Choose Wisely - Love over Anger

“vita-raga-bhaya-krodha man-maya mam upashritah,

bahavo jnana-tapasa puta mad-bhavam agatah”.

In Bhagavad Gita Shree Krishan explains that, “Being freed from attachment, fear and anger, becoming fully absorbed in me, and taking refuge in me, many persons in the past became purified by knowledge of me, and thus they attained my divine love”.

Emotions such as fear, sadness, anger and more are quite common these days. It’s ok and natural to experience them but we can choose if we want to live with these emotions or not. Making the choice if we want to remain in these areas of the mind for an extended period of time is really what you have to decide on.

 A lot of people choose anger as a force to drive them to accomplish a higher agenda. This is not the wisest approach to take. From anger, stems delusion (false beliefs or assumptions); delusion causes loss of one’s confused mind; the confused mind makes a person lose his/her ability to reason and lose their power to solve his/her problems. When one loses his/her power to reason, the person will suffer ultimate death and destruction.

 Anger is a lower emotion. Don’t use your anger to fight for justice. Transmute anger into love. Love is a higher force. Love equips you to win. Love lets you see things you can never see with anger. Love is your advantage for justice to prevail.

 How do you feel love at a time like this? You think of all the people you love and care about. Think of the love you feel for them. They are the ones you are fighting for. Use the love you feel to fight for the justice you seek.

 If you use anger, you are descending your awareness into a lower state of consciousness. When you are in this lower state your perspective of everything around you is from this vantage point. You feel anger. You feel hatred. You feel violence. Nothing good ever came out of anger. Failure is guaranteed.

 Don’t descend into anger! Learn to control your awareness in your mind. Develop your willpower and your powers of concentration. Use these two qualities to move awareness out of the angry area of the mind to a more uplifting area of the mind.

 “tri-vidham narakasyedam dvaram nashanam atmanah

kamah krodhas tatha lobhas tasmad etat trayam tyajet”

 Bhagwan Shree Krishan describes the origin of the demoniac disposition, and pinpoints lust, anger, and greed as the three causes for it. There are three gates leading to the hell of self-destruction for the soul—lust, anger, and greed. Therefore, all should abandon these three.

 Non-violence, truth, freedom from anger, detachment from all things, peacefulness (with mind and self), restraint from finding faults with others, compassion towards all living beings, detachment from greedy craving, gentleness, modesty, and stability of the mind and emotions. Vigor, an attitude of forgiveness towards others, courage, purity, goodwill, towards others, and freedom from pride. All of these are considered to be the great characteristics of a man who possesses a divine nature and has come into this world from heaven.

 When you lift your awareness to a higher state of mind, such as love, your perspective on everything around you is from this vantage point. You are more observant when you are in a higher state of mind. You see more. You hear more. With love, you have the ability to empathize. To have compassion. To understand. To see the right path to justice. Love is the strongest driving force to get anything done. When you truly love something you will do all that you can and more for it.

 Choose wisely love over anger! Always.

Be at Peace

Swami Sandeepani

Sumarti Ashram