The Three Gunas
The three gunas [qualities] play a crucial role in creation, in the cosmos, and in human nature. When they are equally balanced, there is no agitation and no movement, though there may be resolution and will. They are basic to the progress and the liberation of mankind. The three are called tamas [dullness/ignorance], rajas [passion/activity], and satwa [goodness/purity]. Persons in whom each dominates are named tamasic, rajasic, or satwic.
The names carry significant connotations. The three dominate mankind one after the other. When man reaches fulfillment, the satwic nature is master. Each guna [quality] directs the thoughts and deeds of the person according to its own tendency, awarding the results in the same manner.
Take as an example the mango. When it is a tender fruit in its infant stage, we attempt to eat it and the taste is very astringent. Later, when it is fully grown, we try to eat a mango and it tastes quite sour. But when it is fully ripe, we eat a mango with relish for the taste has changed to pleasant sweetness. The life of the mango is geared to attain the final stage of ripened sweetness.
Similarly, man begins in the tamasic stage of sloth, inactivity, and indolence. But he must be aware of the goal—the consummation in store—and try to escape the insidious attractions of the tamasic stage. After the tamasic stage, he attains the rajasic stage, when he enjoys power over others, when he vigorously pursues the fancies of the senses, and when he prides himself on his selfish greed. At this time, he must be vigilant to remember the pitfalls before him and pull himself back in time, to gain control over his passions, emotions, prejudices, and desires. This alone can make him a ripe, wise, sweet personality, equipped with equanimity and fortitude strong enough to enable him to face the ups and downs of life.
With a little introspection, one can judge for himself which guna is dominant in his life‑stage. Each person can resolve to progress on to the next without delay. The mango is a highly valued species, but that does not make the tender fruit less astringent. You must not condemn it as an inferior species because of its taste. Its excellence will be manifest only when the fruit is fully ripe. The spiritual path alone can enable you, through the three-fold sadhana [spiritual effort] of work, worship, and wisdom, to achieve that fulfillment.
Source: Sanathana Sarathi, Feb. 1977
