Sahanasheelata
By: Fanil Gada
The word Sahanasheelata, or tolerance, is of great importance in understanding Jainism and the path followed and preached by Lord Mahavir. So, I’ll start with a Gujarati poem which describes a conversation between Lord Indra (king of the highest heaven, Saudharmakalpa) and Lord Mahavir when Lord Mahavir was about to leave the world behind and take Diksha:
“Indra kahe prabhu veer ne, mane ek veenanti karva do,
Panth kathin che sadhana kero, saath tarari rehva do,
Ghor bhayankar jungle vasta, krul ne hinsak praani,
Koi na puch se bhavv tamaro, nahi made anna ke pani,
Te maate vinavu chu tamne saath tamari rehva do
Panth kathin che sadhana kero, saath tarari rehva do,
Zyaan thaki hun joi rayo chu bhaavi maarg tamaro,
aavse aandhi tofaan ghana, upsargo ne janjaava toh
Te maate vinavu chu tamne saath tamari rehva do….”
“Veer kahe che Indra ne, samjhu chu bhaav tamaro,
Eklo aavyo aatam pankhi eklo uudi jaase,Kaa toh mukti paamse, kaa toh bandhan ma muukase,
Teh thi kau chu Indra raaj ae sahayi karvi rehva do,
Sankat upsarg je aave te haste mukhde sehava do…”
English Translation:
“Lord Indra is asking Lord Mahavir, let me request this to you,
I forsee the path ahead for you is very tough [path of diksha], let me come with you…
There are dangerous jungles, and cruel animal on the path you will take
No one on the way will ask about your welfare/health, nor will you get/be offered food or water…
That is why I request you to let me stay with you…
I forsee the path ahead for you is very tough [path of diksha], let me come with you…
With my power/knowledge to see the future I can see your difficult and emotional path ahead…
There are storms and thunders on your path,awaiting to trouble/weaken you…
That is why I request you to let me stay with you…
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To this Lord Mahavir replies, I understand your feeling/concern..
I have come alone to this world and I will leave/fly away alone as well
This path will either free me from this world or this world will hold me back in its trap/cycle of life
Thus I ask you Lord Indra to not help me in this journey of mine
Whatever difficult situations that might come along my way let me face them all with a smile alone…
This poem emphasizes the importance Lord Mahavir gave to tolerance. Everything the world has to offer? We should take it with a smile and no reply. It’s this strength within us that we need to build to reach the most peaceful state of mind. The world will throw many things at you, but if you react negatively, it shows they affected you. Your goal is to continue doing what you are doing and not let outside elements distract you.
The base principle behind tolerance is telling yourself to tolerate pain, words, and thoughts of others that will affect you until the point you can no longer tolerate them. It’s easy to say you can tolerate anything, but is it true? It is this feeling of “I couldn’t resist any longer” that gives the victory to the opposite end. We let these things reach to us which shouldn’t even bother us at all and have no significance in our lives. In our daily life, we hear a lot of people tell us what we can’t do or what we shouldn’t do. What you need to do is to focus and keep continuing on your goals until you face a situation which won’t let you move further. Practicing this will not only help you focus on what is important and not let outside elements get in the way of your achievements at school or work.
We need to focus on what is most important to us to achieve our goals. You might have heard a lot of stories of successful people who had ignored all the criticism and hatred thrown at them and went on to achieve what they were destined to achieve. Enduring this negativity while staying humble in the process will strengthen you from outside and also from within. This will give you a clear path towards what thoughts and actions to take. One such story is that of J.K. Rowling, who went from being a jobless single mother living off unemployment benefits to one of the best-selling authors of all time. But it didn’t happen overnight. She faced rejection and constantly strived for success. She worked hard at her craft before anyone noticed her. That practice, along with strengthening herself against rejection, was what made her work unforgettable.
I know this is easier said than done. You might not be able to tolerate each and everything, but you can try to go to your last point of tolerance. This path of action aligns with many Jain principles like forgiveness and non-attachment, and it helps us avoid anger, bad thoughts, and negativity against any individual. Let’s implement the principle of tolerance in our lives and follow the teachings of Lord Mahavir.
Poem and Topic Credits: Aacharya Saheb shri Ratnasundersuri Maharaj Saheb
