To err is human....

To err is human, to forgive divine…. We have heard this often since our childhood… it is only natural for us to make mistakes as we are all humans… but we should strive to also forgive others who wrong us, for it is the mark of divinity in us.

However, as we grow through life, one of the most difficult things for us is “forgiving and letting go..” Letting go of the grudges, the insults, the slights… letting go of the baggage we accumulate over words spoken too harshly, or perhaps interpreted wrongly…

Many a times, we hold on to that anger, that hurt, because we feel the transgression done by the other person is unforgivable. But in doing so, we fail to realize that by Forgiving someone, we are not setting that person free, but we are setting ourselves free – free from letting someone or something else affect our happiness.

While in Hindi and Marathi, “क्षमा” means to forgive, the word has a much wider meaning in Samskrita. It means not only forgiveness, but also patience, endurance and forbearance as it originates from the धातु "क्षम्  - to endure, to be patient". The actual meaning varies as per the context in which it is used.

There’s a beautiful सुभाषितम् / Subhashitam on Forgiveness that reads as follows:

क्षमा बलमशक्तानाम् शक्तानाम् भूषणं क्षमा। क्षमावशीकृते  लोके क्षमया किम् न सिध्यति ॥

kshama

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..and means –

क्षमा बलम् अशक्तानाम्        Forgiveness is the strength of the weak.

शक्तानां भूषणं क्षमा           Forgiveness is the adornment of the strong.

क्षमावशीकृते लोके                         If the entire world is conquered by Forgiveness,

क्षमया किम् न सिध्यति        what cannot be accomplished by Forgiveness?

For those who are weak and cannot probably hit back, being of a forgiving nature becomes their strength. Because they don’t get further weakened – either by going after a stronger enemy or by nursing the hurt and the related toxicity within themselves.

For those who are strong, if they choose to take the higher road, forgive and move on, when they could punish the one who has hurt them, Forgiveness becomes an adornment of their character. They are respected and looked up to for this virtue.

In this way, both the weak and strong can used Forbearance and Forgiveness as a tool to become stronger, achieve their goals and the whole world (everything you want) can be conquered by it.

योद्धा / Yoddhas and महारथी / Maharathis like Shri Ram, Laxmana, Arjuna or Karna put in long years of practice and penance to acquire weapons like Indraastra, Brahmaastra or Pashupataastra. You,too, need to put in effort and practice to acquire and retain this useful and potent weapon/virtue "Forgiveness & Patience" in your quiver.

We can substitute Forgiveness with Forbearance and/or Patience too while internalizing the meaning of this subhashitam.

Thus, know that Forgiveness, Forbearance and Patience are weapons that have the capacity to conquer the entire world - acquire them and use them liberally!

The world is your oyster!