Therefore, bowing down and prostrating my body, I beg Your grace, O worshipful Lord. As a father tolerates a son, a friend a friend, a lover the beloved — so please bear with me, O God.
Synthesis
Arjuna prostrates and begs forgiveness through three analogies: as a father tolerates a son, a friend a friend, a lover a beloved. Shankaracharya sees three valid modes of approaching the divine through human relationships. Ramanujacharya reads the plea as the devotee seeking compassionate forbearance from the all-powerful Lord. Madhva sees every possible human relationship as a valid mode of devotion, united by the plea for tolerance. Abhinavagupta sees three modes of consciousness approaching its source. Vallabha treasures the multiple devotional relationships. Tilak reads the plea as acknowledging that the karma yogi will make mistakes in service. Vivekananda sees the full range of human devotional possibility. Together, these perspectives affirm one of the Gita's most beautiful teachings: God relates to each devotee in the mode that is most natural and most intimate for them — whether as parent, friend, or beloved — and in each mode, the divine tolerates imperfection with infinite patience.
Commentaries 8 traditions
Shankara observes that the three analogies establish that the relationship between the individual and the Absolute includes every form of love. The father-son relationship represents the Lord's patient nurturing, friendship represents equality and ease, and the lover represents the intimacy of non-dual realization.
Apply This Verse
Personal Growth
Forgiveness is not about the offender deserving it — it's about the love being big enough to bear imperfection. Seek relationships with that quality of patience, and cultivate it within yourself.
Questions this verse answers
- ?"Do I extend to myself the patience a father gives a child?"
- ?"Can I forgive myself as easily as I'd forgive a friend?"
- ?"Is my self-love patient enough to bear my own imperfections?"
- ?"How do I cultivate all three forms of love — parental, friendly, romantic — within?"