When to Tolerate and When to Respond

Shri Hit Radha Keli Kunj, Vrindavan. A private conversation with Pujya Shri Hit Premanand Govind Sharan Ji Maharaj. Sadhaks ask questions about their life and sadhana, and Maharaj ji provides solutions.

The Complete Discourse

Arun Kumar ji, Radhe Radhe Maharaj ji. Maharaj ji, we listen to your satsang. But when someone deceives us, according to your guidance we don't respond to them, yet we become disheartened in our hearts, which creates an obstruction in naam jap. In such a situation, Maharaj ji, what should we do?

Maharaj ji: When someone deceives you, at that time you should consider this—it is our own prarabdha. For instance, if someone has cheated us of one rupee, this is our prarabdha being experienced. There was a debt of one rupee from before, and so by cheating, they took it and we have settled that account.

If someone has abused us, it was our prarabdha. By hearing the abuse, the burning in our heart has destroyed our sin—we have settled that account.

This is how we should think. In spirituality, rather than blaming others, one saves oneself by looking within. This was my prarabdha—the prarabdha that caused me suffering. If my prarabdha had not been there, the person who is deceiving would have behaved well with me.

My own prarabdha karma is riding upon that person and causing them to deceive me, defame me, disrespect me, and insult me. Therefore, there is no fault in that person. It is my karma. Therefore, I should bear it.

If we exercise discrimination, we will be saved. There is no need to be disheartened. There is no need to fight. What is needed is thought. Only positive thoughts can save us, and these are obtained through bhajan.

Most people, being subject to negative thoughts, get angry and insult others. But if we cultivate positive thoughts, therefore we should connect with spirituality and perform naam jap abundantly.

Maharaj ji, in another principle you had said not to even leave a hiss—meaning not to bite, but also not to leave even a hiss. What is the meaning of both? Here is one thing: according to one's body and according to one's position...

For instance, if someone is repeatedly harassing a woman, if someone is repeatedly behaving improperly, then we should not keep forgiving. If they are causing excessive trouble, we should take recourse to law and have them punished.

Because if we keep forgiving them, that troublemaker might escalate their mischief and fall into even worse misconduct.

Now, an administrator wants to keep their people under control. Even if there is no anger inside, if they do not display firmness, those under their authority will not remain disciplined.

Therefore, an administrator engaged in service to the nation, a teacher, a father, an officer—these people, even if they don't wish to, must sometimes display firmness and opposition.

For example, an employee comes late to the office and doesn't do their work. Now, if the officer, who is a senior authority, speaks to him gently, nothing will change. But if he speaks strictly, then the next day that employee will come on time and do their work.

So an officer, a teacher, parents, a guru—even if they wish not to, they must sometimes display a spirit of opposition and firmness.

If a child is not understanding right behavior through love, then a scolding is given. Now one might think this goes against spirituality, but it does not.

One must understand spirituality properly. Yes. If we are walking along and someone abuses us, we may let it go. But if someone is persecuting another person, we will not overlook it. We will step in and protect them.

All of this is why we say we need bhajan for positive thinking. Perform bhajan, O wise one who worships Rama—the more you perform bhajan, the vaster and more discriminating your intellect becomes, and it will save you and save others as well.

Priyam Mishra ji from Chhattisgarh: Radhe Radhe Maharaj ji. Maharaj ji, what is grace? What precautions should a sadhak take so that they do not neglect the grace they receive in their life?

The most important thing is this: the mind is repeatedly going toward pleasures, the world, various people and objects. Remove it from these and place it in the Lord. The more the mind is placed in the Lord, the more the experience of grace will be.

The more we will be able to follow the teachings of the scriptures. When the mind is removed from the Lord, as was said, when grace departs, then remembrance and bhajan do not occur.

When there is no remembrance of God, when there is no bhajan of God, then the mind gets entangled in pleasures. Getting entangled in pleasures is suffering.

To enjoy pleasures in an unrighteous way is itself the neglect of grace.

Therefore, to honor grace, keep the mind engaged in the Lord at every moment so that it does not turn toward wrong conduct and so that our intellect remains pure.

We should study the scriptures. We should listen to satsang. We should partake of pure food, and we should carefully remember God at every moment.

This will increase grace upon us, and we will not neglect or disrespect grace.

But sir, what is the true meaning of grace? It is to become absorbed in constant remembrance of God.

With even the smallest measure of whose grace, Tulsidasji, the dull-minded one, attained supreme rest—there is no Lord equal to Rama. Thus is the form of grace: the mind becoming constantly fixed at the feet of God.

O mind, Krishna's feet—each tendency, each and every tendency has become Krishna itself.

Krishna has accepted our mind, attracted it; each and every tendency has become Krishna-ified.

This is the grace of God. This is the form of grace: when, constantly, through mind, action, and word, one abandons worldly cunning and tricks and performs bhajan—then grace flows.

If one abandons worldly deception and cunning through mind, word, and action and performs bhajan, then it is nothing but grace, grace, grace.

This is the form of grace. The form of grace is not wealth, position, a healthy body, or enjoying pleasures as one wishes.

Because all of these are perishable. After the body is left behind, nothing will remain with you.

Therefore, the form of grace is remembrance of God, chanting God's name, recounting and hearing God's divine play, singing the Lord's glories, and pure food—all of these are forms of grace.

This text is taken from auto-generated video captions—there may be errors in the words. Please listen to the video for the authentic discourse.

Original video: Bhajan Marg (YouTube)