guNa is a technical term in sAmkhya and vedAnta, and one of the most important concepts in sAdhanA. As noted in other articles, the same Sanskrit word can have different meanings depending on the context. While in other contexts guNa can mean quality or attribute, that is not the meaning in sAmkhya and vedAnta. Here guNa means constituent, or the very stuff out of which everything is constituted. The three guNas---sattva, rajas and tamas---are literally everything to one who has not transcended them. In the Yoga SUtra, they are described in YS II.18 as
prakAsha-kriyA-sthiti-shIlam bhUtendriyAtmakam bhogApavargArtham dRshyam (Yoga SUtra II.18)
The seen (dRshyam) is composed of prakAsha (illumination or light: sattva), kriyA (activity: rajas), sthiti (stasis or inertia: tamas) that constitute the elements (bhUtas) and the senses (indriyas), and it exists for the purpose of experience (bhoga) and liberation (apavarga).
(Note that the mind is included in the seen, whereas Purusha or pure Consciousness is the Seer.)
From this we see that
sattva tends to illumination or light,
rajas to activity, and
tamas to inertia.
Not only do the guNas constitute everything that is perceived through the mind and senses, in fact they even constitute the senses and the mind! That which is beyond the guNas is nirguNa (devoid of guNas) and beyond description (being devoid of attributes since it is beyond name [nAma] and form [rUpa], and also beyond being constituted by the guNas). Only when the mind is completely brought to rest is the nirguNa experienced, and such a person is a guNAtIta (one who has transcended the guNas). The technique to bring the mind completely to rest is samAdhi. Along the path, lesser samAdhis lead to intimate knowledge of the gunAs in progressively more pristine form, before they are finally transcended when the mind is completely brought to rest. The lesser samAdhis correspond to bringing the mind to one-pointedness on gross and subtle objects going from savitarka (with gross objects as the focus), nirvitarka (without gross objects), savicAra (with subtle objects as the focus) to nirvicAra (without subtle objects). Finally, when the construction of the mind in terms of guNas is understood from the perspective of the sAttvic buddhi, and the distinction of sAttvic buddhi from Purusha is apprehended, then the yogi realizes that even that sattva guNa which led the way to the portal of Consciousness has to be transcended by letting go to rest in pure nirguNa Consciousness. The distinction between Purusha and sAttvic buddhi is referred to in YS III.50
sattva purusha anyatA khyAti mAtrasya sarva-bhAva adhisThatRtvam sarvajnAtRtvam ca (Yoga SUtra III.50)
To one well established in the knowledge of the distinction between the purest aspect of mind (sAttvic buddhi) and consciousness (Purusha) itself, there comes supremacy over all forms or states of existence, as well as over all forms of knowing.
To appreciate the universal nature of the guNas, the aspirant should reflect on the fact that the mind that wrote this article is constituted of the guNas, the fingers that typed this article are constituted of the guNas, the medium through which this message is read is constituted of the guNas, the eyes that read this article are constituted of the guNas, and the mind of the reader that understands the message here is also constituted of the guNas. Then the understanding that the entire Universe is a play of Consciousness becomes clear.
The beauty of the guNas is that they constitute the knower, the object of knowledge and the means of knowing. This triad exists in all knowledge-experience other than samAdhi, which is why the experience of samAdhi is the one that reveals the nature of objects (gross or subtle) in terms of the three guNas. So all the triads encountered in the sacred texts, corresponding to knowledge (jnAnam- the act of knowing, jneyam- that which is to be known, jnAtA- the knower), experience (bhojanam- the act of experiencing, bhojyam- that which is to be experienced, bhoktA- the experiencer), and perception (dRshti- sight or act of perceiving, dRshyam- that which is to be perceived, drashTA- the seer) serve to remind us that through yoga we should reduce these triads to the three guNas. The triad of bhojanam, bhojyam and bhoktA appears in Sri Adi ShankarAcArya's Atma shatakam. The triad of dRshti, dRshyam and drashTA appears in the Yoga SUtra and in the dRg-dRshya viveka (another VedAntic text attributed variously to BhAratI tIrtha, VidyAraNya, or in one commentary, Adi ShankarAcArya himself). The triad of jnAnam, jneyam and jnAtA appears in the Bhagavad GItA and the VishNu SahasranAmam (the thousand names of VishNu).
While it is tempting to compare the guNas to the states of matter---solid, liquid and gas---or to protons, electrons and neutrons, it is important to realize that these are imperfect analogies. While there are many theories in science and some fit the facts better than others, to the accomplished yogi the guNas are not a theory but a reality (albeit relative when compared to the Reality of Brahman), in the sense that we do not need a scientific theory to tell us that the summer sun is hot. In the same way, the aspirant should develop the ability to recognize the reality of the guNas through sincere practice of dhyAna yoga (meditation). Then tracing the reality of the guNas from the bhUlokam (gross world) through the subtle realms, the yogi should be able to reduce all modifications of Consciousness to the three guNas.
