MONDAY MUSINGS SEASON 2 - EPISODE 339
10th November 2025
Scientific analysis of anger
We have seen that attachment to sense objects is the root cause of downfall. Attachment leads to Anger or Greed and Anger leads to downfall.
Anger leads to clouding of judgment, which results in bewilderment of memory. When memory is bewildered, the intellect gets destroyed; and when the intellect is destroyed, one is ruined. (Bhagavad Gita 2.63)
Anger -> Delusion -> Loss of memory -> loss of intelligence -> Ruin
The frustration of desire gives rise to anger. Anger is like potent alcohol. The human being is transformed into a wild animal, deprived of a piece of flesh when hungry. He/She behaves like possessed by an evil spirit. It is said here that delusion (sammoha) overpowers anger (Krodha).
Delusion causes loss of memory. The deluded man, fired with anger, forgets the people he is dealing with. For the time being, He / She forgets the status of the other party, the honour of the father, the reverence for the Guru, and the affection for the friend. This is a loss of memory (smritivibramah) of one’s Self. So long as a man holds on to the Self, anger cannot overpower him. But the moment that memory of his true Self is lost, man becomes a beast.
From the loss of memory, the discrimination of right and wrong is lost. By the destruction of the grinding intellect, man perishes.
The sequence described in the verse (anger → delusion → memory loss → loss of intelligence → ruin) maps well to modern neurobiological understandings of emotional regulation and cognitive function. How?
The Spark: Anger and the Brain
The process of downfall starts with a tightening in the chest, a rush of heat, and a narrowing of focus. Neuroscience has a name for this moment: the #AmygdalaHijack.
The amygdala is our brain’s threat detector. When it senses danger—or even the possibility of disrespect or frustration—it takes over. Stress hormones like adrenaline and cortisol flood the system. The body gets prepared to fight.
This stage is called krodhaḥ (anger). Modern science calls it #SurvivalCircuitry. Either way, it feels the same: sharp, reactive, and fast.
Delusion: When Clarity Fades
In the next stage, anger leads to judgment clouding. We see everything through the lens of threat.
The Gita calls this sammohaḥ (delusion). Neuroscience explains it as the #PrefrontalCortex shutting down. This is the part of the brain responsible for reasoning, planning, and perspective. When the amygdala is in charge, logic takes a back seat.
Memory Loss: Forgetting Self
The most subtle part comes next, ie ‘forgetting self’
The Gita names this smṛti-vibhramaḥ (loss of memory). Neuroscience points to the #hippocampus, which weakens under stress, making it harder to recall past learnings or access self-regulation tools.
Collapse of Intelligence: The Danger Zone
By this point, intelligence—the ability to discriminate wisely—collapses.
The Gita calls this buddhi-nāśaḥ (destruction of intelligence). Neuroscience describes it as the breakdown of executive function. With judgment gone and memory offline, only impulse remains. This is the danger zone. One rash word, one reckless choice, and relationships or peace can be damaged in an instant.
The Turning Point at this stage is a Simple Pause. Pause ensures oxygen flow to prefrontal cortex and calms down amygdala. Memory returns back and rational and logical intelligence is restored.
Ancient Wisdom, Modern Science
It is fascinating to note that the Gita and neuroscience mirror each other. Both give the answer to prevent the downfall which is to BREAK THE CYCLE somewhere.
· Gita: Anger → Delusion → Memory Loss → Destruction of Intelligence → Downfall
· Neuroscience: Amygdala Hijack → Prefrontal Cortex Shutdown → Hippocampal Dysfunction → Executive Collapse → Reactive Damage
Different languages. Same truth. Both point to one critical fact: the downfall doesn’t start outside—it starts inside, with a single unchecked spark of anger.
Freedom is not in avoiding anger altogether—it’s in mastering the first step.
Try a straightforward intervention when you get angry: a single deep breath, a pause, or even stepping back. Notice how it changes what comes next. Because once the chain begins, it’s much harder to stop. But if you interrupt it at the start, you reclaim your freedom.
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#PositiveNewsPage
Adapted from newindianexpress.com
Library on the go
Kumizhmunai J Simon Aravinth Singh, a former network engineer at Chennai, was looking forward to the break, not a promotion, but a purpose in his life. On a fine day in 2016, he found himself piling his belongings into a carton to leave for good.
The former techie chose to trade the predictable paycheck and life behind the screen to build a sanctuary of wisdom; a bike library, envisioned to be as big as the one Dr BR Ambedkar had, but not limited by location, resources or status. Today, he has a collection of over 2,000 books at home. Simon’s bike library sets up shop every day on Palayamkottai Road in Thoothukudi town, in front of the city corporation’s planetarium.
A novel initiative, the library on a bike has books hung on twines, supported by rods, and readers perched along footpaths. School children, college students, part-time workers and employees flock to Simon’s bike library as the clock strikes 8 in the evening.
“Reading under the sodium lamp, as the sea breeze gently slides by, is refreshing and helps me forget the day’s stress,” said Godwin, a regular reader.
The mobile library has three sections: the first for children’s books, the second for books by emerging writers, and the third for books published by Kumizhmunai, Simon’s publishing house.
Simon said that he has been an ardent reader since Class 8. His passion for reading has fuelled him to encourage youth to read and write books, pen poems, and craft other literary works.
After reaching Thoothukudi, Simon began writing a novel. He also taught networking and software programming classes at computer centres to look after his family. From then on, the world of books had become mainstream for him, while work took a back seat.
To encourage youth readership, he launched the bike library in April 2024. “I converted my father’s TVS moped into a library to honour him,” Simon said. “Slowly the bike library started to attract readers, where children and youth would pick up their books of interest, and squat on the footpath and read under the lamp.”
This phenomenon slowly grew into a readers’ circle, which now hosts a daily poetry contest, monthly discussions of inspirational poems, essays, and short stories, and frequent book critique sessions. Other competitions include book-reading programmes in which one must complete three books in a month and summarise them to win a box full of books.
Simon’s frequent visits to book fairs made him realise that books by emerging writers receive little attention, and many young authors find it daunting to get their works published. He also observed that book fairs often fail to showcase the right kind of children’s books. This realisation inspired the avid reader to launch Kumizhmunai Publications in April 2024, focusing on children’s literature and young writers. Since its inception, Kumizhmunai has published 40 books. Simon only takes only a small profit and offers full royalties to the author, he added.
As the bike library welcomes a growing number of visitors, Simon is exploring an expansion of a similar model to Erode and Thanjavur shortly.
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Conceived, compiled and posted as a motivational weekly newsletter #MondayMusings every monday by Jaganathan T (www.authorjaganathan.com)
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