Anger is the second of the six infamous vices that inflict the mind of human beings, the other five being desire, greed, attachment, pride and jealousy. Swami has spoken at length about the ill effects of anger and the intense need to control one’s anger. He says, “In our daily lives, we know that when we become angry, our nerves become weak and feeble and we lose grip over ourselves. Even a moment of anger takes away our strength that we gather by eating good food for three months. Anger not only debilitates us and takes away the merit of our good deeds, but also enfeebles our condition.” (Summer Showers – 1972). Swami says, “Anger is the fuel for all varieties of sin. Just look at yourself in a mirror, when you are attacked by anger, and you will discover that you are then akin to Soorpanakha (sister of king Ravana and granddaughter of the demoness Thataki) or Lankini (a powerful demoness who guarded the city of Lanka) of ancient times. The Rajo guna that is over-powering you then is the Raakshasa (demon) trait you must learn to avoid” (23 November 1966). Spiritual aspirants, specifically, need to control anger.
This post presents a compilation of various aspects of “Anger” expounded by Bhagawan in His Discourses. For ease of reading and understanding, it is presented in four parts. Part-I of the post starts with an introduction to anger and other related vices. It presents the need to eliminate anger from oneself. Part-II covers the various tips given by Bhagawan to control one’s anger. Part-III deals with anger in connection to the relationship between children and parents. The post ends with Part-IV that explains how God is beyond anger. Swami gives His own example to illustrate the need for patience and equanimity. He jokingly states that He does express anger at times, but it is nothing more than a modulation of voice with the pure intention of saving His devotees. The five audio excerpts in Part-IV of this posting have been taken from the Discourses delivered by Bhagawan in the years 1992, 2000, 2004 and 2008.
In Clip-1 Bhagawan explains how God never gets angry but He only pretends to get angry for the purpose of saving Hid devotees. In Clip-2 Bhagawan talks about the tremendous patience He has. Clip-3 also elaborates on Bhagawan’s patience. In Clip-4 Bhagawan gives His own example to demonstrate how one must face criticism with equanimity and without getting angry. Finally in Clip-5 Bhagawan describes how modulation of voice (which may appear as anger) has been used by every Avataar as a technique to save the devotees. He narrates the story of how Lord Krishna used the same strategy, through the instrument of sage Durvasa, to save the Pandavas.
Each audio clip has a name that adopts the following code: Serial number, Title appropriate to the key content, Duration of the clip, Year-Month-Date of the Clip. Below the title is the translation in English of the select excerpt of the Discourse, followed by the audio player. The post ends with a short quiz that would help you evaluate your assimilation of Bhagawan’s Message from these extracts.
Note: Those receiving this blog by email may see words bunched together due to a technical glitch. That is beyond my control. Please click on link at the top of the email to read the blog directly. Sorry about this. If anyone has a solution to this please help me out.
01-God never gets angry-Swami only pretends to be angry to save devotees-2.37-2004 September 18
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Swami never gets angry
He only pretends to get angry |
God alone is transcendental and He transcends all qualities (attributes). Though it may appear to us that He is angry, it is not truly anger. God pretends to be angry in order to bring back the devotee onto the right path. The devotees will not pay heed if harsh words are not used. That is why He puts up the drama of being angry, to bring the devotees onto the right path. It is all only a drama and not reality. God has no anger. He does not give any scope for anger at all.
When we commit mistakes, we think that God will get angry. But God pretends to be angry only to remind you of your mistakes. At certain times, when Bhagawan does not talk to you, you feel, “Oh, Swami must be angry with me, why is He not talking to me?” Swami has no anger at all. In all aspects, there is only the principle of Love. But even this Love, when expressed with harsh words appears as anger. In our day to day life, we find that we commit so many mistakes. “Son, come here”, if called that way (in a very soft and loving tone), it will appear as Love. “Son, come here” (said very sternly), will appear as anger. This is only a modulation of voice (change in tone) and nothing else.
02-Swami has tremendous patience-At times He hisses just to protect devotees-0.46-2000 May 18
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| At times He hisses only to protect devotees! |
Swami’s patience is such that, mountains may move, but His heart will not move. My heart is so full of peace! But now and then I do hiss! In order to correct some children, I use such (harsh) words. If not, these children will not listen to Me. If I say, “Son, Gold (meaning dear one), please sit down, please sit down”, no one will listen. If I say, “Hey, sit down”, then they will listen. The voice has to be modulated. With this voice modulation, devotees will be protected (by God).
