When we discussed the journey of a seeker we discussed Gunas or Moods: Control them or be controlled. In that article, we explored the three gunas of goodness or knowledge (Sattva), activity or passion (Rajas), and inactivity or ignorance (Tamas). These three gunas act like both the season and the weather I.e., on a single day you may be under the influence of all three of these gunas and also at different points in your life you may be predominantly more tamasic, rajasic, or sattvic. Gunas encompass the complex web of moods, emotions, and feelings. We discussed the recent studies in psychology and neuroscience and its relationship to Gunas. Specifically, we explored Lisa Feldman Barrett’s (author of “How emotions are made: The Secret Life of the Brain” ) step-by-step approach to controlling and changing our feelings, emotions, and moods.
In this article, we explore the role that gunas play in the State of the Seer. One of the great ‘Seer’ of all time , Adi Sankaracharya declared in one of his famous works called Brahma Jnanavali Mala
I am beyond the three gunas sativa (pure), rajas (passionate), and tamas (dull). I am the witness of even Brahma (Creator) and others. I am of the nature of infinite bliss. I am the very Self, indestructible and changeless.
One of the key attributes of the Seer, apart from being desire-less, is that they have transcended the three gunas.
Guna Traya Vibhaga Yonga - Bhagavad Gita: Chapter 14, Verses 22-23
श्रीभगवानुवाच |
प्रकाशं च प्रवृत्तिं च मोहमेव च पाण्डव |
न द्वेष्टि सम्प्रवृत्तानि न निवृत्तानि काङ् क्षति || 22||
उदासीनवदासीनो गुणैर्यो न विचाल्यते | गुणा वर्तन्त इत्येवं योऽवतिष्ठति नेङ्गते || 23||
śhrī-bhagavān uvācha
prakāśhaṁ cha pravṛittiṁ cha moham eva cha pāṇḍava
na dveṣhṭi sampravṛittāni na nivṛittāni kāṅkṣhati
udāsīna-vad āsīno guṇair yo na vichālyate guṇā vartanta ity evaṁ yo ’vatiṣhṭhati neṅgate
The Supreme Divine Personality said: O Arjun, The persons who are transcendental to the three guṇas neither hate illumination (which is born of sattva), nor activity (which is born of rajas), nor even delusion (which is born of tamas), when these are abundantly present, nor do they long for them when they are absent. They remain neutral to the modes of nature and are not disturbed by them. Knowing it is only the guṇas that act, they stay established in the self, without wavering.
Transcending the three gunas
In the preceding verse Krishna says that the ‘seer’ or the one who is established in the Self “remains neutral to the modes of nature and are not disturbed by them.” What does it really mean to be ‘neutral’ to the modes of nature? What does he mean by “without wavering”?
One of the best ways I have internalized this concept is by going back to simple high school trigonometry. Consider this simple wave form - the three features of interest here are the height of the curve above the horizontal line - called the amplitude of the curve; the width of the curve or variance; and the number of oscillations in a give period - called the frequency. Also note that the horizontal line is at zero.
First, let us understand how we are influenced by the Gunas, before we look at transcending them. In any given day, the sattva, rajas, and tamas gunas influence our mood and also the response to the stimuli we receive from the external world. On a nice cheerful morning, after playing with your little three-year old daughter, you are driving to your office (yes- assume it was before the pandemic!!), and someone is trying to cut into your lane. Being generous and in a happy mood you signal the other driver and let her drive in front of you - the happy driver thanks you by waving her hand and you feel happy. That is a typical sattvic mood and a generous action influenced by a sattvic mood. It is evening, you are driving back home, you had a tough meeting with your boss, you are running late to pick up your daughter from day-care, and someone is trying to get into your lane. You are furious, accelerate your vehicle, and make sure that there is very little space for anyone to get in front of you. This is a typical rajasic mood and a rajasic reaction to a very similar situation as before. In the first case, after our reaction you felt good, happy, and peaceful which lasted for may be a few minutes and in the second case you were upset after the action and may be kept cursing the driver and the entire world for probably much more than a few minutes!! The first situation is your elation and being above the x-axis in the graph above and the second situation is your anger and stress and being below the x-axis.
We all go through these moods multiple times in a day, week, year, and lifetime. When Krishna talks about transcending the three gunas and being rooted in the Self, steadfast and without wavering he wants us to do three things:
1. Reduce the amplitude of the curve or the intensity of your elation or depression in any given situation. The moods or gunas will try to sway you in the direction of elation (above the line) or depression (below the line) - but try to reduce the amplitude (or height) of the curve. Reducing the amplitude really means getting back to the horizontal line as quickly as possible. When you get a positive news about yourself or your loved ones don’t revel in it and feel proud of your achievements, take success as a gift or prasad from the Lord and move on. Similarly, don’t let mean acts of others or of the environment get to influence your mood or even if they do influence you, try and get back to equanimity or the horizontal line as soon as you can.
2. Reduce the variance of the curve or the duration of your elation or depression in any given situation. In other words, you try and get to the x-axis or equanimity faster. Whenever someone praises you or you are proud of your achievement get back to ‘ground zero’ as quickly you can - think of all the people involved in making you successful and the environmental factors that conspired to bring you the achievement that you are proud of - this will help develop humility. Whenever you are depressed, think about all the positive things that have happened to you, muse on the inconsequential nature of your worries, a month from now, a year from now, or a decade from now. What is so important and critical for you at this point in time is like a sand of grain in this entire universe and across the billions of years of existence.
3. Reduce the frequency of the curve or the number of times you are elated or depressed in a given day. Frequency is the number of cycles in a day and reduce the number of ups and downs in any given day. Having a diary where at the end of the day you record the deviation from equanimity on the positive or negative side, is a good way to become conscious of the influence of the three guans. First is the awareness of the Gunas and how they influence our moods, next comes the control of it. Slowly you can start making progress - less elations or depressions in a day or week or month. As time goes by you will be the master of your moods and not the other way round.
4. Raise your level of happiness as you become more equanimous. As you start doing the above three things you start noticing something interesting - as you start coming back to equanimity more quickly, have less cycles of elation and depression, and get less elated or depressed on each occasion the line of equanimity rises above the x-axis; you are constantly at an elevated level. The Dalai Lama and Prof Richard Davidson of University of Wisconsin have been studying this phenomenon amongst the Buddhist meditators and see an elevated level of gamma waves. Also students who were trained to practice meditation also showed elevated and sustained levels of higher gamma waves, even after just a few meditation sessions.
The graph above illustrates the actions required for going beyond the three gunas. If high school trigonometry is not your cup of tea - don’t worry - just watch the play of gunas each day and make a conscious effort to change the amplitude, variance, and frequency of your reactions and you will see that you will automatically become more equanimous and more happy and contended with life.
Key Takeaways
Gita verses 14.22 and 14.23
Beyond the three gunas
Reduce the the intensity of your reactions to the 'highs' and 'lows'
Reduce the duration of your reactions to the 'highs' and 'lows'
Reduce the number of times you react to the 'highs' and 'lows'
Raise your level of happiness
Exercise for the week
For the ‘goal-oriented’
Keep a ‘Guna’ diary where you record the S-R-M ratios (roughly) in the day
Do you see any patterns? How would you like to alter the ratios?
For the unassuming
Be conscious of your ‘gunas’ within a day
Be a witness to your ’gunas’ and don’t be swayed by them