Poetry on anger and pride

This explains the psychology of anger.

अन्धीकरोषि, वाग्बाणं सन्धीकरोषि, मे श्रुतिम् ।

मन्दीकरोषि, मन्यो!, मां बन्धीकरोषि सर्वदा ।। 1 ।।

Anger! You impair my vision, shoot words like arrows, block my hearing and always bind me (to my emotions)!

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On ahamkara and anger. However good a person may be too much of ego and anger can make them unpopular.

तृणीकरोत्यहङ्कारः सर्वानपि गुणानहो ।

भस्मीकरोति सद्यस्तान् कोपस्तस्यैव सोदरः ।। 2 ।।

Alas! Ahamkara makes all other gunas (good qualities) appear like dried grass (worthless) and anger, it's brother, immediately burns them off to ashes!

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It is not possible to solve all problems with patience. So, a little bit of anger is required to solve some. Mahakavi Bharathi also said 'ரௌத்திரம் பழகு'. This is the message of the poem. The word kshama क्षम is used in three ways!

क्षमस्त्वं हि भवाऽमर्षे कार्यं तेनैव साधय ।

न सर्वदाऽऽदृता चापि क्षमाऽक्षमेति भावय ।। 3 ।।

Become (त्वं भव) an expert (क्षमः) in using anger (अमर्षे) to get some work done (कार्यं साधय). Patience (क्षमा) is not always (न सर्वदा) appreciated (आदृता) and also it is not competent (अक्षमा) to solve problems always! make a note of this (इति भावय)! But let us not take anger to our heart and allow it to blind us!

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This is a rejoinder to the previous one as anger is a double edged sword - it does damage to both sides!

कोपस्तु प्रतिकोपेन न दमयितुमर्हति ।

यतते कोऽप्यनुन्मत्तः नैव वह्निं हि वह्निना ।। 4 ।।

Anger does not deserve to be pacified by a reciprocated anger. No sane person will attempt to douse fire with fire indeed! The repetition of sounds in the last pada may be enjoyed!

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The ocean is called a ratnakara - a treasure of gems! As they are completely submerged with water, they are as good as not being there - for practical purposes for the world. It is not appreciated!

Similarly, let a person have many good qualities. If he or she has excessive anger, they lie covered under the flames of fire! It is also not appreciated!

सागरे सन्तु रत्नानि पिहितानि जलेन वै ।

तथाऽऽत्मनि गुणा गूढाः कोपज्वालेन किं च तैः ।। 5 ।।

So what? Not many people can look beyond the waters / fire in search of the gems / good qualities!

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Why should one get rid of anger? With knowledge one acquires what we call tejas or radiance (a form of fire). But with anger arises another fire, in which disappears the former!

अन्तर्दधाति तेजो वै ज्ञानेन सहजं च यत् ।

अनले कोपसञ्जाते वरमपरवारणम् ।। 6 ।।

Disappears indeed that tejas which is a coeval of jnana in the fire that is aroused by excessive anger! Controlling the latter is better! We all lose our balance in anger, how much so ever educated we are!

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Anger is such a black hole which can swallow in an instance all our buddhi even if it were akin to the halo of a Sun! By all means let us try to conquer it completely without leaving its head or tail! Rahu, the dangerous snake, which has only head and no body or tail, eats the Sun itself (traditional account of eclipse)!

आमुखं संहरेत् कोपं ज्ञानवानपि सर्वथा ।

मुखमात्रस्तु राहुर्वै भक्षति सूर्यमप्यहो ।। 7 ।।

By all means let even a learned man overcome anger completely. Being only a mere head, Rahu consumes even the Sun. Tapas or power is consumed by the fire called anger!

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Normally the first one to get angry in a discussion would be at fault! Or he or she would not have understood the intention of the other person to say the least. But if there is repentance later on then there is the presence of good qualities also. Kopam irukkum idathil gunam irukkum, provided repentance is there!

