Sai message for the day

[Guest guest]

Swami! We have many qualities - tamasika, rajasika and sduvika Do

they change at any time? How are we to ennoble ourselves? Sometimes

these attributes may be responsible for conflicts with our colleagues

in the office. What is to be done under these circumstances? Kindly

give us a solution to this problem that we encounter everyday?

 

Sai Baba: The whole world revolves round these three attributes -

tamasika, rajasika and sattvika. Every individual has these three

attributes working like the three blades of a fan. But in a person,

the quality which dominates the other two decides his nature, his

total personality, nay, his very destiny as a whole.

 

He is a pious man whose sattvika quality dominates his rajasika and

tamasika qualities. He is an emotional, passionate, active man if his

rajasika quality dominates his sattvika and tamasika qualities. He is

a dull, inactive and passive man if he is dominated by the tamasika

nature. Thus, everyone has these three attributes.

 

For instance, in an eyeball don't you see all the three colours,

white, red, and black. They symbolise these trigunas or traits. Watch

the sunrise. You will notice three colours red, white and black

indicating trigunas or the three attributes. However, you should note

one important point. Gunas have no independent existence. Divinity

makes them functional. But the gunas are not to be found in the

divine as God is gunatita, beyond attributes.

 

Gunas are transformable. For instance, you can get over tamasika

quality by karma, action. Karma transforms tamasika quality into

rajasika activity. Rajasika nature is dual. It may give you success

or failure, profit or loss, praise or blame, etc. Man has to perform

karma. In fact there is no one who does not take any action. You may

lie on a bed sleeping, yet your heart beats, blood circulates and the

nervous system and pulmonary system work. Don't they? Does it not

amount to action?

 

By doing selfless actions, offering all the fruits of action to God,

serving God in everyone and by realising indwelling divinity, one can

develop anubhavajnana, practical wisdom or experience based wisdom.

At that stage, a rajasika person becomes a sattvika person.

Therefore, karma is important karmanubandhini manus yaloke , human

society is bound by action. Your very life is gifted to do karma.

Thus, janma, birth and karma, actions are inter-related. In fact, one

should salute respectfully the action he does. Tasmai namah karman e,

my salutations to the action given or assigned to me. Therefore, a

tamasika nature can be converted into rajasika by volitional action,

which can be further transformed into sattvika by bhakti, and jnana,

devotion and awareness. This is sadhana or spiritual practice.

 

By atmavicara, self- enquiry you can improve and change your nature.

When any lower or animal qualities like wavering of the mind,

excessive sleep, gluttony, crop up immediately say to yourself at

least ten times. " I am a man, I am not an animal. " Then, you will be

able to get over them. Do your duty sincerely. Don't be pompous.

Don't show off nor do any stunt. Always be sure that God notices

everything that you do, though others may not. Do your duty with love.

 

" Duty with love is Desirable.

Duty without love is Deplorable,

Love without duty is Divine. "

 

If you offer all your work and the fruits thereof to God, your work

will be transformed into worship.

 

You may not agree with your colleagues in your office. Your

temperament may be incompatible with theirs, sometimes leading to

controversies and in-­fights and you may, as a result, lose your peace

of mind. So, don't have too close a relationship with too many

people. Say " hello, hello " to everyone, `how are you' to all those

you meet and end with `goodbye'. That's all and nothing more.

 

Today, there is no real social service. Everything is either slow

service or show-service. You should have a feeling that what you do

is not for anybody but for your own satisfaction and happiness.

Whatever you do, do it for the satisfaction of your conscience. You

shouldn't do anything for praise or appreciation by others. Your

conscience is God. Know that character is most important and you

should never compromise on this score. What is always necessary for

success in life is co-operation. But nowadays, we find only operation.

 

By joining good company satsang, listening to the teachings of great

masters and seers and above all with God's grace, you can change your

attitudes and mentality. By Buddha's teaching the cruel Angulimala

and by Narada's instructions Ratnakara (who became sage Valmiki

later) were transformed. Visvamitra who was a Rajarshi, a sage among

kings became a Brahmarshi, a sage ever immersed in Brahman by the

direction of Vasishtha. Visvamitra thus became the mitra, friend of

the visva, universe.

 

Arjuna, on one occasion dropped his bow and arrows in the

battlefield. He became tamasika (dull. passive, weak) and even

reluctant to engage in a war for which he stood in the battle-field.

He forgot all the vows he had taken and the atrocities the Kauravas

committed. It was at that time that Krishna induced rajasika quality

into Arjuna's mind preparing him for the war of Kurukshetra with

renewed zeal.

 

Emperor Janaka who became a rajarshi due to the teachings of Sage

Yajnavalkya renounced everything and became a perfect jnani, one

known for spiritual wisdom.

 

Therefore, by intense sadhana, tamas can be converted into rajas, and

rajas into sattva. In so doing an aspirant, becomes a recipient of

God's grace and ultimately a seeker of nirvana (liberation).