Understanding the three gunas

Waking up an average Indian cricket fan to ask what SRT reminds, it will be a response faster than one can bat their eyelid - the God of cricket who entertained us throughout his career, iconic certain cricketer who created his own niche in the annals of world cricket.

Waking up an average spiritual seeker to ask the same question it will be a response in unison - Sattva, Rajas, and Tamas.  They are the gunas which form the essence of nature, everything within us and outside us.  A combination that forms the constituents of every living and non-living being at birth during creation and at the end during destruction. These three are also referred to as Trigunatmika Maya.

When the three gunas are in complete harmony both within us and without us, i.e., around us in nature then there is bound to be happiness - total bliss every single moment and into eternity.

In the reverse order let us understand what these three gunas do to us. Tamas can be seen in a dull mind that remains lazy, and sluggish. The upside though is it helps one to rest enough to feel rejuvenated, but any excess rest is a sign of a tamasic mind. In the spiritual path this is darkness which conceals awareness, our own true Swaroopa.

Rajas is the guna that can be seen in a hyper-active mind. It is the cause for anger, anxiety, aggression and is responsible for driving an individual towards action and accomplishment - making one feel elated or hopelessly placed. This motivates one to get into action and seek desired results. In the spiritual path the downside is this too conceals awareness, and further projects what is not.

Sattva is the sign of a calm mind which helps in discriminating the good from the bad. This allows us to seek the right things and keeps the mind steady in the present moment. In the spiritual path it helps in Self-inquiry to reveal awareness. 

What combination of these three gunas is essential is a discussion for another day. The cricketer needs optimal balance of the gunas to score and be successful over a period. A spiritual seeker needs to focus on a Sattva-predominant quality to progress along in the spiritual path.

We are, in essence, nothing but the three gunas.