Everybody lives life in their own way. But what makes them live their lives the way they do?
According to Hinduism, the way people live their lives depends on the proportion in which they have tamasik, rajasik, and satvik qualities in their personality. In fact, Hinduism claims that all things that exist in this universe have these properties. Metaphorically, they are also known as Shiva, Brahma, and Vishnu.
Science calls them electrons (negatively charged), protons (positively charged) and neutrons (neutral), which build the atom. Atoms are the fundamental constituents of everything, including humans, animals, stones, planets, cells, and molecules. By this logic, it makes sense that god is present in everything and has conscious of its own.
Mathematics/Physics knows it by numbers 3 , 6 , and 9. According to the great physicist Nikola Tesla, these numbers formed the Fundamental building blocks of the universe and had a profound impact on everything from energy and frequency to the structure of matter itself.
Now, whichever theory you believe, it is clear that everything is affected by these three energies.
- The Negative Energy called Tamogun or Electron, or Number 3, or Shiva the destructor.
- The Positive Energy called Rajogun or Proton, or Number 6, or Brahma the creator.
- The Neutral Energy called Sattvagun or Neutron, or Number 9, or Vishnu the preserver.
The ratio in which these qualities/gunas are present in you becomes your personality. This determines the way you live your life. While for existence, a balance among these energies is very important. But, the Neutral or the Sattvagun is the best among these energies and humans should try to increase Sattva qualities in their personalities to attain satisfaction, peace and to reach higher dimension (0 – The Divine – Which is free from these gunas).
Let’s dwell deeply into the details of these Gunas.
TamoGun (तमोगुण)
Tamogun is a quality which plays its role in bringing destruction. It is characterized by darkness, ignorance, inertia, grudge, anger, old age, and death.
When present in limited amount, tamogun actually plays an important role in bringing stability to life.
Without Tamogun, a passionate (rajogun) person will never ever go to sleep. He will never stop doing what he is passionate about. He will have numerous desires. He will become a car without brake. Therefore tamogun is very important for such a person. Tamas is the quality which is responsible for rest in the body and mind.
However, when Tamas is dominating, it brings laziness, or wrongful actions and ultimately leads to destruction.
Under the influence of Tamogun, a person takes actions (to get money, spouse, revenge, etc.) without considering the righteousness of karmas and also does not care about the consequences for himself or others. For example, a government officer may avoid doing their rightful duty for which they are getting paid by the government, until he gets bribe from the rightful beneficiary. (thieves & robbers call it chai-pani). Corruption as way of making money represents Tamogun.
Tamoguni person never acknowledges his mistake and always blames worldliness or other people or circumstances for doing bad karmas that he did knowingly. No logic can make them accept their mistake.
Tamasic Behaviour: Seeks luxury and sensual pleasure but does not want to work hard for it. He is lazy, extremely selfish, narcissist, critic, argumentative, deceiver, corrupt, and violent. Tamasic person is voluptuous and does not give much back to the society. In fact may consume or destruct all the wealth created by spouse or forefathers.
Tamsic way of prayer/sadhna: Tantra, sacrificing animals, offering alcohol to god, etc. with the aim to get some material thing or fame. Shiva and Kali Mata are the best god, that a tamasic person should worship as they accepts both the good and the evil. Gods, demons, goblins and all kinds of creatures worship them in different forms and can expect their blessings in return.
Tamsic Food: Non Vegetarian food, alcohol, tobacco, and other intoxicants like marijuana. Food that makes you feel sleepy or makes you more violent.
Tamsic Family Life: A tamsic person’s spouse’s nature will influence the kind of family life he or she leads. If you get a wife like Parvati or a husband like Ardhanarishvara (a form of Shiva), you will lead a good family life with a supporting wife who may support you emotionally, help with finances and provide children as well. If you gets a wife with characteristics like Kali or a husband like Kalabhairava (a deadly form of Shiva), it will become easy to fight enemies but may also lead to uncordial relations.
RajoGun (रजोगुण)
Rajogun is a quality which plays its role in the creation(उत्पत्ति). It is characterized by change, energy, speed, passion, desires, childhood, and birth. It is passionate for wealth, luxury living, love and children.
Rajogun people work hard to achieve their goals (wealth, women/men, power, status, etc). However, when rajogun increases out of proportion, then it leads to lots of thoughts, lots of desires, greed, increased workload, and restlessness.
