The Bhagavad Gita on Anger
Anger arrives fast and leaves slowly, and most of what a leader regrets was said or decided inside it. The Bhagavad Gita traces anger to its root. Dwelling on an object breeds attachment, attachment breeds desire, and thwarted desire breeds anger, and from anger follow confusion, loss of memory and the ruin of judgment. Krishna names anger as one of the three gates that destroy a person, alongside desire and greed. Pondered upon in this way, the verses gathered here ask a leader to catch anger early, at the level of attention, long before it reaches the tongue.
The 10 verses the book gathers under Anger
Chapter and verse, as listed in the Index of Management Areas, each with The Meaning as it appears in the book. The Teaching and the Reflect question for every verse are in the book.
- 2.62When a person keeps thinking about sense objects, attachment arises. From attachment comes desire, and when desire is blocked, anger arises.
- 2.63From anger comes confusion. From confusion comes loss of memory of what is right. From loss of memory comes destruction of intelligence. When intelligence is destroyed, a person falls down.
- 3.37Krishna says that desire and anger, born from rajas, are the force that pushes a person toward wrong action. They are powerful enemies because they consume wisdom and disturb dharma.
- 5.23Krishna says that one who can endure the force of desire and anger while still living in the body is a true yogi and a genuinely happy person.
- 5.26Krishna says that for self-realized seekers who are free from desire and anger and whose minds are disciplined, Brahman-nirvāṇa is near everywhere.
- 5.28Krishna says that a sage who controls the senses, mind, and intellect, lives for liberation, and is free from desire, fear, and anger is truly and always liberated.
- 16.2Krishna says that divine qualities include non-violence, truthfulness, freedom from anger, renunciation, peace, not finding faults in others, compassion for all beings, freedom from greed, gentleness, modesty, and steadiness.
- 16.12Krishna says that people of demoniac tendency are bound by many hopes and desires. Driven by desire and anger, they try to collect wealth unjustly for the sake of sense enjoyment.
- 16.18Krishna says that people of demoniac tendency take shelter in ego, power, arrogance, desire, and anger. Being envious, they hate the Divine present in themselves and in others.
- 16.21Krishna says that desire, anger, and greed are three gates to a hellish condition and destroy the self. Therefore, a person should give up these three.
Chapter Two, Verse 63
क्रोधाद्भवति सम्मोहः
krodhād bhavati sammohaḥ
सम्मोहात्स्मृतिविभ्रमः ।
sammohāt smṛti-vibhramaḥ |
स्मृतिभ्रंशाद् बुद्धिनाशो
smṛti-bhraṁśād buddhi-nāśo
बुद्धिनाशात्प्रणश्यति ॥
buddhi-nāśāt praṇaśyati ||
The Meaning From anger comes confusion. From confusion comes loss of memory of what is right. From loss of memory comes destruction of intelligence. When intelligence is destroyed, a person falls down.
Uncontrolled anger creates confusion, makes leaders forget values, destroys judgment, and causes personal and organizational downfall.
In the book, this verse is followed by The Teaching and a Reflect question.
Every verse under this area, with its Teaching and its Reflect question, is in The Ethical Leader’s Gita. For copies for your leadership team, see corporate and bulk gifting.