Ashtottaram 72 72) OṀ KṢHAMĀBHŨMYAI NAMAH:

By Devikananda Ji

OṀ (AUM)-KṢHA-MAA-BHOO-MYAI—NA-MA-HA

ॐ क्षमाभूम्यै नमः

(Kṣhama: Enduring, forgiving, proper, competent)

Kṣhama is a divine quality. In Sanskrit the word is kṣhānti- which means forgiveness and to endure. When you show this quality towards others, they feel less apprehensive and less fearful of you. This quality occupies a top place in our culture and way of our life. No matter how cruel the other person is, and how much he tries to harm you, there are quite a few Hindus who forgive them by saying that 'the law of karma (action and result) will take care of that person'. We don't see this divine quality anywhere else. The Hindu religion gives great importance to humanity and human values.

Hats off to our culture, we teach our children to be tolerant and show kṣhama towards fellow human beings. You not only see this in our daily lives but in all our doctrines. Sacred texts are full of incidents highlighting these divine qualities in the form of fables and moral stories. Our scriptures do not teach us to show endurance in the name of religion and for the purpose of proselytization (religious conversion). Our shāstrās proclaim that kṣhama is a divine quality, and we should show that towards any living being irrespective of the race, religion, culture or species. To be divine, we have to practice kindness and forgiveness toward fellow beings, just as God does towards every creature in the universe. If we practice controlling the six enemies of our mind (arishaḍvargās), it is possible to show kṣhama towards others.

In the Rāmāyaṇa, sage Vālmīki portrayed the sixteen virtues of Lord Shri Rāmachandra as an example to us humans. One of them was kṣhama. When praising that quality in Lord Shri Rāma, Vālmīki stated that Rāma's kṣhama was so great that he never remembered whether anyone has insulted him, hurt him or accused him. But if anyone did any small good deed, Rāma always boasted about that act and that person. This illustration by our sacred texts is to show us how to be a divine person in cultivating and showing kṣhama towards fellow living beings.

The land which shows the divinity in the kṣhama quality is 'Kṣhamā Bhūmi'.

(Key words: Kshama, quality, culture, purpose, Hindu, Religion)