he is taking money from the state, why should he not pay? He must pay. I will not interfere. Let him die. I am not a court. I have not come for this. I have only come to give you love and affection for Krishna. I can help you only with this."
Similarly, I am also not a court. You can go to court if you have any dispute. I have not told you to quarrel with your wife; and I have not told that wife to quarrel with her husband. I have not come from India to be like a court. I have come simply to help devotees-to teach you how you can advance. For lakhs and lakhs of births you have been quarreling in courts, here and there, but I have not come for this. This is not my duty. So don't come to me with these things. You can go directly to court, and you can decide there. I don't want to waste my time. If you have a problem in chanting and remembering, or if you are weak, I can help so much. My life is dedicated for that. Do you understand? If you have some desire to serve Krishna, I can make you strong. However, if you have no faith in Name, in Guru, or in Krishna, how can I help? If you don't want to perform devotional activities, then you are free. You are independent to do all bogus activities for sense gratification. What can I do? If you want to be happy forever, then you must have strong faith in krsna-nama.
We see from history, and we also see from the Vedas, Puranas, and all other scriptures, that a man cannot be happy, and neither can a woman be happy, if he or she is not chanting and remembering Krishna. This can never be. You should know that if you want to be happy, you should follow the path of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu. The Vedas, the Upanisads, and all other sastras are telling the same thing.
My request is that wife and husband not quarrel with each other. You should be tolerant, otherwise your life will be spoiled. Be like chaste Indian ladies and chaste Indian husbands. Be like Rama, like Sita, like the gopis, like Krishna, like Savitri, Satyabama, Anusuya, Atri, and all others like them. Here also I am seeing that there are so many sincere senior devotees who are very peaceful, and I become happy to see them. So you should be happy forever.
