Guest guest Posted February 10, 2004 Report Share Posted February 10, 2004 References to triguna may also be traced to the time much much before the Gita i.e. in Samkhya - one of the most ancient darsana which, incidentally is the base for the Yoga Sutra of Patanjali. In fact one of the core themes running throughout the Yoga Sutras are the processes involved in transcending the trigunas. The Yoga Sutra also clearly informs that the Supreme is beyond trigunas and may therefore be considered as our primary Guru. while it is true as shri Sudarshan says " A deep understanding of the concept and reality of "tri-gUNa-s" is very essential to the practice of the Vedantic faith......" one is not sure whether "...... Those few who succeed in that understanding attain the state of Brahman....". The Upanashids are replete with emphatic declarations that Brahman is not a state to attain or easily understood by the ordinary senses. The Yoga Sutras clearly say that once the trigunas are comprehended then 'viveka khyati' occurs, that is, a discrimination apparently appears to spontaneously flower. This discrimination is not born out of the intellect or mind stuff and is more in the realm of intuitive perception. Forgive this writer for whatever is said out of error. Om tat sat tat tvam asi sudarshan madabushi tiruvenkatam <mksudarshan2002@y cc: , ahoo.co.in> oppiliappan More on "tri-gUNa": Sattva, Rajas & 02/07/04 05:26 PM Tamas Please respond to Oppiliappan Dear friends, A member of SriRangasri Sri Tatachar wrote in response to my earlier post on this subject: "It (triguNa) is fact not because it is in the gIta, rather, the otherway, because it is there to begin with, (it's why) the Lord addresses it in the gIta." Sri Tatachar is 100% right. **************** If my arithmetic is not wrong, there are about 65 'shlOkA-s' in all in the Gita devoted to examining in great detail the subject of "tri-gUNa": (1) In Chapter 7, Krishna while explaining the nature of the material world ("prakruti") brings up the subject for the first time. He does it quite suddenly in Stanzas# 12 & #13 almost springing a surprise on Arjuna (throughout the Gita, we see this as a common occurence... Krishna taking poor Arjuna by surprise by introducing a new idea or new strand of thought suddenly in the middle of a long exposition on another theme...): "tribhir-gUNa-mayyair-bhAvair- abhi sarvamidam jagath mOhitam nAbhi-jAnAti mAmEbhyah param-avyayam" The nature of all the world and all this universe Mired as they are in the three "gUNa-s", is caused by them; They veil the world from Me -- I am beyond them Eternal and unchanged! **************** Then in Chapter 14, beginning with Stanza #5 through #18, Krishna introduces Arjuna to the concepts of Sattva, Rajas and Tamas. He provides us their definitions, explains their properties and even constructs a cause-effect matrix to help open Arjuna's eyes to the reality of the "tri-gUNa-s". Arjuna then beholds and recognizes the world in a wholly new light. Slowly he begins to understand it all in terms of the threefold elements of "tri-gUNa-s". Reading these stanzas carefully and reflecting deeply upon them we too begin to understand that Sattva, Rajas and Tamas are great powerful Forces indeed acting upon and in this world, in much the same way perhaps as we know, say, Gravity, Magnetic-fields or Radio-activity rule this world. None can ever grasp or clutch at a handful of Gravity but everyone, everything in this world is bound by it ("badhnAti"). Similarly, you cannot hold a magnetic-field within the palm of the hand, but just go near a source of magnetism and see what happens... it will envelop you like an octopus embraces its prey. Again, you never actually get to see X-rays, radio-waves, alpha, gamma or infra-red rays in the air around you, but nonetheless they are all out there all the time -- in every single breath you take in and out, every blessed moment of your life... There is no way that the "tri-guNA-s" can be avoided... no more than one can avoid Gravity in this world. But quite like Gravity itself the "tri-gUNa-s" can be overcome and made to work to our advantage or to even serve our chief purposes in life. If you climb a height and are careless enough to slip, Gravity will surely ensure your painful fall. But if you know and master the art of sky-gliding, you can use the same force of Gravity to your advantage and take to the great skies. In pretty much the same way, although we have no power whatsoever over Sattva, Rajas and Tamas we can nonetheless learn to use and exploit them wisely and profitably in order to further our own true purposes in life. ************ Next, in Chapter 17, Krishna adopts a very scientific approach in explaining the operation of the "tri-gUNa-s" in the world. Starting with Stanzas# 7,8,9 and #10 and proceeding step-by-step -- beginning with Stanza #20 all the way through Stanza#40 -- Krishna expounds the way Sattvas, Rajas and Tamas function in this world (and within the body-mind-soul complex of Man). Like a cold, clinical and