If you have no money, then you will never get justice in the court. This is Kali-yuga

Expressions researched:
"If you have no money, then you will never get justice in the court. This is Kali-yuga" |"justice" |"kali-yuga" |"money"

Notes from the compiler: VedaBase query: "justice money"@40

SB Canto 6

It is said that in the Kali-yuga if one cannot spend money in court, one cannot get justice. Indeed, in courts of justice it is often found that magistrates are bribed for favorable judgments.

SB 6.2.2, Purport:

In human society, properly maintaining religious principles is the duty of the king's court or the government. Unfortunately, in this yuga, Kali-yuga, the religious principles are tampered with, and the government cannot properly judge who is to be punished and who is not. It is said that in the Kali-yuga if one cannot spend money in court, one cannot get justice. Indeed, in courts of justice it is often found that magistrates are bribed for favorable judgments. Sometimes religious men who preach the Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement for the benefit of the entire populace are arrested and harassed by the police and courts. The Viṣṇudūtas, who are Vaiṣṇavas, lamented for these very regrettable facts. Because of their spiritual compassion for all the fallen souls, Vaiṣṇavas go out to preach according to the standard method of all religious principles, but unfortunately, because of the influence of Kali-yuga, Vaiṣṇavas who have dedicated their lives to preaching the glories of the Lord are sometimes harassed and punished by courts on false charges of disturbing the peace.

CC Adi-lila

In the present day no one can get justice, medical treatment, astrological help or ecclesiastical enlightenment without money, and since people are generally poor, they are bereft of the benefits of all these great sciences.

CC Adi 17.104, Purport:

The brāhmaṇas who went door to door as if beggars had perfect command of such vast knowledge. Thus the highest knowledge was easily available even to the poorest man in society. The poorest man could inquire from an astrologer about his past, present and future, with no need for business agreements or exorbitant payments. The brāhmaṇa would give him all the benefit of his knowledge without asking remuneration, and the poor man, in return, would offer a handful of rice, or anything he had in his possession, to satisfy the brāhmaṇa. In a perfect human society, perfect knowledge in any science—medical, astrological, ecclesiastical and so on—is available even to the poorest man, with no anxiety over payment. In the present day, however, no one can get justice, medical treatment, astrological help or ecclesiastical enlightenment without money, and since people are generally poor, they are bereft of the benefits of all these great sciences.

Bhagavad-gita As It Is Lectures

In this Kali-yuga, if you have no money, then you will never get justice because you have to bribe up to the high-court judge.

Lecture on BG 16.8 -- Tokyo, January 28, 1975:

In this Kali-yuga, if you have no money, then you will never get justice because you have to bribe up to the high-court judge. That is going on. At least in India it is going on. You bribe, and you take favorable judgment. Is it not? Yes. And that is stated in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. Anardhena nyāya-rahitam. Everywhere you have to bribe. That means you require money. So unless you pay money, you will never get justice. This is Kali-yuga. Therefore a poor man cannot get justice. He cannot bribe. The other party will... If he has has got money, he will bribe. He will get justice, and he will suffer.

Just like Gandhi refused to take justice from the British court. That was his one of the items. He said that "There is no justice. So we shall deny to take any judgement from the British Court." That was his, one of the items. He never... When he was prosecuted, he never defended. He said, "Why shall I defend? There is no justice here. Why shall I spend my money for defending? No, you can do whatever you like. You are in power." Gandhi did always like that. "Here is no justice, so why shall I plead for justice?" That was Gandhi's philosophy, noncooperation. Whenever he was arrested, he will simply stand.

Srimad-Bhagavatam Lectures

Even in the court of justice, you cannot get justice without money. That's a fact. If you have no money, then you cannot appoint a good lawyer.

Lecture on SB 1.9.3 -- Los Angeles, May 17, 1973:

This is Kali-yuga. In the Kali-yuga there is no honor for qualification. There is honor for money only. That's all. So it is stated that without money, you cannot get justice even. In the court of justice, everyone is expected to get proper behavior, but in the Kali-yuga it is stated (that) even in the court of justice, you cannot get justice without money. That's a fact. If you have no money, then you cannot appoint a good lawyer. And sometimes you have to bribe the judge also. This is the position now. Now in your country so many big, big men have been arrested or something like that for their dishonesty. So Kali-yuga is so polluted that the minister is dishonest, the judge is dishonest, and what to speak of ordinary men. So only thing is that you get money some way or other. Then you can pass on as a nice gentleman, polished. You keep yourself always polished, and within you may be full with all dirty things, but if you have got your pockets filled up with coins and notes, then you are nice. Formerly it was not like that. One must be qualified.

