ANGER--ENEMY NUMBER ONE

ANGER-- Enemy Number one

Of the six inner enemies or ‘arishadvargas 'anger’ is the worst and the most dangerous.It is the root cause of the downfall of many a person and also many great men including the sages and saints. Is there anyone in the world who is not angry at any point of time? It is impossible. Even the child, when the toy is snatched away from it, grows angry and expresses its anger very clearly.A friend of mine noted for his calmness,and absence of anger broke into anger when I asked him a question repeatedly! Anger has the quality of upsetting even the most serene and calm person in life! probably God has granted these six inherent adversaries to MAN to test if he can manage this formidable foe. Anger to correct erring children seems good lest they may go astray. To be angry needlessly and for silly reasons is not correct.

Along with desire or ‘kama’ anger works havoc. Unfulfillment of a desire leads to anger. The angry man loses his temper and balance of mind. Lord Krishna warns of the effects of anger: “ krodhat sambhavati sammohaha sammohahat smruti vibramaha smruti bhramsat buddhi naso buddhi nasat pranasyati” (Bhagavad-Gita). From anger, complete delusion arises and from delusion bewilderment of memory. When memory is bewildered, intelligence is lost and when intelligence is lost one falls down again into the material pool. So stage by stage the person is deranged and is capable of maximum folly! Examples are not far to seek. Sage Durvasa had to fall at the feet of the great bhaktha Ambarisha to save himself from the remorseless Sudersan Chakra of Lord Vishnu. In his anger, he had deployed a demon to destroy the bhakta! King Parikshit, in a fit of rage, put a dead snake over the neck of sage Samika since he did not offer water to drink.The sage was immersed in his tapas! Thus the king invited death for himself when Srungi, the sage’s son, cursed him. We have to be wary of anger and its consequence but unfortunately most of us fail to do so.

Neeti Shastra classifies anger into three types! “ uttamam kshana kopsya”-momentary anger is the best! It disappears in a moment like the anger between the husband and wife or that of the lovers and children.

”madhyamamtu ghatika dwayam”--Moderate is the anger that prevails for two ghatis or about an hour like that of the parents and children.”adhamamtu ahoratram”-the worst type of anger is that which remains for the whole day! The anger that persists throughout one’s life till death is ’papishti'-most sinful! Anger doesn't solve or build anything but it can destroy everything! “Anger is like an acid that can do more harm to the vessel it is stored than to anything on which it is poured” says Mark Twain.

Can anger be right? “ Anybody can become angry --that is easy, but to be angry with the right person and to the right degree and at the right time and for the right purpose and in the right way --that is not within everybody's power and is not easy” says Aristotle! Indignation for the right cause makes anger noble and lovable.”Satyagraha”righteous indignation by the Mahatma for Indian freedom thus glorified anger! Everything Aristotle said fits into what Mahatma Gandhi did against the British in India! This anger brought Independence to India without spilling a drop of blood! According to Benjamin Franklin “Anger is never without a reason  but seldom with a good one.”

How to deal with anger? Can it be controlled? A moment of patience in a moment of anger saves you a hundred moments of regret according to  the wise! Words are free. It's how you use them that may cost you! For every minute you remain angry” says Emerson,”you give up sixty seconds of peace of mind.” “When angry, count ten before you speak. If very angry, count to one hundred” is the advice of Thomas Jefferson. “The greatest remedy  for anger is delay” counsels Seneca! Being silent when you are angry can solve many problems. “ mounena kalaham nasti” is the word of our elders! Let us ponder over these statements and conduct ourselves wisely!