American Institute of Vedic Studies The Gunas, Attributes of Life Contributed by Yoga Baba Prem By Yogi Baba Prem

Tom Beal Veda Visharada CYI, C.ay, C.va http://www.floridavedi cinstitute.com/ The Sanskrit word "guna" means attribute. These "attributes" serve as a powerful indicator and formulator of the physical principles of the earth. The concept o f guna, is one of the more important teachings from India. These attributes prov ide powerful insight into our spiritual growth, worldly manifestations, and the formation of matter from the subatomic level into more dense levels of matters m anifestation. But most importantly they provide a powerful tool to accelerate pe rsonal and planetary transformation. Within the yoga tradition, the focus is on three primary gunas: 1) Sattva 2) Rajas 3) Tamas Sattva is balance, harmony, peace and similar qualities. Rajas is activity and m ovement. It is dynamic. Tamas is inertia, non-moving, and sometimes lethargy. Of these three gunas yoga embraces the cultivation of sattva. Though it realizes t hat one may embrace other gunas at times. As an example, if a person were stuck in a rut (tamas) they would need to embrace some form of activity (rajas) to mov e from their position of immobility. Our society is largely a tamasic-rajasic society. We are "on the move", active, dynamic, and changing, but at the same time moving very slowly spirituality, and consumed by decay oriented activities. While this is not initially a problem as life is a journey, it is leading to a variety of disorders due to over work, an d various strains on our nervous system. Even our yoga systems are often more Ra jasic than Sattvic. These are the more dynamic yogas common in western society. These are systems such as the power yoga systems, some kundalini systems, and va rious aerobic type yogas. Though they clearly serve their purpose. They importan tly and primarily serve two types of people: 1) Lethargic or tamsic people that require the intense activity to help them bre ak free from their daily patterns. 2) Rajasic people that are stimulated, active, and don't know how to slow down. This can eventually become unbalancing to this group of people unless it is temp ered with relaxing meditation. http://www.vedanet.com Powered by Joomla! Generated: 2 May, 2008, 02:34

American Institute of Vedic Studies While this rajasic yoga is initially important for these two groups of people, i t is often overlooked that they must eventually embrace a more sattvic approach to their yoga practice. In the yoga and ayurvedic tradition, everything is made up of complex interactio n between the three gunas. This leads to several basic guna types: 1. Sattvic 2. Rajasic 3. Tamasic 4. Sattva/Rajasic 5. Rajasic/Tamasic 6. Tamas/R ajasic 7. Rajasic/Sattvic Numbers 4-7 indicates complex interactions between the gunas involved. As an exa mple, someone might be very active and dynamic, but they may begin to experience more balance within their life. The ratios between rajas and sattva would chang e over time as they grew as a person. These gunas and complex interactions between gunas would be applied to all manif estations in life. In an over simplification, a whitewater river would be rajasi c, but the erosion would be tamasic or decaying for the banks of the river. In o ther parts of the river it would be balancing by building up sand bars. The food s we eat are considered balancing (sattvic), stimulating (Rajasic), or decaying (tamasic) to the body and mind. The entire science of Ayurveda is built around t his basic concept. To explore these concepts more, it is highly recommended to r ead "Ayurveda and the Mind" by Dr. David Frawley. Serious practitioners of spirituality should develop a solid and expansive under standing of the gunas and their application to all facets of life. They should c onsciously apply this science to all actions and interactions in their daily lif e. This will reinforce the appropriate gunas within one's spiritual life; and in reality this is what each of does through habit whether we are conscious of it or not. The root to Guna is "Grah" which means to 'seize", additionally it means a threa d or strand. It seems that on a more mystical level the Nirguna is the absence o f this thread or impersonal deity and Saguna is the presence of the thread, whic h is the personal deity. And of course the thread is the same material as the no n-thread from a non-dualistic standpoint, as the material (thread) in a static s tate becomes dynamic and leads to the creation of the thread. It seems that this thread concept permeates Hinduism from yoga through Nyaya philosophy and numero us other writings. It is the thread that links the lower mind with the infinite essence. http://www.vedanet.com Powered by Joomla! Generated: 2 May, 2008, 02:34

