Anger Management with Bhagavad- Gita....

Anger is one of the basic human emotions, as elemental as happiness, sadness, anxiety, or disgust. These emotions are tied to basic survival and were honed over the course of human history.

Leadership is an inherently emotional process. While leading a company, you become invested in its strategic outcomes, employees, and business processes. This level of personal investment often led to emotionally charged situations that could cause you to lose your temper. Unleashing your anger at work incurs considerable costs. So, before getting into the danger of damaging your reputation, both inside and outside the company and especially if your mood is unpredictable for whatever reason, over time you might be pegged as a volatile leader. These timeless teaching from Gita may help you:

??:?????????????????: ?????? ?????????: | ?????????????: ???????????????????? || (BG2.56||

du?khe?hv-anudvigna-manā? sukhe?hu vigata-sp?iha? ,vīta-rāga-bhaya-krodha? sthita-dhīr munir uchyate

?Let us understand the meaning word by word:

du?khe?hu—amidst miseries; anudvigna-manā?—one whose mind is undisturbed; sukhe?hu—in pleasure; vigata-sp?iha?—without craving; vīta—free from; rāga—attachment; bhaya—fear; krodha?—anger; sthita-dhī?—enlightened person; muni?—a sage; uchyate—is called

In this verse, Shree Krishna describes sages of steady wisdom as: 1) Vīta rāga—they give up craving for pleasure, 2) Vīta bhaya—they remain free from fear, 3) Vīta krodha—they are devoid of anger.

An enlightened person does not allow the mind to harbor the material frailties of lust, anger, greed, envy, etc. Only then can the mind steadily contemplate on transcendence and be fixed in the divine. If one permits the mind to brood over miseries, then the contemplation on the divine ceases and the mind is dragged down from the transcendental level. Equanimity hence a major strength for a leader or for that matter anyone.

??????? ???????????: ???????????????? | ??????????????? ???: ???????????????????? || (BG2.62)||

dhyāyato vi?hayān pu?sa? sa?gas te?hūpajāyate , sa?gāt sa?jāyate kāma? kāmāt krodho ’bhijāyate

dhyāyata?—contemplating; vi?hayān—sense objects; pu?sa?—of a person; sa?ga?—attachment; te?hu—to them (sense objects); upajāyate—arises; sa?gāt—from attachment; sa?jāyate—develops; kāma?—desire; kāmāt—from desire; krodha?—anger; abhijāyate—arises

Anger, greed, lust, etc. are considered in the Vedic scriptures as mānas rog, or diseases of the mind. The Ramayan states: mānas roga kachhuka mai? gāe hahi? saba ke? lakhi biralenha pāe [v53] We are all aware of the diseases of the body—even a single bodily ailment has the power to make one’s whole day miserable—but we do not realize that we are being continuously tormented by multiple mental ailments. And since we do not recognize lust, anger, greed, etc. as mental diseases, we do not try to cure them. Psychology is a branch of human knowledge that attempts to analyze these ailments and propose solutions to them. However, both the analysis and the solution presented by western psychology leave much to be desired and appear to be gross approximations of the reality of the mind.

???????????? ??????: ?????????????????????: | ?????????????? ?????????? ????????????????????? || (BG 2.63||

krodhād bhavati sammoha? sammohāt sm?iti-vibhrama?, sm?iti-bhran?hād buddhi-nā?ho buddhi-nā?hāt pra?a?hyati

krodhāt—from anger; bhavati—comes; sammoha?—clouding of judgement; sammohāt—from clouding of judgement; sm?iti—memory; vibhrama?—bewilderment; sm?iti-bhran?hāt—from bewilderment of memory; buddhi-nā?ha?—destruction of intellect; buddhi-nā?hāt—from destruction of intellect; pra?a?hyati—one is ruined

Anger impairs judgment, just as the morning mist creates a hazy covering on the sunlight. In anger, people commit mistakes that they later regret, because the intellect gets clouded by the haze of emotions. People say, “He is twenty years elder to me. Why did I speak in this manner to him? What happened to me?” What happened was that the faculty of judgment was affected by anger, and hence the mistake of scolding an elder was made.

