THE THREE GATES OF HELL

Krishna also tells Arjun that one who is
able to be free from these three gates of hell, seeks that is best and
attains the highest.

We are familiar with all three, Desire,
Anger and Greed. It is seldom that a person is completely free from all
these three. We must understand each one of these three and seek a way
to keep ourselves as free from them as possible, and to ensure that they
do not become our masters.

Desires are very natural to us.
After all, God has given us different senses; senses of touch, smell,
sight, hearing and taste. The desire to gratify these senses is inborn
in us. These five senses are God’s gift to us. God has also created
sense objects. Senses obviously are given to us for putting them to
rightful use; sense of touch to have a feel of things, sense of smell to
enjoy the scent of flowers, sense of hearing to listen to good music
and words of wise men, sense of sight to enjoy the beautiful nature
around us, and sense of taste to enjoy the various tastes in the food
that we eat.God has also created the sense objects and there is nothing
wrong in enjoying those sense objects with our senses. When desire is
spoken of as a gate to hell, it is not the normal desire that is meant.
What is meant is kama i.e., passion, uncontrolled desire which
overpowers us. By “desire” here we mean wrongful desire, compelling
desire, which takes hold of us and which has to be satisfied at any cost
and by any means even though they may be unethical or immoral. This
desire can never get satisfied. It is like a fire that cannot be
extinguished, a thirst that cannot be quenched. Their fulfillment is by
nature temporary and incomplete. Fulfillment of these only gives
temporary respite. They raise their ugly head again and again. It is
only when these sense objects get hold of us and overpower us that our
troubles start. Desires, particularly uncontrolled desires, are a
gateway to hell. They are endless.

We erroneously believe that
satisfaction of a desire gives us happiness. Our soul, by nature, is
happy. When a desire arises it comes in the way of our happiness, like a
cloud blocking the view of the sun. Satisfaction removes that
obstruction and puts us in touch with our happiness again. It does not
give happiness per se. The same result can be achieved by overcoming the
desire as by gratifying our desire. Sublimating desires frees us from
further desires, which gratification of desires does not do.

Anger
is another gate of hell. When what we desire does not happen or what we
do not desire happens, it gives rise to anger. When we are angry, we go
wild and behave in a manner which is totally irrational. We shout and
scream and cause damage not only to others but even to ourselves because
our mind is not in our control, and it makes us do things which we
repent later. Anger gives rise to tension and both mental and physical
disorders. It can result in high blood pressure, paralytic stroke or
even heart attack. It is allowing one to be controlled by anger that is
to be avoided. It is the second gate to hell.

Just as
non-fulfillment of desire leads to anger, pursuance of wrongful desires
leads to greed. Having once enjoyed the wrongful sense pleasures, one
wants more and more of them. One believes that the only way of
gratifying those desires is wealth and more wealth. This leads to greed.
For fulfilling the desire of enjoyment of sensual needs, one wants more
and more wealth.

As Mahatma Gandhi has truly said, “There is
enough for everyone’s needs but not for everyone’s greed.” Greed is a
bottomless pit and no matter how much one tries, it can never be filled
up. This greed is the third gate to hell.

We have to learn to
live a life free from such excessive desires, uncontrolled anger and
endless greed. It is for us not to enter these gates of hell, be it
desire, anger or greed. I pray that Almighty grant us the strength to
close these three gates and to lead a happy and contented life.