THE ART OF TOLERANCE

One of the themes in the Bhagavad-gita is how to be tolerant, and in verse 2.70 the key to success is given by Krishna Himself.

“A person who is not disturbed by the incessant flow of desires – that enter like rivers into the ocean, which is ever being filled but is always still – can alone achieve peace, and not the man who strives to satisfy such desires.”

Bhagavad-gita is describing a person who is in an elevated state. The ocean, because of its vast depth, is not disturbed by the changes that take place around it. Everyone is looking for peace and satisfaction. If we do not find satisfaction within ourselves, then we are very affected by the circumstances surrounding us. The key to real peace is within, not without.  People’s hearts are lonely and unfulfilled. This poverty of the heart translates into physical, emotional and social poverty within the world. Inner peace is the substance of satisfaction because satisfaction is of the heart, not the mind or the senses. The mind and senses are always changing according to the circumstances we are in.

Satisfaction comes from fulfillment, which in turn comes when the principles in our life are in harmony with the needs of the soul. Those principles are to live with integrity, good character, morality and ethics. What are the needs of the soul? To love, to have the equal vision of compassion, and to express our love, values and devotion to God and all living beings. In that life, there is happiness, and in that happiness we have the power to tolerate all provoking situations.         

— His Holiness Radhanath Swami