Bhagwad Gita - Post 179

Verse 22

The Blessed Lord said:

Light, activity and delusion,—when they are present, O Arjuna, he hates not, nor does he long for them when they are absent!

Sri Krishna uses the primary characteristics of the Gunas instead of the names of the Gunas themselves, thereby giving more importance to the qualities they represent than to their mere names.

All three of them have the effect of binding the soul. Knowing that, one would expect the TriGunateeta to flee from all of them. But he does nothing of the kind. He in fact remains as a neutral observer of all them, facing them and not escaping from them. The Lord brings out this attitude in all the verses of His reply.

The lesson to learn is that transcending the Gunas does not mean escaping from life. That would teach us nothing. The true saint faces all that life throws at him with equanimity. Therein lies his greatness.

It is the same when there is the absence of any Guna; he does not miss them by longing for them to return to him. This attitude also requires equanimity and characterizes the relationship that he has developed with the Gunas.

THE GUNATEETAH

The Gunas are seen as simply passing through his Upadhis (limiting factors in a human being, the BMI), but not through ‘him’. This is a key point to grasp. 

There is a detachment in the Siddha, the perfected sage, by which he remains aloof from all that goes on through his Upadhis. The real Self is his new identity. He no longer sees himself as the ego-driven “I”, but has gone beyond that narrow identity to a more universal identity called the ‘Self’. This is the implication of transcending the Gunas.

The TriGunateeta does not waste his time trying to avoid Tamas and build up Sattva, however much may have been written about their undesirability or desirability respectively. 

He simply ignores the mind itself as a play of the Gunas. Thought itself is a creation of the Gunas. Taking his mind completely beyond the reach of the Gunas, he discovers there his ‘place of safety’ from their onslaughts.

Verse 23

He who, seated like one unconcerned, is not moved by the qualities, and who, knowing that the qualities are active, is self-centered and moves not.

Udaaseenavat: “like one who is indifferent”. Being indifferent means remaining as a witness only. One cannot take sides when one is a witness. He neither sides with Sattwa, nor hates Tamas. He just takes in the scene without passing any judgement on anyone. 

While the Gunas act as they are programmed to act according to their nature, the aspirant allows them to pass by without being distracted by them. Suppose the active Guna prompts him to act against Dharma; he does not co-operate with it, but just watches it go by. If it prompts him to do something beneficial, he will co-operate with it yet still remain as an observer of what is being done. 

Why does he behave this way? 

It is because he understands that everything is being done by the Gunas, not by him. He does not carry the ego of “doer-ship” for the act being done. 

In order to watch the play of the three Gunas in himself, he should be an observer from beyond the Gunas. Thus, established in his Pure Spiritual Nature, he is able to observe detachedly and enjoy the play of the Gunas in himself and in the world around him. 

An observer of a street fight, looking down from his balcony, is not affected by what he observes; so too, the Man-of-Wisdom, awakened to the Spiritual Consciousness, swerves not from his consummate equilibrium, when he witnesses the play of the Gunas in himself and ever remains established in his own Divine Nature (ava-tishthati).

Love.

Bhagwad Gita - Post 178

Verse 19

When the seer beholds no agent other than the Gunas, knowing that which is higher than them, he attains to My Being.

Verse 20

The embodied one, having crossed beyond these three Gunas out of which the body is evolved, is freed from birth, death, decay and pain, and attains to immortality.

Swami prescribes step by step process to transcend the three gunas.

Swami says, 

“Man must use first his Rajo Guna to overwhelm his tamasic tendencies. In this way, dull and negative tendencies are first flushed out and replaced with dynamism.  However, Dynamism too could be dangerous, as it promotes aggressiveness. Hence the next stage is to use the Sattva Guna to ease out the Rajasic tendencies.”

For actual liberation, one must go even beyond the Sattva Guna. 

Swami explains beautifully,

“The three Gunas are bonds, man is bound by them, like a cow whose forelegs are tied together, whose hind legs are bound and whose neck and horns are bound by a third bond. How can the poor Cow move freely when it is bound so?

The Sattva Guna is a golden rope, Rajo Guna is a copper rope and the Tamo Guna an iron rope. All the three bind, in spite of the difference in the cost/ quality of the material with which they bind.  All Bonds are obstacle to freedom”

(From the book- Message of the Lord)

To conclude, Gunas originate from Prakriti and are therefore confined exclusively to the body, mind and intellect. 

