How to correct other’s mistake

 Question - Gurudev, how can we correct other peoples mistakes?

Gurudev - Mistakes happen all the time. Often you get irritated by mistakes and you want to correct them, but how many can you correct? You correct others’ mistakes for two reasons.

The first is when someone’s mistake bothers you, and the second is when you correct someone for their own sake so they can grow, not because it bothers you. Correcting mistakes for the first reason – when the mistake bothers you – does not work.

To correct mistakes you need both authority and love. Authority and love seem to be contradictory but in reality they are not. Authority without love is stifling and does not work. Love without authority is shallow. You need both but they need to be in the right combination so you can be successful in correcting others’ mistakes.

This can happen if you are totally dispassionate and centered. When you allow room for mistakes, you can be both authoritative and sweet. That is how the Divine is – the right balance of both. Lord Krishna and Jesus had both. People in love also exercise authority with those they love. Authority and love exist in all relationships.