”LET GO AND LET GOD!”

Every action breeds a reaction. When things do not go the way we expect, or we find ourselves in conflict with someone, how do we feel? We feel insulted, unfairly judged, belittled or demeaned and that the treatment received by us was totally unjust and undeserved. Maybe our most dearly held views of ourselves have been challenged. This feeling is soon replaced or joined by anger, often thinly disguised as indignation. Anger demands action, or at the very least, some form of explanation that had better be acceptable to us. So instinctively, we react to the situation with thoughts of retaliation. If we are rash or impulsive, we rush headlong into this line of action, often with regrettable outcome. Our inner light becomes obscured in a vicious cycle of negativity.

When we feel anger and hatred, our minds become very narrow, our hearts close and our negative feelings only escalate. The typical response to an unpleasant feeling is to resist it or to engage in some activity that may change the nature of the feeling we are experiencing.

Just as instinctively, we may wish to see the wrongdoer punished, by us or by any surrogate system. Initially, we want them punished severely. Again, if we are hasty, we end up overreacting, usually with lamentable consequences in the long run, though for the time being we may get ample satisfaction. We hold within us grudges, bitterness and resentment, which later manifest in stress, ulcers and poor health conditions. Recognising that we cannot control everyone or everything in our life may create an unpleasant feeling, but it is essential that we deal with it in order to cultivate equanimity and harmony within ourselves.

As spiritual aspirants, it is essential that we learn how to ‘forgive and forget’ and ‘let go’ of our attachments the in order to be at peace.  However, most of us find this very hard because we are too attached to our emotions and ego.  Baba therefore emphasises that the only way we can cultivate this virtue is by cultivating the supreme quality of ‘Forgiveness’ (Kshama). 

FORGIVENESS

Next to love, forgiveness is perhaps the most misunderstood term in the human language.  The meaning of the verb forgive, translates into "to let go", which is the act of forgiveness. Forgiveness is the process of releasing the negative feelings given to us by another (perceived or otherwise).

Kshama is Sathyam (Truth)
Kshama is Dharmam (Righteousness),
Kshama is Ahimsa (Non-injury),
Kshama is Yajna (Sacrifice),
Kshama is Santhosha (Pleasure),
Kshama is Daya (Compassion),
and Kshama is everything in the world.     (Poem)

It stands out against other options as retaliation, punishment and resentment, the last option being the resort of the victim who feels helpless in addressing the wrong in a manner desirable to him or her.

We have all heard of the maxim, “To err is Human, to forgive Divine.”  However, how many of us are able to follow that? Forgiveness is not an easy thing for a lot of us.  Many of us tend to associate forgiveness with allowing another to “get away with” whatever it is that he or she has done. If someone has done us harm, they will be accountable for their actions with or without our anguish. Forgiveness cannot be learned from textbooks, nor can it be acquired either from any one else. It can only be cultivated by practicing love and tolerance. So how can we do that?

Baba recommends the following:

 Always remember to ‘Let go, Let God’!