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Satsang from Strilky with MM Swami Jasrajpuriji and Swami Gajanandji

Anger is a universal energy that can be transformed, not suppressed. Holding anger is self-poisoning, as shown by a woman whose cancer regressed only after releasing decades of buried fury. Suppression creates dangerous inner tension. The divine energy, prāṇa, is neutral; its manifestation depends on the cakra through which it flows, from destructive force in the lower centers to creative power in the heart. The method is to accept the anger's presence, then seek to understand its background. This process naturally transforms the emotion, often into compassion. From a karmic view, being wronged closes a past account, freeing you, while the wrongdoer begins a new cycle of suffering. The goal is to transform the energy into a higher vibration, using understanding and forgiveness. Ultimately, see those who provoke you as revealing your weaknesses for your growth.

"Accept, understand, and then comes giving. These three words are the essence."

"When the karma of a person comes back very quickly, that is actually a very good sign."

Filming location: Strilky, Czech Republic

This morning, Swāmījī Āśārajpūlījī spoke about how to overcome anger. This is a crucial point, so I would like to add some reflections. Swāmījī has spoken about it often, and how many bhajans do we have? Kāma, krodha, mada, lobha, īrṣā—so many bhajans address these negative qualities. Among them is krodha, anger. Ācārya Purījī already mentioned that it is not a special problem for certain persons, but a general one for everyone. Let us ask shortly: is there anyone who was never angry? The answer is clear. Jasraj, you emphasized an important point: not to lie about it. To understand why this is vital, I will tell you a true story. It happened in Japan about 25 or 30 years ago. An old lady suffered from recurring cancer. She had undergone surgery several times, but it kept returning. The doctors refused another operation, saying, "At your age, you will most probably not survive." She insisted, saying it was her only chance, so they agreed. The day before the surgery, the main doctor took time to speak with her, almost like a priest. She told him her life story. She spoke naturally and relaxed until she reached a point from about 30 years prior. She suddenly became very angry again as she recounted it. She had been wealthy, with a house and servants, and owned pure silver cutlery. One day, it was gone. She was sure a servant had stolen it but never found out who. She was still furious. The doctor said, "But it was so many years ago. That person might not be living anymore. Perhaps you should forgive." This made her even angrier. She screamed, "I would rather die than ever forgive that!" Listen to what she said. The doctor then stood up, took his coat, and walked to the door. Surprised, she asked why he was leaving. He replied, mirroring her words, "You just said, 'I would rather die than ever forgive that.' So what should I do here? I have no job." Only through his reaction did she become aware of what she had held in her heart for thirty years. It was a complete shock and breakdown. She cried uncontrollably, realizing her life's inner concept. Of course, the doctor returned. When she calmed down, they spoke peacefully. For the first time in 30 years, she inwardly released that tension and let go of the inner poison. After she was emotionally settled, the doctor said they would take another X-ray before the scheduled operation. The next morning, the X-ray showed not only that the cancer had receded, but it had regressed to such a stage that surgery was no longer necessary. That is a true story. It does not mean it will always work like that; it depends entirely on our inner psychic process. If it is merely intellectual, hardly anything changes. But for her, it was a real experience. This is an extreme example of how holding on to anger is like keeping poison within, a constant self-poisoning. How do we purify it? The common idea is to suppress it, but that does not work. It is like trying to suppress thoughts during meditation; it only creates accumulating inner tension that one day causes real trouble. The right way is to transform the energy. Let us return to Swāmījī’s teaching: Kuṇḍalinī Yoga and the cakras. Kuṇḍalinī is the divine energy, a form of prāṇa. This prāṇa can manifest in many ways. In the Mūlādhāra Cakra, it can be negative and destructive. In the Svādhiṣṭhāna Cakra, you might create a child with that same energy. In the Maṇipūra Cakra, you might use it for self-confidence or to rule a country. In the Anāhata Cakra, you might use it to write beautiful poems or symphonies. Do you understand? It is about how we use the energy, not about suppressing it—transforming one quality into another, not ignoring it. The first step is to look: "What is there? Oh, there is anger." This means simply accepting your own reality. If you cannot take this step, how will you deal with it? Do not