Three Guṇas (principals of Prakṛti)

The mind has three Guṇas. Guṇa means ‘string’ or a single thread or strand of a cord or twine. In Sāṃkhya Philosophies there are three major Guṇas that serve as the fundamental operating principals or tendencies of Prakṛti’s which are called—

1. Sattva (light,bliss, goodness),
2. Rajas (passion, motion) and
3. Tamas (inertia, darkness).

There are three Vṛttis in the mind corresponding to the three Guṇas. Śāntavṛtti (peace) comes out of Sattvaguṇa, ghoravṛtti from Rajoguṇa and mūḍhavṛtti from Tamo guṇa. Equilibrium or balance is Śāntavṛtti. Anger is Ghoravṛtti. Laziness, carelessness and drowsiness are Mūḍhavṛttis. The guṇas or the constituents of Prakṛti are of the nature of pleasure, pain and delusion and serve to illumine, to act and to restrain. There are mutually dominating, supportive, productive and co-operative. The three guṇas are discussed in the Sāṃkhya Philosophy.

Īśvarakṛṣṇa described in the Sāṃkhyakārikā—

‘satvaṃ laghuprakāśakamiṣṭam’^[1].

The term Sattva namely Sattvan meaning ‘brave’ valiant or strong. Sattvaguṇa is purity. Sattva is described to be light and Prakāśa and is also said to be predominating in the upper region of the universe. Sattvaguṇa is derived from ‘sat’ that which is real or existent. It is that power of nature that illuminates and reveals all manifestations. It is devoid of excitement and is the cause of equilibrium. It has no motion of its own and therefore incapable of actions. It manifests itself as light. Sattvaguṇa means wherever a person gets pleasure, there exist simplicity, softness, truth, purity, shyness, intelligence, forgiveness, compassion, knowledge etc. these are known as sattva. Sattvaguṇa is a force favorable for the attainment of Mokṣa.

The word Rajas is derived from raj, rañj to colour to redden, to be excited and to be passionate, it conveys the sense of dimness and the region of clouds distinguishing from the region of light. It is the activating and exciting potency without which the other two constituents could not manifest their inherent qualities. Its function is to move things, overcome resistance, do work. ‘I’ is responsible for all motion and change that goes on throughout nature. Rajoguṇa is a hostile force and pulls one down in to Saṃsāra or worldly life through repeated births and deaths.

In the sense of darkness the word ‘Tamas’ is found in many verses of the Rigveda. Tamoguṇa means darkness. Tamas derived from tam, to become breathless, faint, to be exhausted or distressed and to become rigid, meaning literally darkness or gloom, morally, obscurity spirituality blindness, connotes the unconsciousness prevailing in the lowest stage of creation which consists of animal, vegetable a mineral kingdom. This particular guṇa is the basis of all lack of feeling and inertia. The three primary guṇas are generally accepted to be associated with creation, preservation and destruction. The entire creation and its process of evolution are carried out by these three major guṇas. The guṇas are also associated with the five elements. Five sense and five associated body parts. Space (ākāśa) is associated with the guṇa sound (śabda) and with the ear. Air (vāyu) is associated with the guṇa feeling (sparśa) and with the skin. Agni or fire (Tejas) is associated with the guṇa appearance (rūpa) and thus colour and tangibility and with the eye. Water (Āpah) is associated with the guṇa rasa and with the tongue. Earth (Pṛthvi) is associated with all the preceding guṇas as well as the guṇa smell (gandha) and with the nose.

Footnotes and references:

[1]:

Sāṃkhyakārikā, 13.