#three gunas

[catheadreynolds]

Mindful manifestations. ❤️

[kkdas]

Spiritual Vibrations And Aura

Vibration means motion. The Lord willed and there was a vibration. The world was projected. The sound OM emanated. The three qualities viz., Sattva, Rajas and Tamas differentiated themselves from the unmanifested. There was a vibration in the ether and the other four elements came forth. Through the process of quintuplication or mixing up of the elements the phenomenal world came into being.

The whole universe is full of molecular vibrations. Any word or Mantra uttered silently or forcibly produces molecular waves, gross, subtle, or more subtle. These waves spread throughout the universe. It is said that the radiowaves move round the world seven times a second.

Everything in this world, both visible and invisible, constantly vibrates. All particles of matter are in a state of vibration. From the tiniest atom to the mightiest planet all things are in a state of vibration. The atoms of the human body are in constant vibration. Different rates of vibration balanced in the cosmic rhythm produce, before us the magnanimous world. Matter is being acted upon by energy and innumerable forms are produced. Forms break down incessantly and new forms come into being. There is nothing in absolute rest in nature. The air is ever vibrating. Rivers are ever flowing. The earth is ever revolving. The stars are ever moving. Forms come and go but the reality that lies behind these forms is unchangeable.

by Swami Sivananda

from the book: Practical Lessons in Yoga

[nomadman108]

Reflections on Spirit and Matter

I'd looked forward to meeting up with my Bhagavat Gita this morning. Today I would be reading Chapter 14: The Three Gunas, one of my favourites.

As I thought about this - in anticipation as it were - I thought how these days I seemed to be deep into and under the influence of Tamas: the inclination to want to sleep; the inability to concentrate for long (and even short) periods; the 'can't be bothered' attitude to writing (and to everything else for that matter). This all strongly suggested to me that my life at this time was what you might call Tamasic.

Sloth, ignorance, madness, delusion. At the risk of belaboring the point, I will just say that yes, all these and more seem to define my state - my condition - at this time.

So, I got to do my daily Bhagavat Gita reading, and I did indeed read about the Three Gunas. As always it struck me as a clear, succinct, concise, and accurate description of how life works as an embodied entity in the material world.

Later, as I returned to Hinduism for Dummies (which I am reading to increase my knowledge and understanding of the culture from which the Bhagavat Gita sprung), I was surprised (pleasantly) to see that I was at the point in the book where the author describes The School of Matter and Spirit: Samkya. This is the notion that we live in a dualistic universe comprised of matter (Prakriti) and spirit (Purusha).

And Prakriti is in fact consisting of the three Gunas, the three elements or modes, that make up material nature. It is the balance of these three Gunas that, interacting with purusha (soul), determine the condition of each individual living entity.

Rajas is the Guna, or mode of nature that holds the qualities of activity, energy, desire, passion; it is actually the force that 'makes things happen'. As such it isn't of itself a bad thing or any kind of negative force.

However, it can become a negative when the three Gunas are out of balance in such a way that Rajas takes control, leading the living entity in the direction of desire, pain, suffering, sense gratification, and misery.

Which leads us to the conclusion already noted that it is combination of these three Gunas, and, we can say, the mix of the quantities of each, that dictate the nature of the living entity. Or to be more precise, it is the Guna that dominates at any given time that defines that nature.

There are a couple of sentences in Hinduism for Dummies describing this process that I like:

Perusha's (soul's) presence causes excitation in Prakrita (matter) leading to an imbalance in the three qualities (Sattva, Tamas, and Rajas), which in turn leads to the production of a great variety of entities (beings, things). The level of imbalance depends on any experience present in the particular purusha (soul).

This, the author says, applies from one life to the next. Equally, I think, the balances of the Gunas changes on a continual basis moment to moment, day to day, never sitting still. Flowing from a state in which one or other of the Gunas dominate to a greater or lesser degree.

And, as I mentioned at the opening of this post, I feel at this particular time that Tamas is ruling my nature. But, I've been thinking: is this true? I mean to say, what led to this current and unpleasant state of my nature?

The mere presence of soul, as I quoted above, excites the Gunas and gets them struggling for dominance. At the moment, Tamas is on top. But how did Tamas achieve this dominance? The simple answer is this: Rajas. The nature of my activity, my attachment to the senses and their gratification; my identification with the world, or to be exact, my body and its pains, pleasure, its ups and downs.

Of course without some kind of dynamic interaction between spirit and matter, body and soul, there is no life. No physical life that is. In the Bhagavat Gita Krishna tells Arjuna that the Gunas - the modes of material nature - can and must be transcended if one is to achieve realisation of the Self and thus find liberation.

In the meantime, as we in mortal existence strive for this liberation, we need to find ways to balance the three Gunas.

Sattva. The mode of goodness, light, awareness (knowledge), happiness, joy, love, is the mode we want in control. I do think, though, that by definition, living as a material being in a material universe makes it impossible for any of us keep Sattva on top all the time.

However, the key is to try. It is the striving for those desirable qualities - love, compassion, awareness, calmness, gentleness - that will lead eventually to our lives becoming balanced and harmonized with Sattvic qualities and action.

