Canakya Pandita is giving too much stress on mother and wife in family life. So he says if one’s mother is dead and if his wife does not behave very well, ill-behaving, so Canakya Pandita advises him that aranyam tena gantavyam: such person should immediately go to the forest. Because in the Vedic understanding there is no divorce. If the wife is not very pleasing, there is no question of divorcing.

Canakya Pandita does not advise it, the advice that he should divorce such wife, but he says, aranyam tena gantavyam: he should give up family life and go to the forest. Divorce was completely unknown, even up to, say, five years ago. Now this Nehru government has enacted Divorce Act in Hindu law, but actually, Hindu law-maker, they have no such thing as divorce.

Srila Prabhupada, Istagosthi at 26 2nd Ave