A person’s life path has potential, both for tying him to something, and for liberation. To navigate this double nature of experience, the ancient school of Indian philosophy Samhya (“that which summarizes”) divides reality into two categories: the knower (purusha) and the knowable (prakriti).
The Purusha, the Self, is never an object of experience - it is a subject, one who knows. Prakriti, on the other hand, covers everything that comes to us in the objective universe, whether psychological or material. That’s all there is to know.
Unmanifest prakriti is a reservoir of unlimited potential, consisting of three fundamental forces called gunas (sattva, rajas and tamas) that are in balance with each other. Due to the interaction of these forces, prakriti manifests itself as the Universe. Therefore, everything that can be known in this world, tangible and intangible, is a manifestation of the gunas in their various forms.
The concept of nature
Prakriti (Sanskrit: "nature", "source") in the system of Indian philosophy, sankhya (darshan) is material nature in its germinal state, which is eternal and beyond perception. When prakriti (woman) comes into contact with the spirit, purusha (man), the process of evolution begins, which leads through several stages to the creation of the existing material world. Prakriti consists of three gunas (“qualities” of matter), which are constituent cosmic factors that characterize all nature.
According to darshan, only prakriti is active, and the spirit is enclosed in it and only observes and experiences. Liberation (moksha) consists in the withdrawal of the spirit from prakriti by its own recognition of its complete difference from it and not involvement. In early Indian philosophical texts, the term “svabhava” (“own being”) was used in a sense similar to prakriti to mean material nature.
Three qualities
According to the Bhagavad Gita, the modes of material nature (the primary qualities or methods of Nature) have three manifestations. Each of them has its own name and characteristics. These qualities are called sattva, rajo and tamo.
They exist in everything, including people, in varying degrees of concentration and combinations. They also exist in all objects and natural objects. Therefore, even the food people eat is important in terms of shaping the right behavior.
Depending on their relative strengths and relationships, these qualities determine the nature of things, creatures, their actions, behavior, attitude and affection, and their participation in the objective world in which they live.
The main goal of the gunas in living beings is to create dependence through desires for sensory objects, which leads to varying degrees of attachment to them. They, in turn, are kept attached to the world and under the constant control of Prakriti.
Role in creating
The modes of material nature are born from Prakriti. The “I” does not abide in them, but they live in it. Until creation, they remain inactive and are in a state of perfect equilibrium in the Primordial Nature. When their balance is broken, the creation begins to move, and a variety of objects and creatures arises, each of which has triple gunas in different proportions. The mixture (pannikarana) of the gunas and elements (mahabhuta) is well explained in the Paingala Upanishad.
Creatures of different worlds
The beings in the higher worlds contain the predominance of sattva guna. This dominance is due to their nature. The creatures of the lower worlds are characterized by the predominance of tamo guna.
Middle world beings also have differences. Rajo guna prevails here. For people, it looks a little different. They have all three of these qualities present in varying degrees of dominance in accordance with their spiritual purity and development.
Sinners who are beyond redemption are dominated by tamos. Another category is pious people who are in the Dharma. They are distinguished by the predominance of sattva. The next category is worldly people who are guided by selfish desires. They tend to dominate the Rajo.
Attitude towards the gods
According to the Bhagavad Gita, God is the true Enjoyer. He gives birth to all creations for the sake of his joy (ananda). Only Purusha in Prakriti enjoys the qualities produced by her. The gunas (qualities) are responsible for the diversity of nature. Because of them, only the separation of reality and unreality arises. When they appear in creation, individual souls are influenced by them and begin their journey into the world of matter and death.
God (Ishvara) does not act under the influence of any of the three gunas. He represents Pure Sattva (suddha sattva), which does not belong to this world. Among the gods, Brahma is dominated by rajo. He is her patron.
Vishnu is distinguished by the predominance of sattva. Accordingly, he is her patron. Shiva is the patron saint of tamo prevailing in him. However, all three gods are pure beings (shivam). They are not attached to them or to Nature. In order to create and order, and the regularity of the worlds, they show the gunas to fulfill their immediate duties, while they themselves are transcendental.
Behavioral Impact
The modes of material nature are responsible for the behavior and natural tendencies of all living entities. People are also subject to their influence. Under their control, they lose the ability to discern the truth, its essential nature or their true selves. They do not see their unity with God and the rest of creation or the presence of the first among them.
The gunas also influence faith, determination, professional choice and the nature of relationships. The division of people into four categories is also associated with their influence. They govern all aspects of human life and the world at large.
In the fourteenth chapter of the Bhagavad Gita, Krsna gives a very detailed description and definition of the three gunas.
Description
The mode of goodness, without impurities, illuminating and free from disease. She binds the soul through attachment to happiness and knowledge.
The mode of passion is filled with it (ragatmakam) and is born from “trishna” (thirst or strong desire) and “sanga” (attachment). He binds the soul through attachment to action.
