Anger and Its Forms

Divine Life Society Publication: Conquest of Anger by Sri Swami Sivananda

Anger is a negative Vritti or whirlpool in the mind-lake. It is born of ignorance.

It is a strong emotion, excited by a real or fancied injury and involving a desire for retaliation.

Anger is the natural passion or emotion of displeasure and antagonism aroused by injury or insult, real or imagined, and directed against the cause thereof. Anger arises from an idea of evil having been inflicted or threatened.

Anger is often accompanied by a desire to take vengeance, or to obtain satisfaction from the offending party.

It begins in folly and ends in repentance.

There fire you kindle for your enemy burns yourself.

When anger arises, think of the consequences. It will soon subside.

You think of objects of senses. Attachment to these objects develops. From attachment desire is born. From desire anger comes forth. From anger proceeds delusion; from delusion confused memory; from confused memory the destruction of reason; from destruction of reason you perish.

Raga or attachment is a long-standing associate of anger.

Control anger through patience, enquiry, self-restrained love and meditation. This is manly and divine. This is wise and glorious.

To become angry for trifling things is mean childish and brutal.

An angry man is angry with himself when he comes to his senses.

Anger is personal and usually selfish, aroused by real or supposed wrong to oneself.

Indignation is impersonal and unselfish displeasure at unworthy acts. Pure indignation is not followed by regret and needs no repentance. It is also more self-controlled than anger. Anger is

commonly a sin. Indignation is often a duty. We speak of “righteous” indignation.

Raga drives one beyond the bounds of prudence of discretion. Fury is stronger and sweeps one away into uncontrollable violence.

Wrath is deep and vengeful displeasure. It simply expresses the culmination of righteous indignation without malice in a pure being.

Anger is a stronger term than resentment, but not so strong as “indignation” which is awakened by what is flagitious in character or conduct, nor as wrath, fury, rage in which anger is wrought up to a still higher point in the order of these words. Anger is a sudden sentiment of displeasure, resentment is a continued anger, wrath is a heightened sentiment of anger.

Excerpts from: Anger and Its Forms - Conquest of Anger by Sri Swami Sivananda