Most of you are acquainted with the teaching that all that exists in nature is divided into
three qualities - tamas, rajas, and sattva. The rajasic quality is in the centre with tamasic one
side and sattvic on the other side. Rajas means ‘desire’ and tamas means laziness or stupor,
absence of activity and lethargy. Sattva means wisdom, knowledge, brightness and light.
Human beings are predominantly rajasic - something in the middle - and animals are
predominantly tamasic. It is left to human beings - if they want to become tamasic, they can
be. No one will stop them. If they want to be sattvic, they can be. This freedom is given to
them. It is from the plank of the sattvic path that a jump into spiritual experience happens.
Those who want to realise the aim of human life - Enlightenment - have to evolve towards a
sattvic principle of life. There is no other way out for them.
Here is an important point about the rajas. By indulging oneself in the rajasic path, after
some time one becomes tamasic. For example, the male/female relationship starts from the
rajasic nature - the desire for physical love and for a sexual relationship. At the culmination of
the male/female union, before the discharge of semen and if and when there is orgasm, both
partners become blind and forgetful to everything! It is in that forgetfulness that they feel
some sort of relief and comfort, and a feeling of well-being. But it is all temporary. This is not
happiness but delusion.
It is just like the ostrich in South Africa. When an ostrich senses danger, it puts its head in
the sand and thinks that there is no danger! The ostrich forgets that danger is coming and that
the lion can attack it even when its head is in the sand. In fact, one will be a prey more easily.
Forgetfulness and temporary relief in sexual pleasure will not save one from frustration
and misery. But if we try to control our desire, to channel it and purify it in various ways,
through self-discipline, from that time onwards the sattvic side starts in our life. All this is not
only mental philosophy but here spirituality is a fact of life. All these three principles exist in
our body, and anybody can recognise it. On some days without reason we feel lethargic and
indolent, with no desire to work, and would prefer to stay in bed. This is a symptom of being
tamasic on that day. On another day a person may be completely alert and want to be very
active. Here there is a prevalence of the rajasic element. On yet another day one may be light
and full of wisdom, giving sermons and teaching people. This is an indication of being sattvic.
It happens in everyone’s life. We go on changing. But after the transcendence of all three
qualities, there is Truth and there is the Self. Beyond the three gunas is our true and pure
Existence. Then there comes into life what is known as ‘equanimity’ - serenity. One is not
plagued by feelings of gloom and pleasure or liking and disliking. One remains the same
always - a realised man. The whole of this science is given in the Bhagavad Gita.
Chapter V, verse 21
The translation goes like this:‘He whose mind remains unattached to sense objects derives through meditation the sattvic
joy which dwells in the mind. Then that yogi having completely identified himself with
Brahma enjoys eternal bliss.’
The Lord says: “He whose mind remains unattached to sense objects…” What does it
mean? The mind is attracted by sense objects. The mind runs towards the opposite sex. Even
when one is in one’s room and one’s friend is somewhere else, one’s mind runs: “Oh, how
nice it would be for me to be with him or her! Oh, the embrace would be so fine!”
The Lord says that you should forget about the embrace. You have to become detached
from sense objects. Then the Lord says: “…derives through meditation the sattvic joy…”, as
soon as you detach yourself from your desires, from rajas, sattvic joy starts
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