Sattvic Life, Sattvic Mind: Understanding and Applying the Teachings of the Three Gunas
In the Bhagavad Gita, Lord Krishna describes all manifestation as an interplay of three primal forces known as gunas.
“When wise persons see that in all work there is no agent of action other than the three gunas, and they know Me to be transcendental to these gunas, they attain My divine nature.
“By transcending the three modes of material nature associated with the body, one becomes free from birth, death, old age, and misery, and attains immortality.” (Bhagavad Gita, 14.19-20)
Several chapters of the Gita are devoted to explaining these three modes and their expression in different domains.
The three gunas are also frequently mentioned in yogic philosophy and Ayurveda, but the concept is far from an abstract theory. You may recognize the action of the three modes in every aspect of life, not least in your meditation.
As long as you are bound to material existence, you are under the influence of the three gunas. They are present in the entire manifestation. Only the transcendent principle of pure Consciousness is above them.
Sattva, Rajas, and Tamas
“O mighty-armed Arjun, the material energy consists of three gunas (modes)—sattva (goodness), rajas (passion), and tamas (ignorance). These modes bind the eternal soul to the perishable body.
“Amongst these, sattva guna, the mode of goodness, being purer than the others, is illuminating and full of well-being. O sinless one, it binds the soul by creating attachment for a sense of happiness and knowledge.
“O Arjun, rajo guna is of the nature of passion. It arises from worldly desires and affections, and binds the soul through attachment to fruitive actions.
“O Arjun, tamo guna, which is born of ignorance, is the cause of illusion for the embodied souls. It deludes all living beings through negligence, laziness, and sleep.
“Sattva binds one to material happiness; rajas conditions the soul toward actions; and tamas clouds wisdom and binds one to delusion.” (Bhagavad Gita, 14.6-9)
The three gunas have been rendered variously in English, but due to the density of the Sanskrit language, any single translation may cause as much confusion as clarification. A few keywords may better help you understand the energy of each one.
Sattva—purity, balance, harmony, clarity
Rajas—passion, agitation, movement
Tamas—inertia, darkness, ignorance, decay
It might be helpful to imagine them in a directional framework: tamas goes down, rajas outward, and sattva up or to the center.
Or consider them kinetically: tamas is a loss of energy or motion, rajas an increase, and sattva is a perfect conservation of energy.
Or functionally: tamas is the force of destruction (dissolution into base elements), rajas is creation, and sattva is a point of stable equilibrium. (In Hindu cosmology, they correspond to the Trimurti of Brahma, Vishnu, and Shiva—creation, maintenance, and destruction, respectively.)
It is important to note that sattva is not simply a mix of rajas and tamas in equal measure—it is a separate mode that transcends both. Yet it also should not be mistaken for the transcendent Absolute, which contains all gunas and is untouched by them.
In sattva guna, it is usually easier to glimpse that Absolute, due to the peace and transparency experienced in the sattvic mode.
Some spiritual paths do work through rajas or tamas (for example, the Aghori and other tantric sects). These are authentic paths, but for very specific beings with specific inclinations and a high level of spiritual maturity. Most traditions encourage the cultivation of sattva guna, as this creates the best conditions for the majority of aspirants.
Sattva—Contentment in the Present Moment
Rajas maintains the hope that something better exists somewhere else and won’t let you rest until you get it for yourself. It is a relentless movement of externalization, drawing your attention ever further from that still center where peace and fulfillment reside.
Rajas is the voice saying, “Just one more,” or “Once I have this, I’ll be happy,” or “It’s not enough yet.”
The trick, though, is that it’s never enough. This attitude will keep you running with no end.
In tamas guna, you aren’t content with the present moment but don’t hope for anything better either. There’s no impulse for activity. Tamas guna tends towards self-destruction, such as the use of intoxicants to dull the mind and escape from an unsatisfying reality.
Once you are caught on either track, rajas or tamas, it can be difficult to escape the momentum. They are both essentially addictive tendencies, fueling the violence, chaos, and dissatisfaction we can see so rampant in the human world around us.
In meditation, we learn how to drop instead into the third option—sattva—which naturally lands us in the peace and clarity of the Present Moment.
Rajas and Tamas in Meditation
As soon as you start trying to sit quietly and focus your mind, you will immediately notice the two polar tendencies. Either your mind is agitated, pulling you into rapid thought spirals and intense emotions, or dull and inert, drifting towards sleep.
For most people, these extremes of rajas and tamas dominate early attempts at meditation. It might be primarily one or the other, or a pendulum movement between the two.
