The Shadripus: The Six Passions as Transformative Energy

Shadripus are the six destructive passions of the mind, spoken of as enemies on the spiritual path. While they can indeed be sources of suffering, it is more insightful to view them as powerful, interconnected forms of energy. Understanding their dynamics and learning to channel them is the key to transformation.

These six forces—Kama, Lobha, Krodha, Mada, Moha, and Matsarya—do not operate in a linear sequence but in a self-reinforcing circle. However, to understand their interplay, we must start somewhere.

Let's begin with Kama.

Kama is an intense craving or desire, often leading to addiction and a loss of self-control. It is the passion that arises from wanting to please our senses. Think of it as flirting with an experience—a momentary pleasure we chase. But this pleasure is fleeting; it comes and quickly disappears, leaving a void of dissatisfaction.

This realization—that Kama alone gives no lasting happiness—leads to Lobha.

Lobha is an excessive desire for material wealth and possessions, leading to hoarding and a sense of entitlement. If Kama is a single flirtation, Lobha is the attempt to gather and stockpile the object of that desire. It’s the belief that if you can just have more—more experiences, more possessions—then you can finally lock in that elusive happiness. It’s like a drug: the initial high fades, so you take more, only to find yourself in a deeper state of dissatisfaction. When both Kama and Lobha fail to deliver, Krodha emerges.

Krodha is the strong feeling of displeasure and hostility. It is the anger and resentment that bubbles up when you feel you've done everything possible and still haven't attained the happiness you sought. In a way, Krodha is a desperate, final attempt to optimize Kama and Lobha. It’s the explosive third stage of a rocket, fuelling a last-ditch effort to make the first two stages work by investing more aggressive, forceful energy.

But such intense anger needs a foundation. It requires a justification, and that comes from Mada, or pride.

Mada is an inflated sense of self-worth, arrogance, and disdain for others. It creates a separation between you and the world, making you feel special, unique, and deserving. This inflated ego becomes the launching pad for Krodha. You need to believe you are entitled to more in order to justify the hostility you feel when you don't get it.

This begs the question: what is this pride built upon? The raw material for Mada is Moha, or attachment.

Moha is the clinging to possessions, relationships, and identities, resulting in an inability to accept change and the cause of 'Bondage'. It is the fundamental sense of "This is mine," and "This is who I am." This attachment to your house, your status, or your relationships creates the foundational identity that Mada then inflates. Moha is the fabric that makes Kama, Lobha, Krodha, and Mada possible; it is the root of the sense of a separate self that needs to be protected and aggrandized.

And finally, we come to Matsarya, often defined as jealousy or the desire for what others possess. This is the energy of coveting not just an object, but the state, wealth, or happiness of another person. It always starts from a place of lack and comparison.

Here lies the crucial distinction. While the other five passions can be harnessed as transformative energy, Matsarya is the one that consistently throws you off track.

Harnessing the Energy of the Five Passions

Think of Kama, Lobha, Krodha, Moha, and Mada as tools. When consciously directed, they can fuel profound personal growth.

• Kama is the motivational kick, the day-to-day desire to achieve. For instance, it's the craving that gets you to walk 20,000 steps a day.

• Lobha is the ambition to pile Kama upon Kama. It's the desire to collect a million steps over a year. This "hoarding" of healthy activity pushes you toward a larger goal—a fitter version of yourself.

• Krodha is the anger you feel at yourself when you skip a day. It’s the fuel that makes you push harder the next day, teaching you discipline and resilience.

• Mada is the pride you feel after achieving your goal. That inflated sense of "I did it! I'm better than what I was" can be a powerful reward that reinforces positive habits.

• Moha is the healthy attachment to the path of progress itself. It's the commitment to your journey of fitness and well-being.

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In this context, these five passions become a powerful engine for self-improvement.

The Problem with Matsarya:

Matsarya, however, is the spoiler. It is the act of looking at someone else and coveting what they have. This energy of comparison and jealousy immediately pulls you off your own path. It creates an internal friction of dissatisfaction and inferiority, directing your energy outward toward others instead of inward toward your own growth. While the other passions can be focused like a laser on a goal, Matsarya scatters your energy.

The Ultimate Goal

Therefore, the Shadripus are not merely villains to be eliminated. They are potent energy fields that serve a purpose. By understanding them and putting a "ceiling" on their influence, we can harness at least five of them for our benefit.

However, we must remember that even this constructive use is ultimately illusory. There comes a time on the spiritual path when we must learn to let go of these energies altogether, transcending both their destructive and constructive forms to attain a state of realization that operates from a place of pure balance, free from the push and pull of passion.