True and Selfless Love manifests as Sacrifice. Such Love knows no hatred. It envelops the entire Universe, and is capable of drawing near even those who are seemingly far away. Love it is that transforms the human into the Divine. In the phenomenal world, you come across many shades and derivatives of this Primordial Love. You love your father, mother, brother, sister, friends and so on. In all such cases, there is always a tinge of selfishness somewhere or the other. Divine Love, on the other hand, is totally free of even the slightest trace of selfishness. You must surrender to such Love, become completely submerged by it, and experience the Bliss it confers.
For acquiring such Love, the quality of Kshama or forbearance is a vital necessity. Every individual must cultivate this noble quality. Kshama is not achieved by reading books or learnt from an instructor. Nor can it be received as a gift from someone else. This prime virtue Kshama can be acquired solely by self-effort, that is, by facing diverse problems squarely, enduring difficulties of various sorts, not giving in to anxieties, and bearing with equanimity suffering as well as sorrow. In the absence of Kshama, man becomes susceptible to various evil tendencies. Hatred and jealousy easily take root in a person lacking this virtue.
Kshama is the grandest and the noblest among virtues. The troubles the country is currently passing through are largely due to the absence of this noble quality of Kshama. Without Kshama, mankind becomes degraded and starts declining, but if it has this quality then it can progress in leaps and bounds. Kshama is thus the very breath of life.
Everything must have a basis. For spiritual progress and advancement, Kshama is the real basis or foundation. When Kshama disappears, disturbance sets in and there is decline. Great countries have lost their glory, prestige and reputation for this reason. Patience is therefore a virtue that must be assiduously cultivated, by individuals as well as nations, if troubles and tribulations are to be successfully faced. Without patience and the capacity for forbearance, one becomes spiritually weak. When patience is gone, the greatest of men get reduced to utter fools.
The importance of Kshama cannot be over-stressed. This virtue is best cultivated under adverse circumstances, and one must therefore gladly welcome troubles instead of regarding them as unwelcome.
Jealousy is the greatest enemy of man, and it takes root when Kshama is absent. If you possess the virtue of Kshama, then none of these enemies can come anywhere near you. Cultivation of Kshama must therefore be an important priority. No doubt you will face many difficulties during life's journey, but bravely march on, taking courage from the fact that once you have Kshama there is nothing that you cannot achieve.