DON’T RETURN EVIL FOR EVIL – STORY
(From Sri Ramayana written in English by HH Bhakti Vikas Swami. This story appears in Sri Ramayama, the Yuddha kanda section , where in Hanuman meets mother Sita.)
Mother Sita says :
A great man never takes into account the offenses that are commited against him by another person. Indeed, he vows at all cost not to return evil with evil.
Once there was a hunter who was being chased by a tiger.
While trying to escape, he climbed up into a big tree.
However, high up in the branches of the tree , a bear was perched, relaxing.
Upon seeing the bear, the tiger called the bear saying:
‘This hunter is our common enemy.You should push him out of the tree so I can eat him’.
The bear however replied because the hunter has taken shelter of my home, I will not do anything to harm him and to do so would be unrighteous.
Saying this the bear went to sleep.
The tiger then said to the hunter ‘ If you push the bear out of the tree so that i can eat him, I will promise not to harm you’.
Swayed by the tiger’s words, the hunter pushed the sleeping bear.
However as he was falling, the bear grabbed another branch and saved himself.
The tiger then said to the bear:
‘Since this hunter tried to kill you, you should retaliate by pushing him out of the tree’.
But even though the tiger appealed to the bear like this repeatedly, the bear refused by saying:
“A great person never takes into account the sins of a person who has offended him. Instead at all costs, he keeps his vow never to return evil for evil, knowing that good conduct is the ornament of virtuous persons”.
When we return evil for an evil, we get a new enemy permanently. When we return nothing for an evil, we get a new friend in future.
We need not do good for a person who do evil. Just being silent will do wonders.