Achalatwam-part-8

January 21, 2008

Dear LP,

First my apologies for the delay. I had been to visit my friend in Newjersey and had also been to Pennsylvania. The trip was enjoyable and I even milked a cow in a Penn Go-ashrama! Today, I will be leaving to Boston.So, my schedule is rather tight.

sadA bhoga bhAjam sudhUre vibhAntham,sadA yogabhAjam adhUre vibhAntham,chidAnanda kandam sadA rAghavesam,videhAthma jananda rUpam prapadhye.

I salute him, who has the form,That makes the daughter of Janaka happy,Who is far away for those who enjoy pleasures,Who is very near to those who are yogis,Who is the birth place of eternal happiness,And who is the greatest in the clan of Raghu

I stopped at the seventh principle of anger. Let me continue with the eighth principle.

Eighth principle: If you are chronically angry you probably are in the grip of the Papa-purusha described earlier. In other words you are probably doing a Papa(sin) if the anger is really chronical.

There is a danger of nursing our anger and letting it turn into bitterness and resentment.If you are angry, do not let anger lead you into sin. Never leave a loop-hole for the Papa-purusha inside you to take advantage of.

Persistent anger makes us bitter and resentful.

I had one "Moral Science" teacher in our school.She used to teach us morals and was so strict and punished everyone(I was just fifth std) that children were dead afraid of her. Her name was ridiculed at the back for solace but before her children quaked in their boots like an aspen leaf in a tempest. Never have I seen her smile. I used to think then that should morals be so strict.

Later on when I grew up I came to know that she had some issues with her husband and that she was taking her revenge on poor hapless children by being extremely strict.These type of people never smile, are always moody, very sarcastic, have an holier-than-thou attitude.These are chronically angry people. Their clinging stubbornly to resentment,hatred and acridity is very destructive as it blocks the Devi's energy from manifesting freely in oneself.

Ninth principle: Vindictive anger is wrong.This is what is meant by "ripu"(enemy) when the shastras say "Krodha is wrong". Krodha has an etymological connection with "rodha" and "ku". "Ku" means bad and "rodha" roughly means a "cry". Wherever you find shashtras mentioning about the negativity of anger, it is in the context of vindictive anger.

Bible uses phrases like "Revenge is mine"...."Do not be overcome by evil but overcome evil with good". These phrases are very apt when discussing this issue.

Parasurama-epitome of Dharmic anger.

Tenth Principle: Sometimes, anger maybe dharmic(righteous) and its absence may displease the God-within.

Now, this principle is a startling one.This means the opposite of what we have been aying all along! When something is goin wrong or someone is sinning before our very eyes, one must not remain silent rather express one's dharmic anger.Now, Dharmic anger is something which means to say that anger must be appropriate. Many people don't get angry when they should, and therefoe do not mobilize the energy necessary to deal with crucially important issues of life. This sort of nager produces the greatest inventions."Necessisty is the mother of invention", they say. The necessity comes because of an internal anger an internal discomfiture toward something/someone.This is an example of dharmic anger.It is a constructive and an amelieorative force.

But how is this properly done without abusing it? We will find out in the upcoming e-mails on the issue.

Till then be in Madhuram...Madhuraathimadhuram!

Yours yogically,

Shreeram Balijepalli