The mode of ignorance is darkness and rudeness in man. These are ajnanajam (born of ignorance) and mohanam (cause of error). She binds the soul through recklessness, laziness and sleep. In creatures, the three gunas compete with each other for supremacy and try to crush one another.
How to find out what quality prevails in a person at a certain time?
According to the Bhagavad Gita, the dominance of sattva has its own characteristics. Such a person is characterized by the fact that the light of knowledge is emitted from all parts of the human body.
The predominance of Rajo has its own signs. Such a person has greed, a desire for a mundane, material world and a tendency to selfish actions. With an increase in tamo, one can see the flourishing of darkness, inaction, recklessness and delusion.
Influence on rebirth
After death, a sattwic man reaches the higher worlds. When he returns, he is born among pious people or in the same family. After death, the Rajonic man remains in the middle worlds. When he is reborn, he appears in the family of those who are attached to actions. As for the tamonic man, he plunges into the lower worlds after death, and is reborn among the ignorant and deceived.
Overcoming
The purpose of a detailed description of these three qualities in the Bhagavad Gita is not to induce people to become sattwic or to eliminate other qualities. The gunas of material nature are part of Prakriti and are responsible for human ignorance, error, slavery and suffering on earth. When they are active, people remain attached to a particular object. A person cannot be free until they are completely overcome.
Therefore, the Bhagavad Gita suggests that one should try to transcend them, not develop. Knowing the nature of the three gunas, and how they strive to keep people in slavery and illusion, one should become wiser and strive to surpass them.
Sattva is purity and utility. However, for those who seek liberation, even its improvement should not be an end in itself, since it also connects a person with the duality of pleasure and pain. Sattvic people want to receive the former and avoid the latter. They are pious and knowledgeable, but prefer to lead a life of luxury and comfort. In this way, they participate in the desired actions and become attached to the material world.
Despite the fact that this is pure sattva, it is just an instrument of prakriti, which is designed to serve its goals, keeping people attached to worldly life under the control of their "master." Therefore, one can cultivate purity (sattva) to suppress two other qualities, but, in the end, a person must rise above all three and become stable in the calmness, sameness and unity of the Self. He must go beyond these categories in order to gain immortality and freedom from birth, death, old age and sadness.
Qualities of a man who transcends the gunas
What are the qualities of such a person, how does he behave, and how does he really achieve this? The Bhagavad Gita also answers these questions. When a person overcomes the three gunas, he does not like the light of purity, passion and error, which are the predominant modalities arising from these three qualities.
He does not hate them when they are present, and does not desire them when they are absent. He remains indifferent, unperturbed by these qualities, knowing that they act in all beings, but not in the Self. Therefore, such a person remains the same in pleasure and in pain, stable and equal in relation to a piece of earth or gold, something pleasant and unpleasant, criticism or praise, honor or shame, as well as friend or foe.
As he rises above the gunas, he does not take sides in any dispute, does not show any preference for the duality of life, and abandons ambitions and initiative in fulfilling tasks.
Practical use
A good understanding of these three qualities can help you make wise decisions and stay on the right side of spiritual life. For example, the Eightfold Path of Buddhism, Patanjali's Ashtanga Yoga, rules and restrictions for beginners and advanced practitioners in Jainism and Buddhism are designed to cultivate sattva or inner purity, without which the mind cannot be stabilized in contemplation or awareness.
The cultivation of purity is the basis of all the spiritual traditions of ancient India. In today's world dominated by tamo and rajo, this is even more important. Besides spirituality, knowledge of these qualities is also useful in worldly life. Below are a few examples where you can use them to protect yourself from potential problems:
- Profession. It should be chosen in accordance with one's own nature and what one wants to achieve in life. A certain profession can lead to a spiritual downfall.
- Marriage and friendship. It is important to consider the game of gunas when choosing friends or a marriage partner. It is necessary to see in these relationships whether a person wants to balance or complement his own nature.
- Education and specialization. If you build your academic career in accordance with your own character, it will significantly reduce the suffering from conflict or stress, and a person will have better chances of success in a professional career.
- Parenting. Parents should help their children improve the dominance of sattva, so that when they grow up, they will not only be pleasant and positive personalities, but also be able to make the right choice.
- Preference for food and lifestyle. They should promote the cultivation of sattva. This is due to the fact that this quality improves the vitality and brilliance of the mind and body.
Spiritual life
In this area, knowledge of the three qualities of Nature is necessary. A proper understanding of the three gunas is necessary to overcome the slavery of earthly life and achieve liberation. Knowing the difference between them and developing the first quality or method in abundance, a person can cleanse his mind and body, and experience calm and poise.
Through selfless service, devotional worship, self-education, sattvic knowledge, speech, correct recognition, faith, behavior and sacrifice, he can increase this quality and develop divine qualities (daiva sampattih), become a perfect yogi and gain love for God.
Fulfilling his duties without any desire and attachment, offering the fruit of his actions to God, completely surrendering to him, devoting himself to him and devouring him, he will undoubtedly achieve liberation and union with the Higher Self.