Monday Motivation for Success from Siva (44): To Err is Human, To Forgive is Divine

Hi,
A very good Monday morning to you. Hope you have been enjoying the Monday Motivational stories that I have been posting. Thanking you for following my blog, I would like to request you to post your comments and remarks on the stories and the messages on my blog post so that we all could enrich our learning and help a lot more people.

This week, I would like to dwell up on the quote "To err is human, to forgive is divine." Yes we as humans err and pray that god forgives us. But what if one continues to err and doesn't repent for his errors? What do the wise do after they commit an error to get out of it without being affected adversely? Let us look at this story from The Ramayana and take a cue from it.
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To Err is Human, To Forgive is Divine
After killing Vali and helping Sugriva, as it was a rainy season, Rama told him to go to his kingdom of Kishkindha, take rest, and live happily for a couple of months before he could send his vaanara warriors in search of Sita Devi and help him find where she was. Accordingly, Sugriva went to Kishkindha, but did not return even after the cessation of rainy season and completion of  2 months of time. He totally forgot his commitment to Rama as he was lost in the kingly pleasures of his royal palace.

Then, as Rama sent Lakshmana to Kishkindha, he went there and raised his bow to punish Sugriva. That sent a lot of shivers in the entire palace of Sugriva. Tara, who was horrified of the consequences and wise enough to understand the right course of immediate action, woke up her husband Sugriva and advised him. "Don't be proud that you are a king. Go to Lakshmana immediately with folded hands and pray to him for his forgiveness. Otherwise, you will meet the same fate as that of Vali." 

Sugriva realised his error, repented for it, and agreed to correct it. Eventually, he became a strong force and close aide of Rama in the battle with Ravana. 
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Knowing that it is an error and continuing to repeatedly commit it makes it no more an error. It becomes a mistake, and perhaps a blunder or a conscious sin. Errors may be forgiven, but sins attract punishment. That punishment will come in different forms which one may be knowing or not knowing at all, though being affected by it. To err is no wrong, provided one learns from it, repents for doing it, and corrects oneself just as Sugriva did in the above story. A sense of repentance is a great virtue that we ought to possess if we want to live and lead a righteous life.

"Of all acts of man repentance is the most divine. The greatest of all faults is to be conscious of none."
 - Thomas Carlyle

To your continued success,

With love,

Siva