You felt hungry. Ordered your wife to serve the meal. The meal was served. It was tasty. You were fully satisfied.

 

The same thing was repeated the next day. But today there is an excessive quantity of salt in the vegetable. It makes you mentally uneasy. The third day the wife was busy with some other work and the meals could not be served on time. The husband loses his temper. Out of anger he beats his wife. A Mahabharata takes place in the house.

 

In a classroom, the teacher asks about the last day’s lesson which the student had forgot. The teacher twisted his years. He felt insulted and took out his shoe to throw it at the face of the teacher. Then beating, quarrel, fight and again a Mahabharata.

 

A passenger placed his luggage on the berth reserved for him. It was occupied by some one else. He was asked to vacate the berth. He did not have reservation. Yet he did not leave the berth. The quarrel went beyond the limits of general etiquettes to meanness. A Mahabharata again.

 

Controlling anger is not easy. Anger generates when the desire is not fulfilled. The desires are infinite.

 

Satisfaction of all the desires is not always possible. When the desires are left unsatisfied, then anger breaks out. The mental dissatisfaction invites anger.

 

Marriage with a girl desired, takes place. Every thing is allright. But the mother-in-law is dissatisfied as the bride did not bring sufficient dowry. The mother-in-law had thought of having a big dowry.

 

An interview was held, the result was declared. The son’s name was not in the list of successful candidates. Anger obsessed. A quarrel took place between the son and father.

 

Anger generates for so small a reason and within no time. A feeling waves here and anger aappeass there. Two men were involved in dispute. Their talking and debating was going beyond limits. A third man intervened. ‘O gentlemen! why should you be caught in a quarrel. Let one be agreed with the other’s argument and be quiet, so that the quarrel is subsided.’

 

‘What do you have to do? Who are you to deliver a discourse! Why are you asking us to keep quiet? Allright. I will make you keep quiet, and he was stabbed. That was an example of mental imbalance.

 

Food also contributes in the generation of anger. Tamasa or malignant food causes more anger. Simple food causes less anger. The anger has four stages: Intenser. Intense. Mild. Milder.

 

First, the intenser anger remains for a longer period. Apart from the body, the mind also, is inflicted by it. Its impression may be compared with a line inscribed on a stone.

 

Second, the intense type of anger, is slightly lesser in intensity than the first type. But it also remains for a long time. It may be compared with a line dug on the earth.

 

Third, the mild anger is somewhat similar to the line drawn on a sandy surface, which fades away by a minor flow of air or a rainy shower.

 

Fourth, the milder anger is not at all permanent. It is Just like a line drawn on water which vanishes as soon as it is drawn. This type of anger appears and disappears the same moment, even for a while and does not remain.

 

There are four types of men according to their stages of anger:

 

Sinful men with intenser anger.

 

Bad man with intense anger.

 

Normal man with mild anger.

 

Pious man with milder anger.

 

This classification is based on the duration of the emotion of anger. He is really an ‘pious man whose anger disappears like the line on water. The ‘normal’ man also does not allow anger to stay in mind for a long duration.

 

Of course, the ‘bad’ and ‘sinful’ men, respectively with the intense and intenser types of anger, develop a

complex which lasts till their life. The reason behind that is not so particular. They would just develop a complex for some tussle which might have taken place years before. The intensity of their emotion remains the same as in the beginning.

 

Struggle, quarrel. insulting, abusing, fight etc. are the normal consequences of anger. Anger is controllable by practice, constant contemplation and a determination to control the emotion.

 

Anger is the enemy of mind: reduce your contact with it. So long as it remains with you, happiness, name and friends will not remain with you.”

 

Anger is harmful to you both the ways: in case you win you will become proud, in case you do not win you will in distress,74

 

It is advisable to keep quiet where disputes and struggles are likely to take place. On such occasions silence is the best medicine. Not to speak, is one state. Keeping quiet where speaking is undesireable, is the other state. The second state is better, but it needs a practice. In an ordinary way one may observe a silence for an hour or two, but he should also be cautious to remain silent on the occasion of dispute to avoid feuling the fire.

