Grammatical Analysis
Kodha: [m.] anger; wrath; fury; sudden rage. From root kudh (to be angry, to boil up).
Orthodox Definition
Kodha is a primary minor defilement (upakkilesa) derived directly from the unwholesome root of aversion (dosa). While dosa is the broad mental factor governing all forms of repulsion (including fear and grief), kodha refers specifically to the sudden, explosive, violent flare-up of anger.
The commentaries describe kodha as acting like a flash fire. It instantly destroys mental composure, causes the blood to boil, and triggers harsh speech or physical violence. The Buddha taught that a person afflicted by kodha destroys their own beauty, ruins their wealth, loses their friends, and grants their enemies exactly what they desire—the practitioner’s own misery.
It is remedied by the immediate application of patience (khanti) and the systematic cultivation of loving-kindness (mettā).
Textual References
- Sutta: Kodhana Sutta (AN 7.60) – The definitive discourse detailing the seven devastating things that anger does to a person, pleasing their enemies.
- Canonical: Dhammapada (Kodha Vagga - Chapter 17) – “Let one conquer anger by non-anger…”
- Commentary: Papañcasūdanī – Differentiating the initial flare of kodha from the sustained burning of upanāha.