try to ignore it. The next step, as Jasraj Purījī mentioned, is to try to understand. Nothing is without reason. Even a murderer or a rapist has a reason for being that way. Try to understand by looking into the background: how it developed, how it happened. First, apply this to yourself, then perhaps to others. Accept, understand, and then comes giving. These three words are, for me, the essence of Swāmījī’s teaching for at least twenty years. So: accept it, understand it, and give it away. In the very old videos from 1990, '91, '92, Swāmījī repeatedly spoke about this. It means developing an interest: "What is the background?" This is already a good step, because the moment you get angry, an analytical thought arises: "Why? What is the point?" Consider this example: A man goes every morning to a chai shop before work. The woman serving knows him and automatically brings his chai. One morning, she completely ignores him. He does not get his chai. He reminds her mildly, but she hardly notices. Time is passing; he must leave for work. He says more firmly, "I really want my chai now, please bring it." Finally, she understands and brings it. But as she comes close, she slips, and the chai spills all over his shirt. Would you not become angry? It is a typical situation where anger feels like a natural reaction. Now, there are two choices. The normal procedure: become angry, fight, argue. Or, think: "This is a dirty shirt. I cannot go to work; I will be late anyway. But maybe there is a reason for what happened today. Calm down for a moment. There must be a reason. Try to understand." He could say to the woman, "Please, I think you are not in good condition today. Sit down with me for a moment." Immediately, she might start crying and tell him what happened that morning: she found a letter from her husband saying he left her. Now, what about your emotions? Just one additional piece of information, and suddenly everything changes. Your whole situation looks completely different. Just this small step: accept what happens and try to understand. I have another example where I was not the one, but my neighbors discovered something. In the last house where I lived in Hamburg before becoming a Swami, there was an old woman whom none of us liked. She was like anger personified, making trouble with everyone. She had many complaints: people were too loud, did not clean, did not cut the grass, dogs barked. Basically, everyone in the house had trouble with her. One day, some yoga people who were my neighbors took a step I did not. They invited her. Suddenly, it was a completely different situation. She could speak. She explained her life and her person. It turned out this old woman was profoundly lonely. She had no one. She had never learned any way of communicating with people other than through anger. In reality, it was a cry for help that none of us heard, not even me. We were just annoyed that she was an angry person; no one tried to find out the reason. Now, when I tell this, observe your inner feelings. Which feeling is now in your heart? Compassion. You see? That is the point: to transform our qualities. Accept, understand, and then suddenly something really changes inside. This is what happens between the Svādhiṣṭhāna Cakra, the Anāhata Cakra, and the Maṇipūra Cakra. We just have to take this step: accept and try to find out the background. There is another way to transform emotions by applying Swāmījī’s teaching on the law of karma. Suppose someone steals from you or hurts you physically or with words. From a higher point of view, from the law of karma, what does it mean? Events that make us happy are mostly the result of previous karmas we created. Bhajanāndjī lived with me in Hamburg for two years. He had a saying I will never forget. Whenever something really bad happened to him, he said, "How good, one karma less." That is also a point of view. Let us analyze a situation where someone steals from you. Naturally, you get upset and angry at the thief. "How could he?" From a karmic point of view, what does it mean for the thief and for you? For me, it means I have done some karma (which I do not remember now), and the result is coming back. That is what Bhajanāndjī said: "How good, one karma less." The circle is closed. In one of the very first spiritual books I read before coming to Swāmījī, there was an important, interesting sentence: "When the karma of a person comes back very quickly, that is actually a very good sign." What is all our yoga practice about? Mantra, kriyā? It is about purifying our karmas. So when we experience the fruit of a karma, we suffer for a moment, but in reality, it is good because a karmic circle is closed just now. What does it mean for the thief? He is just starting a new karmic circle. He is the one who will suffer in the future. From that point of view, you are the happy one, and he is the unhappy one. Mostly, karma comes back multiplied. He might suffer a lot. If your heart is really open, you might feel, "Oh, this poor fellow, now he will suffer