American Institute of Vedic Studies Other views toward Gunas. Within the Nyaya system, a system of logic in India, they teach that all created things contain a property-called a guna. Instead of just three they associate t wenty-four attributes (gunas) with creation. These twenty-four are in reality co mplex combinations of the three traditional gunas. These are: - 1) Shape or color (Rupa) - 2) Taste (Rasa) - 3) Odor (Gandha) - 4) Tangibility (Sparsha) - 5) Number (Samkhya) - 6) Dimension (Parimana) - 7) Severalty (Prith aktva) - 8) Conjunction (Samyoga) - 9) Disjunction (Vibhaga) - 10) Remoteness (P aratva) - 11) Proximity (Aparaiva) - 12) Weight (Gurutva) - 13) Fludity (Dravatv a) - 14) Viscidity (Sneha) - 15) Sound (Shabda) - 16) Knowledge (Buddhi) - 17) P leasure (Sukha) - 18) Pain (Dukha) - 19) Desire (Iccha) - 20) Aversion (Dvesha) - 21) Effort (Prayatna) - 22) Merit (Dharma) - 23) The self (Samskara) http://www.vedanet.com Powered by Joomla! Generated: 2 May, 2008, 02:34

American Institute of Vedic Studies While these can easily apply to all living beings, what is most interesting is t hat various combinations of these gunas appear in a variety of texts. Pleasure a nd pain are an important theme in the "Yoga sutras of Patanjali". Iccha is an im portant teaching in Kashmire Shaivism, and is part of the 36 elements of Shaivis m. Iccha also appears frequently within the "Shiva Sutras". Rasa makes up an imp ortant teaching in ayurveda, as taste can aid in increasing or decreasing a dosh a. Sound or Shabda makes up the field of mantric yoga. Om being one of the ultim ate sounds, the sound behind all sounds. The remaining terms commonly appear wit hin a variety of systems, and it is common for many of these about qualities to appear within the same system. Ayurveda and the gunas. The writings on Ayurveda and the gunas are quite extensive and the gunas are a v ery important principle within Ayurveda. While many Ayurvedic practitioners may be familiar with the basic concepts of the gunas, and many may even be aware of the gunas manifesting on a mental level as well. Fewer will be aware of the expa nsive view of gunas within the mental field. Within Ayurveda, guna is commonly u sed to identify different mental types. These types are identified due to partic ular activities and mentalities that clearly identify the guna. These are identi fied as 16 primary types, though again; there can be dual guna types. TRI-DOSHA GUNA TYPES SATTVA 1. Brahma-(The traits of Brahmaa) - 1. Purity, Love for truth, self controlled - 2. Power of discrimination, spiri tual and material knowledge - 3. Power of talk, answering and memory - 4. Freedo m from passion, anger, greed, ego ignorance, jealousy, dejection and intolerance - 5. Favorable disposition equally 2. Aarsha-(The traits of Rshishi) http://www.vedanet.com Powered by Joomla! Generated: 2 May, 2008, 02:34

American Institute of Vedic Studies - 1. Devotion to sacred rituals, study, vows, celibacy - 2. Hospitable dispositi on - 3. Freedom from pride, ego, attachment, hatred, ignorance, greed and anger - 4. Intellectual excellence and eloquence - 5. Power of understanding and reten tion 3. Yaamya-(The traits of Yama) - 1. Observance of actions (being here in the moment) - 2. Initiation of actions in time (ability to time actions for the proper moment) - 3. Non-violability 4. Readiness for initiating action - 5. Memory - 6. Freedom from attachment, env y, hatred and ignorance 4. Aindra-(The traits of Indra) - 1. Authoritative speech - 2. Performance of sacred rituals - 3. Bravery, stren gth and splendor - 4. Freedom from mean acts - 5. Far sightedness - 6. Devotion to virtuous acts, earning of wealth and proper satisfaction of desires 5. Vaaruna-(The traits of Varuna) - 1. Bravery, patience, purity and dislike for impurity - 2. Observance of relig ious rites - 3. Fondness for aquatic sports - 4. Aversion for mean acts - 5. Exh ibition of anger and pleasure in proper place http://www.vedanet.com Powered by Joomla! Generated: 2 May, 2008, 02:34

American Institute of Vedic Studies 6. Kauvera-(The traits of Kauvera) - 1. Possession of station, honor, luxuries and attendants - 2. Constant liking for virtuous acts, wealth and satisfaction of desires - 3. Purity - 4. Liking fo r pleasures of recreation 7. Gandharva-(The traits of Gandharva) - 1. Fondness for dancing, singing, music and praise - 2. Expert in poetry and s tories - 3. Constant fondness for scents, garlands, association of women and pas sion RAJAS 1. Aasura-(Titan like) - 1. Bravery, cruelty, envy, movement in disguise, terrifying appearance, ruthle ssness - 2. Indulgence in self-praise 2. Raakshasa-(The traits of Raakshsa-demon) - 1. Intolerance, constant anger, violence at weak points, cruelty, gluttonous h abits and fondness for non-vegetarian food - 2. Excessive sleep and indolence 3. Envious disposition 3. Paishaaca-(The traits of Paishaaca-demonical) - 1. Gluttonous habits http://www.vedanet.com Powered by Joomla! Generated: 2 May, 2008, 02:34

