Hi! Friends… Hope you are healthy & fine. Today’s wellness blog is about the quality of being balanced. When I was reading “The Bhagavad Gita” out of the so many inspiring concepts mentioned in the Holy Text, the most I liked was about the three Gunas which is explained by Bhagwan Shri Krishna in Chapter XIV of the Bhagavad Gita. Lord says “ Sattva, Rajas & Tamas – these three Gunas born of Nature tie down the imperishable soul to the body”.
Now let’s see what these Gunas exactly mean.. “Sattva draws one to joy and Rajas to action, while Tamas clouding wisdom impels one to error” – Bhagavad Gita,( Chapter 14, Verse 9.) Now let’s see in detail about these Gunas.
Sattva – When sattva dominates, you have a balanced behavior in all situations. Under Sattva, you are immersed in performing your actions i.e. Karma & not worrying about the results. The person when under Sattva Guna reacts to pain & pleasure alike. He is not overjoyed by success nor does he break down with failures. Instead, he is balanced no matter what the situation is. So for all human beings, it’s important to be under the influence of Sattva Guna. I know it’s not easy to stay balanced, especially in the “Kaliyuga” but if you try to stay under the influence of Sattva Guna your life will reach the next level. At this level, you will be satisfied spiritually which is the best form of satisfaction.
Rajas – The Guna (quality) of Rajas which is of the nature of passion is born of desire & attachment. It binds the soul through attachment to actions & their fruit. When you are under the influence of Rajas you become obsessed & passionate with an interested motive. The thirst for enjoyment makes its appearance when you are under the influence of Rajas. Also, greed, disappointment, and jealousy can arise if you stay under the influence of Rajas.
Tamas – The word “Tamas” in Sanskrit means darkness. Tamas Guna binds the soul through error, sleep & sloth. With the growth of Tamas, disinclination to perform one’s obligatory duties, frivolity & stupor-all these appear. The tasmic behavior indulges a person in unethical practices, unhealthy thoughts & lifestyle that is destructive. Too much anger & violence are also linked with Tamas Guna. The person under the influence of Tamas Guna craves unhealthy food & also indulges in alcohol and drugs.
As per the “Bhagavad Gita”, the interplay of these gunas determines the nature of an individual’s actions, thoughts, and ultimately their path in life. These guns are inherent in all beings & they constantly interact with each other. The one guna predominates the other at any given time.
You may be experiencing the same in your life as well. For a normal human being it is easy to be influenced by Rajas & Tamas Gunas and extremely difficult to accept Sattva Guna. The holy Bhagavad Gita highlights the importance of Sattva Guna while staying away from Rajas & Tamas.
So in life, it is extremely important to be balanced in all situations. Sattva in Bhagavad Gita, Samyak in Buddhism is the art of “being balanced” which is one of the keys to a successful life both financially, mentally & spiritually. So a small attempt to explain about the Sattva Guna through this wellness blog.
As per the “Bhagavad Gita,” an individual seeks to transcend even Sattva Guna to achieve a state of pure transcendental consciousness, beyond the reach of the Gunas.
“Having transcended the aforesaid three Gunas, which have caused the body, and freed from birth, death and old age and all kinds of sorrow, the embodied soul attains supreme bliss” – Bhagavad Gita (Chapter 14, verse 20)
I hope you enjoyed reading this Wellness Blog with a touch a spirituality & got a small insight about the three Gunas. If you want to dive deep you can easily Google or use ChatGPT for more information over this. You can also order “The Bhagavad Gita” or the Song Divine by Gita Press, Gorakhpur (the link for which I have shared above)