T Ram Sewak

KAAM KRODH LOBH

Kakabhushundiji continues to elaborate on Garuda's seventh question in Shri Ramcharitmanas 7.121. He states:

kaam apara, krodh .. jara

preeti bhai upajai dukhdai

"Desire (kaam) is like the wind (vata); greed (lobh) corresponds to an excess of phlegm (kapha); while anger (krodh) represents bile (pitta), which constantly burns the chest. Should all three combine, the result is akin to the dangerous and painful fever."

Kakabhushundiji expounds a profound metaphor that compares the three afflictions of the mindkaam, krodh, and lobh to the three doshas in Ayurveda (physiological disorders)vata, pitta, and kapha. Just as imbalances in any of these can cause bodily disease, similarly, an increase in any of these three mental afflictions disrupts your inner serenity. Sadly, a fusion of all three (kaam, krodh, and lobh) causes chaos in a person's spiritual journey.

This directly reflects Gita 16.21, where Shri Krishna affirms that kaam, krodh, and lobh are gateways to hell, destructive of the self, and therefore, one should forsake these three. Anger and greed are natural outcomes of desire. When a desire is fulfilled, it leads to greed. It is that sense of dissatisfaction that constantly follows and poisons the sense of satisfaction that has been achieved. Conversely, if the desire remains unfulfilled or throttled, it breeds anger. Both indicate dissatisfaction and induce delirium.

Furthermore, hell is not a physical place; it is a state of mind that leads to the destruction of the Self. Shri Krishna proclaims in Gita 6.5 that you alone are your friend and you alone are your enemy. When the mind is filled with kaam, krodh, and lobh, your mind becomes your enemy. These three, whether individually or combined, lead to that hellish state of mind, which disrupts your inner being and obstructs your spiritual progress, just as the three doshas harm the body both individually and together.

The panacea is desireless action and surrender

to HIS will! / DAILY WORLD /

The author is a former electrical Engineer and resides in the Himalayas. He can be occasionally reached at ramam.namami@gmail.com