When the intellect is clouded, it leads to bewilderment of memory. The person then forgets what is right and what is wrong and flows along with the surge of emotions.

??????????????????? ?????? ????????? | ????? ?????????????? ?????? ????????????? ||BG 5. 26||

kāma-krodha-viyuktānā? yatīnā? yata-chetasām, abhito brahma-nirvā?a? vartate viditātmanām

kāma—desires; krodha—anger; viyuktānām—of those who are liberated; yatīnām—of the saintly persons; yata-chetasām—those self-realized persons who have subdued their mind; abhita?—from every side; brahma—spiritual; nirvā?am—liberation from material existence; vartate—exists; vidita-ātmanām—of those who are self-realized.

For those sanyāsīs, who have broken out of anger and lust through constant effort, who have subdued their mind, and are self-realized, liberation from material existence is both here and hereafter.

Karm-yog is the safer path to take for most people, as explained in verse 5.2 (????????????? |???????: ?????????? ??:????????????? |??????? ?????????????????????? ?????????) and that is why Shree Krishna has strongly recommended it to Arjun.?However, for someone who is truly detached from the world, karm sanyās is also suitable.?It is advantageous in that there is no diversion of time and energy toward worldly duties, and one can dedicate oneself fully to the practice of spirituality.?There have been many accomplished sanyāsīs in history.?Shree Krishna states that such true karm sanyāsīs also make rapid progress and experience peace everywhere.?By eliminating the urges of desire and anger and subduing their mind, they attain perfect peace both in this life and here-after.?

We often harbor the misconception that external circumstances are at fault for the lack of peace in our lives, and we hope for the day when the situation will become conducive to peace of mind.?However, peace is not dependent upon the external situation; it is a product of purified senses, mind, and intellect.?The sanyāsīs, with their mind and thoughts turned inward, find the ocean of peace within, independent of external circumstances.?And then, with the internal machinery in order, they experience the same peace everywhere, and are liberated in this world itself.

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???? ??????????????????????????????????: | ???? ????? ??????? ????????????? ??????? || (BG 16.1||

?????? ?????????????????: ?????????????? |??? ????????????????? ??????? ??????????? || (BG 16.2) ||

???: ????? ????: ???????????????????? |?????? ?????? ????????????? ???? || (BG 16.3) ||

?hrī-bhagavān uvācha

abhaya? sattva-san?huddhir j?āna-yoga-vyavasthiti? , dāna? dama?h cha yaj?a?h cha svādhyāyas tapa ārjavam

ahinsā satyam akrodhas tyāga? ?hāntir apai?hunam, dayā bhūte?hv aloluptva? mārdava? hrīr achāpalam

teja? k?hamā dh?iti? ?haucham adroho nāti-mānitā, bhavanti sampada? daivīm abhijātasya bhārata

??hrī-bhagavān uvācha—the Supreme Divine Personality said; abhayam—fearlessness; sattva-san?huddhi?—purity of mind; j?āna—knowledge; yoga—spiritual; vyavasthiti?—steadfastness; dānam—charity; dama?—control of the senses; cha—and; yaj?a?—performance of sacrifice; cha—and; svādhyāya?—study of sacred books; tapa?—austerity; ārjavam—straightforwardness; ahinsā—non-violence; satyam—truthfulness; akrodha?—absence of anger; tyāga?—renunciation; ?hānti?—peacefulness; apai?hunam—restraint from fault-finding; dayā—compassion; bhūte?hu—toward all living beings; aloluptvam—absence of covetousness; mārdavam—gentleness; hrī?—modesty; achāpalam—lack of fickleness; teja?—vigor; k?hamā—forgiveness; dh?iti?—fortitude; ?haucham—cleanliness; adroha?—bearing enmity toward none; na—not; ati-mānitā—absence of vanity; bhavanti—are; sampadam—qualities; daivīm—godly; abhijātasya—of those endowed with; bhārata—scion of Bharat

The Supreme Divine Personality said: O scion of Bharat, these are the saintly virtues of those endowed with a divine nature—fearlessness, purity of mind, steadfastness in spiritual knowledge, charity, control of the senses, performance of sacrifice, study of the sacred books, austerity, and straightforwardness; non-violence, truthfulness, absence of anger, renunciation, peacefulness, restraint from fault-finding, compassion toward all living beings, absence of covetousness, gentleness, modesty, and lack of fickleness; vigor, forgiveness, fortitude, cleanliness, bearing enmity toward none, and absence of vanity.

