Episode 01 - Essential Gita - Chapter 8 - Gunas.

CHAPTER 8 – “GUNAS”

 

The word “Guna” has multiple meanings in Sanskrit – the count exceeds 40. Contextually here, we could do with two or three of these: 1. a property or characteristic of all created things 2. attribute or property 3. an attribute of the 5 elements (each of which has its own peculiar quality or qualities. The choices fall into place here because we are into discussing the innate, inherent attributes of a being as well as the attributes of the material world – prakriti – with which these individual attributes interact – all the time.

 

The Hindu theocratic philosophy, buttressed by vedantic and smriti texts, posit that, when a human is born, he or she is born with three things: 1. three gunas (ingrained attitudes) viz. Satva (goodness), Rajas (passion) and Thamas (ignorance),  in a ratio differentiated by the past karmic sum, 2. ‘vasanas’** – remembrances – from the past lives and 3. an allocated ‘karmic’ sum (prarabhda karma)  to be played out in that life from out of the overall collection karmas (sanchita karma).

 

** Verse 8

 

śharīraṁ yad avāpnoti yach chāpy utkrāmatīśhvaraḥ

gṛihītvaitāni sanyāti vāyur gandhān ivāśhayāt

 

As the air carries fragrance from place to place, so does the embodied soul carry the mind and senses with it, when it leaves an old body and enters a new one.

 

This is an important philosophical assertion – often contested by modern science. When an infant is born it is found to be conscious of what it should do, to have emotions of fear and happiness without any worldly trigger (crying or smiling for no ‘earthly’ reason at all), more demonstrably, reaching for the mother’s breast and finding the means of suckling (this is even more dramatic in the case of mammary animals that calve. The calves are delivered on the hind side of the mother but even as they struggle to get up on their spindly legs, find the udders of the mother. The Brahma Sutra in its famous aphorism, cites that as the clear demonstrable evidence that the newborn has carried with it ‘vasanas’ (experiences) from its previous birth(s). ‘sthanya paana abhilashat’.

 

Of these, the ‘gunas’ – ingrained attitudes to the world – and their ratio are capable of governance and change in one’s life, by conscious application and effort: if one is born with a predominance of Rajas, and a low quotient of Satva, it is possible for that person to alter that ratio, say, becoming more saatvic, by redefining and reshaping his or her life. We will see how, as we go on in this presentation.

 

The other two are beyond the pale of manipulation. The ‘vasanas’ linger for some time and fade away as new experiences gained cover them. The ‘prarabhda karma’, however, stays there beyond the control and management of the person; this has to play out through one’s experiences in life – good and bad. Even ‘jeevan muktas’ those who attain liberation in this life itself – are no exception to this rule of ‘prarabhda karma.’ Having said this, we do have the freedom, the free, conscious choice, of controlling/managing the further/current  layers of karma during our life here – this is defined as ‘agami’, by choosing life / ethical codes and outputs of the mind and the sense organs. In other words, working on the Gunas’ compact one is endowed with.

 

Therefore, one has a life opportunity to redefine, reshape one’s personality and quality of life (in the spiritual sense), by being analytically aware of one’s guna composition and try and elevate oneself to a spiritually superior state of life – say by invoking and practicing disciplines that are conducive to incrementing the satva guna. Or, by purging or avoiding traits that are Thaamasic in nature.

 

Gunas relate to the material part of a person – the mind, the senses and the body – as distinct from the soul or Atman which is divine and unchanging in nature. Gunas are thus products of the ‘prakriti’ – the material universe -  and interact with their counterpart in the Universe – its objects. This interaction, influenced by the ‘Gunas’ compact that was discussed earlier, defines the ‘personality’ of that person – a ‘saatvic’-dominant one, a ‘raajasic’-dominant one or a ‘thaamasic’-dominant one.

 

In order that we may address this important life aspect and seek to reform/reshape our personality as we may wish to, we need to know more about these ‘gunas’, what do they do with our minds and actions. And, understand what attributes, values, life-styles, disciplines would be  conducive to either incrementing or diminishing each of them.

 

There is quite a critical need for every being to address, even if one is not considering here the spiritual path, because the ‘gunas’ also set and define the social personality of each one of us – and we may keenly want to seek and achieve a redefinition or a reset of that personality for our own individual goals – personal and social value systems.

