The three gates to hell are vividly described in the Bhagavad Geeta. The description is given in the 21st verse of chapter sixteen. Gurudev Swami Chinmayanandaji while teaching us jokingly said, “Only three gates to hell. No fourth gate, because it is overcrowded, they want to check the inflow.” Then again he said “ Remember the three gates are kaam (desire) , krodha (anger), and lobha (greed). Not breakfast , lunch and dinner.”
Desire being the mother of the other two, they are perfect blood relations! When a strong channel of thoughts that runs unchecked towards any desired situation ,person or object and meets a hurdle, it immediately putrefies into anger. On the other hand if the desire is fulfilled , the pleasure dies in your own embrace, leaving a hollowed sense of ‘not enough’. Fulfilment turns to greed and the person is left thirsting for one more and one more . Desire not fulfilled or fulfilled both are tragedies, and Oscar Wilde said, “the latter is the greater!”
But don’t we all run to embrace it? Sadly, fulfilled or not fulfilled are the only two children that desire begets.
The second line of the verse asks us to renounce these, as all three create a sense of hellish suffering. Earlier in this chapter , Krishna has described hell and heaven as states of mind, created by our own hungry, insatiable, or angry thoughts.
Hell and heaven are not geographical areas to be travelled to post-mortem! We hear people saying “life is hell these days”.
These are mere thoughts of suffering generated by our own minds.Thoughts can create a living hell or a resplendent heaven. Interestingly, we are asked to renounce that which does not exist! Think.
While there is suffering, the sufferer is our choice!
Prarthna Saran, President Chinmaya Mission Delhi.