53. Vicious and Virtuous Cycles



Vicious and virtuous cycles are a sequence of events where one event leads to another and results in either disaster or joy respectively. If expenses are more than income, leading to borrowing and a debt trap, it’s a vicious cycle. If expenses are less than income, resulting in savings and wealth creation, it’s a virtuous cycle. Krishna refers to these cycles in verses 2.62 to 2.64.

Krishna says, “A person musing on objects develops an attachment to them, from attachment arises desire, from (non-fulfilment of) desire arises anger, from anger arises delusion, from delusion - confusion of memory, from confusion of memory - loss of intellect and from loss of intellect the individual perishes” (2.62-2.63). This is the vicious cycle of downfall.

On the other hand, Krishna says that when one is free of raag (fondness), dwesh (hatred) and has his indriyas (senses) under control, one attains peace even while moving among sense-objects (2.64). This is nothing but a virtuous cycle of peace and joy.

All of us move among the sense-objects in everyday life. How we treat these sense-objects sets the direction of our journey.

In case of a virtuous cycle, one frees oneself from raag and dwesh towards the sense-objects. On the other hand, in a vicious cycle one develops an attachment to raag or dwesh. It’s easier to start by dropping dwesh with the realisation that it’s a kind of poison that ultimately damages us (5.3). When it’s dropped, its polar opposite raag also gets dropped leading to unconditional love like a flower radiating beauty and fragrance.

The absence of raag and dwesh is a common thread in the Gita. Krishna describes forgiveness as a quality that arises from Him (10.4) and as one of the treasures of a divinely inclined person (16.3). Forgiveness is the most effective antidote to hatred. It requires courage, awareness, and compassion to forgive another person. It also arises from the realisation that no one is the ultimate karta (doer) in this world, and therefore there is no need to blame others for the hurt they may have caused us. Forgiveness dissolves hatred and brings peace.


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