?Here, Shree Krishna describes twenty-six virtues of a saintly nature. These should be cultivated as a part of our spiritual practice for elevating ourselves to the supreme goal.

Fearlessness. It is the state of freedom from concern for present and future miseries. Inordinate attachment of any kind causes fear. Attachment to wealth leads to dread of impoverishment, attachment to social prestige causes fear of infamy, attachment to vice leads to anxiety about the consequences of sin, attachment to bodily comfort causes the fear of ill-health, and so on. Detachment and surrender to God vanquish all fear from the heart.

Purity of mind. This is the state of inner cleanliness. The mind generates and harbors thoughts, sentiments, feelings, emotions, etc. When these are ethical, wholesome, positive, and uplifting, the mind is considered pure, and when they are unethical and degrading, the mind is considered impure. Attachment to objects in the modes of passion and ignorance contaminate the mind, while attachment to God purifies it.

Steadfastness in spiritual knowledge. It is said: tattva vismara?āt bhekivat [v1] “When human beings forget what is right and what is wrong they become like animals.” Thus, the path of virtue is forged by remaining steadfast in the awareness of spiritual principles.

Charity. It refers to the giving away of one’s possessions for a good cause or to needy persons. True charity is that which is done, not with a feeling of superiority, but with a sense of gratefulness to God for the opportunity to help. Material charity, done for the welfare of the body, helps others temporarily. Spiritual charity, done at the platform of the soul, helps eliminate the cause of all suffering, which is separation from God. Consequently, it is considered higher than material charity.

Control of the senses. The senses are notorious in their ability to drag the mind deeper into material illusion. They tempt the living being to seek immediate gratification. However, walking the path of virtue requires forsaking the lower sensual pleasures for achieving the higher goal. Thus, restraint of the senses is an essential virtue for treading the path to God.

Performance of sacrifice. It means executing one’s Vedic duties and social obligations, even though they may not be enjoyable. Sacrifice is considered perfect when it is done for the pleasure of God.

Study of the sacred books. An important aspect of cultivating the divine nature is to feed the intellect with uplifting knowledge from the scriptures. When the intellect is illumined with proper knowledge, one’s actions naturally become sublime.

?Austerity. The body-mind-senses are such that, if we pamper them, they become pleasure-seeking, but if we restrain them, they become disciplined. Thus, austerity is the voluntary acceptance of hardships for purifying the body, mind, and intellect.

Straightforwardness. Simplicity in speech and conduct unclutters the mind and engenders the sprouting of noble thoughts. The English phrase “simple living, high thinking” aptly expresses the benefits of the virtue of straightforwardness.

Non-violence. It means not impeding the progressive life of other living beings through thought, word, or deed.

Truthfulness. It means restraining oneself from distorting facts to suit one’s purpose. God is the Absolute Truth, and hence the practice of truthfulness takes us toward him; on the other hand, falsehood, while convenient, takes us away from God.

Absence of anger. The manifestation of anger is a defect of the material mind. It takes place when the desires for happiness are obstructed and things do not turn out how one envisaged. By developing detachment and surrender to the will of God, one overcomes anger.

Renunciation. The entire material energy belongs to God and it is meant for his pleasure. Hence, the opulences of the world are not for one’s enjoyment, but for being utilized in the service of God. To be fixed in this understanding is renunciation.

Peacefulness. The cultivation of virtue requires mental poise. Peacefulness is the ability to retain inner equilibrium despite disturbing external situations.

