Desire and Anger: Obstacles on the Path of Karma Yoga
Bhagavad Gita Ch. 3 v. 36-39
Desire and anger, fueled by rajas guna, are named as the inner enemies of freedom. By observing their pull and living anchored in dharma, we find clarity, peace, and liberation.
Contents
Desire and Aversion: The Enemies Within
The Question of Compulsion: Why Do We Act Against Ourselves?
The Force of Desire and Anger in the Bhagavad Gita
Rajas Guna: The Restless Energy That Fuels Desire
How Desire Clouds Discernment
Smoke, Dust, and the Womb: Three Degrees of Obscuration
Breaking the Cycle of Desire and Anger
Anchoring in Dharma and Soul Awareness
The Inner Enemy and the Path to Liberation
A Story of Self-Mastery
Living Free in the Midst of Desire
PODCAST EPISODE: From Shadow to Clarity - Dissolving the Veil of Desire
Desire, fueled by restlessness and culminating in anger, clouds discernment and compels us to act against our highest intentions—but through Karma Yoga, surrender, and steadfast awareness of the Self, we can live free from compulsion.
As we near the conclusion of the Bhagavad Gita Chapter Three, examining verses 3.36 through 3.39, the dialogue between Arjuna and Lord Krishna turns to a question that resonates deeply with every sincere seeker: Why do I act against my own better judgment? Even when we know the way of freedom, why do we still find ourselves pulled toward choices that lead to sorrow? These verses shine a light on the inner forces of desire and anger, revealing them as powerful obstacles that cloud discernment and bind the soul. By seeing clearly how they operate, we discover the path to live anchored in dharma and guided by the Self.
Desire and Aversion: The Enemies Within
In our previous article, we examined Bhagavad Gita verse 3.35, which emphasizes the importance of living our own svadharma — our unique, sacred duty — rather than imitating another’s path. Every person, the Gita tells us, acts according to their material nature. Our tendencies, shaped by past life impressions, genetics, environment, culture, and present life experiences, express themselves as our unique individuality. Even the wise act according to their nature.
This raises a vital question for spiritual practice: If we are compelled by our natural tendencies, how is transformation possible? How do we resist those tendencies when they pull us in directions that bind us to sorrow rather than freedom?
Desire and aversion are not harmless preferences but powerful forces that cloud our judgment and lead to sorrow. Desire compels us to chase what we think will fulfill us; aversion drives us to resist what we dislike. Both keep us bound to the ego’s restless cycle of attraction and repulsion.
"It is desire. It is anger born of the rajas guna, all-devouring and most sinful. Know this as the enemy here in this world."
—Baba Hari Dass translation, Bhagavad Gita 3.37
The Question of Compulsion: Why Do We Act Against Ourselves?
In the Bhagavad Gita, verse 3.36, Arjuna expresses this universal struggle:
"But what is it that impels a person to commit sin, against their will, as if compelled by force, O Krishna?” (Bhagavad Gita verse 3.36, translation by Swami Prabhavananda and Christopher Isherwood)
In other words: Why do we so often do the very things we know we should not do? Why do we fail to follow through with what we know is best for our well-being, for our spiritual growth, for our peace and freedom?
This is not just Arjuna’s question — it is our own. In the diaries of seekers throughout history, and likely in our own journals, we find this same lament: I want to live awake, to follow the truth, yet I do the opposite. Why?
It is a mark of spiritual progress that we even begin to ask this question. Before awakening stirs, we do not pause to notice that we are acting against ourselves. Desire drives us, and we chase after it blindly, unaware that we are sowing the seeds of future sorrow. But with practice and inner illumination, awareness grows, and we begin to see: I am sabotaging myself. Why am I doing this?
The Force of Desire and Anger in the Bhagavad Gita
Krishna answers Arjuna plainly in verse 3.37:
“When unfulfilled desire transforms into anger and is fueled by the hunger of rajas guna, it produces an all-consuming and destructive force. Know this to be the enemy of all.” (Bhagavad Gita verse 3.37, translation by Armstrong and Rishi)
And from Baba Hari Dass' translation of verse 3.37:
“It is desire. It is anger born of the rajas guna, all-devouring and most sinful. Know this as the enemy here in this world.”
Here, we are given the key: the enemy is not outside of us, but within. The true adversary is desire — insatiable, restless, and when thwarted, quickly transformed into anger.
Desire whispers: I will be happy when… I will be whole if… But once a desire is satisfied, another arises, and then another. It never ends. When desire is frustrated, it fuels anger. Anger clouds our reason and compels us toward action that we later regret.
This inner enemy — desire and anger, born of restless rajas guna — keeps us bound in samsara, the cycle of suffering.
Rajas Guna: The Restless Energy That Fuels Desire
The Bhagavad Gita points us back to the teaching of the gunas, the three qualities of nature. Rajas guna is the restless quality of activity. It fuels desire and keeps the mind agitated, always moving toward the next object, the next fulfillment.
