Srutakirti das: I rejoined Prabhupada in New Vrindavan in 1974. I was away for six months, and that’s when I had gotten married. So now I was a grihastha. This one day the secretary starts reading this letter, and it’s from one of Prabhupada’s disciples and he’s the temple president and he’s married. In the letter, he asked Prabhupada if it’s OK if he gets a divorce and remarries. In the same paragraph he asked this question. So I’m just rubbing Prabhupada’s back and listening, and Prabhupada gave his permission. He said, “Yes, that’s OK.” So as soon as he said it, I couldn’t understand how Prabhupada had given that answer. I had been with him for a long time, listened to so many classes and Prabhupada speaking about Vedic society and marriage and no divorce; and when he said that, I became confused. Of course, I didn’t say anything, it wasn’t my position to speak. I knew Prabhupada…what he said was correct, but I didn’t understand it. It was probably the only time where I felt like that, that I just didn’t understand Prabhupada’s answer. Every evening I would give Prabhupada massage as well. So that evening I was actually so troubled that I thought, “I’m going to say something. I have to ask Prabhupada why he had said that.” I was at the foot of his bed, and I was rubbing his legs and rubbing his feet; and Prabhupada is lying down in bed just so peaceful, which was a little troublesome because you don’t want to say anything. But it was bothering me that much that I did. So finally, “Prabhupada, you remember during massage today that devotee sent a letter and he asked you if it was OK to get a divorce,” and I couldn’t even say “and get remarried.” As soon as I said it, “get a divorce,” Prabhupada said, “Yes, I told him it was all right.” I said, “Yes, Prabhupada, that’s why I’m asking because you always say that no divorce, there is no question of divorce. Once one is married, they stay together. But you told him it was OK.” Prabhupada said, “Yes, in your country these things are going on, very common.” Again, I had thought a lot about what I wanted to say to him. So as soon as he said that, I said, “Yes, but also in our country meat-eating is common and intoxication is common, but these things are forbidden for us.” Then he changed his tone and he became more serious. “Yes,” he said. “If I tell him no, still he is going to get a divorce and get remarried. So if I tell him yes, then the offense is not so great.” As soon as he said it, I could hear it in his voice and, of course, immediately I could understand Prabhupada’s compassion for everyone, for all of us. And it’s that quality that I got to see all the time with Prabhupada being with him outside of the temple room, where he would always speak from the Vedas and the sastra and always spoke the Absolute Truth. But as he dealt with us, Prabhupada was very kind and very compassionate. So I felt very happy. Of course, now as years go by you can see Prabhupada’s compassion more and more.
Reference – Folio views – Following Prabhupada – Remembrances
