Anger, undoubtedly, is one of the major reasons of human suffering. When one loses his temper, he loses his reasoning too ; and ends up doing things which he repents later. Such an irrational behaviour creates problems not only for the person concerned but also for others around him. Those under the control of anger have been proclaimed by Bhagavad Gita to be of demoniac nature, and the ones free from anger are stated to be of divine nature. Sri Krishna has, in fact, declared anger to be one of the three gates of hell.
‘There are three gateways leading to hell - lust, anger and greed. One must give these up, for they lead to the degradation of the soul’ (shloka 16.21).
Sri Krishna, in His dialogue with Arjuna, has analysed the working of anger. When asked as to what impels the man to commit sin, as if by force, even against his own will ; Krishna replied that the root cause of the problem was lust (excessive desire), which when unsatisfied, emerged as anger. It is the all-devouring and most sinful enemy of mankind (shlokas 3.36 and 3.37). Lust has been called a constant enemy of the wise, because like fire, it has an insatiable appetite (shloka 3.39). It cannot be satisfied for long. It envelops wisdom, and gives rise to frustration and anger. This concept has further been elaborated in shloka 2.62 wherein it has been stated that thinking about sense objects produces attachment towards them. Attachment breeds desire, and non-fulfilment of desire leads to anger.
The consequences of falling prey to anger have also been examined. It has been stated in shloka 2.63 that anger breeds delusion (an unreasonably inflated view of oneself) which leads to loss of memory and, in turn, decline in intelligence. From the destruction of intelligence, one perishes. It has further been stated in shloka 2.56 that only the one who is free from anger becomes fit to be called a man of steady intelligence.
The causes and effects of anger have thus clearly been spelled out. When one comes in contact with any object (which one sees, hears or tastes etc.), one develops an attachment (a like or dislike) for it. From such like or dislike develops a desire to possess or to get rid of that object. Non-fulfilment of desire breeds anger. Anger leads to clouding of judgement, and impairment of judgement results in bewilderment of memory ( one forgets as to what is right and what is wrong). When the memory is bewildered, intelligence (the wisdom) is lost. Instead of using his discrimination diligently, one flows with the stream of emotions. As a result, one falls into degradation. He is ultimately ruined.
One of the essential conditions for getting spiritual wisdom has been declared to be freedom from anger (shloka 4.10). Sri Krishna has further stated that only he who has become capable of withstanding the urges of lust and anger is a happy man (shloka 5.23).
Not only the causes and effects, Bhagavad Gita has also discussed the ways of conquering the anger. Instead of dealing only with the symptoms, it has stressed upon curbing the root cause of anger, which is stated to be the lust. Anger arises out of lust and constrains man to indulge in evil deeds. Anger can thus be controlled by shunning lust. But, it is easier said than done. One has to understand how the lust arises. And how can it be reined in.
An attachment arises when the senses come in contact with their respective objects (such as different people, money or positions of power etc.). Every sense impels one to have likes and dislikes for the objects of that sense. It has been advised that one should not be the slave of likes and dislikes because both of them hinder spiritual growth (shloka 3.34). A self-disciplined person, who even while experiencing sense-objects keeps senses under control by shunning likes and dislikes, he can attain the purity of spirit (shloka 2.64). In other words, by moderating one’s likes and dislikes ; one can bring his desires and anger etc. under control.
It has further been urged that one should curb the sinful lust, which is the destroyer of wisdom and knowledge, by controlling the senses, from the very beginning (shloka 3.41). In other words, rather than suppressing it after it emerges, one should try to stop anger from arising in the first place.
Sri Krishna has time and again highlighted the importance of the equanimity of mind. Anger can never overpower the one who remains equipoised in success and failure, loss and gain etc. Such an equanimous person focuses on his job at hand, and is not worried about the results. He is not troubled by selfish desires, unreasonable expectations and outbursts of anger.
To conclude, unless one brings his likes and dislikes under control, it is not possible to conquer anger, which is nothing else but a manifestation of the unfulfilled desires. A slave of his likes and dislikes is a slave of his emotions. The real freedom lies in not getting overly attached to or woefully bound by any object, activity or situation.
