Sources of Anger and Cure

Sources: In Bhagavad Gita 2.62 Lord Krishna says:

dhyāyato viṣayān puṁsaḥ saṅgas teṣūpajāyate saṅgāt sañjāyate kāmaḥ kāmāt krodho ’bhijāyate

Translation: While contemplating the objects of the senses, a person develops attachment for them, and from such attachment lust develops, and from lust anger arises.

In Bg. 3.37 The Supreme Personality of Godhead (Lord Krishna) said: It is lust only, Arjuna, which is born of contact with the material mode of passion and later transformed into wrath, and which is the all-devouring sinful enemy of this world.

So the secret is to know the cause of anger. Being absorbed in the mode of passion, we are normally unable to check our passionate anger.

In Srimad Bhagavatham (SB) 3.15.31 it is stated that the younger brother of desire is anger. If one’s desire is not fulfilled, the younger brother, anger, follows. 

In ŚB 4.11.32 A person who desires liberation from this material world should not fall under the control of anger because when bewildered by anger one becomes a source of dread for all others.

Swami Bhaktivedanta Prabhupada says "A devotee or saintly person should not be dreadful to others, nor should anyone be a source of dread to him. If one treats others with non-enmity, then no one will become his enemy. There is the example, however, of Jesus Christ, who had enemies, and they crucified him. The demoniac are always present, and they find fault even in saintly persons. But a saintly person never becomes angry, even if there is very great provocation".

In Bhagavad Gita Bg. 16.11-12 It is said that the demonic individuals are bound by a network of hundreds of thousands of desires and absorbed in lust and anger, and thus they secure money by illegal means for sense gratification.

The demoniac person, who has no faith in God or the Supersoul within himself, performs all kinds of sinful activities simply for sense gratification. He does not know that there is a witness sitting within his heart. The Supersoul is observing the activities of the individual soul. As it is stated in the Upaniṣads, there are two birds sitting in one tree; one is acting and enjoying or suffering the fruits of the branches, and the other is witnessing. But one who is demoniac has no knowledge of Vedic scripture, nor has he any faith; therefore he feels free to do anything for sense enjoyment, regardless of the consequences.

Consequences:

This world is compared to a forest fire caused by the cohesion of bamboo bushes. Such a forest fire takes place automatically, for bamboo cohesion occurs without external cause. Similarly, in the material world the wrath of those who want to lord it over material nature interacts, and the fire of war takes place, exhausting the unwanted population.

The Cure:

Different philosophers have different solutions - here is one by Epictetus (from azquotes.com):

In ŚB 4.11.31 the recommendation for a person on spiritual path is given "Control your anger, for anger is the foremost enemy on the path of spiritual realization". Anger is such that if one increases it, it increases unlimitedly.

Swami Bhaktivedanta Prabhupada reminds us of a short story in this connection about a snake who became a devotee upon instruction by Nārada, who instructed him not to bite anymore. Since ordinarily a snake’s business is to fatally bite other living entities, as a devotee he was forbidden to do so. Unfortunately, people took advantage of this nonviolence on the part of the snake, especially the children, who began to throw stones at him. He did not bite anyone, however, because it was the instruction of his spiritual master. After a while, when the snake met his spiritual master, Nārada, he complained, “I have given up the bad habit of biting innocent living entities, but they are mistreating me by throwing stones at me.” Upon hearing this, Nārada Muni instructed him, “Don’t bite, but do not forget to expand your hood as if you were going to bite. Then they will go away.” 

In the common world, when there is mischief made by others, a devotee should not forget to become angry, at least for the time being, in order to drive away the miscreants.

In ŚB 4.25.24 purport Swami Bhaktivedanta Prabhupada states "Just as karmīs are working hard to satisfy kāma-krodha, a devotee should work in the same way to satisfy Kṛṣṇa. Similarly, krodha (anger) can also be used in the service of Kṛṣṇa when it is applied to the non-devotee demons. Hanumānjī applied his anger in this way. (Photo from picclick.com)

He was a great devotee of Lord Rāmacandra, and he utilized his anger to set fire to the kingdom of Rāvaṇa, a non-devotee demon. Thus kāma (lust) can be utilized to satisfy Kṛṣṇa, and krodha (anger) can be utilized to punish the demons. When both are used for Kṛṣṇa’s service, they lose their material significance and become spiritually important".

If one is a father instructing his sons, a spiritual master instructing his disciples, or a king instructing his citizens, he must instruct them without being angry. One should continue giving spiritual instructions, even if his disciple, son or citizen is sometimes unable to follow his order.

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