Vengeance Vs Forgiveness

Vengeance Vs Forgiveness

    It is human tendency to seek vengeance for a wrong. We often hear the expressions 'tit for tat', 'an eye for and eye' etc. Such expressions are found in some religious texts  as well.

"And We ordained for them therein a life for a life, an eye for an eye, a nose for a nose, an ear for an ear, a tooth for a tooth, and for wounds is legal retribution. But whoever gives [up his right as] charity, it is an expiation for him. And whoever does not judge by what Allah has revealed – then it is those who are the wrongdoers." ( Koran 5.45 Sahih International)

"And whoever causes an injury to a neighbour must receive the same kind of injury in return: Broken bone for broken bone, eye for eye, tooth for tooth. Anyone who injures another person must be injured in the same way in return. Whoever kills another person’s animal must give that person another animal to take its place. But whoever kills another person must be put to death. “The law will be the same for the foreigner as for those from your own country. I am the Lord your God.” (Bible Leviticus 24:19-22)

Sanatana Dharma, however, does not support the barbaric idea of 'an eye for an eye'. The Shastras uphold the noble value of forgiveness. Srimad Bhagavadgita teaches the virtue of Kshanti (Bhagavadgita 13.7) or Kshama (Bhagavadgita 16.3).

Mahabharata is spread over with noble instances of forgivenss. Yudhishthira, the eldest of five Pandavas, is an embodiment of forgiveness. He was fully aware of the evil intents of Duryodhana. Duryodhana does not leave a stone upturned to harm the Pandavas. Yet, Yudhishthira is always ready to forgive Duryodhana. He goes out of his way to save his evil cousin from the hands of Gandharvas. Once Jayadratha, an evil king, tries to kidnap Pandavas' wife. Yet Yudhishthira sets him free.

Forgiveness does not mean one should always be silent about the evil acts of others. To err is human. Man makes mistakes. Meanwhile, he should realise his mistake and stop repeating the same. It is proper to start with a gentle warning. 'Please don't do it again'. A sensible human being realises his mistake sooner or later. He repents and transforms into a better person.

Recourse to violence cannot be ruled out in extreme cases. There are evil forces in the society. If a robber robs my house, I cannot just forgive and forget. He might rob me again. He might rob my neighbours too. It is our duty to act appropriately to curb the evil. If a part of my body is affected by cancer, I try to cure the decease. If it cannot be cured, I might have to get the part amputated so that the decease does not destroy other parts of my body. Sometimes violence serves as a tool for a greater good.

Returning to Mahabharata, the evil Kauravas were given more than one chance to reform themselves. Duryodhana and his companions were incorrigible. Their existence was causing extensive harm to the society as a whole. Hence, the Pandavas and Sri Krishna resorted to war as the only way to save the society from the debilitating forces of Adharma.