Bhagwad Gita

KsamaPatience or Forgiveness personified as the daughter of Daksa and wife of Pulaha. (BG 10.34)

There was a tiger who posed as a saint in order to cheat a traveller. He called the traveller saying that he wanted to give him a gold bracelet in charity. The traveller asked, "Can I trust a ferocious animal like you?" The tiger said, "In my youth, I was wicked and killed many cows and humans. But then I met a saintly person who advised me to give charity and act religiously. The scriptures say religious acts are of eight types: 1) sacrifice, 2) study of scripture, 3) charity, 4) austerities, 5) speaking truth, 6) patience, 7) forgiveness, 8) not being greedy. Out of these the first four can be performed out of show, whereas the last four are found only in great souls. The tiger preached duplicitously and induced the traveller to come for the bracelet. On the way, he got stuck in the mud and the tiger ate him. Hitopadesa

Lect. BG 10.4 New York 67

One day, Bali approached Prahlada and asked, "Which is actually meritorious, forgiveness or the use of strength?" Prahlada: "Neither forgiveness nor the use of prowess is meritorious in all situations. If one were to always forgive, then his servants, dependants, enemies and even strangers, would disrespect him. When one always forgives, then mean-minded servants gradually steal away all of his wealth and fail to respond to his commands. The wife of one who always forgives begins to act just as she pleases and then, along with the servants, she takes to all kinds of vices. On the other hand, one who simply punishes and never forgives soon finds himself bereft of all friends. Indeed, everyone comes to hate such an unforgiving person, and when there is the slightest opportunity, they do something to harm him. Therefore, the conclusion is that prowess and forgiveness should be exhibited at the proper times.

My dear Bali, the following persons should be forgiven: one who has done nice service in the past, even if guilty of a grave fault; one who offends simply due to ignorance or folly; one who is a first-time offender; one who has committed some wrong against his will. In addition, other offenders may sometimes be forgiven just to create a good public image. The following persons should not be forgiven: one who has knowingly offended and yet claims to be innocent, even if his offence is slight, and a second-offender, no matter how small his crime." Mahabharata, Vana parva