131 – The Bondage of the Three Gunas | Swami Tattwamayananda

Bhagavad Gita | The Essence of Vedanta

Title: The Bondage of the Three Gunas 14th Chapter: Verses 6, 7, 8, 9

Our temperaments are determined by a combination of the three gunas – sattva guna, rajo guna and tamo guna. Sattva guna is the highest and most sublime. It manifests itself as wisdom and serenity. Rajo guna manifests itself as dynamism and ambition. Tamo guna manifests itself as laziness and delusion.
The 6th verse of the 14th chapter says: “Of these three gunas, Sattva guna is luminous, healthy and good. However, even Sattva guna binds you. Ultimate supreme goal is to go beyond all three gunas.”
Those endowed with sattva guna have a natural tendency to know things. They enjoy the quest for knowledge. A person endowed with sattva guna is active, but for the good of others. He is not opposed to rajo guna, but he is not bound by rajo guna. Along with action, he displays wisdom and level-headedness.
In a rajarshi (philosopher king) – the philosophical aspect comes sattva guna and the kingly aspect comes from rajo guna.
There is a degree of imperfection even in sattva guna, as it can lead to invisible bondage when one can feel attached to manifestations of this guna such as the quest for knowledge.
7th verse: “Rajo guna is of the nature of extreme likes and dislikes, extreme attachment and aversion. It leads to bondage by attachment to action.”
Trishna in Buddhism refers to thirst or desire. It is not ordinary desire. When one is thirsty, he may go to any extremes to get water. This attitude is natural for those endowed with rajo guna.
While rajo guna is superior to tamo guna, it is not of the highest type. A man endowed with rajo guna will not be able to find fulfillment in his life, as his mind is divided into two extreme thought currents.
8th verse: “Tamo guna is caused by ignorance and delusion. It binds one through laziness.” Ignorance here does not mean absence of information. It means ignorance of higher values and our true nature. Along with that comes delusion.
Vyasa in Patanjali Yoga Sutras classifies the human mind into five categories: (1) Kshipta (scattered) (2) Mudha (dull) (3) Vikshipta (partially focused) (4) Ekagra (one-pointed) (5) Niruddha (fully focused).
Most beginners are in the third stage, where the mind sways like a pendulum. There are two portions of the mind at play. One portion is friendly and may say: “Let me start meditation or reading a good book with higher ideas.” The other portion is unfriendly and wants to procrastinate. A person with such a mind is endowed with lot of rajo guna. He has some sattva guna as well – that’s why he feels like meditation of learning about higher ideas. When he starts the activity, tamo guna comes into play and procrastinates.
In Ekagra state, rajo guna decreases and sattva guna increases. In Niruddha state, one transcends all the three gunas.
Spiritual life is about coming face to face with our own mind. When we try to turn the mind away from the pulls of nature, the mind revolts.
We should slowly withdraw the mind from conflicting thought currents by directing it towards positive channels, by feeding it good food. We should start by doing some noble, unselfish deeds. Such actions generate spiritual energy that helps the mind evolve and become friendly. The existing storehouse of negative samskaras has to be nullified with a new storehouse of positive samskaras. Then the mind starts becoming friendly. Spiritual growth is achieved by constant practice and by one’s own self effort.
9th verse: “A person endowed with sattva guna is bound to higher ideas and happiness. A person endowed with rajo guna is bound to action and ambition. A person endowed with tamo guna is bound to delusion and inaction.”
The ultimate goal is to go beyond all three gunas, as they all cause bondage Then we will be guided by sattva guna and we will use rajo guna for the good of others.
One has to understand where he stands and start climbing the ladder from tamo guna to rajo guna to sattva guna. If one is lazy, he should first become active with a purpose, even if that purpose is selfish. He would then have boarded the bus that will take him to his destination. The moving bus is rajo guna. Slowly, his selfishness will decrease and he attains sattva guna.