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{{Short description|Important virtue in Indian philosophy and Hindu ethics}}
{{Hinduism}}
'''{{transliteration|sa|Akrodha}}''' ([[Sanskrit]]: {{lang|sa|अक्रोध}}) literally means "free from anger".<ref name=apte/> It's an important virtue in [[Indian philosophy]] and [[Hindu ethics]].<ref>{{cite book | last1=Mohapatra | first1=Amulya | last2=Mohapatra | first2=Bijaya | title=Hinduism: Analytical Study | publisher=Mittal Publications | year=1993 | isbn=978-81-7099-388-9 | page=40}}</ref>

==Etymology==
{{transliteration|sa|Akrodha}} is a fusion word between the Sanskrit prefix {{transliteration|sa|a}} ([[Sanskrit]]: {{lang|sa|अ}}; "without", "non") and the term {{transliteration|sa|krodha}} ([[Sanskrit]]: {{lang|sa|क्रोध}}; "anger"),<ref>{{cite web|title=krodha|website=Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary|url=https://sanskrit-english.net/hk/deva/krodha}}</ref> meaning "without anger".

A related word is {{transliteration|sa|akrodhah}} ([[Sanskrit]]: {{lang|sa|अक्रोध}}), which also means "absence of anger".<ref name=apte>{{cite web|title=akrodhah|website=Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary|url=https://sanskrit-english.net/hk/deva/akrodha}}</ref>

==Discussion==
{{transliteration|sa|Akrodha}} is considered a virtue and desirable ethical value in [[Hinduism]]. When there is cause of anger but nevertheless there is absence of [[anger]], this is non-anger or {{transliteration|sa|akrodha}}.<ref>{{cite book|title=Integrated Development Plan for India|first=Shanti Swarup|last= Gupta|author-link=Shanti Swarup Gupta (economist)|year=1992|publisher=Concept Publishing|page=72|isbn=9788170224112|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=UY7vr_CF_WcC&q=Akrodha&pg=PA72}}</ref> Absence of anger ({{transliteration|sa|akrodha}}) means being calm even when insulted or rebuked, or despite great provocation. {{transliteration|sa|Akrodha}} does not mean absence of ''causes'' of anger, it means not getting angry and keeping an even, calm temper despite the circumstances.<ref>{{cite book|title=Bhagavad Gita|translator-first=Dharmdeo|translator-last=Singh|publisher=Llumina Press|page=69|isbn=9781605948775|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=eixNr74-MggC&q=Akrodha&pg=PT69}}</ref>

{{transliteration|sa|Krodha}} ("anger") is excessive mental turmoil on account of obstacles interfering with the gratification of some desire; it is manifestation of the quality of {{transliteration|sa|[[Tamas (philosophy)|tamas]]}} (dark, negative, destructive), an undesirable psychological state.<ref>{{cite book|title=Shrimad Bhagavad Gita|first=Pushpa|last=Anand|year=2000|publisher=Arpana publications|pages=874–875|isbn=9788186338322|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=rl8pAAAAYAAJ&q=Akrodha}}</ref> The opposite of {{transliteration|sa|krodha}} is {{transliteration|sa|akrodha}}: a productive, positive, and constructive state.

{{clarify|text=Bhawuk|reason=who is Bhawuk and why are they an authority?|date=July 2023}} states that {{transliteration|sa|akrodha}} is necessary for peace and happiness, which is a state of contentment ({{transliteration|sa|santustah}}) where there is absence of spite or envy ({{transliteration|sa|advestah}}), absence of anger ({{transliteration|sa|akrodhah}}), and absence of violence ({{transliteration|sa|[[ahimsa]]}}).<ref>{{cite book | last=Bhawuk | first=Dharm | title=Spirituality and Indian Psychology | publisher=Springer | year=2011 | isbn=978-1-4419-8109-7 | page=138}}</ref> {{transliteration|sa|[[Dharma]]}} relies on {{transliteration|sa|akrodha}}, because it creates an environment of serenity, a rational principle of life, and because it is a moral virtue inspired by love.<ref>{{cite book|title=Hinduism: Analytical Study|first=Amulya|last= Mohapatra|year=1993|publisher=Mittal Publications|pages=40–41|isbn=9788170993889|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=vpiU9m7T_tQC&q=Akrodha&pg=PA40}}</ref>

