Question: Does the Supreme have the same capacity of infinite Justice as He has of infinite Compassion?

Sri Chinmoy: We can speak of the Supreme’s infinite Compassion, but we cannot speak of His infinite Justice because it does not actually exist. He has the capacity of infinite Justice, but He does not use it. If we are sincere, then we will see how many bad, undivine things we do in our life. If God wanted to punish us justly, then we would be lost. Again, we may say that we do not get the proper reward or the satisfaction we deserve for the good things we do. But if we count how many good things we do consciously and how many bad things we do consciously, I tell you, our good deeds will be insignificant in comparison to our bad deeds!

Even on the outer plane, in comparison to the number of crimes being committed, how many people are actually caught? Crimes are happening everywhere, but how many people are being punished? And then there is the matter of inner crimes. It is an inner crime to try and destroy someone or to use bad will to prevent someone from getting ahead in life. It is an inner crime to hate someone because he or she is more beautiful than we are. It is an inner crime to curse someone because we are jealous of that person. For these crimes, who is getting punishment? If God used His infinite Justice the way He uses His infinite Compassion, then we would be nowhere. At every second, with an iron rod God would be standing before us! If we did something wrong, then we would be finished.

God has infinite Compassion, but inside His Compassion there is Wisdom also. We cannot separate God’s Wisdom from His Compassion. We may say that God’s Compassion is nothing but stupidity, but this is not true. God uses His Compassion because He feels that this medicine works better than anything else. But there may come a time when He sees that His Compassion-medicine is not working. Then He changes to another medicine: His Justice-medicine. But that particular medicine He will use only on rare occasions, when His Compassion is absolutely not working.

Day after day we go on doing the wrong thing, and we think that God is not aware of it. He is aware of it; but the hour has not struck for Him to use His adamantine Will-Power or Justice-Light. He is still using Compassion-Height for me, for you, for everybody. But when it is absolutely unavoidable, He has to use Justice-Light. At that time, He is not actually punishing us; He is only trying to get rid of the forces that have attacked us. Our souls act in the same way. For years and years they watch us do the wrong thing. One day they will punish us; only the hour has not yet come. So the Supreme’s Justice will come at the right hour. But why should we make it necessary for Him to use His Justice? If we know that He has infinite Compassion, then let us be worthy of His Compassion. Let us try to please Him in His own Way and join our will with His Will.