Understanding the Gunas

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

As the gunas co-exist in all things so must Yoga necessarily work with them in order to have any effect.

The three gunas (derived from; thread, strand, twirl, wind) are the prime powers that make up and run through all the manifest universe (Prakriti).
They are, according to the ancient Samkhya philosophy, the primary ingredients of all nature.
They are not existent in set quantities but fluctuate in varying proportions, one or another being dominant.
Variable combinations of the gunas accounts for all the myriad diversity in the material world.
All things are a result of the interplay between these influences.
Evolution is only possible through the tension between these forces.
All objects in the world have certain qualities which make them what they are.
The qualities of any individual object, including our bodies and minds, are due to the particular combination of gunas making up that object.
Their ultimate function is to create the experiences that provide us with the learning we need in order to become free/illuminated.

There are three threads/strands/twirls interwoven in the gunas:
These are:

sattva
rajas
tamas

Sattva:

The power that illuminates and reveals.
It is clear, calm and balanced.
It is harmony and purity.
It appears as light.
It is, according to Samkhya ( ), our inherent natural state, and one who is established in sattva is content.
It leads us to higher states of being.
We experience sattva as balance, clarity and contentment.

Rajas:

The power that stimulates and moves.
It is dynamism, passion and activation.
It is that which gives force and motion.
It prompts action.
We experience it as compulsion, agitation, drive, desire, attachment.

Tamas:

The power that obscures.
It is darkness, heaviness, gravity.
It restrains, obstructs, envelops and binds.
It resists motion.
We experience it as lethargy, tiredness, apathy, dullness, slowness.

In spiritual practice we work to reduce the effects of rajas and tamas and to increase that of sattva, our natural state.
We can choose and modify our practices (and indeed our daily behaviour/lifestyle) in order to find solutions to imbalances appropriate to our own personal needs.
I will explore some of the possibilities for such in later articles.

Conclusion:

Although the gunas only receive scant attention in the Yoga Sutras an understanding of their fundamental role in nature would have been common back when they were written and, so, is assumed in the text.
The goal of Yoga is freedom from suffering through the understanding of our hidden, true nature.
The gunas provide us with a model to engage with, to guide us towards that understanding, and by which we can achieve greater joy, harmony and balance in our daily lives.

References;

“A yogi is one who can change their gunas.”
Krishnamacarya.