==Literature==
According to [[Vedic]] sages, when work becomes akin to a {{transliteration|sa|[[yajna]]}} (a worship ceremony), the effect of that work is transformed into {{transliteration|sa|[[apurva]]}}, that is, it becomes something unique, unprecedented, and empowering. In contrast, anger clouds reason, which results in the loss of discrimination between right and wrong and virtue and vice. When the discriminating faculty is ruined, the person loses self-identity and the inner good perishes. With freedom from anger, a person reaches an {{transliteration|sa|apurva}} state.<ref>{{cite book|title=The Hindu Mind|author=Bansi Pandit|year=2001|publisher=New Age Books|page=142|isbn=9788178220079|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=XA9zEw93KXEC&q=Akrodha&pg=PA142}}</ref>

===The Upanishads===
The ''[[Naradaparivrajaka Upanishad]]'' states the nature of {{transliteration|sa|akrodha}} for a person who seeks self-knowledge and liberation ({{transliteration|sa|[[Moksha|kaivalya]]}}) as follows:

{{quote|All cruel words should be endured. None should be treated with disrespect. No anger should be directed in turn towards one who is angry. Only soft words should be spoken, even when violently pulled by another.|[[Narada Parivrajaka Upanishad]], Atharva Veda|<ref>{{cite book | translator-last= Aiyar | translator-first=K. Narayanaswami | title=Thirty Minor Upanishads | publisher=Annie Besant at the V̇asanṭā Press | publication-place=Madras | year=1914 | oclc=23013613| pages=138–140}}</ref>}}

{{transliteration|sa|Akrodha}}, states {{clarify|text=Manickam|reason=who is Manickam and why are they an authority?|date=July 2023}},<ref name=lssm>{{cite book|first=L. Sam S.|last=Manickam|chapter-url=http://www.indigenouspsych.org/Interest%20Group/Manickam/Y-5f-Sam.pdf|chapter=Sahya: The Concept in Indian Philosophical Psychology and Its Contemporary Relevance| editor-last=Joshi | editor-first=Kireet | editor-last2=Cornelissen | editor-first2=Matthijs | title=Consciousness, Indian Psychology, and Yoga | publisher=Project of History of Indian Science, Philosophy and Culture | publication-place=New Delhi | year=2004 | isbn=978-81-87586-17-3 | oclc=466687885|pages=426–435}}</ref> is related to the concept {{transliteration|sa|sahya}} (Sanskrit: {{lang|sa|सह्य}}) in the [[Upanishads]]. {{transliteration|sa|Sahya}} means, depending on the context, "to bear", "endure", "suffer", and "put up with".<ref name=lssm/> {{transliteration|sa|Sahya}} is considered an ethical value in Hinduism, not out of {{clarify|text=weakness to react|date=July 2023}}, but for the cause of the [[Brahman|Ultimate Truth]]. It is the attribute by which a person willingly bears what is unpleasant in order to "win over" the opponent or whatever is offensive, in the pursuit of holding on to Truth, in order to achieve oneness with {{transliteration|sa|Brahman}}, the Ultimate Truth. This endurance, this striving to overcome the adversaries through {{transliteration|sa|akrodha}} and {{transliteration|sa|ahimsa}}, is the constructive way to pursue Truth.<ref name=lssm/>

===The Epics===
The Hindu epic ''[[Mahabharata]]'' repeatedly emphasizes the virtue of {{transliteration|sa|akrodha}}. For example, in ''[[Adi Parva]]'', it states:<ref name=mndap/>

{{quote|If wronged, you should not wrong in return. One's anger, if not subdued, burns one's own self; if subdued, it procures the virtues of the doers of good acts. You should never give pain to others by cruel words. Never defeat your enemies by despicable means. Never utter sinful and burning words as may give pain to others.|The Mahabharata, Adi Parva, Chapter LXXXVII, verses 7–8|<ref name=mndap>{{cite book|translator-first=M.N.|translator-last=Dutt| url=https://archive.org/stream/aproseenglishtr00duttgoog |title=The Mahabharata|chapter=Sambhava Parva LXXXVII|date=1895 |page=[https://archive.org/details/aproseenglishtr00duttgoog/page/n140/mode/1up?view=theater 129]|publisher=Calcutta, Printed by H.C. Dass }}</ref>}}

