Bhagavad Gita 2.63 · Krishna
How a person is lost
क्रोधाद्भवति सम्मोहः सम्मोहात्स्मृतिविभ्रमः।
स्मृतिभ्रंशाद् बुद्धिनाशो बुद्धिनाशात्प्रणश्यति॥
krodhādbhavati sammohaḥ sammohātsmṛtivibhramaḥsmṛtibhraṃśād buddhināśo buddhināśātpraṇaśyati
From anger comes confusion, from confusion lost memory, from lost memory the ruin of reason, and with that, one is lost.
Words
- buddhi
What it means
Krishna continues the chain. Anger clouds the mind with confusion. Confusion makes us forget what we know and value. Without that memory, buddhi, our power to see clearly, collapses. And then, he says, we are lost. Not forever, but in that moment we act against ourselves.
The story
Krishna has watched this happen in Duryodhana, whose anger and envy led him to cheat, humiliate and finally go to war. He's quietly warning Arjuna not to let grief or rage carry him down the same path.
In your life
Think of a parent who shouts at a child over spilled milk, then feels sick about it. Anger erased what they truly care about. When anger rises, pause and remember one thing you love about the person in front of you.
In anger, remember what you love.