 

Sri Krishna elaborates – in Chapter 14 of the Gita ‘Guna Traya Vibhaga Yoga’ – the source of the three gunas, what they do to a person’s thoughts, actions and personality and what one could do to cultivate, increment, or diminish each of them.

 

In verses 1 to 5, the Supreme Being says that He is the One who is the initiator of the Prakriti (Universe) and all life in it and that He is thus the sole source “ahaṁ bīja-pradaḥ pitā” of the three Gunas that humans are bound with.

 

Verse 5

 

sattvaṁ rajas tama iti guṇāḥ prakṛiti-sambhavāḥ

nibadhnanti mahā-bāho dehe dehinam avyayam

 

The three guṇas (modes)—sattva (goodness), rajas (passion), and tamas (ignorance) issue forth from the “Prakriti”, the material universe . These bind the Atman - the eternal soul - to the perishable body.

 

 

Therefore, it is ‘Satva’ that is to be desired and gained.

 

Verse 6:

 

SATVAM:

 

tatra sattvaṁ nirmalatvāt prakāśhakam anāmayam

sukha-saṅgena badhnāti jñāna-saṅgena chānagha

 

Of these, SATTVA which, because of its stainlessness is luminous and without afflictions.  It (too) binds by (creating) attachment to happiness and attachment to njanam*,  O sinless one! *njana here is not knowledge of the Atman or ‘Brahma Njana’. Since it is said to cause bondage, it should be taken to refer to earthly knowledge.

 

Satva also binds. Even if it binds one’s Atman to enduring happiness and njana, the bondage generates karma which adds to the aggregate of karmas, thus increasing the propensity to be born again – in other words, ‘moksha’ – the ultimate liberation – should lead to complete evacuation of all the three gunas – along with the other two ‘assets’ we are born with ‘vasanas’ and the ‘karmic sum’.

 

Sattva is serenity. It illuminates –‘ prakāśhakam ‘ – in other words one who is dominated by ‘sattva’ would have a ‘glow’ – not just inner glow but one that distinguishes his personality. ‘Anaamayam’ literally means without afflictions of the body; here it refers to ‘free from afflictions of the mind and the body’ therefore devoid of any physical pain or mental suffering, peaceful and harmonious. It makes a person become calm, satisfied, charitable, compassionate, helpful, serene, and tranquil.

 

Saatviks are the ones who live for the good of the world. It could be said that the unselfish austerities (tapas) of the countless saatvik sages sustains the world. The saativik’s intellect is illumined and is therefore far more incisive and intelligent than that of a non-saativik.  Endowed with such illumined, superior intellect, saatviks make sterling contribution in the fields of academics, science, philosophy, and social reforms. The selfless, devoted work of scientists and philosophers have contributed immensely to the well-being of humankind.

But, the elevated intellect of the saatvik, when it is not invested in spiritual knowledge, search for the Truth, it would still be in the material realm and would be stained by bondage. The knowledge gained by them would be more worldly than divine. And as their intellect is still bound by attachment, they tend to be egoistic, proud and vain.

 

RAJAS

 

Verse 7

 

rajo rāgātmakaṁ viddhi tṛiṣhṇā-saṅga-samudbhavam

tan nibadhnāti kaunteya karma-saṅgena dehinam

 

Know thou this: RAJAS is the nature of passion - the source of desire/hankering (trishna) and attachment (sanga); it binds fast! O Kaunteya! the embodied Atman by attachment to actions.

 

The raajasic (those with ‘rajas’ dominant in them) would be inclined to seek pleasure – both mental and physical; they would be fired by unquenchable desires – bordering on lust; would be seekers of status, prestige, fame and reputation. Since ‘rajas’ promotes attachment to worldly objects, the raajasic would be insatiable seekers of wealth and would strive really hard, passionately, to attain wealth. These will be driven by high career ambitions. And, their ingrained attitude of attachment would make them intensively wedded with family and kin.

 

The Raajasic is a great wealth-creator, wielder of power and patron of fine arts; he or she is the fulcrum of the material world’s prosperity and development. He or she also is the pivot of governance/governing power. Despite this major contributory status that this guna confers on the Raajasic, that glow is tarnished/shrouded by the selfishness and attachment (desire for power, fame, wealth for self and kin) that are the trigger for the Raajasic’s action. The Raajasic is also found to institute charity and charitable causes, but here again the charity is backed by the desire for plaudits, recognition, and fame.