Swami Rama describes this well:
“The human being alone has the inherent capacity to perform actions without being controlled by the basic urges. But when desire is fueled by rajas, it becomes a destructive force.”
When rajas guna predominates, we feel restless: I must have this, I must do that, I must achieve or acquire. And when those restless urgings are blocked, frustration blooms into anger.
Even the dictation software on my iPad caught the spirit of this: when I dictated “rajas guna,” it transcribed, “raja gonna.” The energy of rajas feels just like that: I’m gonna get it. I’m gonna have it, no matter what.
How Desire Clouds Discernment
Desire is not just restless — it clouds our very ability to discern what is real and true. It veils the intellect, the buddhi, which is our faculty of discrimination.
Roy Eugene Davis writes in his commentary on the Bhagavad Gita verse 3.38:
“As fire is obscured by smoke, as a mirror by dust, as an embryo is enveloped by the membrane, so the intellect is obscured by passion or desire.” (Bhagavad Gita verse 3.38, translation by Roy Eugene Davis)
When discernment is clouded, we lose perspective. We begin to justify unskillful choices. We say, This will make me happy, even when past experience has shown us it will not. We chase pleasure, avoid pain, and forget the deeper joy of the soul.
Smoke, Dust, and the Womb: Three Degrees of Obscuration
Bhagavad Gita verse 3.38 offers three metaphors to help us understand how desire obscures discernment:
- “As fire is covered by smoke” — sometimes the veiling is light and can be cleared with a breath of discernment.
- “As a mirror is covered by dust” — sometimes the veiling builds up over time and requires polishing, like sadhana that steadily purifies the mind.
- “As an embryo is covered by the womb” — sometimes the veiling is deep and hidden in the unconscious. The samskaras, impressions from past actions, will ripen in their own time.
In each case, the light is there. The fire still burns, the mirror still reflects, the life of the child still grows. Our true Self, pure and free, is never destroyed. But it is obscured until the coverings are cleared.
Breaking the Cycle of Desire and Anger
The Bhagavad Gita does not leave us in despair about this inner enemy. It points us again to the discipline of yoga. By cultivating awareness, we can observe desire as it arises and trace it back to its root.
When we feel frustration or anger, we can pause and ask: What desire gave rise to this? What did I want, and why did I think it would make me whole?
This inquiry itself begins to break the cycle. We discover that no desire, however strongly pursued, can offer lasting peace.
True contentment arises only from the Self.
Anchoring in Dharma and Soul Awareness
The antidote to restless desire is dharma — living with higher purpose. Roy Eugene Davis, echoing Paramahansa Yogananda, gave this simple guidance:
“Don’t concern yourself with what others do or don’t do. Don’t look to the left, don’t look to the right. Look straight ahead to the goal of Self- and God-realization. And you can do it.”
When we are anchored in dharma, desire loses much of its pull. We have clarity about what is ours to do and the strength to stay steady, even in the face of distraction.
The Inner Enemy and the Path to Liberation
Bhagavad Gita verse 3.39 concludes this section:
“The knowledge, even of the wise, is obscured by this adversary — insatiable desire, O Arjuna.” (Bhagavad Gita verse 3.39, Roy Eugene Davis translation)
No one is exempt from this challenge. Even the wise must remain vigilant. Desire is never satisfied; it must be dissolved through discernment, devotion, and discipline.
The path of yoga is the path of uncovering. Clearing away the smoke, polishing the mirror, trusting that the embryo of divine realization will come to light in its time.
A Story of Self-Mastery
The following story of Ali, a warrior and companion of the Prophet Muhammad, illustrates the necessity of mastering desire and anger.
In the heat of battle, when Ali was about to slay his opponent, the young man spit in his face. Ali immediately felt anger arise. Recognizing it, he dropped his sword. He refused to act in that state of mind.
Rumi, in a poem inspired by this story, has Ali say:
“I am not chaff, but a mountain of patience. What fierce wind could lift a mountain? … I belong to God, not to anyone else.”
This is the essence of Karma Yoga: to act without compulsion, without desire, without anger, rooted in the Self and surrendered to God.
Living Free in the Midst of Desire
Bhagavad Gita verses 3.36 – 3.39 reveal the heart of the struggle every seeker faces: the insatiable pull of desire and its companion, anger. This is the inner enemy.
But they also offer the key: by observing, restraining, and dissolving desire through discipline, by living anchored in dharma, and by offering all action to the Divine, we discover freedom. We realize we are not compelled by the gunas, not bound by desire, not tossed by anger. We are the unchanging Self — pure, free, and whole.
Listen to the full podcast episode below.
Bhagavad Gita, pt 31: From Shadow to Clarity - Dissolving the Veil of Desire
Chapter 3, v. 36-39
This episode examines the metaphorical smoke, dust, and coverings that shroud our intellect, offering strategies to polish away the residues of past actions and awaken clearer discernment. Embrace the practices that bring forth the light of soul wisdom, enabling a life of conscious action free from the grip of deep-seated impulses.
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