In some exceptional situations, anger may be good
In response to a Facebook post with the saying, "You'll not be punished for your anger, you'll be punished by your anger. - Buddha", I wrote the following:
My take is that in some exceptional situations, anger may be good.
Sometimes righteous anger leads to necessary, even if harsh, action against Asathya & Adharma. One sees that in the accounts of the Hindu Avatars. Not only in the account of Narasimha avatar who is famed for his anger at the demon king Hiranyakashipu whom he killed in a rather brutal way, but also Rama and Krishna Avatars. I think even Shirdi Sai and Sathya Sai avatars have been righteously angry at times and have acted strongly against Asathya & Adharma in that mood.
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Our Puranas have lots of incidents of anger and the good or bad it causes. Durvasa's anger may not have been righteous anger in many cases, as he could easily get angry and hurl damaging curses at people. But I cannot help mentioning here about Krishna's anger (feigned or real) at Sisupala's 100th criticism of Krishna at which Krishna cut off Sisupala's head. And then the sages who were humiliated by Krishna's own son, Samba, cursing the Yadava clan including Krishna to face destruction from what Samba would 'deliver'! Eventually Krishna too died/gave up the body (or allowed himself to die/give up the body) as a result of that curse, as the tip of the arrow from the hunter that pierced his heel had the deadly material which was 'delivered' by Samba.
My reading of Hindu epics and also accounts of Shirdi Sai and Sathya Sai tell me that there are many incidents of righteous anger displayed by Avatars and dharmic figures who use that anger to either destroy the Adharmic persons or to punish them. But the anger is typically a righteous anger and a slow to reach boiling point anger, and not a quick flash of anger. The lesson I have learned from these readings is that one should be very careful with and very respectful to spiritual masters and spiritual practitioners, and avoid doing things that may anger them. We should not make the mistake of presuming that they will be like Buddha that we read about who never got angry. As if these spiritual people do get angry they can curse and create damage through that curse. ... I mean, I believe that curses of spiritual masters and evolved spiritual practitioners have their power and therefore would like to avoid angering them.
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My take is that in some exceptional situations, anger may be good.
Sometimes righteous anger leads to necessary, even if harsh, action against Asathya & Adharma. One sees that in the accounts of the Hindu Avatars. Not only in the account of Narasimha avatar who is famed for his anger at the demon king Hiranyakashipu whom he killed in a rather brutal way, but also Rama and Krishna Avatars. I think even Shirdi Sai and Sathya Sai avatars have been righteously angry at times and have acted strongly against Asathya & Adharma in that mood.
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Our Puranas have lots of incidents of anger and the good or bad it causes. Durvasa's anger may not have been righteous anger in many cases, as he could easily get angry and hurl damaging curses at people. But I cannot help mentioning here about Krishna's anger (feigned or real) at Sisupala's 100th criticism of Krishna at which Krishna cut off Sisupala's head. And then the sages who were humiliated by Krishna's own son, Samba, cursing the Yadava clan including Krishna to face destruction from what Samba would 'deliver'! Eventually Krishna too died/gave up the body (or allowed himself to die/give up the body) as a result of that curse, as the tip of the arrow from the hunter that pierced his heel had the deadly material which was 'delivered' by Samba.
My reading of Hindu epics and also accounts of Shirdi Sai and Sathya Sai tell me that there are many incidents of righteous anger displayed by Avatars and dharmic figures who use that anger to either destroy the Adharmic persons or to punish them. But the anger is typically a righteous anger and a slow to reach boiling point anger, and not a quick flash of anger. The lesson I have learned from these readings is that one should be very careful with and very respectful to spiritual masters and spiritual practitioners, and avoid doing things that may anger them. We should not make the mistake of presuming that they will be like Buddha that we read about who never got angry. As if these spiritual people do get angry they can curse and create damage through that curse. ... I mean, I believe that curses of spiritual masters and evolved spiritual practitioners have their power and therefore would like to avoid angering them.
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