 

Love is passion. Rajas is passion. Now, is Love of God raajasic? We have the Azhwars and Nayanmars of the Thamizh devotional history and Meera, Tulsidas, Kabirdas, Rama Das, Purandara Dasa of other regions who loved God so intensely passionately and articulated that love in their devotional compositions. Some of the ‘prabhandam’ verses are styled as between lovers and lovelorn. Are these entities raajasic because they were driven by love of God? Kalidas and Jayadeva composed poetic renderings of divine beauty and excellence, singing of love-play of divinity. Were they Raajasic? We should distinguish gunas that are attached to worldly objects and emotions that are divinely founded. One would place them, therefore, as saatviks; the higher evolved amongst them like Nammaazhwar could even be termed ‘suddha satva’.

 

THAMAS:

 

Vese 8.

 

tamas tv ajñāna-jaṁ viddhi mohanaṁ sarva-dehinām

pramādālasya-nidrābhis tan nibadhnāti bhārata

 

O Arjuna! Tamo guṇa, which is born of ignorance (ajnana, avidya), is the cause of illusion for the embodied souls – shrouds the indwelling Atman with illusion.  It deludes  through neglect, sloth and sleep.

 

The Thaamasic seeks to acquire pleasure through sleep, slothfulness, intoxication, violence and an attitude of gambling. Bereft of intelligent discrimination, they are lost in the choice of right and wrong and would feel at home with behavour that society at large would regard as immoral or unethical. Being given to slothfulness, they would regard even the chores for maintaining themselves as dispensable, preferring sleep and indolence. They would be oblivious to the opportunity that being born as human provides for spiritual elevation and quest for liberation.

 

THE THREE GUNAS’ DOMINANCE IN A PERSON COULD ALTERNATE

 

Verse 10:

 

sattvaṁ sukhe sañjayati rajaḥ karmaṇi bhārata

jñānam āvṛitya tu tamaḥ pramāde sañjayaty uta

 

Sometimes sattva prevails over rajas and thamas,  Sometimes rajas dominates sattva and tamas, and at other times tamas overcomes sattva and rajas.

 

Sri Krishna flags here a normal but hardly noticed happening in a human being’s mind – emotions, attributes and attitudes – all in a day, in the course of an hour or even minutes. A person could be traversing from his normal saatvik mode to a raajasic mode or even thaamasic mode depending on what impact the external world makes on him or her, depending on the allure of the objects of the world would do to one’s normal equilibrium.

 

We are sitting in our morning moments of meditation, the mind serene and quiet; or chanting our prayers, the mind filled with God’s form and lips uttering his naamas; or, we sit in the quiet of nature and the mind is engrossed in that serenity of nature; or we sit at a spiritual discourse and the mind mulls over the spiritual messages and seeks to elevate – we are saatvic.

 

We sit before the television set and our mind is engrossed in the actions on the screen – full of emotions of all kinds. We become one with those emotions. Or, we sit in front of our dinner table and view the inviting fare spread out – for lunch or dinner. We salivate inside. And, as we eat, we relish the food items we love most. We feel elated when there is a word of praise for us; or look forward to words of praise in conversations. We lose ourselves in the favourite raga being rendered by an artiste we love. We are with our children playing and laughing. We have a tender private moment with our spouse. All these are moments we are in the mode of ‘rajas’.

 

While we are watching our favourite movie programme, a child comes and changes the channel. We are furious and spank him or her. That is blind, irrational fury. That is thamas. Even a very active person who is busy through the day, has an interval when he or she feels – ‘enough, I can’t go on with this anymore’ or stubbornly resisting our natural urge to attend to ‘must do’ work. We have spells of unfounded fear or premonition. We are ‘thaamasic’. And of course, we are in ‘thamas’ when we are asleep.

 

If we discipline ourselves, cultivate what is termed as ‘mindfulness’ and try to observe our own transitions from one mode to another, it would be possible for us to pull back and restore our natural proclivity – say, Saatvic. But, even for persons strongly entrenched in ‘sattva’,  transiting briefly through ‘rajas’ and ‘thamas’ would be inescapable as they are engaged with the material world.

 

Once we are born with the three ‘gunas’ in a given ratio, are we condemned to that ratio for all our life? Must we be prisoner to that captured ratio?

 

Sri Krishna allays our fears: certainly not. The ‘gunas’ are a product of the material ‘prakriti’ and once we understand their underlying composition and what are its feeders, we can – and should – work on changing that ratio according to our own spiritual imagination – spiritual goal setting.