The guNas are related to the division of the human into three 'bodies' or sharIras. The gross body (sthUla sharIra) is composed of the panca mahAbhUtas (five great Elements, viz. AkAsha- corresponding to space, vAyu- corresponding to air, agni- corresponding to fire, apah- corresponding to water, pRthvI- corresponding to earth) and is the support of pleasure and pain. It is subject to the six-fold modification of existence, birth, growth, change, decay and death or destruction. The guNas form the basis of the sthUla sharIram and this relationship is best understood in two ways.
The first is the relationship of the guNas to the panca mahAbhUtas through the panca tattvas (five Essences) that is described by Sri Adi ShankarAcArya in his prakaraNa grantha (introductory treatise), the tattvabodha [Essential Knowledge, or Knowledge of the Essences], where mAyA (she who is not) is introduced as that which has Brahman as its support and who embodies the three guNas: sattva, rajas and tamas. From mAyA emerge the panca tattvas (five Essences) in the order of AkAsha, from which emerges vAyu, from which emerges agni, from which emerges apah, and from which emerges pRthvI. One should not take the panca tattvas (five Essences) to literally be their physical counterparts. These are abstractions that extend into the subtlest form of experience in the mind and senses. From the sAttvic aspect of the panca tattvas emerges the jnAnendriyas (sense perceptions) and from their rAjasic aspect emerges the karmendriyas (action organs). The panca mahAbhUtas (five great Elements, viz. AkAsha- corresponding to space, vAyu- corresponding to air, agni- corresponding to fire, apah- corresponding to water, pRthvI- corresponding to earth) are composed of the tAmasic aspect of the panca tattvas in combination with some of the rAjasic and sAttvic aspects through a quintiplucation process called pancIkaraNam. This process is described in a short treatise called pancIkaraNam by Adi ShankarAcArya.
The second is the relationship of the guNas to the doshas in Ayurveda. Ayurveda is an upaveda, which means that is a subsidiary text to the Veda. It evolved from the insights of the Rshis (sages) in samAdhI, and hence it contains the same insights into Reality as it manifests in the physical realm (bhUlokam). The doshas in Ayurveda are:
vAta: associated with dry, light (weight), cold, rough, subtle, restless
pitta: hot (fiery), sharp, spreading, oily, fleshy, red
kapha: heavy, slow/dull, dense, soft, static, hard, gross
The doshas are associated with the panca mahAbhUtas in the following way:
vAta: one part of AkAsha and two-third part of vAyu
pitta: one-third part of vAyu, one part of agni and one-third part of apah
kapha: two-third part of apah and one part of pRthvI
In this way, the guNas constitute the physical manifestation of the gross body (sthUla sharIram). They also similarly constitute the subtle body (sUkshma sharIram) and the causal body (kAraNa sharIram) as well. The sUkshma sharIram that is composed of the karmendriyas (action organs in the subtle sense), jnAnendriyas (sense organs in the subtle sense), prANas (five, viz prANa, vyAna, apAna, samAna, and udAna), manas (vacillating part of mind that imports sensations and exports actions), and buddhi (determining aspect of mind that is capable of detached observation), reflects the rAjasic and sAttvic aspects of the panca tattvas. The causal body is the beginningless avidyA (spiritual ignorance) that corresponds to individuation of the jIva-consciousness and is the cause of the subtle and gross bodies. The causal body is called avyaktam(the Unmanifest) and it is composed of the three guNas. Its state is sushupti, where all the sense and action organs as well as buddhi are not active.
The power (shakti) of mAyA, which is composed of the three guNas sattva, rajas, and tamas, manifests in the macrocosm as vikshepa shakti (corresponding to rajas), AvaraNa shakti (corresponding to tamas) and jnAna shakti (corresponding to sattva). The vikshepa shakti (from root kship, to throw) is the projecting power of mAyA that projects consciousness that is then veiled by AvaraNa (root vR to cover) shakti, which is the veiling power of mAyA. The sAttvic aspect of mAyA is jnAna shakti that enables all perception, leading in the ultimate end to the penetration of the other two aspects of projection and veiling. It is jnAna shakti that enables the yogi in savikalpa samAdhi (including savitarka, nirvitarka, savicAra, and nirvicAra samAdhi's) to see things as they are.
In the various aspects of the jIva and the worlds, the three guNas are always present together in varying proportions. There is no pure sattva, rajas or tamas in the jIva or in the worlds. In the Yoga SUtra vivaraNa attributed to Adi ShankarAcArya (tr. Trevor Leggett), we find
in vyAsa's commentary on II.18 of the Yoga SUtra (see translation of YS II.18 at the beginning of this article):
When one is predominant, the presence (of the others) is inferred as existing within the predominant one from the very fact of its operation as a guNa.
Also in the Bhagavad GItA adhyAya XIV, verse 10 describes how each one comes into predominance by turn dominating the others:
rajastmascAbhibhUya sattve bhavati bhArata
rajah sattve tamascaiva tamah sattvam rajastathA
Sattva manifests, O descendant of Bharata, overpowering Rajas and Tamas; Rajas (manifests) overpowering Sattva and Tamas and likewise Tamas (manifests) overpowering Sattva and Rajas. The entire process of sustenance of life proceeds through the constantly changing proportions of the guNas in every object.
