Now, tolerance is sometimes misunderstood to be passivity. But the Gita is not talking about tolerance in those terms. For example, the Gita tells Arjuna to tolerate, “tāṁs titikṣasva bhārata” (BG 2.14). But what has to be tolerated? Not that the Gita is saying to Arjuna, “Oh, the Kauravas have committed atrocities, just tolerate them.” No. While doing one’s duty in the mood of service to God, while turning from the temporary to the timeless, there will be some pain in giving up the temporary, in fighting against Drona, who is Arjuna’s Guru, and fighting against Bhishma, who is his grandfather. Arjuna may feel some pain. But if that is the price required to do God’s will for the ultimate welfare of the world, then Arjuna should tolerate that. So tolerance means keep small things small so that we can keep big things big.
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02.14 O son of Kuntī, the nonpermanent appearance of happiness and distress, and their disappearance in due course, are like the appearance and disappearance of winter and summer seasons. They arise from sense perception, O scion of Bharata, and one must learn to tolerate them without being disturbed.
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