In the Vedic system there is no divorce as this is a serious union. What does that mean? It means that marriage must be maintained on a spiritual level. In the Vedic system the real purpose for a marriage is very different from the reason for a material marriage. A material marriage is for the convenience of the two people; it is basically a platform of material enjoyment, with ‘stars in the eyes’:
– I will make you happy.
– Yes, and I will make you happy, forever, until death do us part.
Until the divorce comes out…. (Laughs) but before the divorce, there are a few (makes beating sounds) ‘small’ conflicts, disappointments and dissatisfaction, etc., because it didn’t give what it was supposed to. “I’m not happy, you didn’t satisfy me. You promised me this, where is it? You said if I love you, you will do this, this and that.” But like a beautiful sunset it fades away. That is not the purpose of a spiritual marriage. Two individuals, before they get married, the focus of their life is serving Krishna, pleasing Krishna; that’s what their life is about.
We have two individuals on this platform and they have decided to get married. Great! Well and good! A lot of things to consider, of course, which I hope they have considered: all kinds of personality compatibility and many other things. So they decide, yes. But what now? This will be a platform on which we will stand to serve Krishna.
It’s not that they used to serve Krishna, but now they serve each other. “I used to be a devotee of Krishna, now I am a devotee of my husband or wife.” That’s not happening, that’s not it, that’s not what a spiritual marriage is, no. Now they are both devotees of Krishna serving Krishna together. Very good, perfect. “We are now a team that will serve Krishna together.” There is no backwards sliding. Often times this can be an even stronger influence to serve Krishna if they remain very clear on what they are doing, or they can just forget about Krishna and get involved in other things. In the Vedas this is described very clearly, Srimad-Bhagavatam has a lot of information that if you don’t keep the focus and you don’t really maintain and offer this marriage, then it actually takes you away from Krishna. So as in all aspects of spiritual life one has to be serious.