American Institute of Vedic Studies - 2. Fondness for women - 3. Liking for staying with women - 4. Cowardice and te rrifying disposition - 5. Abnormal diet 4. Saarpa-(The traits of Sarpa-Snake) - 1. Bravery when in wrathful disposition, cowardice when not in wrathful dispos ition - 2. Sharp reaction - 3. Excessive indolence - 4. Walking, taking food and resorting to other regiments with a fearful disposition 5. Praita-(The traits of Preta-to die) - 1. Excessive desire for food - 2. Excessively painful disposition - 3. Envious ness - 4. Actions without discrimination, excessive greediness and inaction 6. Shakuna-(The traits of Shakuna-Bird) - 1. Attachment with passion, excessive food and regiment, unsteadiness, ruthles sness and unacquisitiveness TAMAS 1. Paashava-(The traits of an animal) - 1. Forbidding disposition - 2. Lack of intelligence (intelligence for right ac tion) http://www.vedanet.com Powered by Joomla! Generated: 2 May, 2008, 02:34

American Institute of Vedic Studies - 3. Hateful conduct - 4. Food habit 2. Maatsya-(The traits of fish) - 1. Cowardice, lack of intelligence, greediness for food, unsteadiness, constan t passionate and wrathful disposition - 2. Fondness for constant movement, desir e for water 3. Vaanaspatya-(The traits of vegetables) - 1. Indulgence in food, deficiency of all intellectual faculties The dual types are most prevalent when a person is crossing from one guna group to another. As an example, a Shakuna/Paashva person may be difficult to discern or they may cross back and forth between the Rajasic and tamasic quality, as the y are transiting from one type to the other over time. Likewise with a guna grou p you may find combinations such as a Rakshaa/Paishaaca person. And of course in the multi-color tapestry of life, there can be individuals that are oriented to ward combinations that appear more removed from one another. As an example, one might encounter an aasura that is also prone to sarpa characteristic. Their domi nant field is Rajas, but they are moving back and forth between individual gunas . The previous groupings (tri-dosha guna types) can allow one to "fine-tune" the g una or combinations of gunas that re most prominent within a person. They should not be used in judgmental way, but as way to identify the forces currently at w ork or dominant within a person. This can allow for Ayurvedic or Astrological re medials to be tuneed specifically toward the individual. Though in reality most people looking for help would be of a Rajasic, Rajas/Sattva, or Sattvic guna typ e. Though again exceptions to the rule do exist. Conclusion. The word guna appears in numerous important texts such as the Bhagavad Gita. The fourteenth chapter is almost completely dedicated to the gunas. The term Guna i s an important part of Ayurveda giving it a powerful link to the Vedas. Though t he Vedas themselves do mention the word Guna. Guna also appears in the Vedanta s ystem. They also appear in the "Yoga sutras of Patanjali". The gunas are also a part of Vedic astrology and other important spiritual systems and traditions. Whether modern science recognizes it or not, our modern chemistry is largely bas ed on the interactions between the http://www.vedanet.com Powered by Joomla! Generated: 2 May, 2008, 02:34

American Institute of Vedic Studies gunas. As often in chemistry one is looking to stabilize, make active, or inacti vate some chemical or biological action. Gunas are an important and functioning part of every person's physical and spiri tual life. They are active and at work whether they are recognized or not. By un derstanding this powerful force of creation, a student can greatly accelerate th eir spiritual growth. In the final stages of spiritual realization some believe that you go beyond the gunas, though this happens only for a very few extremely advanced aspirants. For the majority of students, the right application and unde rstanding of the gunas is a critical step toward self-realization and enlightenm ent. For those few aspirants that have passed beyond the gunas, commonly called the spiritually realized or enlightened; the Bhagavad Gita provides insight by s aying, "He does not avoid light, activity, or illusion...he remains disintereste d or unmoved by the qualities of nature. (14.22) http://www.vedanet.com Powered by Joomla! Generated: 2 May, 2008, 02:34