It is difficult because asking for forgiveness requires you to acknowledge that you were wrong.
That directly challenges the ego, which wants to protect your image and avoid feeling small.
But explicitly asking for forgiveness is actually a very humbling act. It reminds you that you are still learning and that there is space for you to grow.
Avoiding it may feel easier in the moment, but it keeps you stuck. Asking for it opens the door for real growth.
From the Mahabharata
You can see this in Karna.
After Bhishma falls, Karna goes to meet him at night. All this time, he had believed that Bhishma disliked him and had treated him unfairly. But in that moment, he puts that aside and says, “I am Karna, whom you have despised,” and asks for forgiveness.
Bhishma then reveals that he had always known Karna’s true identity and had cared for him, and that his harshness was only to protect him from future pain.
The moment Karna asks for forgiveness, his understanding changes. What he had held on to for so long dissolves, and he is able to see the truth clearly.
This reflection draws from Swamini Supriyananda’s Mahabharata teachings at Chinmaya Mission Hong Kong.
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