Rajogun people know what is right and what is wrong but they sometimes cross the line to beat the competition, or for convenience, ego, society, or their family. For example, they won’t mind paying bribe (a cut) to get a contract or business approval.
Rajoguni Behaviour: Seeks luxury and sensual pleasure and work hard to get it. They create wealth not only for themselves but also provide jobs and business to others in the society. They are extremely ambitious, hardworking, work alcoholics, narcissist, and proud. They often ignore their family in the sense that they don’t have time to spend with them. But will ensure that there is no shortage of money and convenience. Yet, peace and calmness is often missing in their life.
Rajogun way of prayer/sadhna: Prays to deity of choice, offering sweets, cloths, ornaments, etc. with the motive to get some material things or fame. Ganesha, Lakshmi, Kuber, Vishwakarma, are few examples of popular gods that rajoguni people worship. (They of course pray to other gods as well.)
Rajogun Food: Tasty food with rich gravy, desserts, lavish buffets, etc.
Rajogun Family Life: A rajoguni person’s wife’s will be beautiful, educated, and interested in arts like Mata Sarasvati, and may prefer adoption over giving birth to children. She would represent singularity, independence, and defiant thought. Kids born in rajoguni family, would value money more than any thing else. Such families can not withstand shortage of money and will lead to separation if the head of family struggles to meet the needs of his children and wife.
SattvaGun (सत्त्वगुण)
It is the most important and righteous gun which plays its role in the preservation of this world.
Sattvagun is characterized by wisdom, truth, purity, harmony, confidence, dedication, and youth. It is the spiritual quality of nature.
Sattvaguni persons does not aspire for materialistic things or family. They do not believe in I, this is me, or this is mine. No showoff, no competition, no bitching, no boasting of status or knowledge. All they give and think about is love.
They will always do the right thing no matter if that results in loss of money, separation from family or society, or inconvenience, or death.
A sattvaguni person won’t be a role model to the society. People may bow after him but won’t aim to follow his life style. They will definitely not like their children to become a sattvaguni person.
Sattvaguni Behaviour: Seeks no worldly pleasure. The only thing they seek is peace and calmness. If they are not rich already, they will work to earn money that is enough to sustain their life and that of those who are dependent over them. They eat less, wear simple cloth, basically lead a simple life even if they have all the money in this world.
Sattvaguni way of prayer/sadhna: Meditates about the supreme god (Narayana incase of Hinduism), offering nothing but himself. A sattvaguni person eventually gives up wealth, family, and everything else that one gets on this earth and then merges with the supreme god. This happens gradually, you can not become a sattvaguni by choice, it happens step by step, often on its own.
Sattvaguni Food: They intake limited quantity of food that is enough to sustain their life. Prefer simple food with little or no masala/spices.
Sattvaguni Family Life: A sattvaguni person’s wife’s will be like Lakshmi in sitting position. She will be content with simple life. She will support him and join him in the journey for moksha. If this is not happening, then sattvaguni person will take sanyas.
What Makes You Tamsik, Rajasik, or Satvik
Your thoughts make you tamsic, rajasic, or satvik. Thoughts are like seeds that you sow in your mind. If your thoughts are negative, Tamogun will start nourishing them and grow them bigger and bigger. Similar is the case with positive and satvik thoughts.
That is the reason you should control your mind and think about something good. Like the image of your god, breath, light, or simply chant some mantra. The aim is to keep your thoughts clean, away from the family, politics, ego, jealousy, job, business, money, and other desires.
Other thing that affects your gunas is the kind of food you intake and the quantity in which you consume. In short, you should eat only that much that is required to sustain your body. Regarding the kind of food to eat, prefer vegetables and fruit based diet. Eat freshly harvested and cooked food. Avoid animal products and ground vegetables.
Summary
At any given time, one of the three qualities dominates our life. As a person longing for worldly pleasures, we should aim to keep a balance between Tamas and Rajas qualities and try to incorporate sattva gun as much as possible.
A very few people are able to progress to Sattvagun gradually, as they attain understanding of life and achieve control over the desires for materialistic things, family, ego, anger and more. It happens when they stop craving for parties, sex, wealth accumulation, lavish food, drinks, expensive things, etcetera and start servicing other people out of love. This brings one toward right activity, truth, purity, and enlightenment.
Once you really succeed to purify your thoughts you can expect to receive Shaktipaat which means “descent of divine grace” that allows you to meditate for long hours with ease. This is also called awakening of seeker’s spiritual power, called kundalini.