Restraint from fault-finding. The whole world and everything in it is a mixture of good and bad qualities. Focusing upon defects in others dirties our mind, while focusing upon their virtues purifies it. The nature of a saintly person is to see his or her own defects and observe the virtues of others.

Compassion toward all living beings. As individuals evolve spiritually, they naturally rise above self-centeredness and develop empathy for all living beings. Compassion is the deep sympathy that arises upon seeing the sufferings of others.

Absence of covetousness. Greed is the desire to accumulate more than what one legitimately needs for the maintenance of the body. Under its sway, people acquire huge amounts of wealth and possessions, though they know, that at the time of death, everything will be left behind. Freedom from such covetousness leads to contentment and inner peace.

Gentleness. The disposition of behaving roughly with others arises from insensitivity to their feelings. But as one grows in spiritual stature, one naturally sheds crudeness in behavior. Gentleness is a sign of spiritual refinement.

Modesty. Hrī? means “sense of guilt in performing actions contrary to the injunctions of scriptures and society.” The saintly nature is imbued with a ruthless inner conscience that gives one a sense of guilt in committing sinful acts.

Lack of fickleness. We may begin with good intentions, but if we get distracted by temptations and hardships, we cannot complete the journey. Success on the path of virtue comes by unwaveringly pursuing the goal despite all diversions that come on the way.

Vigor. From purity of mind comes a deep inner drive to act according to one’s values and beliefs. Hence, saintly personalities bring immense power and vigor to the tasks they pursue.

Forgiveness or forbearance. This is the ability to tolerate the offences of others, without feeling the need to retaliate. Through forgiveness, one heals the emotional wounds caused by others that would otherwise fester and disturb the mind.

Fortitude. It is the inner strength and determination in pursuing the goal, even when the mind and senses are wearied due to unfavorable circumstances. Most of the important things in the world have been accomplished by people who kept on trying when there seemed to be no hope at all. Sri Aurobindo put this very eloquently: “You have to be more persistent than the difficulty; there is no other way.”

Cleanliness. It refers to both internal and external purity. Virtuous people believe in maintaining external cleanliness because it is conducive to internal purity. George Bernard Shaw said, “Better keep yourself clean and bright; you are the window through which you must see the world.”

Bearing enmity toward none. Bearing enmity toward others poisons our own mind, and this becomes an impediment in the path of spiritual progress. The quality of freedom from hatred toward others is developed by realizing that they are also like us, and God resides in all.

Absence of vanity. Self-praise, boastfulness, ostentation, etc. all stem from pride. Saintly personalities see nothing in themselves to be proud about, but instead, feel gratitude to God for the good qualities they possess. Thus, they refrain from self-aggrandizement.

???????? ????????? ?????? ??????????: | ???: ?????????? ???????????????????? ??????? || (BG16.21||

tri-vidha? narakasyeda? dvāra? nā?hanam ātmana?, kāma? krodhas tathā lobhas tasmād etat traya? tyajet

tri-vidham—three types of; narakasya—to the hell; idam—this; dvāram—gates; nā?hanam—destruction; ātmana?—self; kāma?—lust; krodha?—anger; tathā—and; lobha?—greed; tasmāt—therefore; etat—these; trayam—three; tyajet—should abandon

There are three gates leading to the hell of self-destruction for the soul—lust, anger, and greed. Therefore, all should abandon these three.

Shree Krishna now describes the origin of the demoniac disposition, and pinpoints lust, anger, and greed as the three causes for it. Previously, in verse 3.36, Arjun had asked him why people are impelled to commit sin, even unwillingly, as if by force. Shree Krishna had answered that it is lust, which later transforms into anger, and is the all-devouring enemy of the world. Greed is also a transformation of lust, as explained in detail in the commentary of verse 2.62. Together, lust, anger, and greed are the foundations from which the demoniac vices develop. They fester in the mind and make it a suitable ground for all other vices to take root. Consequently, Shree Krishna labels them as gateways to hell, and strongly advices to shun them to avoid self-destruction. Those desirous of welfare should learn to dread these three and carefully avoid their presence in their own personality.

Source: Bhagavad Gita