The Nectar of Gita…for you, me and all! Essay 8: The Six Thieves that destroy happiness from within!

Om Namo Bhagavathe Vaasudevaayaa!

Essay 8:            

The Six Thieves that destroy happiness from within!

It is not uncommon for most of us to be unhappy for some reason or the other both in personal and work life situations. The reason could be anything…. not able to get a physical possession of our choice, or get a hike at work, or not having a choice of boss or subordinates, etc. The unhappiness becomes more pronounced, if our neighbor or colleague, another family member or a friend appears to be more successful in this regard.

In such times, we generally try to look around for finding the source causing such unhappiness and often times, we may even be successful in pinning the blame on someone around us. But do we ever care to look inside us for seeking out the real cause for such unhappiness? While the unhappiness is a feeling within us, we look for the culprit outside of us. strange but true. Isn’t it?

So, let me introduce you to the 6 Thieves, that lurk within all of us and take every opportunity to mislead us into doing actions detrimental to our well-being. This path surely leads us to despair, dejection and unhappiness. Only a well aware person knowing their existence could consciously work towards not falling prey for their fatal attraction and lead a life of all round happiness. So, let us start by knowing them.

The 6 Thieves:

These are called ‘thieves’ because they sneak into us and work from within, without we being even aware and steal our happiness; just like an ordinary thief sneaking into a house and getting away with our prized possessions. These are namely;

1 Desire (Kama):

This starts as a seed and grows very fast and envelopes us in its fatal charm. In its worst form it becomes lust. It destroys our reason and our only intention and effort would be to satisfy this desire by going for that object. For instance, our neighbor buys a car and we would like to go for similar or a better one. Even if our financial position does not permit us, we may be tempted to go for it by taking personal or an EMI loan. If the finances do not cope with, this may end in a disaster leading to unmitigated happiness. While our unreasonable desire was the culprit, we try to find fault with the car financier or our job for not affording us enough incomes.

2. Rage or Anger (Krodha):

When our desire for car ends up in a financial disaster, our unhappiness pushes us into a fit of rage or anger against people, who we mistakenly think to be the cause for such a situation. Anger kills reason and prompts us into doing some more disastrous actions.

3 Greed (Lobha):

“Greed gets grief” is an old saying. A healthy, legitimate and controlled desire for something is welcome, but greed for something lands one into grief. We get to see the stories of many public servants, politicians, Industrialists, etc.…in their greed for amassing wealth, power and control, they resorted to unethical means that finally landed them into disrepute and grief. So, it becomes necessary for each one of us to draw a line between desire and greed and act with discrimination.

4. Attachment (Moha):

We often get attached to people, places and physical possessions. While a general liking is desirable, unreasonable attachment may lead to grief when one is forced to get separated from it. It could be our undue attachment to a place, a position, some people or our material possessions. When the time comes for separation, we will be grief-stricken. So, it is always wise to be aware of this fact and be prepared for it mentally. It saves us from a lot of grief subsequently.

5. False Pride/Ego (Mada):

While it is a good thing to be proud of our endowments, false pride or ego stands in between us and people and destroys human relationships. So, respect for others as we respect ourselves is the key to sustaining happy relationships. One who is aware of this and puts it into practice will always be in state of happiness.

6. jealousy (Matsarya):

Jealousy like cancer grows silently and kills our happiness. One who is always jealous of others progress and well-being, can never be happy. Jealousy is the root cause for prompting us to do undesirable things for destroying the peace of others. One who is aware that jealousy destroys oneself more than the other, will never be jealous of others.

Gita calls these six as ‘Arishadvargas’ and exhorts sadhakas to be aware of these 6 internal enemies and through conscious spiritual practices overcome these for an enlightened living full of bliss and happiness. Overcoming these will make one lead a happy and contented life at home and also at work.

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