In ''[[Vana Parva]]'', the ''Mahabharata'' states:<ref name=mndap2/>

{{quote|Anger is in this world, the root of the destruction of mankind. The angry man commits a sin; the angry man murders his preceptor; the angry man insults with harsh words. The angry man cannot distinguish what should be and should not be said by him; there is nothing which cannot be said or done by an angry man. From anger, a man may kill one who should not be killed and adore one that should be slain; an angry man may even despatch his own self to the abode of [[Yama]]. Beholding these evils, anger must be conquered.|The Mahabharata, Vana Parva, Chapter XXIX, verses 3–7|<ref name=mndap2>{{cite book|translator-first=M.N.|translator-last=Dutt| url=https://archive.org/stream/aproseenglishtr00duttgoog |title=The Mahabharata|chapter=Arjunabhigamana Parva XXIX|date=1895 |page=[https://archive.org/details/aproseenglishtr00duttgoog/page/n488/mode/1up?view=theater 41]|publisher=Calcutta, Printed by H.C. Dass }}</ref>}}

In ''[[Shanti Parva]]'', the ''Mahabharata'' states:<ref name=mndap3/>

{{quote|That [[Yogin]] who is freed from attachment and pride, who transcends all pairs of opposites such as pleasure and pain, who never gives way to '''wrath''' or hate, who never speaks an untruth, who though slandered or struck still shows friendship for the slanderer or the striker, who never thinks of doing ill to others, who restrains these three, viz. speech, acts and mind, and who behaves uniformly towards all creatures, succeeds in approaching [[Brahman]] (true self).|The Mahabharata, Shanti Parva, Chapter CCXXXVI|<ref name=mndap3>
{{cite book|translator-first=M.N.|translator-last=Dutt| url=https://archive.org/details/mahabharataofkri07royp |title=The Mahabharata|chapter=Canti Parva CCXXXVI|page=[https://archive.org/details/mahabharataofkri07royp/page/260/mode/1up?view=theater 260]}}</ref>}}

The ''[[Bhagavad Gita]]'' (Slokas XVI.1–3), in the ''Mahabharata'', gives a list of twenty-six divine attributes beginning with {{transliteration|sa|abhayam}} ("fearlessness") and {{transliteration|sa|sattva sansuddhih}} ("purity of mind"), ending with {{transliteration|sa|adroha}} ("bearing enmity to none") and {{transliteration|sa|naatimaanita}} ("absence of arrogance"), and including {{transliteration|sa|akrodha}}:<ref>{{cite book|title=Srimadbhagavadgita Tattvavivecani|first=Jayadayal|last= Goyandaka|year=2013|publisher=Gita Press|location=Gorakhpur|pages=621–623|quote=Quote: Non-violence in thought, word and deed, truthfulness and geniality of speech, '''absence of anger even on provocation''', disclaiming doership in respect of actions, quietude or composure of mind, abstaining from malicious gossip compassion towards all creatures, absence of attachment to the objects of senses even during their contact with the senses, mildness, a sense of shame in transgressing against the scriptures or usage, and abstaining from frivolous pursuits; (XVI.2)}}</ref>

:{{lang|sa|अभयं सत्त्वसंशुध्दिर्ज्ञानयोगव्यवस्थितिः|}}
:{{lang|sa|दानं दमश्च यज्ञश्च स्वाध्यायस्तप आर्जवम् ||}}

:{{lang|sa|अहिंसा '''सत्यमक्रोधस्त्यागः''' शान्तिरपैशुनम् |}}
:{{lang|sa|दया भूतेष्वलोलुप्त्वं मार्दवं ह्रीरचापलाम् ||}}

:{{lang|sa|तेजः क्षमा धृतिः शौचमद्रोहो नातिमानिता |}}
:{{lang|sa|भवन्ति सम्पदं दैवीमभिजातस्य भारत ||}}

===Dharmasastra===
[[Manu (Hinduism)|Manu]] listed {{transliteration|sa|akrodha}} among the ten primary virtues. The ''Apastambhadharmasutra'' (I.iii.22) rules that a student be not given to anger, and that a house-holder abstains from anger and from action or words that would provoke someone else to anger (II.xviii.2). The ''Baudhayanadharmasutra'' (I.xv.30) requires a house-holder never to be angry, and the ''Gautamdharmasutra'' (II.13) advises that he must not feel angry. The ''Vashisthadharmasutra'' (IV.4) avers that refraining from anger is a virtue like truthfulness or charity.<ref name=rp>{{cite book|title=A Conceptual-analytic Study of Classical Indian Philosophy of Morals|author=Rajendra Prasad|year=2008|publisher=Concept Publishing|page=319|isbn=9788180695445|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=D5Hk8EkmQBcC&q=Akrodha&pg=PA319}}</ref>

