Do we truly wish to ban a word forever? If that’s the case, then all derogatory words ought to be prohibited. There’s little sense in casting insults and diminishing someone’s spirit. I’ve shared my thoughts on the power of positive speech and its profound effect on others before. In these times, the world is in greater need of empathy, compassion, and kindness. However, I don’t intend to turn this into a philosophical discourse, so let me conclude with a humorous Sanskrit poem by the poet Bhartrihari. He addresses those who resort to insults, saying: “Go ahead, hurl your abuses, for you are ‘gālimantaḥ’ (ones who possess abusive words). We cannot respond in kind, lacking ‘gāliḥ’ (abusive words) ourselves. We are not ‘gālimantaḥ’. Is it not known in this world that one can only give what one possesses? No one can give what they do not have, like a hare’s horn!”
For a deeper dive into this topic, visit my blog post here. – https://arabhatee.com/2023/08/10/finding-peace-in-bhart%e1%b9%9bhari%e1%b8%a5s-padyam-dealing-with-boisterous-people/


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