Anger
https://ramamohanraocheruku.blogspot.com/2018/01/anger-while-
writing-daily-eternal-quote.html
While writing the daily 'Eternal Quote' for the Face Book for the next day I
am stuck with a Sloka on 'Anger'. Anger is not any
Piza or Burger which we eat knowingly that it tarnishes health. Anger is a
devastating Weapon used by one who aims at killing thousands in his suicide
attack. Anger gives the result then and there. Therefore it can be considered
as our deadliest
enemy.
The spiritual traditions of India are firmly based on a detailed
understanding of the mind, its states, impulses, operations, functions and
reactions to stimuli. One of these
guidelines is repeatedly stated:
akodhena jine kodham (Pali),
akrodhena jayet krodham (Sanskrit)
One should seek to conquer anger with non-anger What are
the tools one may employ to improve oneself?
The first step is atmavalokana, self-observation. Through
self-observation one pulls oneself out of the delusion of denial, ‘Oh, I never
get angry’- uttered in the most angry voice! This is not self-criticism, but
simply self-critique.
Self-observation helps one to observe oneself getting angry, realize its
futility and note its results in the form of unhappiness caused to loving ones,
and damages invited to oneself from the reactions of others – for which one
commonly blames those very same ‘others’. Then all it
takes is sankalpa, a decision, a resolve, to make oneself sweeter with
Upanishadic prayers like: 'Jihva me madhumattma' May my tongue be a most honeyed one.
Normally the youth always feel they are best. They are knowledgeable, then can
guide the friends around. But at the outset they should realise who are the enemies within and around.
The actual enemies are with in you and they are not external. The friendship or the enmity mostly depends on your tongue. ' మాటవలన జరుగు మహిలోన కార్యముల్ రామమోహనుక్తి రమ్యసూక్తి' is what I
wrote in some other context. i.e your dialogue brings you success in all you
endeavors in the environment you live.
In this context let me narrate a small story :
Once there was an young Sanyasi who preaches knowledge to
the society for which he goes to various places. After going there depending on
the invitation of the 'Grihastha' the head of the house he stays with the
Grihastha and his family. Likewise he became a guest to a Grihasta who was
living with his wife. He was as much as their son's age, had they had.
one day in the house after having dinner the Sanyasi and
the Grihastha were discussing on certain philosophical matters and it so happened , the Grihastha shouted at the Sanyasi
loudly. The Sanyasi also did not
spare and he retaliated. However the discussion ended at a heated note. The
Sanyasi went to bed. Then the 'Grihini' went into the Sanyasi's bed room and
tried to cover him with a blanket with all her motherly affection. Then she
noticed blood coming out of his nose. She immediately put her hand on his head
and brushing so soothingly told him "My child you are practicing sanyasa and you did not care
to shun anger which is the first step on the pedestal to Sanyasa. He felt as if It was like Goddess Lalitha telling him. He abruptly got
down from the bed, knelt before her by touching her feet and confessed "
Mata your advice is an eye
opener for me. From now on my task is to gradually obliterate my anger. Thus he
could overcome it with in an year and with all ecstasy he went to her to convey the
same to her. Then again the Grihastha had
philosophical discussion with this Sanyasi and out of over emotion he slapped
him. The Sanyasi kept silent with a smile. Then he prostrated before the
Sanyasi confessing for his deed and surrendered himself accepting the Sanyasi
as his Guru. The Sanyasi in turn told him "My guru is your Grihini. It is
due to her simple guidance I could
overcome this complex emotion."
If we observe this story carefully we understand that the young
Sanyasi could overcome
his anger by sheer commitment and self-confidence.
He felt he could
conquer. Once you have conquered a new territory in the spiritual realms, you
gain a belief, shraddha, in your capability to continue making progress. But
that was not the final accomplishment. Winning one battle doth not a conquest
make. Our kleshas(sufferings), afflictions, lurk in us in pra-supta i.e. dormant states. They wait for the right
stimuli to manifest themselves in the (udaara) wide open form as soon as they
are presented with the corresponding instances that had excited them. They have
to be attenuated, thinned down deep within, till they lie dormant no more. The
masters of the yoga tradition often expose their trainees to excitants ( which
are instrumental to excitement )and then expect to see that the
disciple shows his mettle in conquering these challenges
and maintains equanimity.
Listen. Listen to others when they say ‘You are getting
angry’. Do not be trapped by the mind’s habit of denying its diseases.
Remember, that of the 10 defining characteristics of dharma (dashakam
dharma-lakshanam) in the Laws of Manu, the tenth is a-krodha, non-anger.One
needs to remind oneself:" I believe in being a spiritual person, dharmic
by nature; then how can I infringe the dharma code by being angry?"
The further suggestion given in the texts is: if you must
be angry, be angry with anger which destroys so much within you and at the same
time robs you of your loved ones. If you slap on somebody out of anger you may
invite to get yourself slapped. Than that if you slap yourself for your behavior then you are on the path of
reforming yourself. Swami Rama’s two
books, The Art of
Joyful Living, and Creative Use of Emotions can guide you to the upper rungs of
tranquility.
Do not attempt to handle anger by suppressing it at any
cost. This leads to depression. Note that Suppression is not conquest. Seek not to suppress but to replace.
Patanjali calls it prati-paksha-bhavanam, cultivating the opposites.
Just ask yourself that how could you provide space in the
mind to lodge destructive enemies like anger?
Swasti.
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