How should we react to people abusing God?

[Smt. Priyanka asked: Padanamaskaram Swami, This question is related to hearing abuses about God from others. Taking the example of Goddess Paarvatii and Goddess Sati, You said that when God Shiva came in disguise and scolded God Shiva, Paarvatii answered every scolding with patience, unlike Goddess Sati, who committed suicide out of pure emotion only, even though she tried to answer her father. The role of Satii indicates that emotion alone ends in loss whereas emotion in its required context and patience in its required context will give success as in the case of Paarvatii. Having said that, from a recent Satsang session, when a story of Lord Datta's past incarnation was being read, I heard that even hearing God's abuses itself is a sin and we should either walk away or close our ears tightly so that we cannot hear it.

a) So, if somebody is abusing God, should we always have the patience to listen and answer them, keeping some hope that they may change their point of view, even if we incur sin upon hearing God's abuse?

b) If we are outside and overhear some strangers talking bad about God, should we try to spontaneously discuss with them or avoid hearing it? Should we try only with known people, that too after knowing their tendencies (open-mindedness to accept new points or not and predicting their negative responses)?

c) Should we understand our own tendencies when faced with such situations and choose to act accordingly? For example, if I have the tendency to get more emotional than logical in such situations, then should I walk away because I won't be in a position to answer them calmly? Or should I force myself to calm down from the anger and hurt felt upon hearing God's abuse and try to answer them? At Your divine lotus feet, Priyanka]

Swami replied:-

a) Parvati tried for a long time to answer the criticism done by God Shiva in disguise against Himself. Since the criticism was endless and the speaker did not show any sign of change, at last, Parvati tried to walk away because Shiva came in disguise of a respectable sage.

b) When you hear abuse of God, you shall try to answer the criticism patiently whether the person is known or unknown. Then only, you will come to know about the behaviour of the criticising person (if the person is unknown) according to which you shall decide your further response. If the person is known already, you have already decided way of response in you.

c) You shall try as far as possible to calm down and answer the point with powerful logic. When you lack proper logic, then only you will become emotional, which shows your weakness of brain. The emotion will make the brain totally dull obstructing the entry of logic. If you remain peaceful and calm, at least after some time the powerful logic will enter your brain by the grace of God.

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