Gunas and their
Traits
“Among these qualities, Sattva is pure, transparent and devoid
of the darkness of ignorance. It binds one to joy and knowledge. Rajas is composed of selfish attachment,
which arises from desire (of possession). It binds one to activity (arising out
of passion). Tamas is born of
ignorance; know it to be delusive in all beings. It binds one to errors and
delusion , slothfulness and dullness or daze (unmindful of the harsh realities
of life or a deliberate avoidance of duties).”
Sattva, the foremost of the three
qualities, is related to happiness. It brings one nearer to the joy of a perfect
knowledge but itself cannot bring emancipation or the true bliss. It reveals the
path but cannot lead one to the ultimate goal (of God realization or realization
of the Atman). It is transparent and is the quality of those who are
pure in thoughts, speech and action. Therefore it is the most desirable of the
qualities. A Sattvic person is happy,
takes pleasure in acquiring divine wisdom, never gives in to passion and
maintains a purity of life, devoid of any luxury or unnecessary desires. A Sattvic person is often selfless,
compassionate, has few possessions, is not overly anxious, is dependent on God,
does not indulge in luxury and takes pleasure in simplicities, takes great
pleasure in all activities which direct him or her towards God, like worship,
meditation or prayer, is devoid of ego or pride, is tranquil and composed. He is
non violent and peaceful. He does not initiate any activity but if forced into
one, performs it with utmost sincerity, devotion and
efficiency.
Rajasic person on the other hand is
driven by passion. He is angry, jealous, has a great deal of pride, sometimes
arrogant, lustful, sometimes cruel and vengeful, attached to luxuries, shows off
any good deed like charities, always expects return for a favor, has many
desires for name, fame, fortune, family. All his acts are driven by some motive
of gain. He is full of actions and all activities are rooted in desire.
Therefore he is attached to all his possessions and activities.
A Tamasic person
is at the other end from a Sattvic.
He is slothful, prone to anger and cruelty, lazy, hates activities, even for the
sake of self improvement, is always after fulfillment of sensory pleasures by
the easiest means, and blames everybody else for all evils and ills which are
brought on himself by his own actions. He is thus a great nuisance to the
society as he brings about destruction, unhappiness and misery on himself and on
others. He is thus driven purely by ignorance of material as well as spiritual
pursuits and sustains on whatever is readily and easily available, without much
effort or pain. He is full of jealousy, hatred, contempt and such other vices.
Fear is also a key driver of the Tamasic.
“Sattva nature
predominates by mastering over the other two, Rajas dominates by controlling Sattva and Tamas, Tamas again predominates by
controlling Rajas and Sattva.”
In a normal human being, Sattva serves as a balance between Rajas and Tamas. If one of these two predominates,
that determines the fundamental nature of the person. Predominance of Sattva leads to peace and spiritual
wealth, as found in monasteries and holy places. Rajas leads to material prosperity but
also brings unhappiness in its wake. A dominance of Rajas may lead to violence and warfare
as one tends to dominate over others out of passion and thirst for more
possessions and power. An excess of Tamas leads to a decline and downfall.
It brings in its wake untold miseries, cruelty, degradation of material and
spiritual wealth, corruption and bitter feuds.
“When in every inlet of a certain body the signs of wisdom appear,
know that Sattva has taken birth.
When greed & passion take over and certain restlessness and desire dominates
every endeavor of activities, know that Rajas has taken control. When ignorance
and lack of enthusiasm, delusion and dullness dominates, know for sure that Tamas has taken firm grip. If Sattva dominates when the body perishes,
the being reaches a higher and better state of purity. A Rajasic, on the other hand, upon death,
attains attachment to Karma (and therefore falls under the repeated
cycles of birth and death), while a Tamasic, on dying, attains an inferior
birth (often as animals or other inferior forms).”
The state of the being during its life determines its state
after death. If purity is pursued, as is the case with a Sattvic, it gets to stay on a purer
state even after death and therefore attains to high end. Rajasic state makes one attain the same
state after death, i.e. one gets ensnared in the mesh of the worldly affairs and
the associated miseries. A Tamasic
can only expect a lower state after death because its mind and intelligence are
not high enough. Thus Karma or action
is determined by nature and its qualities, which decides the fate or afterlife.
“The good Sattvic
accomplishments of pure hearted souls result in holiness. Rajasic work results in miseries while
Tamasic work brings ignorance and
delusion.
From Sattva is born joy
or bliss, from Rajas lust, from Tamas are born delusion and dullness,
along with ignorance.
The one established in Sattva goes upward, while that one in Rajas
remains where he is. With inferior qualities, a person established in Tamas goes
downward.”
Anything pure, holy, blissful, joyous, tranquil, wise,
simple, compassionate will naturally result in a sound development of mental and
spiritual faculties, thereby leading to purer understanding of subtle things.
Bliss is the natural result of purity. A pure soul is devoid of passions and
thereby cultivates all good things like unselfishness, courage, conviction,
sincerity, steadfastness, faith, simplicity. A person driven by ego, passion,
lust and greed is naturally overcome by the vagaries of life. Such a person has
many desires and unfulfilled desires lead to miseries. Lust is the natural
outcome of passion – thirst for power, name, fame, fortune corrupts a soul and
makes him attached to the world. Sattva helps one get elevated from the
mundane worldly affairs to outwardly experience of joy and bliss. Therefore the
inclination of a pious soul is naturally upwards. A Rajasic person is bound by lust and
passion and therefore stays as he is, attached to his world and suffering in
consequence many miseries. A Tamasic
is the most unfortunate. His ignorance leads him to commit one folly after
another until he brings complete destruction on himself and thereby falls from
grace.
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