When one contemplates sense objects, attachment to them arises. From attachment, desire is born; from desire, anger arises.

This verse initiates the famous “chain of destruction” (saṃsāra-cakra), a psychological analysis of how the mind becomes entangled. The sequence is precise:

1. Dhyāna (contemplation) of sense objects
2. Saṅga (attachment) arises from that contemplation
3. Kāma (desire) is born from attachment
4. Krodha (anger) emerges when desire is frustrated

Dhyāyataḥ uses the same root as dhyāna (meditation), but here applied to external objects. Meditation can be liberating or enslaving depending on its object.

Anger (krodha) doesn’t arise from nowhere; it is frustrated desire. Understanding this chain allows early intervention: if you don’t feed the initial contemplation, the cascade doesn’t begin.

In practice, this explains why tradition recommends caring for mental inputs (āhāra in the broad sense): what we contemplate shapes our desires, and these determine our reactions.

The yogī is not someone without desires but someone who has interrupted the chain near its origin.