These
qualities of nature, or gunas, are:
Sattva - the power of
harmony, balance, light and intelligence; higher spiritual potential.
Rajas - the power of energy,
action, change and movement.
Tamas - the power of darkness,
inertia, form and materiality
Now it can take a bit of contemplating to understand what these “qualities of nature” are and how they are relevant to our lives and our sadhana (yogic practice). Perhaps the simplest way for us to understand the gunas is that matter is tamas, energy is rajas and light is sattva. These qualities are described as the main components or elements of our physical universe.
The Earth Element is the realm of tamas or
darkness, of physical matter.
The Fire Element is the realm rajas,
of action and change, symbolized by storms with their process of lightning,
thunder and rain. It indicates energy or subtle matter on all levels.
The Air Element is the realm
of sattva, of harmony and light. It
indicates light as a universal principle that is the origin of all matter and
energy. The entire universe is thought to consist of light that moves in the
form of energy and condenses into physical matter.
So how does
this relate to us as people? On a macro level, from a Vedic perspective, the
universe and all of nature is inextricably linked to the gunas and are formed from them. On a personal level, these same
qualities and processes are at work within each of us. Both our bodies and our
minds are subject to the ebb and flow of the gunas within us. Each of us is thought to have an intrinsic mix of
these qualities (called doshas). It
is the aim of yoga practice, in all its various forms, to bring into balance
our individual mix or the three qualities of sattva, rajas and tamas. Yoga of course favors the
cultivation of sattva, the guna of
higher consciousness, yet all three gunas
must be considered and brought into balance in both the mind and body.
Recommended sources:
The most relevant classic source for yogis may be from the Hatha Yoga Pradipika by Yogi Swatmarama. There in verse six, the gunas are mentioned in relation to hatha yoga practice. (I like Swami Muktibodhananda’s translation).
The Bhagavad Gita speaks of the gunas in detail in Chapter 14. This chapter reflects much older, established Vedic teachings. It’s a short chapter and gives good overview and context. (I like Eknath Easwaran’s translation).
The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali – Again, this text reiterates teachings from the much older Vedic texts such as the Upanishads. The gunas are mentioned in sutra 17, 18, 19 in chapter one and again in chapter four, sutras 13, 32, 34. None of these are especially definitive but only reference information Patanjali expects the reader to be already familiar with.
For an Ayurvedic perspective on yoga and the gunas, see David Frawley’s book Yoga & Ayurveda and Ayurveda and the Mind
Also see Robert Svoboda’s book Ayurveda.
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Posted by: Kriya Yoga | February 01, 2011 at 09:14 AM
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Posted by: Yogi Satyanaryan | November 27, 2011 at 02:50 AM