If you have no money, then you will never get justice in the court. This is Kali-yuga.

Lecture on SB 1.15.46 -- Los Angeles, December 24, 1973:

If you have no money, then you will never get justice in the court. This is Kali-yuga. Nowadays the high-court judges, they are taking bribe, to give you a favorable judgment. You can purchase judgment. So if you have no money, then don't go to court. To push good money after bad money. No. No. Avṛttyā nyāya-daurbalyaṁ pāṇḍitye cāpalaṁ vacaḥ. If a man talks expertly, it doesn't matter what he talks. Nobody requires to understand him.

If you have no money, then don't expect justice. Don't expect justice.

Lecture on SB 2.9.11 -- Tokyo, April 27, 1972:

Just like in India: "Oh, I am brāhmaṇa because I have got this thread." That's all. Vipratve sūtra-dhāraṇam. Avṛttyā nyāya-rahitam(?): "If you have no money, then you cannot get justice." If you are poor man, then you will never get justice. You see? First of all, if you want to get some money... Somebody, he is not paying. You have to go to court. So first of all the pleader will charge, "Give me so much money." Then stamp charges, then percentage of stamp charges. Suppose you are claiming $5,000. Then you have to five percent... So so many thousand dollars you have to pay for stamp charges to claim, to push good money after bad money. The money which is not being realized, that is bad money. Now you have to push further good money to realize that bad money. So if you have no good money to push, then you cannot get even that bad money. And that also will be pending for years together. Unless you bribe the clerks and the bench clerk and others, "Please get my case swiftly in..." So he will ask money, bribe.

So anyway, then Bhāgavata says anadhena nyāya ratim(?): "If you have no money, then don't expect justice. Don't expect justice." Even high-court judges, they take bribe to give you favorable judgement. In India we have seen so many bribe. Police, you give bribe; high-court judge, you can give bribe. This is the position of Kali-yuga, horrible position. The king or the so-called president is simply showbottle. If you approach... You cannot approach. Formerly, if anyone was ill-treated, injustified, then he could go in front of the king.

That is stated in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. Arghyeṇa nyāya-rahitam: "If you have got no money, then you cannot get justice in this age. You cannot get justice."

Lecture on SB 6.1.6 -- Bombay, November 6, 1970:

Revatīnandana: Yes, in Europe they used to sell indulgences. For a certain amount of money you get a certain indulgence.

Prabhupāda: Here also. The priests allow. The guru allow. The professional guru... His disciple will come: "Sir, doctor has advised me to take fish. Without taking fish my eyesight will be lost. He has advised. So what to do? You have asked me not to take fish. You said." "Oh, all right, I give you permission." He gives his permission. This is going on. "I give you per..." Because the guru sees that "If I say no, this rich disciple will be lost. So better let him do whatever he likes. I get my fees. That's all." This is going on. That statement of my Guru Mahārāja, "the society of the cheaters and the cheated," is a fact everywhere. In a law court also, you bribe; you get justice. That is stated in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. Arghyeṇa nyāya-rahitam: "If you have got no money, then you cannot get justice in this age. You cannot get justice." It is clearly stated here. That is the symptom of this age. In the law court you have to bribe.

In Kali-yuga, if you have no money, then you will not be able to get justice.

Lecture on SB 6.2.1-5 -- Calcutta, January 6, 1971:

Now, he is regretting that "If the court is contaminated..." Court, everyone goes to the court to receive justice. But if the court is itself polluted, then how people will live? That has become the practice in the Kali-yuga. Anardhyena nyāya-rahitam.(?) In Kali-yuga, if you have no money, then you will not be able to get justice. Anardhyena nyāya-rahitam. As soon as you go to the court, immediately you'll have to appoint a pleader and pay him at least seventy-five rupees and then stamp duty, this and that, so many things—then bribe. Then bribe. You give bribe to this man, you give bribe to that man. Suppose you actually want some money from somebody. He has taken money, he is not paying, or something else. So you have to push good money after bad money.

If in the court of justice these false things are bribing and without money nobody can get justice, these things happen, it becomes very troublesome.

Lecture on SB 6.2.1-5 -- Calcutta, January 6, 1971:

So they are saying, dharma-dṛśāṁ sabhām, sabhā, sabhām adharmaḥ spṛśate: "If in the court of justice these false things are bribing and without money nobody can get justice, these things happen, it becomes very troublesome."

aho kaṣṭaṁ dharma-dṛśām

adharmaḥ spṛśate sabhām

yatrādaṇḍyeṣv apāpeṣu

daṇḍo yair dhriyate vṛthā

Sabhāṁ yatra sabhāyam, vaidharma dhigbhiḥ esam tan saha.(?) "If the people who are administering justice, they become irreligious, impious, oh, how troublesome situation!" is the first acclamation.

