Yogic Reflections - Arishadvarga The Six Enemies Of The Mind

This is a poem on Arishadvarga, the Six Enemies of the Mind. These are the inner obstacles that create suffering and prevent us from realizing our highest potential. They are often seen as the root causes of human bondage and are critical to understand for anyone on the path of yoga, self-realization, or personal growth.

The term Arishadvarga comes from Sanskrit: Ari means enemy, Shad means six, and Varga means group. So, these are the six enemies or vices that live within the human mind. They are:
Kama – Desire or Lust
Krodha – Anger
Lobha – Greed
Moha – Delusion or Attachment
Mada – Pride or Arrogance
Matsarya – Jealousy or Envy
These six negative tendencies disturb our inner peace, cloud our judgment, and keep us bound to the cycle of suffering and rebirth, known as samsara.

For a detailed talk on this, search for my talk titled "Yogic Philosophy - Arishadvarga The Six Enemies Of The Mind."

Let the words of this poem guide you toward a mindset of serenity, balance, and freedom.

Transcript

The Six Enemies of the Mind The Six Shadows of the Mind In the garden of the silent soul,

Where wisdom waits and waters roll,

Six shadows linger veiled and deep,

Guarding secrets we long to keep.

Kama,

The whisper of restless desire,

Ignites the heart with endless fire,

It calls for more and more again,

A thirst unquenched,

A ceaseless flame.

Krodha,

The storm of anger's might,

Blinds the mind and dims the light,

A flash of fire,

A reckless cry,

Leaves ruin in its fleeting high.

Lobha,

The clutch of greedy hands,

Grasping tight at shifting sands,

What's gained decays,

Yet still we yearn,

And in our hunger never learn.

Moha,

The mist of clouded sight,

Weaves illusions in the night,

We bind our hearts to what will fade,

And moan the loss our own minds made.

Madha,

Pride's towering wall,

Makes the humble seem so small,

We stand alone upon that height,

Blind to love and hidden light.

Matsarya,

Envy's secret sting,

Fears another's joy will bring,

A loss to what we think we are forgetting,

We are all one star.

Yet deeper still beyond this fight,

Beyond the dark,

There shines a light,

A truth that waits with patient grace To free the soul from time and space.

Through wisdom,

Love and selfless deed,

We plant another kind of seed,

The heart made pure,

The mind set free,

From all desire and enmity.

Then peace will bloom where shadows played,

And all the sick shall softly fade,

The self revealed since serene awake,

No more to suffer,

Cling or break.