A traditional story tells of Sant Eknath returning peacefully from a bath in the Godavari River. An angry stranger wanted to test his patience and behaved disrespectfully toward him. Eknath did not shout back. He quietly returned to the river, bathed again, and continued on his way. The stranger repeated the insult many times, yet Eknath kept responding without revenge. At last, the stranger became ashamed and asked for forgiveness. Eknath replied with compassion rather than pride. His calm did not mean that the behavior was acceptable; it showed that another person's anger did not have to control his own choices.