The Benefits of Tolerance vs. Protest

(written on November 30, 2019)

(References: BG 12.13-14.)

In the purport of BG 12.13-14 Srila Prabhupada says, “Nor does a devotee become his enemy’s enemy; he thinks, ‘This person is acting as my enemy due to my own past misdeeds. So it is better to suffer than to protest.’” This means that a devotee will tolerate the suffering because they know that they are suffering due to their past karmic misdeeds. They also understand that due to the mercy of the Supreme Personality of Godhead they are only getting a fraction of the suffering that they were actually supposed to receive. Srila Prabhupada explains in the purport, “ He [the devotee] thinks, ‘Thanks to my past misdeeds I should suffer far, far greater than I am suffering now. So it is by the mercy of the Supreme Lord that I am not getting all the punishment I am due. I am just getting a little, by the mercy of the Supreme Personality of Godhead.’”

There is a very important verse in Srimad Bhagavatam that explains the nature of a devotee when they are suffering. SB 10.14.8, “My dear Lord, one who earnestly waits for You to bestow Your causeless mercy upon him, all the while patiently suffering the reactions of his past misdeeds and offering You respectful obeisances with his heart, words and body, is surely eligible for liberation, for it has become his rightful claim.” This verse explains how the pure devotee eagerly waits for the mercy or benedictions of the Lord while patiently suffering through the karmic reactions. However, that suffering is actually the mercy of the Supreme Lord which is disguised as punishment. “However, because in his mind a devotee may still maintain the remnants of his previous sinful mentality, the Lord removes the last vestiges of the enjoying spirit by giving His devotee punishments that may sometimes resemble sinful reactions.” So, with this mindset, the devotees decide it is better to suffer than to protest.

Great devotees like Jada Bharat, Jesus Chirst, and Haridas Thakur follow this instruction. However, it is important to note that when one is a neophyte devotee, especially the one between the age from birth to 18 years, it is their duty that they must not tolerate such suffering and tell their parents as soon as possible.