methodical professor, Krishna gives Arjuna a wonderful lesson, full of elegance, profundity and penetrative insight into the working of the "tri-gUNa-s". You cannot study the great Forces of the world or understand how they work through mere conceptual constructs or speculation alone. You must instead learn to see them as they actually operate or function in the real world. Now how to do that? Newton studied Gravity and Motion through serious inquiry into why as simple an object as an apple falls from a tree to the ground. Faraday studied Magnetism by carefully studying how iron-filings react when brought within the proximity of a magnetic field. Nuclear-scientists study wave-radiation by watching how radio-active substances (like say, uranium isotopes) react under process... The same method and approach may be used to study "tri-gUNa-s" too -- i.e. we may study it by studying the behaviour of objects and entities upon which the forces of "tri-gUNa" operate. To study Rajas and to understand how it operates, you simply turn your attention to objects/entities/persons upon whom Rajas is acting. To study Tamas, all you have to do is to study the behaviour of objects/entities/persons that are recognized to be under the powerful influence of Tamas... To help us readily and easily recognize the many categories of objects/entities in the world upon which the "tri-gUNa-s" are acting, Krishna provides in the Gita many useful illustrations and typical case-studies. These, in effect, provide us (as well as they did Arjuna at Kurukshetra) great psychological insight into the phenomenon of "tri-gUNa". Krishna in effect tells Arjuna: "You can understand "tri-gUNa-s" by simply taking up the careful study of the behaviour of one who is under the grip of Sattva, Rajas and Tamas. Watch what he worships most in life ("shraddha"). Watch how he goes about "worshipping" in life ("yajantE"). Inquire into the kinds of food he eats, and keep a tag on his eating-habits ("aahAra-niyamam"). Observe too how he gives away gifts/charity in life ("dAna"). Keenly take note of the extent and quality of sacrifices ("yagnya", "tapas") he makes in life. Watch too how he speaks ("vAkyam") and the quality of his utterances. Focus too on the many ways his mind ("mana-prasAdah:") works and manifests itself in his actions.... All these, O Arjuna, are clear and categorical pointers to the operation of the "tri-gUNas"... Study them and you shall unlock the mystery of the "tri-gUNa-s" and by doing so shall you be enabled to conquer them, go beyond them, become fit for Bhakti and ultimately reach to my own State of Brahman!": "mAm cha yO'avya abhichArENa bhakti-yOgEna sEvatE; sa gUNAn samateet-tyaitAn brahma-bhUyAya kalpatE" (14.26) He who serves Me with Bhakti By crossing beyond the GunAs Becomes fit and ready For the state of Brahman! ************* In the final Chapter #18 of the Gita, in Stanzas #7 through #10 and later in Stanzas #20 through #40, Krishna explains to Arjuna how actually the "tri-gUNa-s" may be overcome by Man and how such conquest paves the way for attaining the State of Brahman. In the course of a thrilling and final peroration in the Srimadh Bhagavath-Gita, Krishna explains how even the most precious possessions of Man, his Buddhi (Intellect) and Manas (Mind) are subject to the influence of the "tri-gUNa-s" and how even the Knowledge (GnyAna) that we gain and come to possess in our earthly existence is conditioned and coloured by the three-fold characters of Sattva, Rajas and Tamas. To go beyond the "tri-gUNa-s" is to conquer them. It is possible for Man and that is one of the principal themes of the 18th Chapter of the Gita. It IS possible to overcome the "tri-gUNA-s" just as it is possible to conquer Gravity, Magnestism or Radioactivity in this world. Man's conquest of "tri-gUNa-s" involves "nyAsa" -- Renunciation or Surrender ("parityadja"). This too, says Krishna, is of three types: Sattvic, Rajasic and Tamasic and make sure you "adhere in life to the Sattvic mode of Renunciation", declares Krishna. And that mode lies in performing your duties in a spirit of complete and absolute "nyAsa" -- acting without expectation of returns, fruit or reward ... or else surrendering them all to the Almighty ... "sarvam sri KrishnArpaNam". ********** Thus, in very brief sketch, ends the Gita's magnificent treatment of the subject of "tri-gUNa-s". A deep understanding of the concept and reality of "tri-gUNa-s" is very essential to the practice of the Vedantic faith. Those few who succeed in that understanding attain the state of Brahman. Those many who do not succeed fall short of understanding Brahman, but still achieve something very valuable out of all their effort -- a fuller understanding of the large world around them and of their own inner true selves. Thanks and regards, dAsan, Sudarshan ______________________ India Education Special: Study in the UK now. Go to http://in.specials./index1.html Links Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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