From a perspective of sAdhanA, the aspirant should first learn to identify the predominant guNa in himself or herself, as well as in the external physical world. The natural balance of guNas in a person is called svabhAvam. This is an indication of one's nature. Although svabhAvam is strictly speaking not unchangeable, its change takes a long time and sustained effort. Therefore, recognizing it is the starting point from which spiritual growth commences. So those with a preponderance of sattva tend to be led more easily to spiritual growth. Those with a preponderance of rajas are more easily drawn into the external world of activity and passion. Those with a preponderance of tamas tend to be inactive. Of course there are innumerable combinations of the guNas that result in the wide variety of personality types that we encounter in humans, and the instantaneous balance of guNas in an individual shifts with changes in the external world. While svabhAvam is primarily associated with the antahkaraNa (inner instrument, or mind), we all know how dull weather makes even a normally active person more lethargic than usual. In this case, tamas in the external world is inducing tamas to become predominant in our physical and subtle bodies at that time.
We might have all noticed that often people tend to act in repetitive patterns, and this is one simplistic way of understanding the last part of adhyAya V verse 14 of the Bhagavad GItA that says
na kartRtvam na karmANi lokasya sRjati prabhuh
na karmaphalasangatvam svabhAvastu pravartate
The Lord of the worlds does not create agency of action, nor actions, nor the association of actions with their fruits (results),
but svabhAva prevails (or arises).
Therefore, an aspirant strives to understand his or her svabhAva in terms of the guNas, so that repetitive habit patterns can be recognized as the predominance of one of the guNas. Then slowly the sAttvic guNa can be cultivated to predominate the other two because it is sattva alone that leads to Self-Realization. The cyclical predominance of the guNas also explains why we are sometimes surprised by the actions or words of others. Sometimes we are pleasantly surprised to see a kind or noble sentiment that is out of character, or at other times we are also unpleasantly surprised by someone with a predominantly sAttvic svabhAvam. Once it is understood that the guNas rise and fall in every person, it becomes easier to understand and explain human behavior. It is a very advanced yogi who can control the rise and fall of the guNas, and such a person is called a svAmi. Literally, it means Master. Such a person has mastered their self (the lower self consisting of mind, senses and body) to such an extent that they are able to withstand the rise and fall of the guNas and yet remain unaffected by it. However, along that long and difficult path, it is useful to gain even one glimpse of the Reality behind the guNas so that one is firmly determined to rest in that forever.
Since the finest (most subtle) aspect of food forms the mind, the sAdhaka will quickly realize that eating sAttvic food is most conducive to meditation and sAdhanA. Food is classified as sAttvic, rAjasic or tAmasic according to the Bhagavad GItA in verse 8, adhyAya XVII as:
Ayuh sattva balArogya sukha prIti vivardhanah
rasyAh snigdhAh sthirA hRdyA AhArAh sAttvikapriyAh
The foods that augment life, sattva, strength, health (freedom from disease), happiness, and enhance joy, juicy, oleaginous (not dry but not oily either, but rather consisting of, or cooked in ghee), nourishing, and agreeable are preferred by the sAttvic temperament.
Similarly, the aspirant can start to recognize predominant guNa of any interaction with the external world and note its dependence on place, time and circumstance. In this way, the sAdhaka learns to skilfully regulate interactions with people as well as through all other sensory inputs such as sight (e.g., reading), hearing etc. This is why satsang, or the company of the high-minded, is valued highly in many texts. Even in the Nitishataka verse 23, BhartRhari notes
jADyam dhiyo harati sincati vAci satyam
mAnonnatim dishati pApah apAkaroti
cetah prasAdayati dikshu tanoti kIrtim
satsangatihi kathaya kim na karoti pumsAm?
Eliminates ignorance (jaDa) from one's intellect (dhI), sprinkles one's words with truth, directs one's honour higher, removes sin, makes the mind calm and serene (or purifies the heart), spreads one's fame in all directions, say what does the company of the high-minded or holy (satsang) not do for a man? In other words, the company of the high-minded or holy (satsang), eliminates ignorance etc.
Similarly in the MuNDaka, MANDukya and Prashna Upanishads we find a shAnti mantram
Om bhadram karNebhih shRNuyAma devAh
bhadram pashyema akshabhiryajatrAh
Om, O gods (who are the deities of the sense organs)
may we hear auspicious things with the ears
may we see auspicious things with the eyes
This is a prayer for the yogi in all aspects of life so that the mind may be calm and directed towards meditation.
Another aspect of guNas is their relation to action (karma). All karma (action) is done by the guNas that comprise prakRti, as verse 27 in adhyAya III of the Bhagavad GItA says:
prakRteh kriyamANAni gunaih karmANi sarvashah
ahamkAra vimUDAtmA kartA-aham iti manyate (Gita III.27)
Actions are done in all cases by the guNas of PrakRti.
He whose mind is deluded by egoism thinks, 'I am the doer'.
Through practice the yogi realizes that the true Self or Seer is Purusha who is merely a Witness or sAkshi, while the entire drama of life and existence are played out by the guNas through the power of shakti.