Divine Qualities- satyamakrodhas (Gita Satsangh 16.2)

March 15, 2010

Dandavat pranams to all!

We move now to the next of the divine qualities in Chapter16.2, seeing again how interrelated they are and how one quality or another has no life of its own but is seamlessly interconnected with others, each a building block in the house of Divinity.

Ahimsaa satyamakrodhas tyaagah shaantirapaishunam; Dayaa bhooteshvaloluptwam maardavam hreerachaapalam. 2. Harmlessness, truth, absence of anger, renunciation, peacefulness, absence of crookedness, compassion towards beings, uncovetousness, gentleness, modesty, absence of fickleness,

Swami Gambiranda's commentary is as follows: satyam, truthfulness, speaking of things as they are, without unpleasantness and prevarication; Swami Chinmayananda likens satyam to aarjavam, which he terms uprightness, from the first verse. ( BG 16.1) advaitin/message/47682 Although satyam has different meanings in different contexts, here it is said to mean truthfulness, "sat" meaning truth and the suffix "ya" bestowing the quality of "ness" to the truth. (Perhaps one of the group scholars can refine my somewhat elementary approach to the translation) Following Swamiji's lead, I will defer to his analysis and move on to the next quality.

The next quality, is akrodhah, which Swami Gambiranda translates as absence of anger, control of anger that might result when offended or assaulted by others.

Swami Chinamayananda clarifies it as follows: AN EVEN TEMPER (absence of anger --- Akrodha) --- Sometimes it is rendered as 'angerless-ness' which is not very happy. A better rendering would be the capacity to check, at the right time, waves of anger as they mount up in our bosom, so that we do not manifest anger in our actions. It will be almost unnatural to expect the mind to become incapable of anger. But no emotion should be allowed to overwhelm us to such a degree as to render us almost impotent. This anger arises out of an insufferable impatience with others. In short, Akrodha does not mean 'without anger' but only 'keeping, as far as possible, an even temper.'

It is almost impossible to talk of cultivation of some of the divine qualities without referring to their demonic counterparts, and akrodhah is one example. Like the seed needs to be watered and fertilized by the power of the elements and the light of the sun to flourish, so too the weed growing beside it must be pulled lest it overtake it and choke it out at the very roots of it existence. If we wish to cultivate this divine quality akrodhah, we must quash the source of its demonic counterpart, krodhah or anger. We can only check it if we know from whence it arises. The Lord gives us guidance in this regard in Chapter 2 of the Holy Gita, telling Arjuna:

Dhyaayato vishayaan pumsah sangas teshupajaayate;Sangaat sanjaayate kaamah kaamaat krodho’bhijaayate.

When a man thinks of the objects, attachment to them arises; from attachment desire is born; from desire anger arises. (BG 2.62)

Kama or desire comes in so many forms...lust, greed, sensual desires for innumerable wordly objects, the desire for power, the desire for fame and honor. Attachment is not only to physical things but to intangible "objects" of our desire. The Lord further instruct us that desire is born of the guna, or quality, of rajas, and is something we need to control. In Chapter 14, the Lord tells us how each of us is born with some measure of all three gunas. Rajas is of the quality of passion and the thirst for sensual enjoyment. (BG 14.7)

Asked by Arjuna what it is that compels one to commit sins, the Lord responds to tell him that it is desire which forms the basis of sins.Sri Bhagavaan Uvaacha:Kaama esha krodha esha rajoguna samudbhavah;Mahaashano mahaapaapmaa viddhyenam iha vairinam.The Blessed Lord said:37. It is desire, it is anger born of the quality of Rajas, all-sinful and all-devouring; know this as the foe here (in this world). (BG 3.37)

He warns us again later in this chapter (Chapter 16. 21-23) of the role of anger in standing in the way of our spiritual freedom. As Swami Chinmayanandaji points out, it is almost impossible for the mind to be completely free of anger. That does not mean one should just give way to the anger of the moment, but we need to examine it and the reason for it...what desire is being thwarted that is leading to the anger rising in us? Is it the need for some thing physical, like a good meal as opposed to the bad one we were just served in our favorite restaurant after having waited for an impossibly long time? Is it the need for recognition for all the hard work we put into a project that our boss is taking for granted and no one seems to appreciate? Is it something someone wrote in a post on a spiritual list that is not in accordance with our beliefs or that somehow offends us? Each time it arises, we need to grab hold of it and ruthlessly examine its specific source of the moment. Only then will the remedy avail itself to us. Only then can we laugh it down for what it is and send it back to where it came from, to hide in the dark until the next time!!! Eventually with the Lord's Grace upon our efforts, there will be no more next time, there will be no more anger, as there will be no more desires born of attachment, lost in the pervading love of the Self.

Kaamakrodhaviyuktaanaam yateenaam yatachetasaam;Abhito brahma nirvaanam vartate viditaatmanaam.Absolute freedom (or Brahmic bliss) exists on all sides for those self-controlled ascetics who are free from desire and anger, who have controlled their thoughts and who have realised the Self. (BG 5.26)

How do we get there? There is a well known Cherokee Native American story which applies to our efforts to cultivate the divine and eradicate the demonic qualities within, known as The Wolves Within...

An old Grandfather said to his grandson, who came to him with anger at a friend who had done him an injustice.

"Let me tell you a story. I too, at times, have felt great hate for those who have taken so much, with no sorrow for what they do. But hate wears you down, and does not hurt your enemy. It's like taking poison and wishing your enemy would die."

"I have struggled with these feelings many times. It is as if there are two wolves inside me; one is good and does no harm. He lives in harmony with all around him and does not take offense when no offense was intended. He will only fight when it is right to do so, and in the right way. But...the other wolf... ah! The littlest thing will send him into a fit of temper. He fights everyone, all of the time, for no reason. He cannot think because his anger and hate are so great. It is helpless anger, for his anger will change nothing.Sometimes it is hard to live with these two wolves inside me, for both of them try to dominate my spirit."

The boy looked intently into his Grandfather's eyes and asked, "Which one wins, Grandfather?"

The Grandfather smiled and quietly said, "The one I feed." -- -- A Native American tale told many times around the Sacred Fire http://www.manataka.org/page104.html

For an article by Swami Sivananda on anger, go to the following link: http://www.yoga-age.com/modern/anger.html One piece of advice stands out for me, which is Swamiji's advice to "See God in all. Submit to God’s will. Then you cannot get angry." With surrender comes acceptance, whatever it is that happens, whether it be to you or to someone else or to an entire country or group of people. When you can see everything as Brahman, manifesting in this experiential world of ours in accordance with the laws of karma, then, as Swamiji says, you cannot get angry.

Hare Krishna!!!

Sarvam ShreeKrishnaayaSamarpayami.Om Namo Narayanaya!!!