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Jainism: The Cosmic Vision
While begging pardon one should be humble and modest. 'That is why Bhrami and Sundari, the two savant sisters of Bahubali, said to him, "My brother! Alight from the elephant." These words reminded Bahubali of his great fault. "Her younger brothers, who had taken the diksha earlier, were senior to him in respcet of knowledge. This is why Bahubali ought to bow down to them." Bahubali went on raising his degree of austerities. But the small thorn - "I am elder"- would not let Bahubali's severe austerities fructify. But when he knew his fault, Bahubali begged pardon from the bottom of his heart. The next moment his austerities fructified.
Forgiveness and the earth are alike. Thus, forgiveness is the joy of life and the spring of penance. When spring comes, nature is in full bloom. The spring of spiritual merits blooms in the life of the man who adopts forgiveness in life. Today forgiveness has become a formality. By force of habit man says, 'Thank you', in ordinary dealings of life. But this is only a formality, only a habit. With a number of people, it is a habit to say "Thank you'. If a man turns the tap on and water comes from it, he says, 'Thank you'. But this is an ordinary type of forgiveness. The forgiveness that we talk of in paryusana days comes from a vastness of heart, from an abundance of good qualities and tranquility of mind. One of the meanings of the word, 'forgiveness (Kshama)' in Sanskrit is 'the earth (pruthvi)'. The man living on earth digs it deep and constructs a mine there. But the earth bears all this. The earth is considered to be a symbol of forbearance. That is why the Mahabharata says, "Violence is the strength of the wicked, penalty is the strength of kings, service is the strength of women and forgiveness is the strength of the virtuous." In the Mahabharata, we read that
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Kshamapana
at midnight, after the victory of the Pandavas, Ashvatthama came secretly and brutally killed Draupadi's five sons. The ocean of victory turned into deep lamentation. Instead of cheering, loud wailing was heard on all sides. Seeing this cruel killing of her sons, Draupadi often became unconscious and fell on the ground. Bhima and Arjun ran to arrest Ashvatthama, the killer that had got away. They arrested him from a wild jungle and presented him before Draupadi.
Shri Krishna said to Draupadi, "This is the killer of your sons. What should be the punishment for his crime? A single blow of Bhima's mace or Arjun's weapon can separate, can remove his head off his trunk. How shall we punish him ?"
Draupadi burst into tears. The murder of her five sons had filled her heart with pain. She sobbed and said, "How terrible is the pain of a son's loss ! I actually have experienced the same pain. I don't wish that his mother should experience the pain. Don't kill him. How agonizing is the pain of a mother's heart! I won't have Ashvatthama's mother experience the pain.. Release him."
Formal Forgiveness (Dravya Kshama)
And Ashvatthama, the murderer, was released. This is the grandeur of forgiveness. The animosity and retaliation in our heart should be tranquilized before we ask forgiveness. He, who becomes tranquilized, deserves to be propitiated. This means that you cannot practise spiritual austerities before asking forgiveness. We often make errors and develop animosities in life. If our hand touches someone and we say 'Sorry', or conventionally post a card of forgiveness, it is a formal forgiveness. Such formal forgiveness is a matter of
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