On the Three Gunas

In Hindu philosophy, the three gunas refer to basic qualities found in all of us in varying amounts. Being conscious about these more or less quantifiable (and not exclusively religious) factors can bring more balance into one's life.

In this article we consider the classifications of specific lifestyle-elements and their ramifications in the context of Hindu philosophy. Here I simply offer my take on the matter; this is not a treatise on religious philosophy. Table 1 lists some typical descriptions of the three gunas mixed with my interpretations of them.

The rajasic guna represents passion and drive. This is often a good quality and is needed to get ahead in life. However, too much passion can result in issues like chronic insomnia, ulcers, and burnouts. Think of this guna as a fire, fueled by your personal interests.

Now, the tamasic guna stands for apathy, self-destruction, and ignorance. These are not the qualities we should aspire after. In fact, we should eliminate as much of the tamasic guna from our lives as possible.

Finally we have the sattvic guna, which represents qualities like creativity, patience, contentment and understanding. There is very little harm in trying to propagate these qualities. Reducing activities associated with the other two gunas will increase the prominence of the sattvic guna. Living a sattvic life may take the most internal effort.

The Choices You Make

Not being aware of one's set of motivations and goals is usually detrimental. It can be argued that some of these aforementioned qualities go hand in hand with specific activities and even choices in diet and music. Eating junk food and listening to death metal all day may or may not do wonders for one's sanity and overall happiness. Naturally, it all depends what one is trying to accomplish in life.

Many people have a primary guna in the driving seat of their life. The ratio of the gunas varies over a person's life and can be changed with conscious effort. Generally speaking, a person operating with as little tamasic guna as possible may stay at their happiest and most productive. There are probably more unhappy and destructive individuals who cultivate tamasic qualities than those who focus on the sattvic ones.

What we wear, eat, and listen to may have greater psychological effects than is typically acknowledged. A new, less tamasic diet alone can have cascading positive effects for you in the future. The company we keep is also of utmost importance. We must choose our associations carefully.