 With the help of all divine energies inside,
Anger can be easily defeated.
"Durga Kills the Demon Mahisha"
by Pieter Weltevrede
(Click the picture for a larger image)
When expectations are not fulfilled, the ego may feel that it has been neglected or treated incorrectly; this forms the basis for Anger. Anger can be constructive if it is instructive, such as the Anger of a mother toward her child, a teacher toward a student, a king toward his subjects, a friend toward a friend.
Some people harbor Anger over one particular subject all of their lives. The repetition of angry thoughts can work like a mantra that over time comes to dominate one's entire being. A lot of Anger manifests as irritation - some people are irritated all of the time.
Mastering Anger
It is preferable to express Anger rather than to let it simmer inside. Expressing Anger is one thing, but one should leave the act of punishing up to karma and not create bad karma through it.
If one feels the need to act in the interest of justice and dharma, one should follow the great example given by Mahatma Gandhi. Gandhi demonstrated an Anger that was very constructive. By adhering to satya (truth) and ahimsa (non-violence), Gandhi controlled his Anger at the oppression created by the British Empire; because of it, rather than in spite of it, he helped India to gain home rule.
It is very helpful to realize that Anger only increases the size of any problem. Instead of just having to deal with the practical results of some injustice, getting angry means to lose one's inner peace and happiness. In this way one loses more, just for the sake of righteousness. We may have every right to be angry, but we also have the right not to be stupid.
By practicing detachment from worldly possessions, from the fears and desires of the ego, from the fruits of our actions, Anger goes because expectation goes. Accept, do not expect. Durga killing the demon of Anger called Mahisha symbolizes our ability to kill the demon of Anger inside of us with the help of our good and divine energies, such as forgiveness, acceptance, Calmness, Humor, and so on.
By itself, Anger will not stay for a very long time because of the natural changes in body chemistry. So if we do not feed Anger with our thoughts, it will go all by itself. While changing our mental attitude, we may also remove the biochemical basis for Anger. This consists of consciously cooling down the fire of Anger.
Anger Sadhana : see Rasa Sadhana . Raudra Rasa Chart
Basic Rasa : Anger
Sub-Rasas : Stress, Irritability, Violence
Dominant Element : Fire
Dominant Dosha :Pitta
Dominant Guna : Rajas
Dominant Kosha : Ego (Vijnanamayi Kosha)
Friendly Rasas : Fear
Enemy Rasas : Joy, Love, Wonder
Neutral Rasas : Peace, Courage, Sadness, Disgust
Rasa Produced : Sadness
Key for Mastering : Resist injustice if needed, but without violence or expectation
Siddhi : Bhukti (enjoyment)
Deity : Rudra
The above texts were extracted from the book "The Yoga of the Nine Emotions", which fully explains these subjects. |
