सांख्ययोग Sāṅkhya Yoga · Verse 63
क्रोधाद्भवति संमोहः संमोहात्स्मृतिविभ्रमः | स्मृतिभ्रंशाद्बुद्धिनाशो बुद्धिनाशात्प्रणश्यति
krodhād bhavati saṃmohaḥ saṃmohāt smṛti-vibhramaḥ | smṛti-bhraṃśād buddhi-nāśo buddhi-nāśāt praṇaśyati
From anger arises confusion; from confusion, loss of memory; from loss of memory, destruction of discernment; and when discernment is destroyed, one perishes.
The chain of destruction continues from the previous verse:
- Saṃmoha (confusion) arises from anger
- Smṛti-vibhrama (loss of memory) follows confusion
- Buddhi-nāśa (destruction of discernment) results from forgetting
- Praṇaśyati (perishing) is the end
Smṛti here is not ordinary memory but the connection to teaching, purpose, dharma. Under anger, we forget who we are and what we truly value.
Buddhi-nāśa (destruction of the discriminative intellect) is the most serious loss: without discernment, we cannot distinguish the beneficial from the harmful.
Praṇaśyati (perishes) doesn’t necessarily mean physical death but destruction as a conscious being — becoming trapped in automatic reactive cycles.
This analysis is practical psychology. When you notice anger arising, recognize it as the beginning of a dangerous cascade. Yoga practice cultivates the pause between stimulus and response where this chain can be interrupted.