What are the TriGuna - The Three Qualities (Part 2)

'Guna' is a Sanskrit word, which means “nature, quality, property, characteristic, attribute, tendency, distinctiveness, etc.
Gunas or innate qualities and tendencies are key ancient concepts in Indian Scriptures.
Just as cotton threads are the substance and essence of the cloth, the Gunas are the threads that constitute material existence.
Originally, the concept of the three Gunas was a vital element of Sankhya philosophy, but later, it became a major concept in almost every school of Indian philosophy such as Vedanta, Yoga, Bhagavad Geeta, Jainism, Sikhism, and all the other later ones.

As mentioned earlier, nature itself and everything in it - is constituted of and is affected by these three basic tendencies or qualities - although, the degree of each component may vary from object to object.  

The only one which is free of these attributes - known as Trigun-Ateet or Gun-Ateet (beyond or free of attributes) is the All-pervading Supreme energy known as Brahm or Brahman - usually translated as God in English. 

However, the concept of a personal God is very different than Brahm - which is Niraakar and Nirgun - without any shape, form, image, or attributes and beyond comprehension.

                                     Three Gunas in Human Nature

The three Gunas in human nature: placed in the highest to the lowest order are Sattva, Rajas, and Tamas.

Some scriptures and scholars place them in the opposite order as Tamas, Rajas, and Sattva.

                                   Qualities of the Three Gunas

                                                      Tamas
Tamas is a state of darkness, apathy, delusion & ignorance.
It is the quality of imbalance, disorder, chaos, anxiety, jealousy, ego, impurity, destruction, negativity, viciousness, and violence, etc. along with inactivity because of dullness, laziness, and passiveness.
Tamas manifests from ignorance.
It flows downward - from Light to Darkness - from knowledge to misconception and deception.

It deceives and misleads everyone from spiritual truths, goodness, and human values.

                                                       Rajas
A combination of positive and some negative characteristics, 'Rajas is a state of energy, action, joy, self-interest, and innovation.
Its qualities are passion, excitement, desire, liveliness, courage, luxury, and ambitions, etc. - along with individualization, self-centeredness, egoism, and aggression.
The nature of 'Rajas is of attraction, longing, and attachment and it strongly binds one to the fruits of his actions.

                                                       Sattva
Sattva symbolizes Truth, Purity, and Goodness.
This is a state in which detachment or selfless actions are possible.

Its qualities are goodness, harmony - order, balance, creativity, positivity, joy, peacefulness, and virtue, etc.
It flows upward - towards greater intelligence, higher consciousness, and spiritual essence.
Sattva is the guna - the state that Gyanis, Yogis, Saints, and Bhaktas want to develop and maintain.

Before we go into further details of how these Gunas affect one's spiritual journey, we should know that these three Gunas are not exclusive.
All the three Gunas are always present in every being and object - although they vary in degree - in amount and essence and they invariably mix and interact with one another.

The patterns in which these Gunas interact and operate - the prominence of one Guna over the other defines the inherent qualities of someone or something.

These qualities and the trends of their changing patterns can determine the path of one's own life and influence the life of others as well.
Since we - the humans - are equipped with higher or advanced consciousness, we can identify and understand, as well as develop and cultivate these Gunas within our bodies and minds. We have the ability to change and adjust their levels.
We can not completely remove these Gunas from ourselves, but with constant efforts and practice, we can increase or decrease the level of certain Gunas and create a more balanced and harmonious way to live a happy and peaceful life.
                        How do these Gunas affect our day to day life 

                                                               and 

              The Concept of achieving the state beyond the Three Gunas

To be continued

                                       ' Rajan Sachdeva '