This blog is dedicated to 3 Vital Gunas, meaning innate nature, attribute or characteristics of a human being. Just as Spirit (Purusha) has three qualities – Sat (Absolute Existence/Truth) Chit (Thought Power/Consciousness) & Ananda (Bliss), Matter (Prakriti) has three qualities (Gunas) – Tamas, Rajas & Sattva. When the equilibrium of Prakriti is disturbed as it comes into contact with Purusha, the evolution of primordial Prakriti into Mind & Matter begins!
Verse 14.5 from Bhagavad Gita is quoted below, where Sri Krishna addresses Arjuna:
Meaning: Prakriti is made up of 3 Vital Gunas. Just like heat is born from fire, Gunas are born of Prakriti. A mixture of these qualities is found in different individuals & The Self or Atman functions through them. But how can Gunas bind to the Atman, which cannot be bound? Atman only seems bound or restrained due to ignorance. It only appears affected, just like the ripples in a pond cause the reflected Sun to flicker. But the Sun above is not affected at all!
Let us now understand each of these 3 Vital Gunas or qualities:
Tamas:
This is a state when a person has an inactive mind, Inertia (resistance to change), Indolence (Lazy), Insolence (Disrespectful), Indifferent, Confused, easily distracted, Indulges in excessive sleep, Lack of care etc. Tamas arises out of ignorance. It manifests in Delusion, inertness & heedlessness. This is the lowest of the three qualities and leads to degradation of life. Tamas can thus be described simply as “Inertia”.
Rajas:
This is a state of fluctuating emotions, passionate activity, greed, lack of forgiveness, dissatisfaction, repentance etc. Rajas is the nature of passion which creates a craving for what you do not possess & an attachment to what you already possess. This greed for possessing and enjoying more & more leads him to endless sorrow & mental unrest. Rajas can be described simply as “Activity or Mobility”
Sattva:
This is a state of delight, stainless, detached, unruffled, self-controlled, pure bliss, happiness, equanimity, tranquility & brilliance. In this state a person radiates in clear expression, is poised & contemplative. This quality binds people with attachment to knowledge & happiness. Thus Rajas & Tamas, both interfere with Sattva and corrupts its purity. When Rajas which is mental agitation & Tamas which is ignorance is cleansed, pure Sattva comes forth. Sattva can thus be described simply as “Harmony or Rhythm”
Firstly, all individuals have a mixture of all the above temperaments- Sattva, Rajas & Tamas. Inertia gives stability & resistance to Matter; Mobility keeps Matter in motion; Rhythm makes movement regular. Again, the proportion of these Gunas differ from person to person. Individuals have Sattva Guna in the early morning, Rajas during the day & Tamas Guna in the night. We are constantly drawn into the play of Gunas and get involved & affected by it. Moreover, when we train our mind to move away from the habitual patterns of personality, we can learn to change the old ways of thinking.
Rising above these 3 Vital Gunas:
How to rise above the 3 Vital Gunas and then merge into Brahman is described in last nine verses of Chapter 14 of Bhagavad Gita. Sri Krishna says that he who serves me with unswerving devotion and goes beyond the 3 Gunas can attain Brahman! Even Sattva Guna has to be transcended as Nirguna Brahman (Pure Consciousness) is beyond these 3 Gunas. Identify with the Brahman until we become one with it, because Brahman which is otherwise without attributes, expresses itself in diverse ways through these Gunas. Therefore, getting into this Absolute State is the goal of life!
In our life, we encounter many dualities like; wealth & poverty, honor & dishonor, happiness & sadness, friendship & enmity, right & wrong, life & death, good & evil, love & hate etc. One who is wise understands the play of these opposites and takes necessary actions as required to counter them. He remains unattached & uninfluenced by these factors and remains stable. But the ignorant get influenced & suffer from these fluctuations in their life.
An example for the above is that of a Kingfisher bird that dives into water to catch fish, but does not get wet. As it flies off flapping its wings, the little bit of water remaining on its body & wings is shaken off. An evolved being lives this way in this world, without Gunas influencing him. By practicing spiritual disciplines of Karma Yoga (Action), Bhakti Yoga (Devotion) & Jnana Yoga (Knowledge) we can traverse these Gunas and then merge with the Brahman. Thus, whoever crosses over the 3 Vital Gunas and is unaffected by them, he is freed from birth, growth, decay, disease & death and achieves immortality.
As quoted by Eknath Easwaran “Gunas are born out of the Mind. When the Mind is “stilled”, we see life as it is! (It is the Mind & Intellect that allows us to distinguish between PURUSHA & PRAKRITI
Now that we have understood the 3 Vital Gunas or innate qualities of a Human Being, it is time to move on to my next blog which is VARNAS – a very often misunderstood term, popularly known as CASTE!
For a short You Tube Video on “The Three Gunas” (<click here)