Nyāya means justice, and daurbalyam means weakness. Avṛttyā means without money. Without money you cannot get justice.

Lecture on SB 12.2.1 -- San Francisco, March 18, 1968:

If you have no money, then you cannot get justice. Formerly, if somebody has done injustice to you, you could go in the open court. Because the king used to sit in assembly, and any of the citizens could go there and put his complaint: "My lord, I have been done so wrong by such and such." He could complain, and immediately the judgment is given. That was the system. Now in the Kali-yuga there is court. Suppose you have been insulted, you have been done wrong by somebody, if you want to go to court, oh, immediately you have to find out first about the fees of the lawyer and the stamp fees and so many things. And if you have no money, oh, there is no justice. If you have no money, then there is no justice. Therefore he says, avṛttyā nyāya-daurbalyam. Nyāya means justice, and daurbalyam means weakness. Avṛttyā means without money. Without money you cannot get justice. And pāṇḍitye cāpalaṁ vacaḥ. Paṇḍita means a learned scholar. If he can speak something, without any reference of the scripture, if he can simply, what is called Exact English language I don't find. False propaganda. False propaganda. Simply if he can satisfy the mass people by false propaganda, then he will be accepted that "You are very learned."

General Lectures

Nyāya means justice, dharma and religious principle. Dharma-nyāya-vyavasthāyām, to establish justice, anyone who is powerful, he will get justice. You bribe.

Rotary Club Lecture -- Ahmedabad, December 8, 1972 'The Present Need of Human Society':

So everywhere qualified brāhmaṇa was respected by the qualified kṣatriyas, vaiśyas. But now, there is practically no qualified brāhmaṇa, neither a qualified brāhmaṇa is respected. Vittam eva. But if one has got money, then he'll be respected. This is the symptom of Kali-yuga. Vittam eva kalau nṛṇāṁ janmācāra-guṇodayaḥ. If one has got money, Sethji, he may be not educated, without any good qualification, but somehow or other he has got money, he'll be respectful, not a qualified brāhmaṇa. Then dharma-nyāya-vyavasthāyāṁ kāraṇaṁ balam eva hi. Now justice, nyāya... Nyāya means justice, dharma and religious principle. Dharma-nyāya-vyavasthāyām, to establish justice, anyone who is powerful, he will get justice. You bribe.

If you go to the court, court of justice, if you have no money, then you cannot get.

Rotary Club Lecture -- Ahmedabad, December 8, 1972 'The Present Need of Human Society':

These are the symptoms. Dāmpatye, husband and relationship, husband and wife, means sex power. We have practically seen in the Western countries, as soon as there is some disturbance in the sex relation of husband and wife, there is divorce. So that, these are the symptoms. Strītve puṁstve ca hi ratir vipratve sūtram eva hi. So man and woman should be united in marriage relationship simply on sex urge, not on the religious principle. That we have seen. And sūtram, vipratve sūtram eva hi. And if anyone, somehow or other, gathers a sacred thread—not sacred, even not sacred; thread—he becomes a vipra. Liṅgam eva āśrama-khyātāv anyonya āpatti-kāraṇam, avṛttyā nyāya-daurbhalyam. If you go to the court, court of justice, if you have no money, then you cannot get. Suppose you have to claim from somebody, say, some few thousands of rupees, first of all you have to deposit the stamp fee, five percent, and the pleader's fee. So you have to push good money after bad money. So these are the symptoms. There are many symptoms.

1974 Conversations and Morning Walks

Anyone who has no money, he cannot get justice in Kali-yuga.

Room Conversation -- February 6, 1974, Vrndavana:

Guest (1): (Hindi) ...he owes me money and I couldn't get my money back from him.

Prabhupāda: If you have no money, then you cannot get justice, because he's claiming it is right claim, but if he had no fifteen thousand, then he could not claim it. Fifteen thousand is there, then (indistinct), so on , so on. So anyone who has no money, he cannot get justice in Kali-yuga.

Anardhena nyāya-rahitam: "If you have no money, then you'll never get justice."

Morning Walk -- April 17, 1974, Bombay:

Girirāja: "Yet even in places where the police get good scores for solving crime and apprehending law-breakers, the crime rate remains high."

Prabhupāda: When we were children, there was a respectable gentleman, Mullick's family. He was agent of taking bribe on behalf of... (break) ...Los Angeles. The same thing I am talking.

Dr. Patel: So you will have them, all the photos from here also. (break)

Prabhupāda: Anardhena nyāya-rahitam: "If you have no money, then you'll never get justice." Dalmia, he was imprisoned for two years.

