Swamiji on marriage and divorce. Talk Excerpt 190.

From Mother Radha’s notes, written at Swamiji’s feet.

You must work in conjunction with dharma.

Divorce willingly – yes. Divorce unwillingly – no.

If you are sincere on holy days then everything is sorted out. If the wife complains bitterly and still lives with him – or vice versa – then it is not that bad after all. If you keep being spiritual then truthfulness must come. The relationship between wife and husband is a very sacred relationship.

From the beginning you must moderate all things together. If the wife wants to go to her mother’s house every week, the husband may not want her to come back from there.

I look at the weakness and the strength of the mind. You get both in every house.

If the wife does wrong, the children will always take the easy choice, and do wrong.

Marriage must be a bond of love, enlightening love. Lust is blind, but not love. Love today is lust come out of the West. Love really is divine. It comes out of the East, bhakti. Seeing God is bhakti, other things are desires.

The lamp will never want to be the sun, as it [the sun] gives perfect light.

If a woman can persuade a man to leave his mother and father, surely she can lead him towards God?

In laziness there must be non co-operation with the husband. If he does not want to go to satsang, say, ‘You take me to satsang, I will not go without you.’ Especially if you are going to the ashram or temple, the wife must not say, ‘I will drive and go by myself.’

The free-to-read, 396 page Flipbook version of Swamiji’s biography is available by clicking HERE.

These recordings were made from the early 1970s onward, by Mother Radha, a close devotee of Swamiji’s and edited for uploading here by our gurubhai and her son, Brother Tim. Please be mindful that what Swamiji was saying may have been specific to an individual or a group of people with him, at the time.

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