ANGER MANAGEMENT-PART I

Anger. Isn’t this something each one of us wants to have control over? Undoubtedly, anger can be safely declared as one of the immediate causes of a lot of heartache and ruin. In fact, it has been declared as one of the three gateways to hell in Bhagavad Gita, verse 16.21.  

Krishna’s advice to us is –

tri-vidhaḿ narakasyedaḿ

dvāraḿ nāśanam ātmanaḥ

kāmah krodhas tathā lobhas

tasmād etat trayaḿ tyajet

Translation

‘There are three gates leading to this hell--lust, anger and greed. Every sane man should give these up, for they lead to the degradation of the soul.’

Although we do not want to be a slave to this emotion, we end up being one, more often than not. So, let us look at what Krishna’s Rule Book says about anger and how it can be conquered.

In order to control our anger it is important to look at the root cause of it. Merely treating the symptom is not enough.  Krishna has explained the three aspects of anger in the Bhagavad Gita:

Ø  What causes one to get angry

Ø  Consequences of falling prey to this emotion, and

Ø  Of course, the solution to curb it.

  

Cause-Verse 2.62

dhyāyato visayān puḿsaḥ

sańgas tesūpajāyate

sańgāt sañjāyate kāmaḥ

kāmāt krodho 'bhijāyate

Translation

While contemplating the objects of the senses, a person develops attachment for them, and from such attachment lust develops, and from lust anger arises.

Lord Krishna explains in the above verse that getting angry is a four step process. Let us follow the illustration below – 

1.    Our senses come In contact with a sense object. Sense object refers to anything that we see, hear, taste, touch or smell or even something that we think of in our minds.

2.    After the first point of contact we develop an attachment or liking for it.

3.    The obvious third step is to develop a desire (lust) to possess it or have it done our way.

4.     And finally when that does not occur, the emotion manifests as anger.

So it appears as though the problem first arises when the senses come in contact with their sense objects. Therefore, the easiest solution must be to just control our senses and nip it in the bud. Well, that’s easier said than done!

We will discuss about the solution shortly, but let us look at the consequences of being a slave to this emotion and the damage it brings on.