 

Chapter 17

 

Verse 8

 

āyuḥ-sattva-balārogya-sukha-prīti-vivardhanāḥ

rasyāḥ snigdhāḥ sthirā hṛidyā āhārāḥ sāttvika-priyāḥ

 

Saatvics prefer food that promotes life span, and increases virtue, strength, health, happiness, and satisfaction. Such foods are juicy, succulent, nourishing, and naturally tasteful.

 

By inference, the Lord is commending vegetarian food – grains, pulses, fruits, vegetables – and milk and products of milk as well.

 

These are believed to nurture and nourish in humans conditions of mind that answer the description of ‘sattva’ – foods that bestow virtue, good health, happiness and soul-filling.

 

“O my fellow men, do not defile your bodies with sinful foods. We have corn and we have apples bending down the branches with their weight. There are vegetables that can be cooked and softened over the fire. The earth affords a lavish supply of riches, of innocent foods, and offers you banquets that involve no bloodshed or slaughter; only beasts satisfy their hunger with flesh, and not even all of those, because horses, cattle, and sheep live on grass.” Pythagoras

 

Verse 9.

 

kaṭv-amla-lavaṇāty-uṣhṇa- tīkṣhṇa-rūkṣha-vidāhinaḥ

āhārā rājasasyeṣhṭā duḥkha-śhokāmaya-pradāḥ

 

The Raajasic prefer foods that are too bitter, too sour, salty, very hot, pungent, dry, and very spicy. These tend to induce mental agitation, emotional surges and are deemed to cause ill-health.

 

Verse 10.

 

yāta-yāmaṁ gata-rasaṁ pūti paryuṣhitaṁ cha yat

uchchhiṣhṭam api chāmedhyaṁ bhojanaṁ tāmasa-priyam

 

The Thaamasic prefers food that is overcooked, stale, polluted and impure – hallmarks following his inclination to sloth.

 

CHARITY

 

Verse 20

 

dātavyam iti yad dānaṁ dīyate ‘nupakāriṇe

deśhe kāle cha pātre cha tad dānaṁ sāttvikaṁ smṛitam

 

The Saatvik engages in charity simply because it is right to give, without consideration of anything in return, at the proper time and in the proper place.

 

Verse 21

 

yat tu pratyupakārārthaṁ phalam uddiśhya vā punaḥ

dīyate cha parikliṣhṭaṁ tad dānaṁ rājasaṁ smṛitam

 

The Raajasic engages in charity with reluctance, with the expectation of a return or  a reward, or for personal reputation.

 

Verse 22

 

adeśha-kāle yad dānam apātrebhyaśh cha dīyate

asat-kṛitam avajñātaṁ tat tāmasam udāhṛitam

 

The Thaamasic gets charity all wrong – wrong place, wrong time and wrong (undeserving) persons; and he engages in charity with contempt (for the receiver) and condescension.

 

Rites, rituals, sacrifices, oblations, austerities – in the ‘saatvik’ mode:

 

Verse 11

 

aphalākāṅkṣhibhir yajño vidhi-driṣhṭo ya ijyate

yaṣhṭavyam eveti manaḥ samādhāya sa sāttvikaḥ

 

Performing sacrifices, rites, rituals, austerities or oblations strictly as prescribed in the scriptures – WITHOUT EXPECTING FRUITS/REWARDS, with the firm conviction that it is done for universal good – is Saatvik.

 

Trikarana Suddhi (Body, Mind – Saatvik Austerities:

 

Verse 14

 

deva-dwija-guru-prājña- pūjanaṁ śhaucham ārjavam

brahmacharyam ahinsā cha śhārīraṁ tapa uchyate

 

While paying obeisance to the Almighty, the learned, the spiritual master, the wise, and the elders is done with the observance of cleanliness, without pomp, celibacy, (and non-violence observed in the offerings and without hurting others),  then this worship is declared as the austerity of the body.

 

Verse 15

 

anudvega-karaṁ vākyaṁ satyaṁ priya-hitaṁ cha yat

svādhyāyābhyasanaṁ chaiva vāṅ-mayaṁ tapa uchyate

 

Speech that does not cause distress, is truthful, inoffensive, and invoking common good, as well as regular recitation of the Vedic scriptures—these are declared as austerity of speech.