Dr. Patel: He was never in the jail. I know.

Prabhupāda: He was in the Delhi Hospital. (break) I am speaking so loudly real thing. Here you cannot. Immediately you'll be in the black book. (break)

Girirāja: "...must go unpunished. This is itself the business of criminal and lawless men who have no knowledge what it means to protect the citizens under their charge." (break)

Prabhupāda: Therefore it is rogues. So what is the value of that laws? The legislative assembly means a set of rogues, and if they legislate something, what is the value of that? (break) Caught like that, yes. Because people are becoming degraded, so they elected such degraded everything. (break) Shameless. The whole nation is asking that "You resign." "No." Such shameless. (break) ...that somebody was in the room, and the outsider says, "Who is in the room?" "No, no! I am not stealing!" (laughter) "No, no, I am not stealing."

1975 Conversations and Morning Walks

This is stated in Bhāgavatam: "If you have no money, then you won't get justice." You can purchase justice. This is Kali-yuga.

Morning Walk -- June 17, 1975, Honolulu:

Upendra: That is if they have money, Prabhupāda. The poor man he suffers more.

Prabhupāda: Anardhena naya-rahitam.. This is stated in Bhāgavatam: "If you have no money, then you won't get justice." You can purchase justice. This is Kali-yuga. Anardhena naya-rahitam. (break) What people mean by religion? (break) ...not serious. Nobody is serious about religion. So what do they think about religion?

1976 Conversations and Morning Walks

If you want justice, you can get it according to your desire, justice, if you have got money.

Room Conversation and Reading from Srimad-Bhagavatam Canto 1 and 12 -- June 25, 1976, New Vrindaban:

Prabhupāda: Guṇa. You are most qualified man. You may be a drunkard, you may be a prostitute hunter, whatever you may be, but because of money you are a qualified man. Then?

Pradyumna: Janmācāra-guṇodayaḥ.

Prabhupāda: Go on.

Pradyumna: Dharma-nyāya-vyavasthāyāṁ kāraṇaṁ balam eva hi.

Prabhupāda: Dharma-nyāya. Now if you want justice, you can get it according to your desire, justice, if you have got money. That is going on. That if you bribe to the court's men and even to the judge or magistrate, you get justice accordingly. That is going on. Dharma ācāra.

You have to pay this lawyer's fee, the stand duty, and so on, so on. But if you say "I have no money," then forget justice.

Room Conversation and Reading from Srimad-Bhagavatam Canto 1 and 12 -- June 25, 1976, New Vrindaban:

Prabhupāda: Avṛttyā nyāya-daurbalyam. If you have no money, then you cannot get justice. First of all you have to pay government so many percentage of money. Suppose somebody owes to you some money and he's not giving you. So if you have to go to the court, first of all you have to spend so much money, and if you have no money, then you cannot get your money back. You have to pay this lawyer's fee, the stand duty, and so on, so on. But if you say "I have no money," then forget justice. That's all. Avṛttyā nyāya-daurbalyam.

1968 Correspondence

If somebody has no sufficient money, it is very hard for him to get justice from the court.

Letter to Pope Paul VI -- Montreal 3 August, 1968:

In India, which was one day the land of religion and Brahminical culture, things have deteriorated to such an extent that a man in a higher caste is recognized simply by putting a piece of thread on the body as a sign of sanctity. The so-called Swamis are cheating the public because the public also want to be cheated by cheap method of self-realization. They are practicing so-called yoga performances for the matter of reducing fat, and keeping the body fit for sense gratification. If somebody has no sufficient money, it is very hard for him to get justice from the court. And if anyone can simply bluff by so-called advancement of knowledge, he is offered the doctorate degree. If a man is poor, he is at once accepted as non-civilized. If a man is falsely proud, he is accepted as civilized. By frustration, people are gradually becoming communists and hippies, and the guardians of the society must now take up the situation very seriously, without further delay.

1975 Correspondence

This is Kali Yuga; you have to pay money to get justice.

Letter to Giriraja -- Evanston, Illinois 4 July, 1975:

Regarding the money you are taking for the rooms, this must be carefully done. As soon as you take money and allow a person to stay in your place, then the money can be considered by him as rent. The Rent Act is so subtle in India. If you have to call the police to eject a man, the police will not do it. They will see that the man is living there only, but they will not ask how he got there. That is a matter for the courts to settle. And in India court business is very troublesome. Practically it is useless because you have to bribe. This is Kali Yuga; you have to pay money to get justice. Neither will it be sufficient for you to print on the registration form that the visitor signs that you have some right to bar entrance. Making your own law on the registration form has no value. You know of that Mr. Mukherjee who refuse to leave our place even when you called the police.