Hare Krishna Prabhus and Matajis,
Please accept my humble obeisances. All glories to Srila Prabhupada!
I just read a beautiful verse from Srimad Bhagavatam, Canto 3, Chapter 8, Verse 9 and an important lesson we can take away from it:
provāca mahyaṁ sa dayālur ukto
muniḥ pulastyena purāṇam ādyam
so ’haṁ tavaitat kathayāmi vatsa
śraddhālave nityam anuvratāya
The great sage Parāśara, as aforementioned, being so advised by the great sage Pulastya, spoke unto me the foremost of the Purāṇas [Bhāgavatam]. I shall also describe this before you, my dear son, in terms of my hearing, because you are always my faithful follower. [SB 3.8.9]
In his illuminating purport to this verse, Srila Prabhupada writes:
“The great sage of the name Pulastya is the father of all demoniac descendants. Once upon a time Parāśara began a sacrifice in which all the demons were to be burnt to death because his father had been killed and devoured by one of them. The great sage Vasiṣṭha Muni arrived at the sacrifice and requested Parāśara to stop the deadly action, and because of Vasiṣṭha’s position and respect in the community of sages, Parāśara could not deny the request. Parāśara having stopped the sacrifice, Pulastya, the father of the demons, appreciated his brahminical temperament and gave the blessing that in the future he would be a great speaker on the Vedic literatures called the Purāṇas, the supplements of the Vedas. Parāśara’s action was appreciated by Pulastya because Parāśara had forgiven the demons out of his brahminical power of forgiveness.”
Here, we can learn a very important lesson that equips us to handle tough situations with grace and composure.
In the material world, disagreements and conflicts are unavoidable. Srimad Bhagavatam says, “sva-bhāva-viṣamaṁ janam”—people have diverse mentalities. This means we will encounter individuals with a wide range of characteristics, from demoniac to saintly, from thankful to thankless, from weak to strong, and beyond. If such individuals are able to provoke us or disrupt our balance—or worse, hinder our bhakti—it indicates that they are stronger than us in that moment.
However, when faced with conflicts, if we are able to retain our goodness and composure, we emerge as true victors. On the other hand, if we stoop to their level and respond in kind, it signifies that they have won by dragging us down to their standard.
A striking example of this principle is seen in how Lord Krishna reciprocated with the demoness Putana. Although she approached Him with malicious intent to harm Him, the Lord, in His magnanimity, blessed her with the exalted position of His mother in the spiritual world. This demonstrates the Lord’s unchanging nature of compassion and greatness in any situation.
For us, as conditioned souls, remaining unprovoked in all circumstances is undoubtedly a challenging task. However, it is imperative that we make a sincere effort in this direction. All of us are meant to cultivate saintly qualities, to behave in a sane and saintly manner, and to rise above provocations. Achieving this requires dedication to bhakti practice, the blessings of the Lord and His devotees, mindfulness, and conscious effort.
Your servant,
Satya Sara das