Virakte Kshama Sambhalavi | Atyadaresi ||
On a personal level, one must develop the capability to grant forgiveness to someone who has wronged, so as to give an opportunity to rectify the mistake. But on the national level, no one has the right to grant forgiveness to the wrong doer. In fact, Shri Krishna has illustrated by killing Shishupal after he committed 100 sins that even on a personal level, there must be a limit to tolerate injustice and wrong doing. In the same illustration, Shishupal showed that a non-virtuous person does not improve by forgiveness. There are numerous examples from the lives of saints of people who have undergone immense change on being granted forgiveness.
Maage Keli Nako Pahu | Tuj Jamaan Aamhi Aaho ||
Don’t look back on the mistakes committed in the past. Walk ahead. ‘I’ shall be your surety. These optimistic and inspirational words of Tukaram Maharaj stem from forgiveness.
Haat Have Maj Najuk Sundar |
Jui Pushpa Pari Jayache Mardav ||
(I want hands delicate and beautiful, hands which are tender as the flowers of Jasmine).
Furthermore,
Haat Have Maj Nitant Vatsal |
Kshamasheel Je Kshamehuni ||
(I want hands which are immensely motherly, hands which are more forgiving than forgiveness itself).
We are blessed to be supported by such forgiving and motherly hands. This feeling itself urges a person to be well behaved. Society has a small number of Shishupals and Duryodhans. The essential society is on its journey of inner development. It falters but does not improve by punishment. It does not improve by forgiveness alone. But it cannot ignore forgiveness stemmed from motherly love.
A lady died leaving behind an ill-behaved son. Before dying she handed his responsibility to Gondavlekar Maharaj. The boy would regularly attend Maharaj’s discourses. One night Maharaj found him missing after one of his discourses. So Maharaj set off in the night looking for him. He lighted a cloth soaked in oil, tied around a wooden log. He searched for the boy in its light. Finally he reached near a well and found the boy to be sleeping with a lady. All that Maharaj sadly said was ‘Oh!’ Maharaj covered the boy with a cloth and walked away from the scene. In the morning when the boy woke up, he found Maharaj’s cloth covering him. The cloth was a symbol of forgiveness. He had a bath and wore the cloth Maharaj had given him and went straight to Maharaj. He stood before Maharaj with his head held low. Maharaj said to him, “Go son, go to Girnar hills and practice penance for 12 years. Your work will be done.” The boy abided by Maharaj’s words. Years later, he also accompanied Maharaj on a pilgrimage to Kashi. Further he also went to the forests of Naimisharanya.
Forgiveness of saints is enriched by penance. And so it alters one’s inner self.
Even Gurudev Ranade had asked a seeker who pleaded for forgiveness to practice meditation for an extra hour each day. Saints decide the form of forgiveness depending on the person and the situation. Mahantas too should not only take care of the society but also develop inner strength and for this they should practice imparting respectful forgiveness as part of their penance.
A spiritual body of work can never be created by imparting punishment or by any struggle. And similarly, it can neither bring about a person’s inner development. The qualities which must be a virtue of all Mahantas must also be imbibed to some extent by each one. The work that Mahantas do should be shouldered by us too. And thus, instead of writing a separate book on teachings for the Mahantas, Samartha has incorporated the chapters in Dasbodh itself. There are some more qualities which we must inculcate. The first of which are Sadhana and Chintan (spiritual practice and contemplation)