so much." Instead of being angry or hating that person, you might think about how to help him. That is another transformation of our emotions. You cannot remove anger. You should not try to suppress it. But we can transform our emotions. A very important cakra for this is the Viśuddhi Cakra. Here, we can develop a real understanding for the other person. Then, in us, there will be just one thought: "How can I help? What can I give?" One of the most important forms of giving is forgiving. One of the best ways of giving is to forgive—forgiving myself and forgiving others. I think that is the most important point when dealing with anger or any similar quality: we must keep in mind how to transform this energy, which is basically neutral. It is just prāṇa, Kuṇḍalinī, into a higher vibration. Different approaches might be useful in different situations. You are spiritual seekers; others are also spiritual seekers. We are the same. We are children of God. I am a child of God; he is also a child of God. Can you feel, when you speak this way, how your energy rises? You start communicating with the other person on different, higher levels. It comes to the point where you can be thankful even to those who hurt you. We want to find the truth about ourselves. That is what we call self-inquiry meditation. It is not easy because our ego is busy preventing it. We see vices in others but are very good at avoiding seeing them in ourselves. With great anger, he says, "And you are stinking so much from the mouse." Now, finally, you get the message. Now, finally, you can do self-inquiry meditation: "Is this really true, what he says?" So, who is now your real friend? Your enemy. Those who want to hurt you will find your weak points. If we really want to work on ourselves, we will welcome that. Say, "Thank you. I will work on that." You see, from a spiritual point of view, many things suddenly turn around completely. This is just a little more inspiration about anger and transforming anger. Do not be angry. Nirvāṇa hai, hai nirvāṇāre, hai nirvāṇāre, yānī gurujī kā bachana nirvāṇāre, hai nirvāṇāre, He Nibhānāre, He Nibhānāre, Vyānī Gurujīkā Vachana Nibhānāre, Kāma krodha kodurahatabhu, Kāma krodha kodurahatabhu, Kheti sāpakarabhu, Pannakhi kheti sāpakarabhu, Nē madhāraṁ kahaḥ accha vābho, nē madhāraṁ kahaḥ accha vābho. Bījāṁ kaḥ bonāhe prabhu, bījāṁ kaḥ bonāhe. Nībhānāre, nībhānāhe. Satguru jī kā bachana nibhānā hai, hai nibhānā hai, hai nibhānā hai. Gyānīguru jī kā bachana nibhānā hai. Āī hī chāī jāī yaha dho nirappī vana hai. Nibhānā re, nibhānā. Satta Gurujī kā bachana nibhānā hai, nibhānā re, nibhānā. Yānī Gurujī kā bachanā nibhānā hai, raukā bachanā nibhānā hai. Chānā nibhānā dharavā, dharavā yārā. Yārānā ko yārā bāi mērānā hē, bāi mērānā hē. Nibhānā hē, nibhānā sattar gurujī kā bacchanā nibhānā hē. He is Nibbāna, He is Nibbāna,... He is Nibbāna. Thank you for watching. A beautiful bhajan for prayer. Swāmījī always says this bhajan comes in a pair with Sādobāī Ajabaratahamara. Sādobāī Ajabaratahamara talks about what this chance and this body are, how amazing it is, and what a chance we have to do sādhanā. Apply your energy and mind to Bhajan. Join yourself with that mantra and that name of God. Put all your senses to labor and knock down the fortress of delusion. When you knock it down, make a road out of it. There is not much time left, so do it quickly. Then, make a chariot from dharma, from righteousness. Put yourself in it and turn all your energy into the horses that will drag that chariot—your consciousness. Take it quickly and put it on the road. Get moving. The destination is very far, so go as fast as you can. On the way, there are many rivers and distractions. Do not give them any thought; just keep going. With this understanding, you can reach that destination. Without taking action, without putting this into practice, you come back into this saṃsāra. So Maṅgīlālji says: understand this and start. Why delay when you understand what you have, what you can do, and what this human birth is for? Why wait so long to begin? I have one more saying regarding anger. In India, they say there are three types of people. The first, at the most basic level, carve their anger in stone. Those at a medium level write their anger in sand; after some time, the wind will take it away. But what is carved in stone remains for a lifetime. The one who is a yogī, who is actually practicing, writes their anger in water. By the time they finish writing, the start is already fading away. So, let us write our anger in the water when we have to write it. Śrī Dīpnārembā Gwanakījā.

This text is transcribed and grammar corrected by AI. If in doubt what was actually said in the recording, use the transcript to double click the desired cue. This will position the recording in most cases just before the sentence is uttered.

The text contains hyperlinks in bold to three authoritative books on yoga, written by humans, to clarify the context of the lecture:

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