Triguṇa (the three Guṇas) in the Śāntiparva

The description of the Triguṇas can be seen many contexts in the Mahābhārata The Śāntiparva gives a very clear and doubtless description of the nature of the constituents of matter. According to Mahābhārata the three constituents Sattva, Rajas and Tamas have been the contribution of Nature. The functioning of the beings shows how they are distributed equally and so it can be identified. Tamas or Ignorance gives rise to false ideas, thoughts and impression. It is a stage where no light can be seen and it is a state of complete darkness. The emotions of man are subjected to Tamas Rajas and Sattva. There are some consequences that spring from these qualities. Contentment, satisfaction, joy, certainty and intelligence emanate from goodness. The quality of ignorance brings with it the evils of desire, anger, error, cupidity, stupefaction, fear and fatigue. The counter part of darkness is cheerlessness, grief, discontent, vanity, pride and wickedness. The origin of the qualities like goodness, darkness and ignorance are the result of the actions they perform. It is also the counter part of the action. The person who is bestowed with goodness will be a man of faith and will follow the scriptural knowledge. Whatever such a person does will be filled to the brim with goodness and beauty. He will be liberated from all evils and corruption.

Many characteristic pertaining to goodness are as follows: patience, joy, prosperity, satisfaction, happiness, purity, health, faith, liberality, mercy, forgiveness firmness, benevolence, equanimity, truth, obligation, modesty, bravery, dispassion, viewing good and bad alike, absence of cupidity, etc.. These are the causes which originate from either this or that qualities of Goodness, Darkness and Ignorance. In short it can be said that all the qualities and attributes originate and exit from and in Nature.

Ignorance has some characteristics too. They are as follows: pride of personal beauty, supremacy, war, disinclination, absence of mercy, enjoying comforts and luxuries, gossiping, spreading unwanted rumours, quarrelling with others for no reason, anxiety, sorrow, use of bad words, anger, calumny, lust, anger and disunion. Besides, other qualities are pride, false speech, cupidity, stupefaction, vindictiveness, stupefaction of judgment carelessness, sleep lethargy and indolence. The cause and origin of these qualities can be from anywhere.

The results of Rajas are heart burning, grief, sorrow, discontentment and un-forgiveness. Ignorance gives birth to impiety as well as earthly acts and such blemishes arise from desire. Darkness can be identified with these attributes like greed for food, ceaseless appetite for food and pleasures and luxuries, untimely sleep, spending or viling away time in luxuries and ignorance of religion and rituals. The states of stupefaction, the cause of which cannot be determined is said to be the action of Darkness. Another cause of Darkness is indiscrimination, delusion, intoxication, laziness etc. The qualities of dullness and obscurity add to blind Darkness which is rather known as anger. Darkness is otherwise called Death. With particular causes of tamas, ignorance, mistakes, carelessness, stupefaction, terror, meanness and cheerlessness are generated.

The impressions of the respective objects of senses are caught by the senses and so it exists. Mind’s function is to doubt. Ascertainment understands, so the soul can be said to be a passive witness. The attributes that govern understanding are Sattva, Rajas and Tamas. The senses and the five attributes cause understanding.

The individual soul which lives in understanding has three states. The three states are rejoicing, grieving and emotionlessness, that is without any emotion. Understanding passes through these states, Rajas, Tamas and Sattva which is the essence of the soul.

The attributes of understanding are goodness, Darkness and Ignorance. Understanding is in turn the attribute of individual soul. Individual soul is said to have come in to existence from the supreme soul. Darkness is the refuge of understanding and darkness in turn, resorts to ignorance for refuge.

Rajas is based on goodness and this is attached to the soul. Nārāyaṇa, who is the supreme and who stands for goodness is the refuge of soul. God in turn, takes refuge in Liberations, which is free and independent, it does not require any refugee at all.

Sattva, Rajas and Tamas -the three qualities are intermixed. Rajas with Sattva; Tamas with Rajas; Tamas and Sattva can be seen in Rajas. Sometimes they can be found together that too equally divided. The amalgamation of Sattva, Rajas and Tamas leads in turn to form Nature. Puruṣa when crowned with Sattva is said to have acquired the realms of Gods. The intermediate being of man is born when he is being complied with Rajas and Tamas. Sattva, Rajas and Tamas when in a joint form enter a soul, it becomes a man. The attainment of both virtue and sins will lead a man to that state where there is immortality, undecay and immutability^[1]. Destruction leads to invisibility of its existence. Where the thing which is beyond the range of sense there inference leads to the understanding of its existence. Some accepts this fact and some opine that destruction leads to the ceasing of qualities.

Footnotes and references:

[1]:

Mahābhārata XII, 314, 5-9.