Jnana Vahini - Post 10

Three Gunas

(Author’s note- In terms of activity, the gunas can be thought of in the following way:

·       tamas = inertia

·       rajas = movement

·       sattva = balance

Everything can be classified according to the gunas. For the purposes of this post, let’s analyze some moods / emotions and group them accordingly.

Tamasic states: laziness, disgust, attachment, depression, helplessness, doubt, guilt, shame, boredom, addiction, hurt, sadness, apathy, confusion, grief, dependency, ignorance.

Rajasic states: anger, euphoria, anxiety, fear, irritation, worry, restlessness, stress, courage, rumination, determination, chaos.

Sattvic states: delight, happiness, joy, peace, wellness, freedom, love, compassion, equanimity, empathy, friendliness, focus, self-control, satisfaction, trust, fulfilment, calmness, bliss, cheerfulness, gratitude, fearlessness, selflessness.

The intention behind an emotion, and how it is expressed, determines whether an emotion is predominantly tamasic, rajasic, or sattvic.

Take the emotion of courage, for example. A suicide bomber in a terrorist attack may be said to have tamasic courage (based on ignorance and hatred). 

However, A man who risks his health and comfort to obtain wealth or fame has rajasic courage (based on desire) and,  

a man who sacrifices his ego or personal interest for a larger cause has sattvic courage (based on compassion and the greater good).

The difference lies in the intention. Change the motivation and the context of a given emotion or action, and you will change its quality!

Working with the Gunas

You now have a basic understanding of what the gunas are, and how to look for their manifestation both inside and outside of yourself.

Now… while this is a fascinating subject, you may be asking yourself: “What to do with all this?”

As conscious beings, we have the ability to manipulate the presence of gunas in us and in others. We do this by two means:

·       What we choose to pay attention to and to consume

·       How we choose to act

In other words, our attention and our intention.

Consuming Sattva

Our body is fed by food, water, and air. Our mind is fed by thoughts, feelings, and the input from the five senses.

So… Are you feeding your body and mind with tamas, rajas, or sattva?

The principle is quite simple: the more you are exposed to a guna, the more that guna will grow in your mind and heart. Expose yourself to more sattva, and sattva will grow in you. 

Likewise, tamas and rajas will grow instead if that’s what you’re feeding on.

Acting Sattva

Sattvic words, thoughts and actions increase sattva in the world – and also in yourself. The same happens in the case of the other gunas.

If you want to know the predominant guna behind your action, ask yourself these two questions:

·       Why am I doing this?

·       How am I doing this?

Ideally you want both the intention behind the action, as well as the execution of the action, to be sattvic.

Intention alone is not enough. A person who engages in some shady business in order to support his family has a sattvic intention but a tamasic execution. As the saying goes, the road to hell is often paved with good intentions.

Understanding the gunas helps you see things more clearly. It helps you understand the quality of your thoughts, actions, and the things with which you engage.

Then it’s all about making conscious choices on:

·       what you consume, 

·       what thoughts you pay attention to, and

·       how you act. 

In fact, the secret of spiritual growth could be summed up thus: 

Learn to love and delight in sattva and understand the pain of tamas.

Love.