 

An emperor was anxious to capture the Girnar region of Gujarat. But, for the valour of Jaisaki, a brother of the Rao ruler, he could not do so.

 

A mimic from Girnar used to visit the Emperor as well as Jaisaki. At every visit he would receive a dress with ‘pagri’ from Jaisaki.

 

Once a dress without ‘pagri’ was presented to him when the mimic told. ‘O my lord, you have always been presenting a ‘pagri’ too, why not this time, may I know!”

 

‘You visit the emperor, you kneel before him to pay a salute. Along with your head the ‘pagri’ presented by me also gets bowed down before the emperor. And I don’t want a ‘pagri’ presented by me should bow down beforenhim. So I am presenting you this dress without ‘pagri this time.”

 

 The mimic assured. ‘O my lord, the ‘pagri’ presented you will never bow down in front of anyone, I resolve.

 

The Rao presened him the ‘pagri. He took it away from his head and held in hand when he kneeled before the emperor on his next visit. The emperor asked him to tell the reason behind that. Giving the details he told, Because this ‘pagri’ is presented by Jaisaki. it is not supposed to bow down before you.’

 

The small incidence stirred the emperor’s emotion. He aggressed Girnar and a big war took place.

 

Just a slight control may divert the anger into happiness. There is a story to tell this fact:

 

Anilsain was a king in the line of Maharaj Chhatrasal. Once one of his attendants stole a diamond out of the harness of pearls. rubies, diamonds, emeralds etc. decorating the royal elephant. The king had not read that. He ordered death sentence for him by way of dipping him in water again and again.

 

At last he was asked to tell his ‘last wish’. He wished to see the king. He was again asked. ‘Is your last wish fulfilled now?’

 

‘Just half, O my lord. I am very well acquainted with your kindness. Now I have also seen your anger which has brought, and may further bring. such a major sentence for such a minor crime. Now it is your favour which I wish to see’ said the attendant.

 

The king understood the indepth meaning of his comments. The king ordered the same elephant to be brought in the same harness. He sent the attendant back seated on the same elephant. Not only the death sentence was taken back but the elephant with bejewelled harness was also presented to him.

 

‘Parigraha’ is attachment to objects, namely, thinking this is mine. The eighteen habits or blemishes’ and the sixteen parasitic habits also are based on the fundamental habits, namely, attachment and aversion.

 

Until attachment and aversion are there, one would never be a religious being, would never gain right knowledge, would never have conscientious experience. Because ‘arambha’ and ‘parigraha’ are there in the background of attachment and aversion, it is essential that we try to renounce the two first of all.

 

The basic object of life should be torenounce attachment and aversion, whether by way of gradual reduction or control. partly or fully. To control these two, it is very much necessary that the other feelings of mind and body also are controlled, because all our actions are worked out by those feelings. Controlling these should be our utmost object, then only we can awake harmony within ourselves. The experience of harmony itself is the proof of their existence of harmony.

 

‘Harmony is a thing which flows one in harmony. Harmony generates harmony and what, after all. remains is harmony.21

 

The feeling of harmony is such as it cuts us off the attachment and aversion. In that state one takes all the things as equal. Love, attraction, affection to some, or hatred and anger to others, are all vanished in that state, because then no desire for the fulfilment of any desire remains and there is no worry for a non-fulfilment of a desire. Lord Mahavira says:

 

‘Desire, like the space, is infinite. 77

 

Desire is compared with the space because it pervades all the space. Freud wrote, There is a desire behind every behaviour of man. Each and every activity of man has some or the other aim behind it, has a desire behind it.

 

Hunger and thirst are behind his eating and drinking. A wish to enjoy the smell of, or to offer to the deity. is behind the picking of flowers. It means the action. whether implemented or to be implemented, should be having a desire behind it invariably.

