Daily Readings from the Works of Swami Venkatesananda


Insights & Inspirations (Venkatesa Daily Readings Vol 2) — On Aggression

June 13, 2025

On Aggression

Swami Venkatesa from Priya      Aggression is a pervasive evil in the world. It has very many other names — war between nations and social violence of one group against another (these two categories often pass for defense of present or future aggression), competition and rivalry in business and also in sports and education (these two categories are linked with our concept of success in progress), domination either by one group of people over another (which is considered necessary for the survival of one or the other) or by one person over another (at home and at work, where it is known as discipline, duty, obedience, order, etc).

      In one's own behavior it is noticeable as a superiority (or in masked inferiority) complex which consciously or unconsciously invents reasons why such domination is essential. Such reasons are considered scientific when the polluted mind observes 'nature' and of course sees that even in the animal kingdom (the word 'even' suggests their superiority over the human being!) Aggression and the spirit of domination prevail. Such rationalization itself is the symptom of aggression and its perpetuation.

      Condemnation of aggression is aggression, too. It does not go away by 'fighting' it (an absurd paradox) either within oneself or in the external world. Expressing the aggression produces the world in which we live today. Suppressing the aggression leads to psychological explosion which must eventually lead to the most violent expression of such aggression.

      When aggression is neither suppressed nor expressed, it comes into sharp focus of the inner intelligence which is then able to understand the nature of aggression. In the inner light, aggression is seen for what it is: the deluded ego-sense which struggles to protect the shadow at the expense of the substance. It is a thought, a notion, for it obviously does not exist in deep sleep when aggression is absent, too. When the fictitious nature of the 'me' is discovered in the inner light, aggression comes to an end. There is love.

   Love alone is. God is love. Love is God. Premaiva satyam.

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