What should be done if one does not get a vegetarian bride?

[sridatta]

[Ms. Thrylokya asked (on phone): One of Your devotees, who turned to be vegetarian by Your knowledge is searching for a vegetarian bride, but he is unable to get such a bride in his community. What is the solution for this?]

Swami replied (on phone): It is better for him to marry a non-vegetarian bride and then convince her with My knowledge to become vegetarian. If he marries a vegetarian bride, what is the use of My knowledge? Propagation of spiritual knowledge means reforming people through knowledge. One can even turn an atheist to a theist through knowledge. Of course, this is a little bit tough compared to change of non-vegetarian to vegetarian. But this is not impossible. Even the incarnation of God Shiva called Shankara had to modify even the basic truth and had to say that every soul is God for the reformation of atheist into theist.

After marriage, even the devotion of the wife can be increased due to conversation in spiritual knowledge. The reformation of your family member through spiritual knowledge shall be your first effort before you propagate the true spiritual knowledge and reform the society. There is a saying in Telugu that you must win in the house first and then only win outside (Inta gelichi racha gelavali).

But there is one precaution in this matter, which is that if you are unable to reform your family members, you shall not spend all your life in that foolish act only throughout your life. You make some sincere attempts and if your family does not change, you leave them to their fate and do God’s work in the society. If your family members oppose your service to God, do it secretly without their knowledge. In the case of God, cheating the family is not a sin and this is the essence of Yoga in which it is told that the soul’s mind (chittam or Kundalini) moves in serpentine motion, which is nothing but to cheat the worldly bonds (in case they oppose) for the sake of God (Nivrutti). Gopikas did like this and attained Goloka, which is higher than the highest fruit of reaching the abode of God. The soul shall not cheat justified worldly bonds (Pravrutti) for the sake of unjust worldly bonds (Dushpravrutti).