The Hindu : Human beings must control anger

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Monday, Aug 05, 2002

Miscellaneous

Miscellaneous - Religion

Human beings must control anger

CHENNAI AUG. 5. While repeated references are contained in our sacred literature about the transient nature of human existence, one saint has pinpointed that whether a king or a citizen, rich or poor, his absolute, minimal and dire needs to thrive are one or two morsels of food to satisfy his hunger and two pieces of cloth to cover his body. God has bestowed on some much more than these necessities. Those who are thus blessed should therefore spare whatever they can in excess of their wants, to the distressed, says Thiruvalluvar. Another famed scholar-poet, who headed a panel of distinguished men of letters to certify the merit of a Tamil work, had himself contributed a rare treatise on "anger", one of the enemies of a man, ready to ruin him. He was Keeran, also known as Nakkeeran, who challenged even a verse of God, not for its composition but for its contents. He had sung about six major temples, dedicated to Lord Subramania, based on the six spiritual nerve centres of the human body, which he had described as a "temple of God".

The first classification of anger reminds us of the benefit that arises out of it, shown on occasions. God's "rage" for the act of Kannappar resulted in his witnessing His vision. It was a test given to a devotee. In the second type the same was displayed to extend grace and could even be justified as in the case of Ahalya, who was cursed but was able to worship Lord Rama. In the third, such an act is indeed non-ethical and may even be vindictive as was shown by Viswamitra towards Harischandra, and the Kauravas towards the Pandavas. The last is anger, in-born in some, and very harmful as in the case of Durvasa and Sukracharya. To control this, though an extremely tough exercise, as prescribed in a work, one has to do penance and meditate on the Almighty. A man who loses his temper will experience hell here itself while one who subdues it by the two methods suggested, will feel peace within, and he will be virtually in heaven while living here, said Sri Ma. Ki. Ramanan, in a lecture. But Nakkeerar, who thus expounded the nature of a man's ire, himself lost control once when he heard a potter speak demeaningly about Tamil, that other languages are better than it. A curse, in the form of a song by the poet, caused the potter's death, but when reminded that this was against his motto viz. "fatal rage burns the safety raft of sympathetic kinsmen", he realised his mistake and revived him.

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Human beings must control anger

dated August 5, 1952: India and Japan

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