God Tolerates Personal Insults, but Not Insults Toward His Devotees
Tolerance is one of the divine qualities of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. As the reservoir of all opulences, the Lord exhibits forbearance that is impossible for ordinary living entities. However, Śrīla Prabhupāda clarifies that God's tolerance is not passive or unlimited in all circumstances. While the Lord accepts personal insults and physical attacks with grace, He is strictly intolerant when His devotees are harmed or offended. This article explores the unique dynamic between God's personal tolerance and His protective nature regarding His devotees.
Tolerance of Personal Insults
The Vedic scriptures contain numerous incidents where the Supreme Lord displays unmatched tolerance regarding Himself. When the sage Bhṛgu Muni tested the Lord by kicking Him on the chest, the Lord did not become angry. Instead, He begged pardon, concerned that the sage's foot might have been hurt by His hard chest. Similarly, the avatar Lord Ṛṣabhadeva tolerated being tormented by the public because He was situated in spiritual bliss and possessed no material identification.
- Bhrgu Muni tested the tolerance of the Lord by purposely kicking His chest, but instead of being angry at Bhrgu Muni the Lord begged his pardon, saying that Bhrgu Muni's leg might have been badly hurt because His chest is too hard.
- The Lord has the sign of the foot of bhrgupada as the mark of tolerance.
- He (Rsabhadeva) could tolerate people's throwing stool and dust upon Him and beating Him. His body was transcendental and consequently did not at all suffer pain. He was always situated in His spiritual bliss.
Tolerance for a Higher Purpose
The Lord's tolerance is often displayed to reassure the demigods or to protect the world from calamity. In the pastime of Lord Varāha, He tolerated the deriding words of the demon Hiraṇyākṣa not out of weakness, but to avoid a premature fight that could endanger the earth. This tolerance serves as an example to the demigods and humanity.
- Although apparently He (The Lord) fled from the challenge, it was just to protect the earth from calamity that He tolerated Hiranyaksa's deriding words.
- The Lord could have chastised the demon immediately while the demon was deriding the Lord with ill words, but the Lord tolerated him to please the demigods and to show that they should not be afraid of demons while discharging their duties.
Intolerance Regarding Devotees
While the Lord tolerates personal attacks, He draws a sharp line regarding His devotees. He is known as bhakta-vatsala, the lover of His devotees, and He cannot tolerate any inconvenience or offense directed toward them. Śrīla Prabhupāda notes that even the Lord's own family members, the Yadu dynasty, were destroyed due to committing offenses against Vaiṣṇavas. This proves that the Lord never tolerates insults to His unalloyed devotees.
- A devotee of the Lord cannot tolerate blasphemy of the Lord or His other devotees, and the Lord also cannot tolerate blasphemy of a devotee.
- The king knew well that the Supreme Personality of Godhead never tolerates any insult to His unalloyed devotees. Such tapasvis were trusted leaders even of the rogues and thieves, who would never disobey the orders of tapasvis.
- In the material world, simply to get a little favor from the goddess of fortune, people observe many rigid regulations of austerity & penance. The Lord cannot tolerate any inconvenience on the part of the devotee. He is therefore famous as bhakta-vatsala.
Conclusion
God's tolerance is an instructive mix of mercy and justice. As the Supreme Father, He does not tolerate the killing of even an ant, yet as the Supreme Friend, He asks us to relate to Him intimately. As Arjuna prays in the Bhagavad-gītā, "Please tolerate the wrongs that I may have done to You and bear with me as a father with his son, or a friend with his friend, or a lover with his beloved." The Lord tolerates our imperfections, but He expects us to respect the sanctity of His devotees and His creation.
Dive Deeper into Śrīla Prabhupāda's Vani
Śrīla Prabhupāda lives within his instructions. This article is a summary of the profound truths found in the Vaniquotes category God's Tolerance. We invite you to visit this link to study the complete compilation and experience Śrīla Prabhupāda's teachings in their direct, verbatim form.