Souls are eternally satwic, rajasic or tamasic

October 15, 2005

Hare Krishna!

There are many misconceptions about the soul, that it is pure and that the gunas are material modes. Once the soul drops identification with the gunas, it is restored to its true (pure and perfect) nature. This is the common idea, but mistaken.

First off, whatever we see here is a degradation of what exists in the spiritual world, meaning which the gunas such as tamas, rajas and satwa also exist in the spiritual world. Traigunatya means 'above the gunas', and this is the term that Krishna uses. He asks Arjuna to go above gunas, to become traigunatya.

Does that mean that 'traigunatya' is a state different from tamas, satwa and rajas? If so, why simply call it 'above the gunas', and not describe it with another term? Nor is it negation of the gunas, because that would be nirguna. But krishna avoids that term and specifically says traigunatya.

From this, it is clear that 'above the gunas' doesn't mean you'll no longer be satwic, rajasic or tamasic, but that you'll no longer be satwic or whatever in the material sense. But you'll be satwic (or whatever your atma-swabhava is) in the spiritual sense.

Let me give a small example. Suppose your atma-swabhava is satwic, it means you'll be satwic forever, whether you're born here or elsewhere or attain liberation. Your atma-swabhava will never change. Suppose you're strongly identified with your body, you'll appear tamasic to the rest despite your atma-swabhava being satwic. Likewise, you'll appear rajasic when you're identified with instincts, reactions etc.

But these gunas are temporary, they're created when a certain condition is satisfied. If your motivation disappears and you sleep all day, your body or jada becomes tamasic because a certain condition is satisfied (in this case, lack of motivation), but YOU, meaning the jivatma, are not tamasic. Your original nature is satwic. That tamasic guna you experience is temporary because it comes into being only under special circumstances. If, as Krishna advises, you go beyond the gunas, what happens is that you don't negate the gunas, nor do you reach a fourth state. You're simply restored to your original guna, which may be satwic or rajasic or tamasic.

So drop this misconception that all souls are pure. Souls are satwic, rajasic and tamasic. When a soul identifes with the body, it appears tamasic irrespective of its real natue. If the same soul identifes with the sense-mind, it 'appears' rajasic, with the intellect, it appears satwic. Once that soul goes beyond body, mind and intellect, it transcends the gunas of the material nature so that it can find its 'spiritual' or 'intrinsic' guna, its swabhava or orgininal nature, and that state too is either satwic or rajasic or tamasic. It cannot be a new state, otherwise Krishna would've described that state. ANd it cannot be a negation either, because then Krishna would've called it nirguna.

So it is clear that Atma-Swabahva is eternal and cannot be changed. Only material modes can be transcended. Only satwic souls (satwic in the spiritual sense, not according to material modes which are temporary) are eligible for liberation. That's why Krishna says some souls, rajasic and tamasic, are pushed into the darkest regions of material existence. They are nitya-samsarins, they can never love Krishna, they can never become liberated. Thanks to political correctness, we've forgotten these teachings and deceive ourselves that all souls are pure and can be liberated, or that they can develop Krishna-Prema. Impossible, only satwic souls can.

p.s.

As a satwic soul, I do feel sorry for the rest. Then again, one cannot harbor sweet illusions on this account. Hope you understand.

theist · October 15, 2005

Last time you proposed this and I questioned you on it you didn't respond. let's see if you do better this time.

One question that comes to mind is how is the mode of ignorance exhibited in the pure soul since the pure soul is sat-CHIT-ananda by constituiton?

p.s.

As a satwic soul, I do feel sorry for the rest. Then again, one cannot harbor sweet illusions on this account. Hope you understand.

Why would the position of any liberated soul need your pity? No I do not understand what you are talking about.

October 16, 2005

When a Satwic soul identifies itself with tamas, it 'appears' ignorant. That's only tamo-guna, not Tamasika Swabhava. For a Satwic soul, tamo or rajo-guna are temporary and it happens through identification, but their original nature or swabhava remains satwic forever.

The problem is, you're confusing guna, which is a material mode and thus temporary, with the spiritual and eternal quality of Swabhahva. Put simply, a satwic soul will be satwic forever because that is its swabhava and therefore eternal, irrespective of its identification with gunas.

But why this fall? A satwic soul is nitya-siddha, meaning eternally perfect soul. Obviously, such a soul cannot fall except by divine dispensation. It's by Krishna's will that a satwic soul has an *apparent* fall for whatever purpose that Krishna needs to fulfill in this world. All said and done, it is Krishna's game, isn't it?

I hope it's clear, theistji. I always try to help nitya-bandhas and nitya-samsarins. I feel sorry for them.

Haribol!