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Thou Shalt Forgive From Ten Commandments of Parama Sadguru Commentary by Vasant Priyam sarvasya pasyata uta sudra utarye Forgiveness is born of strength and can never be associated with weakness. You have the power to give the blow and you abdicate it; this is forgiveness. It ill becomes a weak man to talk of forgiving others. If you beg for mercy for your own debts of Karma then it follows that you have to forgive others who trespass against you. Debts of Karma can be wiped out only by reaping as you have sown. However, Almighty forgives you if you are full of repentance. Hence it is stated, “Judge not others lest ye be judged”. You earn the right to be forgiven for your sins only when you practice forgiveness towards others. “For I say unto you that except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the Scribes and Pharisees ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of Heaven.” —Matthew 5:20 “He maketh His sun to rise on the evil and on
the good and sendeth rain on the just and the unjust.” —Matthew 5:45 “Be thou perfect as thy Father in Heaven is perfect.” --Matthew 5:48 Perfection is the goal to be attained in life. Perfection is unfoldment of the Divine within you. Krishna says, “He resides within the heart”. Animals go by instinct. Humans progress by intelligence. Further evolution can be escalated by the proper use of free will. This means the mind has to be purified. Forgiveness acts as a cleansing agent to get rid of evil tendencies which pull us in wrong directions. “And whosoever shall compel thee to go a mile,
go with him twain.” If you choose, you have the ability to pull someone ten miles in the direction you want and yet you choose to walk a mile with him, then it is forgiveness. You have the capacity to tear off the other man’s coat and you choose to offer him your own shirt, then it is forgiveness. Forgiveness is not cowardice. It is valor tempered with discretion. Forgiveness reduces the intensity of the evil result of wrong actions wrought by body, mind and speech. When it is your turn to be judged you will pray for forgiveness, hence you have to practice forgiveness in your daily life. This is an independent meritorious deed (Karma) that you do; thereby you earn the right to be forgiven. Forgiveness is potent Karma. By practicing forgiveness in your daily life you deserve the right to be treated liberally when it is your time to be judged. You reap as you sow and you are forgiven. A thief stole silver candlesticks from the Bishop’s residence under cover of the night. He was apprehended by the king’s soldiers and was brought before the Bishop. The Bishop said, “I have presented the candlesticks to him. It is a gift from me”. This is forgiveness. This made a strong impact on the thief and he took to better ways. This act of the Bishop has found a merited niche in English literature as “The Bishop’s Candlesticks”. “Forgiveness is Divine virtue. The universe is held together by virtue of forgiveness. It is the might of the mighty. Forgiveness is virtue eternal.” (From an Indian epic) “Then came Peter to him and said: Lord, how oft
shall my brother sin against me and I forgive him? Till seven times? Jesus
saith unto him: I say not unto thee seven times, but until seventy times
seven.” “Forgive and overlook till God accomplish His purpose for God hath power over all things.” —Holy Quran II-109 Three different words are used in the Quran for forgiveness. AFA means to forget. Obliterate the incident from your mind and be done with it. SAFAHA means to ignore. Treat the incident as if it did not happen. GAFFAR means to forgive others as God forgives us our sins by showering GRACE. He forgives again and again. Buddha asked people not to get angry but to forgive even if some-body were to cut them to pieces. “You shall cast out all malice, anger, spite and ill will and shall not cherish hatred even against those who do you harm but embrace all living beings with loving kindness.” — Precepts of Buddha “Hatred does not cease by hatred at any time; hatred ceases by love. This is true nature.” -- Dhammapada Buddha’s doctrine of MAITRI represents perfection of loving kindness. Compassion and goodwill result from loving kindness. Shall we ask ourselves the question, “How many times have I been forgiven by the Lord for my evil actions. How many more times will it be necessary for me to beg forgiveness for my evil thoughts and deeds?” We must attempt to deserve His Grace. Therefore let us forgive him who does us wrong. One may ask if the law of Karma, the law of reap as you sow, is inevitable then how does forgiveness and mercy of the Almighty fit into the picture? If justice is to be tempered with mercy do we compromise the law of Karma? The answer is simple. The law of Karma also states that any action, good or evil, if done with extreme intensity fructifies in a short time. Repentance and forgiveness are intense good actions. This Karma fructifies to undo the effect of previous evil Karma. Repentance begets forgiveness towards all. If you think it is difficult to practice forgiveness think it over again. Consider the consequences. If you do not imbibe the virtue of forgiveness you are bound to get angry. When you get angry then it affects the metabolism, the endocrine secretions and the nervous system. This puts a heavy burden on the mind, resulting in emotional disturbance. It leaves a distasteful dent on the mind. This sets in wrong perception. Wrong perception, when multiplied, leads to added doses of misery. Hence, it is in our own interest to forgive others. We are capable of making new discoveries and producing new gadgets in the material realm. What makes you think that we are utterly bankrupt in the spiritual realm? With a little determination on our part we will be able to practice the virtue of forgiveness in day to day life. Forgiveness purifies the mind. It gives you the added strength to experience oneness of all beings. It removes all frustrations and makes your life happy and purposeful. |
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