July 26, 2013
On my recent flight from Singapore to Mumbai, I saw Carnage, a movie starring Jodie Foster and Kate Winslet. I was blown away by this contemporary reflection on anger and the destructive power of speech.
The movie is set in the background of a playground fight between two 11-year old boys. Zachary beat up Ethan with a hockey stick and broke two of his teeth. The boys' parents meet in a nice New York apartment to discuss how they should handle it like civilised parents. This clip provides the context while this tells you where these sophisticated New York parents got to. That is by no means the end of the argument.
I can't count the number of times, when prompted by anger, I have said things, unintentionally revealing my ugly side. क्रोध (krodha), anger and its impact, is well laid out in verse 2-63.
क्रोधाद्भवति सम्मोहः सम्मोहात्स्मृतिविभ्रमः |
स्मृतिभ्रंशाद् बुद्धिनाशो बुद्धिनाशात्प्रणश्यति ||२-६३||
krodhaadbhavati sammohaH sammohaatsmR^itivibhramaH .
smR^itibhra.nshaad.h buddhinaasho buddhinaashaatpraNashyati .. 2-63..
From anger comes "delusion" ; from delusion the "loss of memory" ; from the loss of memory the "destruction of discrimination" ; from the destruction of discrimination, he "perishes."
When the "destruction of discrimination" happens, we lose control of our tongue (power of speech) and it is all downhill from there. Such loss of control is also referred to when the Geeta talks about the अयुक्त पुरुष (ayukta-purusha), the disintegrated personality. In describing such an individual, Pujya Gurudev Swami Chinmayanandaji says in his Holy Geeta commentary on 18-28:
Hari Om and Namaskaar until the next post
On my recent flight from Singapore to Mumbai, I saw Carnage, a movie starring Jodie Foster and Kate Winslet. I was blown away by this contemporary reflection on anger and the destructive power of speech.
The movie is set in the background of a playground fight between two 11-year old boys. Zachary beat up Ethan with a hockey stick and broke two of his teeth. The boys' parents meet in a nice New York apartment to discuss how they should handle it like civilised parents. This clip provides the context while this tells you where these sophisticated New York parents got to. That is by no means the end of the argument.
I can't count the number of times, when prompted by anger, I have said things, unintentionally revealing my ugly side. क्रोध (krodha), anger and its impact, is well laid out in verse 2-63.
क्रोधाद्भवति सम्मोहः सम्मोहात्स्मृतिविभ्रमः |
स्मृतिभ्रंशाद् बुद्धिनाशो बुद्धिनाशात्प्रणश्यति ||२-६३||
krodhaadbhavati sammohaH sammohaatsmR^itivibhramaH .
smR^itibhra.nshaad.h buddhinaasho buddhinaashaatpraNashyati .. 2-63..
From anger comes "delusion" ; from delusion the "loss of memory" ; from the loss of memory the "destruction of discrimination" ; from the destruction of discrimination, he "perishes."
When the "destruction of discrimination" happens, we lose control of our tongue (power of speech) and it is all downhill from there. Such loss of control is also referred to when the Geeta talks about the अयुक्त पुरुष (ayukta-purusha), the disintegrated personality. In describing such an individual, Pujya Gurudev Swami Chinmayanandaji says in his Holy Geeta commentary on 18-28:
A "doer" who has no control over himself, and therefore, is ever unsteady in his application, is of the Tamasic type. He becomes unbalanced in his activities, because his mind does not obey the warnings of his intellect.
He is Ayuktah who behaves with no control over his own animal impulses and low instincts. When such an individual acts in the world, he cannot but behave as a vulgar man (praakritaः - प्राकृत:).If shown an intellectual mirror, he will never admit the reflected vulgarities as his own, nor will he acknowledge his way of living as base and licentious. He is arrogant and obstinate (Stabdhah) and in his stubborn nature he will not lend himself to be persuaded to act more honourably.
Hari Om and Namaskaar until the next post
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