ForgivenessI was surprised, having studied the views of many eastern saints — many of them Hindus — who say that God is forgiving, like a mother to her misbehaving child. "But, do you not have forgiveness and grace in Hinduism?" "Grace is there, but grace doesn’t mean forgiveness," Professor Sharma explained. "Grace doesn’t forgive. But, how does the grace work? Suppose a son, a small child, goes against the orders of the father. The father beats the child. That is the natural way the father should prevent the child from doing that bad thing again. But, at the same time, the father loves the child. He tells the child, ‘I told you not to do that act, but you have done it.’ He makes it clear why he has punished the child. The father then says, ‘Don’t worry,’ and the father gives love to his child. That love makes the child forget all the punishment. "Similarly, when God punishes me for my sins, he gives me love with which I can endure that suffering. And so, I do not succumb to that suffering or forget the love because of the suffering. This is by his grace." |
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