 

Man has always been trying to satisfy his desires. With any of the desires remaining dissatisfied his other desires start struggling, which terminate into a mental tussle. In the same tussle he himself is caught, no matter the desire is fulfilled or not. If fulfilled, there are infinite desires remaining to be fulfilled; if not fulfilled, there is an unending chain of struggles.

 

One, who perceives the feeling of harmony, never is caught in the labyrinth of fulfilment or non-fulfilment of desires. He remains apart but at times ego comes in the way. Satisfaction of ego is inevitable in harmony. Harmony is when lost ego appears. A practice is needed to control the ego.

 

A Seth organized one day a very big function at the instance of his mother. He was a very rich man. His mother had resolved for a donation of one lakh Rupees which was an extra-ordinary amount those days. A heap of one lakh of coins was made ready. To accept the donations one Brahmna was searched. The programme was going on as per the schedule.

 

The function was about to be over when the Seth announced. “O Panditji, have you ever come across such a man who might have donated a lakh of Rupees ?

 

At this the Panditji was hurted. The ego of the Seth had raised its fang. The Panditji was not a man of much greedy type. He could not afford to bear that ego.

 

In response his ego also raised fang. He took out a Rupee from his pocket and throwing it to the heap. he said. ‘O Sethji, donors like you might be many, but you will not find a Brahmin like me who not only is leaving this amount unaccepted but also is adding a rupee to it.’ The ego was answered by ego through ego.

 

The Gita has references at places about those who observe harmony:

 

‘Here in this world itslef they have achieved heaven whose mind is retained in harmony. An unpolluted harmony equals the Brahma, they, therefore, are entered to the world of Brahma.’78

 

‘He perceives only the supreme soul who has controlled his own soul, who is perfectly tranquillized and who has been harmonious equally in cold and hot. pleasures and pains and honour and dishonour.’79

 

“That person is my favourite: who has been harmonious equally in an enemy and a friend and in honour and dishonour: who is harmonious equally in cold and hot and pleasures and pains; who has given up the possessions; who has been harmonious equally in criticism and eulogy: who is silent; who is satisfied with whatever is available: who has no house: whose feeling is unswerved: and who contemplates his soul, ’80

 

“Who performs his duties dedicating them to the Brahma and giving up possessions, he is not smeared by the sins like a lotus leaf by water.81

 

“This passion and this anger, each one is generated from the malignant quality and is a great sinner: know it as an enemy in this world. ’82

 

In the above verses from the Gita the virtues of a harmonious person are depicted.

 

The way of visualizing things gets altogether changed in harmony. As soon as the harmony is experienced, the same thing which could not be visualized by the material eye, would immediately be visualized. In that state, even disharmony will be experienced as harmony. The harmonized vision first of all automatically controls anger.

 

The class was on. The teacher asked. ‘Which one would you choose, the wisdom or the buffalo, if placed before you ?’

 

The student answered, ‘I will choose certainly the buffalo because it is one which I do not possess.”

 

The teacher told. Had I been asked this question. I would have shown my choice for wisdom.’

 

The student commented, “Well, Sir, one would like to choose the thing which he does not possess.”

 

The teacher could have gone angry at the student’s comment, but he did not,

 

The emperor Akbar and Birbal were on their way to some place. The prince also was with them. After a short distance was covered. they felt hot. The emperor put off his coat and put it across the shoulder of Birbal. A further short distance covered. the prince also put off his coat and put it across the other shoulder of Birbal. The emperor told humorously. O Birbal. now you are carrying the load of an ass.

 

Birbal answered back, ‘O emperor, it is, not of one ass but of two asses.

 

Had that been the case of someone else, a fire of anger would have been broken out.

 

For getting into the state of harmony one needs a continuous practice. One can achieve everything by all the means through a continuous practice, even living at one and the same place.

 

We have a goal. We have to touch the goal. Efforts will have to be made. Who is active with efforts, he is sure to succeed.

 

An ant. though just crawling, covers hundreds of miles. while none but an eagle would, if not active, move not a single step.’

 

Move on and on, try hard and hard, practise repeatedly. success will embrace you will embrace you.