Right way to respond
This article discusses the Vaishnava philosophy of humility and tolerance when faced with criticism or abuse. It highlights historical anecdotes and religious texts to illustrate the importance of accepting blame to maintain spiritual integrity.
Why it matters
It provides cultural and ethical context for religious practices in India, emphasizing non-retaliation as a core virtue.
Whenever someone scolds a Vaishnava, he must assume that he deserves it. Acharya Nampillai demonstrated this in an incident, said M.A. Venkatakrishnan in a discourse. A person called Kandadai Thozhappan abused Nampillai with the most hurtful words. Later Thozhappan’s wife told him how very wrong it was to abuse a great Acharya like Nampillai. Thozhappan decided that early the next morning he would visit Nampillai and seek his forgiveness. The next morning, when he opened the door of his house, he found someone sitting on the pyol. Before he could ask the man what he wanted, the visitor fell at Thozhappan’s feet and asked for his forgiveness. Only then did Thozhappan notice that the visitor was Nampillai! Nampillai explained: “You are the descendant of a great man. I must have done something wrong. Otherwise, why would you have scolded me?
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