At least, that's the plan. At least in making the effort we can look forward to even at the very least some fleeting moments of Sattvic existence. After that? Never mind about what happens next. For the great and vast majority of us living entities achieving this balance in any kind of long-term sustained manner will be the work of too many lifetimes to count.

The bottom line: do good, be good. And as Ram Dass wrote: Be here now

Peace

[bhoomanandafoundations]

Bhagavad Gita Chapter 14 Explained: Sattva, Rajas, Tamas and the Path Beyond the Three Gunas

Chapter 14 of the Bhagavad Gita, known as Gunatraya Vibhaga Yoga, is one of the most psychologically insightful sections of the entire scripture. Here, Lord Krishna moves from discussing the body and the Self (covered in Chapter 13: Kshetra-Kshetrajna Vibhaga Yoga) to a detailed analysis of the three fundamental qualities, or gunas, that shape every human mind: sattva, rajas, and tamas.

If you've ever wondered why your moods, motivations, and behavior shift unpredictably sometimes clear and peaceful, sometimes restless and driven, sometimes dull and lethargic this chapter offers Krishna's timeless explanation.

What Are the Three Gunas?

Krishna explains that sattva, rajas, and tamas originate from Prakriti (Nature) and bind the otherwise imperishable embodied being to the body and mind.

Sattva guna is described as pure and luminous, the cause of harmony and knowledge yet it binds a person through attachment to happiness and wisdom itself. Rajas guna, born of desire and craving, binds through restless, never-ending activity. Tamas guna, arising from ignorance, binds through inertia, carelessness, and excessive sleep.

What makes this chapter remarkable is Krishna's insistence that even sattva the "good" quality ultimately binds. True freedom lies not in choosing the best guna, but in transcending all three.

How the Gunas Shape Behavior and Destiny

Krishna goes further, describing how the dominance of a particular guna at the time of death determines the nature of one's next birth those who die in sattva attain pure, elevated realms; those dominated by rajas are reborn among the action-driven; and those overcome by tamas descend into deluded states.

This is not meant as fatalism, but as a call to consciously cultivate sattva, gradually reducing rajas and tamas, since a sattvic mind is the necessary platform for higher wisdom and devotion.

Arjuna's Question: What Does a Gunatita Look Like?

Arjuna then asks the practical question every seeker eventually asks: How does a person who has transcended the three gunas actually live and behave?

Krishna's answer (verses 22–25) describes the gunatita one beyond the gunas as someone who remains unmoved by the rise of clarity, activity, or delusion; who is equanimous in joy and sorrow, treats a clod of earth and gold alike, and remains undisturbed by praise or blame. This portrait closely parallels the description of the man of steady wisdom (sthitaprajna) found earlier in Chapter 2: Sankhya Yoga.

The Final Key: Devotion Beyond the Gunas

Krishna closes the chapter with a profound assurance: one who serves Him with unwavering, one-pointed devotion (bhakti yoga) transcends the gunas effortlessly and becomes fit to attain Brahman itself. This ties Chapter 14 directly to the teachings of Chapter 12: Bhakti Yoga, reaffirming that devotion is not separate from wisdom but its natural culmination.

Why Chapter 14 Matters Today

In an age of constant distraction, ambition, and burnout, Gunatraya Vibhaga Yoga offers a practical diagnostic for self-understanding. Recognizing whether sattva, rajas, or tamas is currently dominant in your mind is the first step toward consciously elevating your inner state a theme Krishna develops further in Chapter 17: Shraddha Traya Vibhaga Yoga, where character and faith are similarly classified by the gunas.

Continue Your Study of the Bhagavad Gita

To deepen your understanding of this teaching in its full context, explore:

The complete Bhagavad Gita chapter index for verse-by-verse commentary

Chapter 13: Kshetra-Kshetrajna Vibhaga Yoga — the preceding chapter on the field and its knower

Chapter 15: Purushottama Yoga — the chapter that follows, on the Supreme Indweller

The original source: Bhagavad Gita Chapter 14 – Gunatraya Vibhaga Yoga with full Sanskrit verses, transliteration, and commentary by Swami Bhoomananda Tirtha

[chaitanyavijnanam]

త్రిగుణముల తత్త్వ రహస్య గీతం The Mystery of Three Gunaas

🌹 🎵 3. త్రిగుణముల తత్త్వ రహస్య గీతం The Mystery of Three Gunaas 🌹 🍀 ఓ పరమేశ్వరా! నీ తత్త్వమే సత్య భోధన .. 🍀 రచన, స్వరకర్త, ప్రచురణ : ప్రసాద్ భరధ్వాజ 🌹🍀🌹🍀🌹🍀

[chaitanyavijnanam]

3. త్రిగుణముల తత్త్వ రహస్య గీతం The Mystery of Three Gunaas

🌹 🎵 3. త్రిగుణముల తత్త్వ రహస్య గీతం The Mystery of Three Gunaas 🌹

🍀 ఓ పరమేశ్వరా! నీ తత్త్వమే సత్య భోధన .. 🍀 🍀 O Lord! Your philosophy is the teaching of truth.. 🍀

రచన, స్వరకర్త, ప్రచురణ : ప్రసాద్ భరధ్వాజ

🌹🍀🌹🍀🌹🍀

[andremartin]

3_Gunas_Sattva_Rajas_Tamas

3_Gunas_Sattva_Rajas_Tamas