Thursday, 8 January 2015

Gunas in the Gita & Spirituality


Gunas are mentioned in 78 shlokas , that is 11% of the Gita.

Gunas (SRT) are in thoughts, intentions, words, actions and even in words. Foods etc are also mentioned in the Gita.

Some can see Gunas in colours & appearances & personna. Even voice tones if you pay attention

Below is a list of the shlokas that I identified with the Gunas during a persusal.
  1. 2.45 : Krishna advised to be Gunatit and go ahead with the war
  2. 3.05 : Mentions that Gunas force us to perform action
  3. 3.27 : Says actions are done by Gunas & one feels is doer
  4. 3.28 : Thru knowledge know Gunas work on their products
  5. 3.29 : Those deluded by Gunas are attached to the works of Gunas
  6. 4.13 : The order of society based on Gunas
  7. 7.12 : The entiries born from the Gunas evolved from lord ,  I am not in them, nor they in me.
  8. 7.13 : Born of Gunas, deluded,  do not know me. 
  9. 7.14 :  Maya consisting of 3 Gunas impossible to break except by constant devotion
  10. 13.21 : The purusha seated in Prakriti experiences the sense objects of the nature of the 3 gunas and attachment to these gunas is responsible for the birth & rebirth of the soul in good & evil wombs
  11. 13.23 : He who knows that Purusha (spirit) along with Prakriti ( nature) together with  Gunas even though performing duties is not born again ( un attached & raj rishi)
  12. 14.05 : SRT tie down the soul to body
  13. 14.06 : S is immaculate & illuminating
  14. 14.07 : R's quality is passion
  15. 14.08 : T is the deluder 
  16. 14.09 : S drives to Joy, R to action and T to clouding wisdom
  17. 14.10 : One of SRT dominates
  18. 14.11 : When knowledge, balance & clarity happen, then S is predominant
  19. 14.12 : When action with self motive, thirst for more, Know R is predominant
  20. 14.13 : Disinclination to perform ones duty and delusion shows that T is predominant
  21. 14.14 : Death during S attains higher worlds
  22. 14.15 : Dying with R in dominance one is born attached to action. One dying in T is likely to be born as insect/animal
  23. 14.16 : The reward of righteous act is Satva. Sorrow is the fruit of Rajas and ignorance the fruit of Tamas
  24. 14.17 : Wisdom/knowledge develops from mode of goodness (Satva), and greed from passion (Rajas) and ignorance from madness & illusion (Tamas)
  25. 14.18 : Those in S move upwards, those in R stay in middle and those in T sink down
  26. 14.19 : When seer percieves no agent other than gunas , realises God, beyond gunas
  27. 14.20 : Transcending the Gunas which caused the body, freed from birth & death
      • 14.6 -14.20 : Nature has 3 aspects/gunas/dispositions.
        • Actions / reactions / feelings are based on ones guna combination
        • An aware person has the ability to change the combination of SRT and hence the course of life
        • We have to rise above the gunas to attain liberation
          • Stop laziness & procastination. Do what is right & needs to be done. Selflessness. And then devotion to take us forward.
  28. 14.21 : Arjun asks , who is gunatit
  29. 14.22 : Krishna starts listing the virtues of gunatit. does not hate or long for SRT
  30. 14.23 : Witnesses all and never disturbed by Gunas
  31. 14.24 : Established in self
  32. 14.25 : renounced doership & risen above gunas
  33. 14.26 : Transcends gunas and constantly worships God
    • 14.21 -14.27 : Who is trigunatit? beyond the gunas. 
      • Attributes described (combination of and similar to Stithpragya 2.55-2.72 and Bhakta 12.13-12.20)
        • Same to friend & foe, equipoised, no attachments, no doership, depend only on God.....
  34. 15.02 : In the inverted tree, the branches are fed by gunas
  35. 15.10 : The ignorant ( soul connected with gunas) knows not 
  36. Divine and demonic qualities are mentioned in chap 16 and all are in a way manifestation of Gunas
  37. 17.02  : Faith is of 3 types. 
  38. 17.03
  39. 17.04
  40. 17.07 : Foods are also SRT 
  41. 17.08
  42. 17.09
  43. 17.10
  44. 17.11  : Yagnas are also of SRT nature
  45. 17.12
  46. 17.13
  47. 17.17 : And so is tapas SRT
  48. 17.18
  49. 17.19
  50. 17.20  : Even charity is SRT
  51. 17.21
  52. 17.22
    • 17.1-17.22 : Faith as rooted in the gunas
      • Faith is determined by the dominance of one or other Gunas (SRT)
      • Faith is rooted in natural disposition which is derived from past experiences and karmas
      • Who they worship, the foods dear to then, the likes and dislikes, choice of words, tone of speech, charitable acts for the 3 categories or people are different
      • The intentions / feelings while doing an action are also typical of persons with dominance of S/R/T
      • The awareness ( a Satwa quality) can help us avoid the Tamsic qualities like  laziness, ungratefulness or the Rajasic ones like arrogance and selfishness.
  53. 18.07
  54. 18.08
  55. 18.09
  56. 18.19 
  57. 18.20 : Satwik knowledge
  58. 18.21
  59. 18.22
  60. 18.23 : Satvik action
  61. 18.24
  62. 18.25
  63. 18.26 : Satvik doer
  64. 18.27
  65. 18.28
  66. 18.29  : Budhi can be SRT
  67. 18.30
  68. 18.31
  69. 18.32 
  70. 18.33  : Dhriti is also SRT
  71. 18.34
  72. 18.35
  73. 18.36  : SRT types of joy
  74. 18.37
  75. 18.38
  76. 18.39
  77. 18.40 :  No one free of gunas
  78. 18.41  : Mentions guna & karma
  • 18.23, 24, 25 : Actions can be Satvik (with doership, seeking nothing in return) or Rajasic (done with ego & desire) or Tamasic (done with ignorance)
  • 18.26, 27, 28 : A Doer may be Satvik (unattached, unegoistic, unswayed by result ) or Rajasic (full of attachment and seeking fruits of action) or Tamasic (lacking self control, procastinating, uncultured)
  • 18. 29, 30, 31, 32 : Budhi  may be Satvik ( understands path of bondage and renunciation, should and should not, bondage and liberation) or Rajasic (does not understand or see dharma & adharma) or Tamasic (ignorant, may see adharam as dharam)
  • 18.33, 34, 35 . Dhriti may be Satvik (unwavering, controls mind & senses) or Rajasic (fondness of dharam, art & kamm and seeking rewards) or Tamasic (evil minded, does not give u anxiety, pride etc)
  • 18.37, 38, 39 : Joy may be Satvik (poison like/difficult/ painful in start, and ends in joy. Calm intellect) or Rajasic (starts as nectar, attractive & sweet thru sense organs, and ends up in trouble) or Tamasic (stupefies one, excessive sleeping, obstination) . One that is short term and leads to trouble later Vs what seems painful in the beginning but leads to lasting joy