At certain moments, however, you may get glimpses of something else: a flash of clarity, a bright sense of peace, quiet, and calm. You are perfectly awake, yet without any need to move or react to anything.
With practice, this manifestation of sattva guna can become more predominant and indeed should be cultivated as it provides the best foundation for revealing the Spiritual Heart.
As your meditation becomes more established in sattva guna, you may find tamas and rajas expressing in more refined ways.
The Buddhist tradition describes the obstacles of “subtle dullness” and “subtle agitation” arising once the meditator has stabilized their concentration enough to avoid the gross dullness of falling asleep and the gross agitation of being completely lost in thoughts.
In a state of subtle agitation, the mind is mainly focused on the object of meditation but with a restless fluctuation that causes it to alternate between the chosen object and various other points.
In subtle dullness, the mind is quite peaceful and calm but lacks clarity. The object of meditation appears in a static, inert way, without the alertness and lucidity that characterizes deep meditative states.
The Buddhist teachings warn us that subtle dullness is the most dangerous obstacle because it feels so pleasant and relaxing. It’s possible to get stuck here for a long time, thinking you are meditating well—but you are actually on the brink of sleep!
Against subtle dullness, the only solution is vigilance, keeping a portion of the mind to serve as a guard and monitor the quality of your meditation. If this is not yet possible, it can help to reflect after each meditation session and take notes on your experience. With time, a kind of inner alarm bell will sound whenever you drift even slightly into rajas or tamas.
Embarking on a Sattvic Lifestyle
If you want your meditation to be more sattvic, you will benefit from cultivating sattva in your daily life. An existence dominated by rajas or tamas will continue in that same track in meditation, while a sattvic lifestyle will naturally result in a calmer, more lucid practice overall.
Following a sattvic lifestyle has the side benefit of making you generally healthier and happier, as long as you approach the principles as helpful guidelines, not rigid restrictions.
- Sattvic Diet
Diet is such an important topic that an entire lecture is dedicated to it in the Hridaya Yoga Retreat: Module 1! In short, a sattvic diet is lacto-vegetarian or vegan, based primarily on fresh fruits, vegetables, and whole grains.
Overly spicy food and products that agitate the mind (like coffee or chocolate) will push you towards rajas, while meat, fish, eggs, processed food, and stale food promote tamas.
Food should be spiced mildly and eaten soon after preparation. (Do not keep leftovers for more than 24 hours.)
- Saucha
Traditional yogis are meticulous about personal hygiene. “Cleanliness is next to Godliness,” and indeed, a clean body and environment invite the quality of sattva.
Bathe frequently (especially after sleeping or using the toilet) and practice the yogic kriyas and dhautis for internal purification.
If you go to an ashram, you will likely notice neat and orderly spaces with minimal objects, everything in its proper place. This is not just for aesthetics but to promote harmony, spaciousness, and quietness of the mind.
Try to do the same in your home, especially the area where you meditate. The mind tends to reflect its environment—a messy, cluttered room means a messy, cluttered mind! Before your meditation, take just a few minutes to tidy up and sweep the floor. Strangely enough, this simple act of care for your material surroundings can make a noticeable difference in your practice.
- Sleeping and Waking
Oversleeping or (more common) sleep deprivation reduces clarity of the mind and makes it difficult to focus, as well as contributing to long-term imbalances in the body and subtle structures. A sustained meditation practice may result in less need for sleep, but this should not be forced.
Just as important as how much you sleep is when you sleep.
Although we all have individual bodily rhythms, the yogic recommendation is to go to sleep and wake up early. The later hours of the night (8 pm-4 am) are dominated by tamas, while the early morning (4-8 am) is the time of sattva. These hours of peace and quiet are the most conducive for spiritual practice.
- Media and the Mind
As part of a sattvic diet, we also must be cautious about what we feed our minds. Everything we watch, listen to, or read leaves an imprint in our subconscious. Social media and violent, materialistic entertainment—the staples of mainstream Western culture—will not leave spiritually uplifting imprints.
At least for a while, try to limit your time on social media and keep a close eye on the media you engage with. If you want to read or watch films, choose works with a positive, spiritual message. After some time, you can see for yourself the effect this has on your entire being.
As much as you can, make space for silence, contemplation, and retreat from the incessant noise of the modern world.
Whatever patterns are present in ourselves tend to repeat themselves unless we make a conscious effort to change them. By shifting out of tamasic and rajasic habits, cultivating sattvic tendencies instead, you will gradually create a momentum in yourself towards peace, harmony, and the stillness of the Heart.
Naveen is a Hridaya teacher and a frequent contributor to our blog. You can read all of her posts here.
