The six great enemies

[Gummuluru Murthy]

Namaste.

We all know that we have to conquer the six great enemies for the
purification of the intellect(buddhi). These six great enemies are:

kAma, krOdha, lObha, mOha, mada, mAtsarya

desire, anger, miserliness, passion, pride, jealousy or envy respectively.

Now, from your experience or knowledge, which of these is easiest to
conquer ? And which of these is the most formidable enemy ? What is the
present thinking of the behaviour scientists (or experts in
psychological science) on this topic ? What causes these great enemies
to have a free reign in some humans ? Any solid reference on this topic ?
As I see it, conquering of these six great enemies is a preliminary step
before the meditation process (AtmavichAra) leads us efficiently to know
what we are.


Regards
Gummuluru Murthy
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Yadaa sarve pramucyante kaamaa ye'sya hr^di shritaah
atha martyo'mr^to bhavatyatra brahma samashnute   Katha Upanishhad II.3.14

When all the desires that dwell in the heart fall away, then the mortal
becomes immortal, and attains Brahman even here.
------------------------------------------------------------------------

>From  Thu Nov 13 09:39:05 1997
Message-Id: <THU.13.NOV.1997.093905.0500.>
Date: Thu, 13 Nov 1997 09:39:05 -0500
Reply-To: chandran at tidalwave.net
To: "Advaita (non-duality) with reverence" <ADVAITA-L at TAMU.EDU>
From: Ram Chandran <chandran at TIDALWAVE.NET>
Organization: none
Subject: The story of my experiments with truth
Comments: To: jaldhar at BRAINCELLS.COM
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Dear Jaldhar:
Namaskar,

Your reply makes me to believe that you have more in-depth knowledge on
Ahimsa than Gandhiji.   You also seem to infer that message of Bhagavad
Gita is to resolve any issue is to fight!  I am sorry to say that you
have lack of understanding of Gandhi, Gita and Ahimsa. I have nothing
pleasant to add to your comments on the Swaminaryan movement.  By the
way, the title Mahatma means Maha Atman or Brahman!  People like me do
believe that Gandhiji not only experimented with TRUTH but also realized
the TRUTH! He may not qualify in your school of thought but it does not
matter to me and others who respects his principles in life.
  First, Gandhiji is a more reliable interpreter of the Gita than either
YOU or me.  Second, Gita is subtle and the message is not about fighting
the war but about doing "Karma Yoga."  The reference to war is to
illustrate that "Action is inevitable" even under a worst case
scenario.  Third, people with good understanding of Ahimsa would refrain
from insulting others directly and indirectly.
   Let me state a quotation (a tribute to Gita)  from Gandhiji:  "I find
a solace in the Bhagavad Gita that I miss even in the Sermon on the
Mount. When disappointment stares me in the face and all alone, I see no
one ray of light, I go back to the Bhagavad Gita. I find a verse here
and a verse there and I immediately begin to smile in the midst of
overwhelming tragedies - and
my life has been full of external tragedies - and if they have left no
visible, no indelible scar on me,  I owe it all the teachings of the
Bhagavad Gita." M. K. Gandhi, young India (1925), pp. 1078-79."
   This quotation from Gandhiji describes the Gita Ideal: "I am a
devotee of the Gita and a firm believer in the inexorable law of karma.
Even the least little tripping or stumbling is not without its cause and
I have wondered why one who has tried to follow the Gita in thought,
word and deed should have any ailment.  The doctors have assured me that
this trouble of high blood- pressure is entirely the result of mental
strain and worry. If that is true, it is likely that I have been
unnecessarily worrying myself, unnecessarily fretting and secretly
harboring passions like anger, lust, etc. The fact that any event or
incident should disturb my serious efforts, means not that the Gita
Ideal is defective but that my devotion to its defective. The Gita Ideal
is true for all time,  my understanding of it and observance of it is
full of flaws."  Harijan, 29 February 1936.
("What is Hinduism?" Mahatma Gandhi, National Book Trust of India, page,
95).
   Gandhiji knew how to deal with the British Colonial Power better than
any of us! There at least two types of wars.  We can fight a war of
weapons to destroy people and their property. Alternatively, fighting a
MORAL WAR with the least destruction in people and property is
possible.  Gandhiji conducted a psychological war with the British!
Gandhiji had high moral values and he believed that Indians can win over
the British on the Moral Battle Ground!  Those who follow Ahimsa will
willingly take all the insults and physical injuries and inflict Moral
wounds on the enemy!  Gandhiji was quite right and was successful in
fighting the moral war using the Ahimsa weapon!!
   I am ashamed to hear read the statement,  "he (Gandhiji) was not
particularly learned in religious matters."  Why can't we refrain from
assaulting the father our nation, Mahatma Gandhi with ruthless and
baseless accusations?   The following passage is extracted from
article:168067 of soc.culture.indian, Organization: Penn State
University, Date: Tue, 1 Mar 1994 10:07:24 EST, From: Dinesh Agrawal.
This passage will illustrate the depth of Gandhiji's knowledge on
religions.

