Weekly definition - Prakriti and the three Gunas (temperaments) ...Sattwa !

[Guest guest]

Let us now take up the play of 'Sattwa ' in Prakriti

 

 

Tatra sattvam nirmalatvat prakasakam anamayam,

sukha-sangena badhnati jnana-sangena canagha.

Chapter 14 VI

 

Of these, "Sattva" which because of its stainlessness, is luminous

and healthy (unobtrusive). It binds by (creating) attachment to

happiness to happiness and attachment to `knowledge,' O sinless one.

 

Swami chinmayananda explains this Sattwa Guna thus :

 

Because of its stainlessness, Sattva is luminous –When Sattva comes

to dominate as the most important influence in our thought-life,

because of its purity, it is ever luminous – it has neither the dull-

color of Rajas, nor the dark impurities of Tamas. Under the Sattva-

influence, the mind is steady, reflecting ever faithfully, the

Consciousness, the Self.

 

Free from evil i.e. healthy – Evil tendencies must rise in the mind

long before the action expressing the same is committed in the world

outside; as the thought, so the actions. Thus the evil starts

germinating in the mental life. We call that an evil whereby we try

to satisfy the appetites of the flesh, the selfish agitations of the

mind and the egocentric desire of our head. Egocentric self-

gratification is the womb from which all evils are born. Such low

impulses and confusions can arise only when the mind is under the

influence of Rajas and Tamas. Therefore, what is meant here is,

Sattva is free from all evils, as it is relatively free from Rajasik

agitations or Tamasik darkness. Though Sattva is thus the most

divine mental attitude, still it binds us and acts as a limitation

on our divine nature.

 

Sattva binds by attachment to happiness and knowledge – When the

mind is purified from all its agitations (Rajas) and the intellect

is cleansed of its agitations (rajas) and the intellect is cleansed

of its low passions and criminal lusts (Tamas), no doubt, the

personality becomes purified, experiencing a greater share of inward

peace and happiness and enjoys a greater share of subtle

understanding and intellectual comprehension. But even these can

create bondage on the freedom of the Absolute Self. A gold-chain, if

sufficiently strong can also bind as any iron-chain. "Goodness,"

though it gives us freedom from all vulgarities, can also shackle us

within its own limitation! A perfect one, absolutely free, is bound

neither by goodness, nor by evil.

 

Consciousness, the All-pervading Principle of Awareness, expressed

as the Self, in each one of us, does not directly comprehend any

object or ideas in the world outside. What we generally understand

as intelligence is the Eternal Light of Consciousness, reflected in

our mind-intellect-equipment. Naturally therefore, the capacity to

perceive the world intelligently, differs from person to person

because in no two of us can the inner equipments be the same.

 

A windowless home remains ever shrouded in darkness. But it can be

illumined: if a bucket of water is placed on the veranda, the

sunlight striking on the surface of water can throw a pool of light

on the wall of the room through its open door, and the beam of light

can drive the darkness away. The light of Consciousness, eternally

the same everywhere, reflecting in the intellect of each one of us,

throws out a beam of understanding, which is the light in which each

one of us comprehends his world.

 

The reflection in a reflecting medium will depend entirely upon the

cleanliness and steadiness of the medium. If the mind is clean and

the intellect steady, a more efficient intelligence is manifest.

Thus, whenever a given mind is in an inspiring and creative mood, it

is actually intelligent and it is capable of taking longest flights

into the realms of wisdom. On all such occasions of vast knowing and

deep understanding, the inner equipment is under the influence of

Sattva, wherein the agitations, created Rajas, and the murkiness,

created Tamas, do not express themselves.

 

Sattva also binds the Infinite to Matter through the attachment

to `Knowledge' and `happiness.' When once one has experienced the

thrilling joys of creative thinking and the inspiring life of

goodness and wisdom one gets so attached to them that one will

thereafter sacrifice anything around in order to live constantly

that subtle joy. A true scientist, working self-dedicatedly in his

laboratory; a painter working at his canvas in his shabby studio,

pale with hunger and weak with disease; a poet hunted out from

society, living in public parks, seeking his own joys in his own

visions and words; martyrs facing cruel persecutions; politicians

suffering long years of exile; mountaineers embracing death – are

all examples of how, having known the subtler thrills of a higher

joy, when the bosom is inspired with Sattva, the individual becomes

as much bound with attachment to them as others are to their own

material joys and possessions.

 

to be continued ....

 

Harihi Aum!

[Guest guest]

advaitin, "dhyanasaraswati"

<dhyanasaraswati wrote:

>

> Let us now take up the play of 'Sattwa ' in Prakriti

 

Namaste,

 

It is my understanding that Sattva doesn't 'play' at all and the other

gunas play only...Tony.

[Guest guest]

Tonji writes :

 

( It is my understanding that Sattva doesn't 'play' at all and the

other gunas play only)

 

DID YOU KNOW THAT ALL BEINGS ARE UNDER THE SWAY OF ALL THE THREE

GUNAS , INCLUDING THE SO CALLED ENLIGHTENED ONES ?

 

The Only differnce is the Saints are established in the 'self' and do

not identify themselves with the Gunas including that of Sattwa !

 

Tonyji , did you know that that we have the sattwa-sattwa, the rajas-

sattwa, and the tamas-sattwa. Similarly in the quality of the rajas,

we have the sattwa-rajas, the rajo-rajas, and the tamo-rajas. And

thirdly in tamas, we have the sattwa-tamas, the rajas-tamas, and the

tamas-tamas. Nothing is black and white . Tonyji ! there are many

shades of gray in between! Have you not heard about the compassionate

blade of a surgeon's knife ? In a diabetic, it may be a good idea to

get rid of the Gangerene with the help of a knife - the act may

be 'tamasic' ( getting rid of one limb - the leg, for instance) to

save the other parts of the body ... ( the consequences are

sattwic) ...

 

take care , Tonyji!

 

ps - Tonyji , i know , you are fond of one liners but please clarify

your comments ... sometimes i cannot msake head or tail out of them.

Thanks