5. THREEFOLD QUALITIES: Sattva, Rajas and Tamas

THREEFOLD QUALITIES: Sattva, Rajas and Tamas
By M. M. DIVAKARAN

In Bhagavad Gita (Chapter 17th & 18th), Krishna teaches Arjuna of Threefold Qualities (three kinds of gunas) that consist in every human-beings. They known as Sattva, Rajas and Tamas. Sattva guna attaches to happiness and arises wisdom; Rajas to action and arises from it greed, false opinion and belief; and Tamas verily shrouding discrimination and miscomprehension and arises ignorance.

 In the Sraddha or attention threefold gunas which is inherent in their nature are the Sattvika, the Rajasika and the Tamasika. The man consists of his Sraddha, he really is what his Sraddha is.

 Regarding Threefold Worship Krishna tells the Sattvika men worship the Devas (Gods); the Rajasika worship the Yakshas and the Rakhshasas; the Tamasika worship the Prethas and hosts of Bhootas.

 Food has also its three qualities: The foods which augment, vitality, energy, strength, health, cheerfulness, and appetite, which are savoury and oleaginous, substantial and included ghee, are liked by the Sattvika.
The foods that are bitter, sour, saline, too much hot, pungent, dry, and burning, are liked by the Rajasika. This food is productive of pain, grief and disease.
The food that is stale (i.e. cooked three hours ago), tasteless, evil-smelling, refused food (i.e. left on the plate after a meal), and impure, are liked by the Tamasika. This food is also productive of pain, grief and disease.

 Yajna: That Yajna is Sattvika which is performed by desiring no fruits, with their mind fixed on the Yajna only, for its own sake.
The Yajna which is performed seeking for fruit and for ostentation, know it to be Rajasika Yajna.
The Yajna which is performed without attention, in which no food is distributed to others, which is devoid of Mantras, Gifts, and Sraddha know it to be Tamasika Yajna.

 Austerity: The worship of the Devas, the Gurus, and the Wise, Purity, Straight-forwardness, Continence, and Non-injury are called the "Austerity of the Body".
Speech which causes no vexation, and is true, as also agreeable and beneficial and study of the Vedas are called the "Austerity of Speech".
Serenity of mind, kindness, silence, Self-control, honesty of motive are called the "Austerity of Mental".
The Austerity of the Body, Austerity of Speech and Austerity of Mental practised by steadfast men, with great Sraddha, desiring no fruit, is said to be Sattvika.
The Austerity which is practised with the object of gaining honour and worship, and with ostentation, is said to be Rajasika.
The Austerity which is practised out of a foolish notion, with Self-torture or for the purpose of ruining another, is said to be Tamasika.

 Gifts: The gifts who give with the idea of "To give is my right", does no service in return, in a suitable place and to a worthy person, that gift is regarded as Sattvika. But the gift given with a view to receiving in return, or looking for the fruit, or again reluctantly, that gift is regarded as Rajasika.
The gift given at the wrong place or wrong time, to unworthy persons, without regard or with disdain, that gift is regarded as Tamasika.

 Knowledge: The Knowledge that by which one indestructible substance is seen in all beings, inseparate in the separated, that Knowledge is known as Sattvika. But the Knowledge which sees in all human-beings various entities of distinct kinds as different from one another, that Knowledge is known as Rajasika. The Knowledge which is confined to one single effect as if it were the whole, without reason, without foundation in truth, and trival - that Knowledge is known as Tamasika.

 Action: An action done with love or by desiring no fruit and free from attachment, is said to be Sattvika. The action which is performed with desires, or without love or with Self-conceit and with much effort, is said to be Rajasika.
The action which is undertaken through delusion, without heed to the consequence, loss of power and wealth, injury to others, and one's own ability that action is said to be Tamasika.

 Agent: An agent who free from attachment, non-egotistic, endued with fortitude and enthusiasm, and unaffected in success or failure, is called Sattvika.
An agent who is passionate, desirous of the fruits of action, greedy, malignant, impure, easily elated or dejected, such an agent is called Rajasika.
An agent who is unsteady, vulgar, arrogant, dishonest, malicious, lazy, loss of hope such an agent is called Tamasika.

 Intellect: One who knows the paths of work and renunciation, right and wrong actions, fear and fearlessness, bondage and liberation, that intellect is known as Sattvika. One who has a distorted apprehension of Dharma and its opposite and also of rights action and its opposite, that intellect is known as Rajasika. One who has enveloped in darkness, regards Adharma as Dharma and views all things in a perverted light, that intellect is known as Tamasika.

 Fortitude: The fortitude by which the functions of the mind, the prana (jivan) and the senses are regulated, that fortitude is known as Sattvika.
The fortitude by which one regulates to Dharma, desire, and wealth, desirous
of the fruit of each from attachment, that fortitude is known as Rajasika.
A stupid man who does not give up sleep, fear, grief, despondency, and
overweening conceit, that fortitude is known as Tamasika.

 Happiness: Happiness which is like poison at first, but like nector at the end, that happiness is known as Sattvika.
Happiness which arises from the contact of object with sense, at first like nector, but like poison at the end, that happiness is known as Rajasika.
Happiness which begins and results in self-delusion arising from sleep, indolence, and miscomprehension, that happiness is known as Tamasika.
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