" YOU CAN'T SHAKE HANDS WITH CLINCHED FIST "

Pinakapani was gazing the sky standing by the side of a garden on a Saturday late afternoon. He was pulled up by his manager in the office that day though he was not directly responsible for the happening. Krishna Rao, whom Pinalapani approaches normally whenever he had some problem, came that side by chance. Krishna Rao heard Pinakapani and felt sorry for what had happened. Nevertheless, he explained that it is necessary to subdue anger even though one may find it impossible to dissolve it.

Common causes of anger may be when one's security or defensive reactions which has been carefully built up over a period of time are being threatened or when one is questioned about his beliefs, sentiments or concepts. Instead of getting angry immediately, better to control oneself and make delay in answering. In the mean time, one can ask himself whether those concepts are really essential for one's comprehension of life. The thoughts of this nature, when some pause is intentionally created in the dialogs, will lead to cessation of anger.

Krishna Rao advised Pinakapani that " you can't shake hands with clinched fist '.
May be his manager has done some injustice. When we hear of injustice, we get angry.Is it because one is compassionate or love humanity ? Do compassion and anger dwell together? Will there be justice when hatred prevails in anger ?
Realization dawned on Pinakapani who shook his teacher's hand thankfully with a smile in his lips.

The Captain of the ' titanic ' ship could not have steered the ship to safety if his eyes and ears were blind folded. Even if his eyes were shut, he could have managed by allowing his ears to hear the directions given. Similarly when one becomes angry, he will not be able to see reason or hear advice from others. In a blindfolded condition, he will easily hurt others in anger.

When Ramesh was asked by his uncle, which parts of the body he liked most, he replied (1) tongue, (2) heart. His uncle followed up with another question, which two parts he disliked most. Ramesh hesitated for a while but replied this time also as (1) tongue, (2) heart. Ramesh volunteered to explain that his heart or mind creates temptation to eat the forbidden sweet and the tongue's taste buds enjoy the taste. Like wise when he is angry, the heart beats fast raising the b.p. and the tongue blasts at others in a foul manner. Neither we should allow ourselves to be blind folded nor refuse to seek good advice if we really to care to steer the ship to safety.

Some people are adept in controlling the anger. Instead of reacting in a bad manner, they resort to do good to others who lower their head in humiliation later.

When a person is asked his name or his spouse's name, what his children were doing, where his house was, etc., he answers. The same person when questioned whether he knows himself, he blinks. Why?

People, normally, make journeys or go out and thereby come to know people, places and details. Where as they don't make journey inside themselves. One's anger, likes, dislikes, hatred and so on, will disappear like ice melts under heat, when a person understands himself. According to Buddha, one can see the divine love residing inside if one cares to ponder himself. God resides inside oneself which reflects as " sublime love ". God should not be relegated to noun form alone. god needs to treated as a verb. The Earth revolves , the Sun revolves by itself without any fuel. How is it possible if we don't realize the ' doer '. " Do " functions relate to verbs and God is the doer in absence, as HE is omnipotent, omnipresent.

When in anger we don't think of God. Nevertheless, when we enter the exam hall, when we stand for election, when we are diseased or in situations where we are at loss to know what is happening, we think of the almighty and fold both our hands in prayer or in utter defense. In conditions of hale and healthy or when we feel lucky, we forget the name of God. This is a sort of ' escapist' theory.

Good habits, Prayers need to be inculcated at all stages of life to get rid of anger, ill feelings and for leading a purposeful life.