On January 2, 1937 a Professor of Philosophy from Poland, Krzenski came
to see Gandhiji. Krzanski told Gandhiji that Catholicism was the only
true religion.

Krzenski: But I have studied all religions and have found that mine is
the only true religion.

Gandhiji: But so have others studied other religions. What about them?
Well, I go further and tell you that religion is one and it has several
branches which are all equal.

Krzenski: I accept that no religion lacks divine inspiration but all
have not the same truth, because all have not the same light.

Gandhiji: It is an essentially untrue position to take, for a seeker
after
truth, that he alone is in absolute possession of truth. What is
happening to the poor astronomers today? They are changing their
position every day, and there are scientists who impeach even Einstein's
latest theory.

Krzenski: No. But I have examined the arguments in favor of other
religions.

Gandhiji: But it is an intellectual examination. You require different
scales to weigh spiritual truth. Either we are all untrue - quite a
logical position to take - but, since truth does not come out of
untruth, it is better to say that we all have truth but not the complete
truth.  For God reveals His truth to instruments that are imperfect.
Raindrops of
purest distilled water become diluted or polluted as soon as they come
in
contact with mother earth.

My submission is that your position is arrogant. But I suggest to you a
better position. Accept all religions as equal, for all have the same
root and the same laws of growth.

Krzenski: It is necessary to examine every religion philosophically and
find out which is more harmonious, more perfect.

Gandhiji: Not enough. I had that feeling myself one day, but I found
that it was not enough. Unless I accept the position that all religions
are equal, and I have as much regard for other religions as I have for
my own, I would not be able to live in the boiling war around me. Any
make-believe combination of spiritual forces is doomed to failure if
this fundamental position is not accepted. I read and get all my
inspiration from the Gita.  But I also read the Bible and the Koran to
enrich my own religion. I incorporate all that is good in other
religions.

With regards and love,
Ram Chandran



"Jaldhar H. Vyas" <jaldhar at BRAINCELLS.COM> wrote:

> Gandhiji was great in many ways but unfortunately is unreliable
> as an interpreter of the Gita.
> First of all, how can anyone derive a philosophy of ahimsa from
> the Gita which takes place at the beginning of a huge and bloody
> war?  A war which Arjuna actually tries to avoid.  He makes the
> ahimsak arguments, arguments which Krishna Bhagawan decisively
> rejects.  Gandhiji may have projected his ideas onto the Gita but it's
> more likely he got them from Jainism which is quite strong in Gujarat.
> In fact in his caste, Jains and Vaishnavas intermarry.  In his
> autobiography he also mentions the Jain thinker Raichand (Rajchandra)
>  as being one of his influences.
> Secondly, even by the standards of a typical Gujarati
> Vania of those days, he was not particularly learned in
> religious matters.  He was raised in the Pushti Marg
> (the Vaishnava sampradaya founded by Vallabh.  their
> philosophy is called Shuddhadvaita Vedanta.) But it is not
> apparent from his writings that he had more than a nodding
> aquaintenance with its philosophy.

> Sounds like you've been reading some Swaminarayan propoganda.
> I'm sure it's read lovingly by the members of that sect but hardly
> Gujaratis in general.