SLOKA OF THE DAY:

Bhagavad Gita As It Is -
Chapter 6 Text 9
suhrn-mitrary- udasina-
madhyastha-dvesya- bandhusu
sadhusv api ca papesu
sama-buddhir visisyate

su-hrt--to well-wishers by nature; mitra--benefactors with affection; ari--enemies; udasina--neutrals between belligerents; madhyastha-- mediators between belligerents; dvesya--the envious; bandhusu--and the relatives or well-wishers; sadhusu--unto the pious; api--as well as; ca--and; papesu--unto the sinners; sama-buddhih- -having equal intelligence; visisyate--is far advanced.

TRANSLATION

A person is considered still further advanced when he regards honest well-wishers, affectionate benefactors, the neutral, mediators, the envious, friends and enemies, the pious and the sinners all with an equal mind.

JOURNAL:

Let me tell you a story about myself and one of my high school friends. Back in the seventies we ran in the same groups playing rock and roll, taking drugs and generally living like there was no tomorrow. Throughout the next three decades we got together on a regular basis to play music, talk about raising families, discuss how our old friends were doing, etc. Our relationship grew until I felt we could talk confidently about anything.

A couple of years ago I went to a funeral and saw a lot of old friends that I had not seen for quite awhile. It didn't take me long to realize that a couple of them were angry with me, which left me puzzled since the last time I had seen them we had been fine. One of them was a man that I had been quite close to; we had been room mates and I had visited him in jail over a three year period, even taking care of his finances while he was in. I was not happy with how this man was living his life after committing his crime and so we had grown distant. As far as I knew he had no clue as to how I felt and I didn't see any good reason to tell him.

So, I called him up to see why he was disturbed with me and found out that my old high school friend had been gossiping. He had repeated things that I had said about this man with an undertone of accusation, as opposed to the loving concern I thought I had been expressing.

I tell you all this because my high school friend, over the years, has fit every description given in the above sloka. Did I face it all with an equal mind? No, but I tried my best. They were both my friends and now they are not and it hurts to be misunderstood. After a couple of years it is still hard to think of them. When they do come to mind I wish Krishna's blessing on them and try to remember that we are all part and parcel of the same God.