Sadhna & Three Gunas

[Guest guest]

Dear sadhakas,

 

Maharishi Aurobindo has written a beautiful essay on sadhna and

three gunas, which i am reproducing below:

 

Each of the Three gunas working on the Ahankara has its particular

danger for the sadhak who has made the sankalpa of self-surrender,

but has not yet attained to the full accomplishment of the

surrender.

 

Ahankara in its action on our life and sadhana will be seen to be of

three kinds, rajasic, tamasic and sattwic.

 

Rajas binds by desire and the craving in the nature for occupation

and activity, it is always reaching, after action and the fruit of

action; it is in order that we may be free from the rajasic ahankara

that we have the command, " Do not do works from the desire of fruit "

and the command to give up our actions to God.

 

Tamas binds by weakness and the craving in the nature for ease and

inaction; it is always sinking into idleness, depression, confusion

of mind, fear, disappointment, despondence and despair; it is in

order that we may get rid of the tamasic ahanakara that we are given

the command " Let there be no attachment to inaction " and the

instruction to pursue the yoga always, whether we seem to advance or

seem to be standing still or seem even to be going back, always

with a calm faith and patient and cheerful, perseverance,

 

Sattwa bids by knowledge and pleasure; it is always attaching itself

to some imperfect realisation, to the idea of one's own virtue, the

correctness of one's own opinions and principles or at its highest,

as in the case of Arjuna, opposing some personal idea of altruism,

justice or virtue against the surrender of our will that God

demands of us. It is for the escape from the sattwic ahankara, that

we have to pass beyond the attachment to the duality of virtue and

sin.

 

(...to continue)