  • PS Chap 10, 11 & 12 : no Gunas mentioned in Vibhuti Yoga, Vishwroop & Bhakti Yoga. Quite obviously!

Also in the Vedic system of Ashrams they are connected to Gunas where in 3 stages one guna is dominant.
  • Brahmcharya: from birth till 25. Born as a pure . un corrupted, lovable being. One is loving & busy learning.This period we are mostly in Satto Gun and the Lords are Brahma & Saraswati
  • Next Grahastha where there is work to do, family to raise, money to earn. Lot of activity, Karma associated . Rajo Gun period & Lord is Vishnu. 
  • Then Vanprastha, when physically one slows down. Also having done learning & acquiring material things, one becomes complacent. Tamo Gun period. Lord is Shiva
  • Then Sanyasa, when one is expected to move to a nirguna state.

Just a another recap about SRT signs :

Sattwa - Purity , Peace, White, Meditate, Calm, Centred, Content, Self motivated, Selfless, Share & Care, Knowledge of higher, Macro thinking, Action with equanimity, Balanced, Calm

Rajas - Passion, Action, Red, Partial awakening, Work, Myopic view, Agitation, Turbulence, Complaining, Desires, Wanting more, Arrogance, Discontent, Competitive, Knowledge of world, Self obsessed, Red, Activity, Action with noise & opulence, Positive

Tamas - Ignorance, Inaction, Black, Sleep, Inertia, Lazy, Status Quo, Selfish, Black, Lazy, Lethargy, Inaction, Negative, Ungratefulness
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