Do Not Hate Someone Who Hates You

What is all this hatred for?

The whole world is suffering from tapa traya. Nobody is spared.

What is tapa traya? Shastras classify miseries of the world into three kinds. It is called tapa traya: adhyatmika, adhi bhautika, and adhi daivika.

Adhyatmika – sorrows that you create yourself, out of ignorance, out of wrong perception, out of wrong attitude.
Adhi bhautika – from the pancha bhutas, from heat, cold, storm, from animals, snakes.
Adhi daivika – from natural calamities.

All miseries of the world fall under one of these categories.

Everybody is a sufferer, a victim. Everybody is in pain. Whom will you hate? Everybody is helpless.

Someone is stealing because he is hungry. Someone is amassing because he is insecure. He lives in constant fear that he will have to starve. Are they worthy of hating? Everybody is in fear. Everybody is in ignorance.

The hater himself is in delusion. Pity him. Do not even hate the hater.

I will tell you the essence of whatever I have been telling you so far, said Prahlada.

This whole universe is simply an expansion of Bhagavan Vishnu. All this is nothing but Vishnu.

Come out of ignorance. Stop hatred.

Work towards peace. Ultimate peace, which nothing can disturb. Which heat or cold cannot disturb. Which comfort or discomfort cannot disturb. Which pleasure or pain cannot disturb. Which disease cannot disturb. Which calamities cannot disturb.

And how to achieve that?

Fill your mind with Sri Hari. Keep on remembering him day and night. Do not get carried away by the affairs of the world.

Equanimity is what is required. See everyone alike, nobody is big or small. See everything alike. That is the true worship of Sri Hari.

Do not long for dharma, artha, or kama.

In this world, war cannot be avoided. Universal peace is not possible. Why did Krishna not himself prevent Kurukshetra yudha? Why did he not influence the mind of Kauravas, make them all good?

That is not how earthly life is. A veena, a guitar will play only when the string is tense. It will make music only when tense. These are certain facts we cannot ignore.

The only way is the way out. Whatever you try to do, it is only a patchwork, a temporary fix to your immediate problems. There is no permanent way to solve the problems on earth. There is only one way, and that is the way out.

Always stay focused on moksha.

The children were scared of Hiranyakashipu. They went and reported to him whatever Prahlada told them.

• Why should I not hate anyone?

  • Hate traps your mind in the same pain you dislike.

  • Seeing causes behind actions turns anger into clarity and restraint.

  • You protect your own peace while still acting firmly when needed.

• If people do harm, is compassion naive?

  • Compassion explains; it does not excuse.

  • Hold people accountable with just consequences, minus inner malice.

  • Firm action plus a clean heart is stronger than rage.

• What are the three kinds of suffering in plain terms?

  • Adhyatmika: mind and body troubles born of ignorance and attitude.

  • Adhi bhautika: pressures from the world of elements and creatures.

  • Adhi daivika: forces beyond control, like calamities.

• How does this change my daily choices?

  • Diagnose which kind of suffering is active before reacting.

  • Fix what is in your hands; accept what is not; prepare for what may come.

  • Drop blame cycles and move to practical remedies.

• Is equanimity the same as indifference?

  • No. Indifference avoids responsibility.

  • Equanimity does the right thing without inner turbulence.

  • Calm action is sharper and more sustainable.

• How do I practice equanimity today?

  • Pause, label the emotion, name the cause, then act.

  • Keep a short daily remembrance of Bhagavan to reset the mind.

  • Limit overexposure to triggers; choose dutiful responses.

• Does remembering Bhagavan mean escaping real life?

  • It grounds you in a larger view so you act wiser in real life.

  • Remembrance disciplines the mind; duty becomes cleaner, not weaker.

  • It aligns motives, reducing fear and greed.

• Why is universal peace not realistic?

  • A world of opposing forces creates friction by design.

  • Growth needs tension, like a string producing music.

  • Expect cycles; aim for inner stability within them.

• If the divine can fix everything, why is the world not fixed?

  • Freedom and learning require consequences.

  • Guidance is given; compulsion would cancel growth.

  • The path exists; walking it is on us.

• What does ‘the way out’ practically mean?

  • Train the mind toward liberation while performing duties.

  • Reduce attachments that inflate fear and anger.

  • Treat every role as service, not identity.

• How do I handle my own fear and insecurity?

  • Expose them to reason: what is the real risk, what is story.

  • Build small daily courage reps: honest conversations, steady work, prayer.

  • Share responsibility; seek wise counsel; avoid isolation.

• Can wealth or comfort remove suffering?

  • They solve some problems and create new ones if clung to.

  • Use them as tools, not anchors.

  • Security grows from clarity and character, not totals.

• What is a rational path to moksha amid family and work?

  • Do your roles well, without ego ownership of results.

  • Keep steady remembrance of Sri Hari to clean motives.

  • Study, meditate, serve, and refine conduct, step by step.

• How do I respond to others’ faults without hatred?

  • See the cause, set the boundary, apply fair consequence.

  • Wish for their correction, not their ruin.

  • Move on without carrying inner poison.

Ramaswamy Sastry and Vighnesh Ghanapaathi