Suppose a snake bites us. Suppose further that we become enraged at the snake and start chasing it to kick it to death. Even if we succeed, our running and kicking will cause the poison to spread rapidly through our body, thus spelling our death. We need to first get safe by getting the poison out.

When someone hurts us, we instinctively feel like getting back at them. But such vengeful feelings permeating through our being are like poison – they hurt us spiritually, emotionally and even physically. That’s why we need to first get that poison out of our system.

For purging ourselves, Gita wisdom offers a higher vision: understanding of life’s ultimate purpose. That purpose is spiritual evolution. We all are souls and we are meant to attain life eternal by developing our love for Krishna, the all-attractive Supreme whose parts we are eternally. Everything that happens is meant to further our spiritual evolution. But such evolution is not automatic – it depends on our choosing wisely. And one vital wise choice is purging the poison of vengefulness from our consciousness.

Of course, getting the poison out doesn’t necessarily mean letting the wrongdoer go scot-free. It just means putting first things first – focusing on spiritual evolution, not material retribution. When we get our consciousness spiritually grounded by regular practice of bhakti-yoga, we get the calmness and clarity to determine the appropriate response.

The Bhagavad-gita calls upon Arjuna to punish the atrocious Kauravas, assuring that victory will be his (11.33). Yet the same Gita also asks him to work for Krishna without any animosity towards anyone, assuring that such work will enable him to attain Krishna (11.55).

When we let Gita wisdom regularly remind us of our ultimate purpose, we won’t let anyone divert us from Krishna.

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