[Advaita-l] Dialogues with the guru.

[Kaushik Chevendra]

In the book "Dialogues with the guru",the discourses of shri chandrashekara
bharathi are recorded.
In one of the discussions-


V:But the Government has interfered and has also made the law. What are the
people to do?
H. H.: That is a matter which each man has to decide for himself—whether he
prefers to suffer the penalties mentioned in the Sastras or to suffer the
penalties threatened to be imposed by the Government.
V.: In either case, he has to suffer. Will not the fact that he is
violating the Sastras only under the compulsion of the Government excuse
him in the eyes of God ?
H. H.: Certainly not. Even in your secular law, the fact that you were
compelled to commit a crime by another stronger than yourself will not
entitle you to an acquittal. If you choose to avoid a present in-
convenience and risk a greater inconvenience in the future, it is purely an
act of your volition and you must be prepared to take the consequences.
There is no justification for throwing the blame on others.


My question is should a person stick to shastra when it is prohibhited by
the law? Such as acts of child marriage as mentioned above?