On hearing offense to devotees why is the extreme option of committing suicide recommended?

Answer Podcast

Transcript

This is an AI-generated transcript and may contain some errors.
So, when we hear offence to a devotee, why is the extreme option of committing suicide given along with debating and countering or walking away? Certain statements in scripture are rhetorical and their primary focus is to make a point through rhetoric. That means, say, Chaitanya Mahaprabhu says or there is a famous verse in the Puranas which says that, नाहं वसामि वैकुन्ते योगिराम् पृदेश्युआ यत्र गायन्ति वद भक्ता तत्तरिष्टामि नार। Lord is saying that, I don’t stay in Vaikuntha, I don’t stay in the heart of the yogis. I stay where my devotee is glorifying me.
Now, is it that the Lord doesn’t stay in Vaikuntha? He does stay in Vaikuntha, isn’t it? Is He not in the heart of the yogis? He is in the heart of everyone. So, He is in the heart of the yogis also. So, the point is that, where is He accessible to us? In Vaikuntha, He is not accessible to us.
In the heart of the yogis, He is not accessible to us. But where the devotees glorify Him, there we feel His presence. So, in certain statements, there may be some rhetorical phrasing where the point is valid.
But we have to understand what the point is. So similarly, here, the point is not literally that one should commit suicide. The point is that one should take this very seriously.
Just like, no, it’s just like there is poison for the body which can kill, similarly, there is here in the criticism of Vaishnava that there is poison for the soul and it can harm us spiritually. And we should take it seriously and we should not just passively succumb to it. That is the important point.
Now, there is an extreme example of Sati committing suicide when Lord Shiva dishonored. But actually, that is not really a prude action. It is, yes, it is something she does, but that is not the standard that everyone follows, especially in today’s world, you know, with internet there, you may just go on some sites and you can find blasphemy over there.
So, what can we do? The point is, we recognize that it is dangerous and we don’t just passively submit to it. We have to actively do something to it, either counter it or avoid it. So, just as the soul is, soul’s spiritual consciousness is damaged, that can be a great danger.
So, we become aware of the danger and deal with the danger in an effective way. So, that’s the emphasis. Is that clear?