Even a most Sattvic person is still bound to this world because, that Sattvic nature is also a Guna, associated with Body, Mind and Intellect which makes him feel, "I am noble, I am Sattvic, I do not hurt others, I do good, see good, I am spiritually advanced, I have known Brahman" etc. 

Whereas, for one to attain realization, one has to transcend all the above which has trace of Avidya or ignorance.

From all the above assertions, all that follow the assertion "I am" must leave (I am happy, I am sad, etc), so that one is left with the inward realization that "I AM" or "SOHAM".

Hence, man should transcend the Gunas and transform himself into a divine being. He should undergo a spiritual metamorphosis, as it were. The Spiritualization and divinisation of man is the ultimate goal of this sacred Bhagwad Gita.

What are the insignia of a person who has transcended the three gunas? Arjuna puts a question: “How can we recognize a person who has transcended the three gunas? What are his qualities? How does he behave?” 

Here, in the next verses is found the gunatita lakshana, which is almost similar to the qualities described as sthitaprajna lakshana in the Second Chapter.

Love.

Bhagwad Gita - Post 177

Verse 9

Sattwam sukhe sanjayati

rajah karmani bhaarata;

Jnaanamaavritya tu tamah

pramaade sanjayatyuta.

Sattwa attaches to happiness, Rajas to action, O Arjuna, while Tamas, shrouding knowledge, attaches to heedlessness only!

The predominating effect of sattwa guna or mode of goodness is that it instills in the jiva or embodied being the attraction for happiness even though the seeds of misery and sorrow are also inherent. 

So sattwa guna by such natural but strong attraction for happiness binds the jiva to material existence and raja guna the mode of passion binds one by the work and effort constantly undertaken to achieve such happiness and tama guna or mode of ignorance binds one to material existence by distorted delusions and perverted perceptions of knowledge even if heard from liberated beings. 

Tamas also manifests as neglecting the teachings of great liberated beings or by acting contrary to these teachings because such teachings differ from one’s personal understanding. 

The word uta means and so forth and indicates that tamas binds one as well to lethargy, listlessness and laziness.

When sattwa has the upper hand in us, we feel satisfied, contented, relieved, and happy. 

Rajaḥ karmaṇi bhārata:

When rajas is preponderating, we feel like getting up and doing this work and that work, and never want to sit quiet. This is what rajas does. 

Jjñānam āvṛtya tu tamaḥ pramāde saṁjayatyuta:

When tamas is predominating, we have no idea as to what to do and what not to do. 

There is confusion about the pros and cons of things. There is no proper judgment as to the way any step has to be taken in a given direction; and even if some step is taken, it will be a wrong step and it will end in some fumbling and catastrophic conclusion. This is what tamas does. 

Sattwa leads to happiness and satisfaction, rajas to intense activity, and tamas to ignorance and inability to decide what is proper and what is improper.

Verse 10

Rajastamashchaabhibhooya

Sattwam bhavati bhaarata;

Rajah Sattwam tamashchaiva

tamah Sattwam rajastathaa.

Now Sattwa prevails, O Arjuna, having overpowered Rajas and Tamas; now Rajas, having overpowered Sattwa and Tamas; and now Tamas, having overpowered Sattwa and Rajas!

Now Lord Krishna explains the relationship and interaction between the three gunas which are sattwa guna or the mode of goodness, raja guna or the mode of passion and tama guna or the mode of ignorance. All three gunas inexplicably locked to all jivas or embodied beings throughout material existence.

No particular guna can be operating always in any person. They have a cyclic movement, as it were. Partly due to their fickleness and partly due to some karmas that a person has done in a previous birth, certain gunas operate for a shorter period or a longer period; but no guna can operate continuously throughout the life of a person. There is a coming and going of the gunas. 

When sattwa rises up into action, it suppresses rajas and tamas for the time being.

When rajas rises into action, it suppresses sattwa and tamas.

When tamas is predominant, it suppresses rajas and sattwa.

It does not mean that the suppressed qualities are destroyed. They are only made inoperative for the time being on account of the vehemence of the activity of a particular guna. 

Love.