वर्तते यत्र कोपस्तु दोषोपि तत्र सर्वथा ।

पश्चात्तापोपि जायेत प्रायः गुणोपि विद्यते ।। 8 ।।

वर्तते is यत्र where कोपस्तु anger दोषोपि fault also तत्र there सर्वथा by all means पश्चात्तापोपि repentance as well जायेत is born  प्रायः mostly गुणोपि good quality also विद्यते is there

Where there is anger, by all means the fault also will lie there. If there is repentance also, then mostly good quality will also be there.

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यत्र प्रवर्तते प्रीतिः कोपोपि तत्र विद्यते ।

जायते साम्बुमेघेषु विद्युन्नात्र हि संशयः ।। 9 ।।

Where there is love there is anger too. Only rain bearing clouds put forth lightning. No doubt in this. The reverse 'where there is anger there is love' may not be true and that is a disclaimer 😊

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From where does this phenomenon called EGO arise in me? I am what today because of mother's blood, father's sweat and guru's power. From where does this conceit come forth in me?

मात्रा तु रुधिरेणापि पित्रा स्वेदेन चाप्यहम् ।

तेजसा गुरुणा नूनम् अहम्भावः कुतो मयि ।। 10 ।।

Ofcourse God's role is there but the above factors are more cognizable by pratyaksha!

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अहंकारो हि भावस्सः लोकेष्वेवं तु विद्यते ।

भूयो भूत्वा समीपस्थे न्यूनोस्ति दूरवर्तिनि ।। 11 ।।

Here अहंकार is equated to ego that we use in day to day life. Ego is that bhava which is present in people like this: it is in excess or maximum in people who are related or close to us (even neighbours) and less or minimum who are still afar and yet to become close with us. This is my understanding from experience. Maybe it is not completely correct.

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This one is on Ahamkara! It is compared to a shadow. The shadow follows us when we face the Sun and it goes ahead when we turn our back  to it (during the morning and evening). There is no shadow or it hides under our feet, when the Sun is on the head (nearest in the noon). Is it not?

Similarly, when we approach God, Ahamkara is at our back (still there), When we ignore God, it leads us (visible very much). But when we are nearest to or 'under' God (Ahamkara is stamped under our feet)!

अहंकारेति छाया माम् अनुसरति सर्वदा ।

एतु सा पादमूलं तु विष्णो! शिरसि तिष्ठ मे ।। 12 ।।

अहंकार Ego or pride इति called छाया the shadow माम् me अनुसरति follows सर्वदा always एतु let (it) reach सा the shadow पादमूलं below my feet तु but विष्णो! Vishnu! शिरसि on or in my head तिष्ठ be or stay मे my

When you stay in my head always, naturally Ahamkara disappears! Is it not?

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The real test for one's ahamkara is one's own family people. The way one treats one's own spouse, kids, parents and siblings is an acid test for ahankara (egotism or egoism) I have seen many people (including the one on mirror too) who seem to be humble or modest outside home but at home they are a different animal!

स्यादहंकारिणां नूनं परीक्षा गृह एव तु ।

विनयोऽस्तु बहिस्थेषु किं वा तस्य प्रयोजनम् ।। 13 ।।

स्यात् let अहंकारिणां for egoists नूनं indeed परीक्षा testing गृहे in house एव only

तु but विनयः humility अस्तु let be बहिस्थेषु with outsiders किं वा what is तस्य its

प्रयोजनम् use?

The real testing ground for egoists is home. Let there be humility with outsiders. What is its use? agree?

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Idea courtesy - Mrs.Chitra Kumar - 'Man has ego about his knowledge and no knowledge about ego' - her words!

It is being expressed by the following verse:

ज्ञानमस्तीत्यहड़्कारः नराणां नूनमस्ति वै ।

अस्त्यहड़्कार एवं तु ज्ञानं कथं च नास्त्यहो ।। 14 ।।

There is indeed pride in people in thinking 'I know this, I know that' but there is no thought or knowledge about that pride! How is it?