Manu mentions ten {{transliteration|sa|Dharma Lakshanas}}, {{transliteration|sa|akrodha}} is one of these {{transliteration|sa|[[lakshana]]}} (attribute, sign of a dharmic person). The other nine are: {{transliteration|sa|dhriti}} (patience), {{transliteration|sa|kshama}} (forgiveness), {{transliteration|sa|damah}} (temperance), {{transliteration|sa|asteya}} (non-stealing), {{transliteration|sa|shaucham}} (purity), {{transliteration|sa|indriyaigraha}} (freedom from sensual craving), {{transliteration|sa|dhi}} (reason), {{transliteration|sa|vidya}} (knowledge), and {{transliteration|sa|satyam}} (truth).<ref>{{cite journal|first1=Karanam Nagaraja|last1=Rao|first2=Krishna|last2=Kishore|title=Dharmic Education: A Panacea for Social Evils in Emerging Economies|journal=Electronic Journal of Business Ethics and Organization Studies|volume=19|number=2|year=2014|pages=4–8|url=http://ejbo.jyu.fi/pdf/ejbo_vol19_no2_pages_4-9.pdf}}</ref>

===Shaivism===
The [[Shaivite]] doctrine considers four {{transliteration|sa|yamas}} for the ''[[Pashupata Shaivism|Pashupata]]'' ascetic who smears on his body {{transliteration|sa|bhasam}}. These four {{transliteration|sa|yamas}} are – non-injury, celibacy, truthfulness, and non-stealing; the {{transliteration|sa|[[niyama]]s}} consist of non-irritability ({{transliteration|sa|akrodha}}), attendance on the teachers, purity, lightness of diet, and carefulness ({{transliteration|sa|[[apramada]]}}). {{transliteration|sa|Akrodha}} is a virtue.<ref>{{cite book|title=A History of Indian Philosophy|volume=5|author=Surendranath Dasgupta |year=1975 |publisher= Motilal Banarsidass |page=134|isbn=9788120804166 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=aohGsuUuXuMC&q=Akrodha&pg=PA134}}</ref>

==Universalism==
[[Hinduism]] and [[Buddhism]] both suggest ten freedoms needed for good life.<ref name=ms/> These are – ''[[Ahimsa]]'' ('freedom from violence'), ''[[Asteya]]'' ('freedom from want, stealing'), ''[[Aparigraha]]'' ('freedom from exploitation'), ''Amritava'' ('freedom from early death') and ''Arogya'' ('freedom from disease'), ''Akrodha'' ('freedom of anger'), ''[[Jnana]]'' or ''Vidya'' ("freedom from ignorance"), ''Pravrtti'' ("freedom of conscience"), ''Abhaya'' ('freedom from fear') and ''[[Dhrti]]'' ('freedom from frustration and despair').<ref name=ms>{{cite book|title=The History of Human Rights|author=Micheline Ishay|author-link=Micheline Ishay|date=2 June 2008|publisher=University of California Press|page=20|isbn=9780520256415|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=YTh22XQrtlQC&q=Akrodha&pg=PA20}}</ref>

==See also==
*{{annotated link|[[Ahiṃsā]]}}
*{{annotated link|[[Ārjava]]}}
*{{annotated link|[[Asteya]]}}
*{{annotated link|[[Brahmacharya]]}}
*{{annotated link|[[Dāna]]}}
*{{annotated link|[[Compassion#Hinduism|Dayā]]}}
*{{annotated link|[[Dhrti|Dhṛti]]}}
*{{annotated link|[[Forgiveness#Hinduism|Kṣamā]]}}
*{{annotated link|[[Mitahara]]}}
*{{annotated link|[[Satya]]}}
*{{annotated link|[[Shaucha]]}}

==References==
{{Reflist|2}}
{{Hindudharma}}
{{Indian Philosophy|state=collapsed}}
{{Virtues}}

[[Category:Upanishadic concepts]]
[[Category:Vedas]]
[[Category:Hindu philosophical concepts]]
[[Category:Buddhist philosophical concepts]]
[[Category:Buddhist ethics]]
[[Category:Hindu ethics]]
[[Category:Yoga concepts]]

Akrodha - Revision history

Musariaz at 16:09, 28 February 2026