 

Verse 16

 

manaḥ-prasādaḥ saumyatvaṁ maunam ātma-vinigrahaḥ

bhāva-sanśhuddhir ity etat tapo mānasam uchyate

 

Serenity of thought, gentleness, silence, self-control, and nobility of purpose—all these are declared as austerity of the mind.

 

Verse 17

 

śhraddhayā parayā taptaṁ tapas tat tri-vidhaṁ naraiḥ

aphalākāṅkṣhibhir yuktaiḥ sāttvikaṁ parichakṣhate

 

When devout persons with ardent faith practice these three-fold austerities without yearning for material rewards, they are satva austerities.

 

Sri Krishna has delineated what characterizes the three different gunas as reflected in the personalities dominated by each of them. He has left it for us to internalize these truths and set ourselves on a style of life that is conducive to the promotion of that ‘guna’ that we seek to be dominantly home to.

 

WHAT IS THE GOAL POST (IN THE GUNAS CONTEXT)?

 

What, then, is the spiritual goal-post? Sri Krishna commends thus to Arjuna: (Chapter 2, Verse 45) -

 

trai-guṇya-viṣhayā vedā nistrai-guṇyo bhavārjuna

 

“The Vedhas are all about the objects governed by the three Gunas. (If you wish to become spiritually free) you should be bereft of the Gunas.”

 

The Vedhas – the ritual component that – the Poorva Meemamsa – ordains several rituals; each has, as its goal or ingredient prayer, a material wish (including the divine pleasures of the heavenly abode – Swarga). It is said that whoever performs a ritual properly with ‘shraddha’ and with the prayer clarified in his mind, he shall be granted that prayer – there is absolutely no doubt about that. But then, these riches, pleasures, fame, status, victory, life with the divines, are all transient, shall exhaust as the benediction plays out. Then the supplicant is thrown back into the mires of worldly miseries again.

 

The goal should therefore be beyond the material realm – the boundless ocean of bliss. Therefore the Lord’s commendation to Arjuna – rise above the Vedhic (ritualistic) realm governed by the three gunas. Elevate yourself beyond the three gunas.  Then – and then alone, you shall have arrived at the threshold of that infinite bliss.

 

Now, it is not given to any human entity to be completely shorn of all the ‘gunas’. Not even celestials. It is an attribute that is adduced only to the Supreme Being. Then, how does Sri Krishna asks Arjuna to – ‘nistrai-guṇyo bhavā’?  We should note carefully that Sri Krishna does not use the word ‘NirgunO bhava’; he says – ‘nish-trigunyO bhava’ – do not be bound by (ALL)  the three gunas. What the Lord really commends to his disciple is – rid yourself of Thamas and Rajas as much as possible and gain ‘Satva’ – the command comes in the next line ‘Nitya Satvatva’.

 

There are two limitations in this ultimate goal of ‘nitya satvatva’ as well: One, for a living entity to be completely rid of rajas and thamas and be established entirely, wholly, in satva is impossible – because the being is still in the material real and is incessantly interacting with the gunas in that realm – all the three of them. But he can and should aspire to be a saatvic with the satva being the predominating attribute. Two: as we noted earlier while discussiong the attribute-features of ‘satva’, even a ‘nitya satvatva’ generates karma and such karma shall bind him. He shall become delivered and free only when he gains ‘njnana’ – knowledge of the Brahman and thereby he becomes unbound by karma.

 

EVERYONE IS MADE OF A FAITH, A LIFE PURPOSE (SHRADDHA) – IT IS IMPOSSIBLE FOR ONE TO EXIST WITHOUT A FAITH

 

Chapter 17

 

Verse 3

 

sattvānurūpā sarvasya śhraddhā bhavati bhārata

śhraddhā-mayo ‘yaṁ puruṣho yo yach-chhraddhaḥ sa eva saḥ

 

Every human is imbued with a faith – a purpose of life – a ‘shraddha’. That faith is conditioned by the state of their mind (read the ratio of the three ‘gunas’ and the dominance of one of these). And each one’s personality is defined by his / her faith.

 

But what shall be our faith – after learning from this divine discourse from the Supreme Being?

 

The Supreme Being takes that up – He goes on to tell Arjuna – and all of us – what life-style, values, physical and mental disciplines, shall be conducive to produce the transformations that we may seek to accomplish, learning from this divine discourse.

 

Next.