03-Swami never gets angry-He has tremendous patience-1.18-2008 October 09
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| Swami is always smiling!! |
You all must have known all these days. I keep smiling always, whatever anybody may speak about Me, or against Me. I never get angry with anybody. Even if I do, it is merely acting. In fact many students themselves say, “Swami though we vex You, though we disregard what You say, yet You are always smiling. It is so strange. From where have You got so much patience?”
04-Swami the perfect example for equanimity and absence of anger at criticism-1.39-1992 May 24
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| Swami – Perfect example of equanimity |
Students, I am the right ideal for Myself. My life is My message. Many people admonish Me. Many people praise Me. I do not get bloated (elated) with praise nor do I get deflated (depressed) with abuse. I do not worry about that which is not in Me. I do not need to worry about anything that is told, when it (blemish) is not in Me. When they keep saying things which are not in Me, why should I get worried? Here is a small example for this:
When people call Me Buttatale Sai Baba (Sai Baba with a basket like head), I have to accept it. I have a head with basket like hair. Therefore, it is in Me, I have to accept it. But if they call Me Pattatale Sai Baba (bald headed Sai Baba), why should I accept it, as it is not in Me? Therefore, even if someone comes right in front of Me and points out defects that are not in Me, I will not accept it. That is the right type of determination. You must have self-confidence. Without self-confidence you will wax and wane in response to anything that is said to you. This will be like the bumps and jumps in an airplane.
05-Techniques of Avataars-Voice Modulation by Durvasa to save Pandavas-4.24-2000 May 18 and 2004 September 18
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Pandavas were saved by Krishna through Voice Modulation
Image Source |
Son, come here – if called like this (in a soft tone), it amounts to calling in a loving way. When told, Son come here (in a harsh and loud voice), it appears to be full of anger. This is just change in the tone of the voice and nothing to do with the reality. This is what Durvasa came to be known for. Durvasa had no anger as such. But people in the world think that Durvasa was a person full of anger.
Aswathamma took an oath. Pandavas were not to be seen anywhere. Now Krishna had to rescue them. He had to put up so many acts. The actions of God are all mysterious. For every situation He has to act. The scene has to be changed each time. The drama has to be enacted each time. Krishna ran to sage Durvasa. Durvasa bowed to Krishna and received Him with great respect. He asked, “Swami what brought You here to my Ashram?” Krishna said, “I have a simple task. I have come here to get it executed through you”. Durvasa said, “I am duty bound by your command. I am ready to do anything”. “In that case”, Krishna said, “You have to save the Pandavas tonight”. Durvasa replied, “It is only You who can protect. How can I protect anyone?” Krishna replied, “My doing is different. Getting the work done through you is different. My protection can be in various forms. You have to carry out one task”. “What is it that I have to do?” asked Durvasa.
Krishna said, “Dig a pit. Make the Pandavas sit inside that pit. Then cover the pit with a plank. Place your chair over the plank and sit on it. In the meantime, Duryodhana or Dushashana or some others will come by. Possibly, the son of Dronacharya (Aswathamma) may come. They will come and ask you – O Swami you are omniscient. Please tell us where the Pandavas are.” Durvasa immediately responded, “Swami, I cannot tell a lie”. Krishna replied, “O foolish ascetic, did I ask you to tell a lie? I will never ask you to tell a lie. Satyanaasti Paro Dharma. Truth is My Dharma. Tell the truth. But change your tone (modulate your voice).
Aswathamma came and very humbly asked (Durvasa), “Swami, where are the Pandavas?” Durvasa shouted with fury, “Pandavas are below me!” He just changed his tone. The moment he heard this voice (of Durvasa), Aswathamma ran away from there. Thus, the life of the Pandavas was saved. Similarly, it becomes necessary for Me also at times to change My voice. By modulating the voice, certain tasks are accomplished. In all Avataars, this practice (voice modulation) has been going on in a natural manner.
Sages, saints and aspirants; just by changing the tone of their voice have been bringing about protection or punishment. Sage Durvasa also brought about protection and punishment by modulating his voice. Many ignorant people criticize Durvasa, stating that how can such a great saint have anger in him. But only those who understand the inner significance of anger will enquire into this truth. God has no anger of any kind. The one who gets angry can never be God. But, He changes His voice to protect people. No sage or saint can have any anger in them.
A Short Quiz
01-Bhagawan says that God never gets angry but at times He only pretends to be angry. What is the need for God to pretend to be angry?
02-Bhagawan gives His own example to show how one must abstain from getting angry and must manifest equanimity when criticized by others. Narrate this example.
03-Voice modulation is a means used by every Avataar to protect His devotees. Explain how the modulation of voice was deployed as a strategy by Lord Krishna through sage Durvasa to save the Pandavas.
Part-IV of this post explains how God also uses anger as an instrument to protect His devotees. With this we conclude the posting on Anger Management.
