In a renowned kingdom, there lived a great warrior who had never tasted defeat. His reputation echoed in his kingdom and even reached neighboring realms. Many young men sought to learn the art of war from him, drawn by his unmatched skills.
One day, a notorious young fighter arrived in the kingdom with a singular goal – to defeat the great warrior. This young man possessed a unique skill: the ability to identify his enemy's weakness during an attack and ruthlessly exploit it to secure victory.
Eager for the challenge, the great warrior accepted the young man's duel. On the day of the confrontation, both warriors faced each other. However, instead of engaging in physical combat, the young man unleashed a torrent of insults and abuse upon the great warrior, aiming to provoke him into attacking first.
Undeterred, the old warrior remained calm, focused, and observed every move of his disrespectful opponent. As the young fighter tired himself out with relentless insults, he realized the futility of his strategy and, facing imminent defeat, fled from the battlefield.
Witnessing their master's restrained response, the disciples were perplexed and disappointed. They questioned the great warrior about his decision not to retaliate against the verbal abuse. In response, the warrior smiled and posed a thought-provoking question.
"If someone brings you a gift, but you refuse to accept it, who is left with the gift?"
After a moment of contemplation, one disciple answered, "The one who brought the gift."
The great warrior nodded in agreement. "When the young man abused me, I chose not to receive his insults. Therefore, the power of those insults remained only with the giver."
The profound lesson unfolded—don't squander your strength in engaging with verbal abusers. Instead, remain silent for a while, allowing the verbal assailant's power to dissipate. The great warrior emphasized the importance of cultivating inner peace through practices like Sadhana or meditation. With inner peace, external provocations lose their ability to incite anger or influence one's actions.
In times of unavoidable conflict, the great warrior urged his disciples to fight with a calm demeanor, demonstrating that true strength lies in maintaining serenity amid challenges.