This is following from Hindu philosophy that our enemies are always from within, and these six flaws fail us in discovering our inner consciousness and becoming enlightened. These succinctly summarise most of human failings:
Kama: Lust / Obsessive desire - This one needs a bit of elaboration. Firstly, the Hindu philosophy does not advocate repressing sexuality or sexual desires, till so long as they are righteous, and not against Dharma (moral code). Kama is not wrong if it is in sync with Dharma. Secondly, Kama is not only about sexual desires and is interpreted in a broader sense to apply to any obsessive desire for worldly, aesthetic pleasures. Desire is not wrong, but obsessive desire with a narrow purpose focusing only on pleasure will make life meaningless if we brood all the time only on it, without trying to make any lasting impact. Obsessive desire breeds greed and infatuation, and failure to fulfill it causes anger and jealously. We will react arrogantly even if we fulfill it successfully because we lose balance out of obsession.
Krodha: Anger - As someone who worked on anger issues a lot over years, it takes no convincing for me to admit that this is a fatal flaw. We fill our lives with misery and lose relationships because of our failure to control anger.
Lobha: Greed - To understand this, consider the opposite: Contentment. Greed is our failure to be grateful for what we have. It is our inability to be happy for others when they have something that we don't. We often forget to count our blessings. It is not wrong to seek more and work towards achieving it. But the principle of Karma from Bhagavad Gita says that we can control our actions and attempts, and not the outcome which is shaped by destiny. When we attempt out of greed, we have expectations about the outcome and will be subject to disappointments. When we work out of sincerity and give up greed, we will not be perturbed much by the outcomes. We enjoy the journey.
Moha: Delusional attachment / Infatuation / Attraction - Moha is a complicated concept in Hindu philosophy. Attachments are bound to form when there is love right? Is it wrong to love? What about love for family and friends? Should we give up on our duty towards them? To understand this, let us look at the opposite of Moha. The opposite of the state of infatuation is the state of devotion (bhakti). So, actually, where there is love, there is no infatuation at all! There is only dedication and submission. Moha stems from ego and delusions, bhakti stems from love and humility.
What about other attractions? It is human to have likes and preferences. Should we stop enjoying life? Well, of course, we can and should derive whatever happiness is possible from our life experiences. The question is: Are our sources and priorities right? How do we react if we lose the sources? Irritated? Angry? Devastated? Are all the things that do this to us really that important? If you lose a loved one, it is truly devastating. But what about when the restaurant screwed up your order? If we ponder on this, the concept of 'delusional attraction' becomes clear. It is a reminder that the world does not operate as per our wishes and our happiness must come from within. We should not lose sight of the 'big picture' in daily life and have our priorities right. We can then cope better with times when we do not have access to things that are supposedly 'necessary' for our happiness.
Mada: Ego / Arrogance - Mada is a delusional sense of self-worth. It makes us intolerant. It results in failure to identify/accept our flaws and to see/absorb the good from others. The opposites are humility and gratitude. Gratitude, either through the path of Bhakti towards God or through the path of conscious self-check reminds us that we were never alone in doing what we have been able to do - We almost always had help.
Can we not take pride in our accomplishments? We can, without forgetting to give credit where it is due. Without letting it affect our tolerance and openness to accept flaws in us and others.
Matsarya: Jealousy / Envy - If you are upset because of not having something, you can try to gain it. But jealousy is being upset that others have something. There is no solution to this because it is not derived from what you have or don't have. If you are not able to be happy for others, the least you can do is not let their happiness upset you. Duryodhana's story from the Mahabharata is an example of how succumbing to excessive jealousy destroys one's happiness. His envy of the Pandavas diminished his sense of right & wrong, brought him misery, and ultimately ruined everyone associated with him.
Referred to jointly as Kama-Krodha-Lobha-Moha-Mada-Matsaryamulu or the Arishadvargas, these six traits represent what we should forgo to fulfill our true purpose. To be successful and happy, we need to remember that our worst enemies are the ones from within and pray for the strength to overcome them. We can practice this by analyzing how these traits are causing us unhappiness whenever we feel negative emotions regularly.
I would love to hear your thoughts on this philosophical topic - please do comment.
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