Remorse is atonement – The Hindu

It is not easy to conquer our emotions. Even the best of us lose our temper sometimes, and hurt others with our words. But if one makes a habit of it, then it becomes unforgivable. Pillai Pillai Azhvan was one who could never curb his anger, said P.T. Seshadri in a discourse. At the slightest provocation, he would start abusing people. Luckily for him, he chose to become a disciple of the great Acharya Kooratazhvan. Kooratazhvan taught him Vedanta and all the sacred texts. But despite his learning, Pillai Pillai Azhvan continued to be abusive. One day Pillai Pillai Azhvan asked Kooratazhvan what he wanted as guru dakshina. Kooratazhvan said he wanted a promise from his disciple. He wanted Pillai Pillai Azhvan to promise that he would never be cross with anyone and that he would never hurt anyone with harsh words. Pillai Pilali Azhvan gave his Acharya the promises that he sought. Unfortunately, he could not keep his word. Patience was a quality he lacked, and he was rude to everyone. He also stopped visiting his Acharya.

Many months passed, without even a single visit to his Acharya. Kooratazhvan sent some of his disciples to fetch Pillai Pillai Azhvan, and when he arrived, Kooratzhvan asked him why he had not visited him. Pillai Pillai Azhvan shed tears and said he had broken the promise which he had given to his Acharya. He knew it was wrong to be offensive, and he was still making efforts to behave as an ideal disciple of Kooratazhvan should. Kooratazhvan told him that the very fact that he had acknowledged his shortcomings showed that he was going to win this battle. Remorse is itself an atonement. It is the first step in the attempt at self-reformation. There is no hope for someone who does something wrong, but refuses to acknowledge that he has erred.