Your Three Aspects - Sublime, Mediocre, Gross
of three very different personalities rolled into one! There are imes when you are in the zone-tranquil, Zocussed and creative. At other times you are desire driven, stressed out and inefficient. Then you get lazy, indifferent, and slothful. Everyone has a different combination of these three qualities or gunas. They are sattva-purity, rajaspassion and tamas-apathy. They influence every aspect of your personality. You can excel only when you operate out of your sattva when the mind is calm, intellect clear and actions brilliant. Sattva is the pristine state of calm that comes from contemplation and absorption of the higher. Rajas is a state of mental agitation brought about by greed, craving and lust. In tamas the best qualities get shrouded and your inherent talent lies dormant. Chapter 17 of the Bhagwad Gita explains how the relative strengths ofthe three gunas affect one's shraddha. Shraddha is translated as faith. It is the ability to conceive a goal and constantly put in effort until the mission is accomplished. Shraddha is the most important determinant of success in any field of endeavour, material or spiritual; it defines you. You maybe exceptionally talented, well-educated and have allthe opportunities but unless you consistently apply your effort wholeheartedly the goal will elude you. Sattvikashraddha is the consistency with which one pursues higher ideals. Rajasikashraddha is the frenetic quest of material, self-centred goals. Tamasika people live a laid-back life of ignorance. Krishna then categorises ahara-food, Yajna-sacrifice, tapa-austerity and dana-charity as sattva, rajasika and tamasika. tree Sattvika foods are tasty wholesome, nutritious and give long life, vigour, health and happiness. Youdo not become attvika by merely eatingsattvika food! Sattvika people value healthy food that is conducive for intellectual and spiritual growth. Rajasika people like excessively bitter, pungent, sour, salty food that causes discomfort and disease. Stale, tasteless, unclean food and leftovers are the natural choice of tamasika people. Sattvika sacrifice is done without desiring a reward. When sacrifice is undertaken with an ulterior motive for personal gain, reputation, name and fame it becomes rajasika. That sacrifice performed against scriptural mandate with no sharing of wealth, no higher ideal or charity is tamasika in nature. Krishna details three kinds of penance or tapas-that of body. speech and mind.This threefold austerity performed steadfastly with shraddha, desiring no fruit is sattvika. Rajasika austerity is done selfishly with the purpose of gaining respect, honour and reverence. That misguided, self-torturing austerity practised with deluded obstinacy, often to hurtothers, is tamasika. The heart must give, not the hand. Acts of charity benefit the donor as weasrecipient. A gift given without expectation of reward, to a worthy person atthe right time andplace is sattvikachaty. Given grudgingly, expecting persongain, is rajasika.And a gift given contemptuously to an unworthyperson atinappropriate time and place is tamasiEncourage sattva by rising early,dedicating actions to a highergoal anstifling tamas by going to bed early. Promote sattva through exposure to ethics and aesthetics-spiritual inpugood literature, classical music, fineand sport. Refine rajas by instilling the spirit of service and sacrifice andeliminate tamas by includingexercisin your daily schedule.
DISCLAIMER:
The views expressed in the Article above are Jaya Row kashmiribhatta.in is not in any way responsible for the opinions expressed in the above article. The article belongs to its respective owner or owners and this site does not claim any right over it.
Courtesy : Jaya Row speaking Tree and Times of India
Your Three Aspects - Sublime, Mediocre, Gross
of three very different personalities rolled into one! There are imes when you are in the zone-tranquil, Zocussed and creative. At other times you are desire driven, stressed out and inefficient. Then you get lazy, indifferent, and slothful. Everyone has a different combination of these three qualities or gunas. They are sattva-purity, rajaspassion and tamas-apathy. They influence every aspect of your personality. You can excel only when you operate out of your sattva when the mind is calm, intellect clear and actions brilliant. Sattva is the pristine state of calm that comes from contemplation and absorption of the higher. Rajas is a state of mental agitation brought about by greed, craving and lust. In tamas the best qualities get shrouded and your inherent talent lies dormant. Chapter 17 of the Bhagwad Gita explains how the relative strengths ofthe three gunas affect one's shraddha. Shraddha is translated as faith. It is the ability to conceive a goal and constantly put in effort until the mission is accomplished. Shraddha is the most important determinant of success in any field of endeavour, material or spiritual; it defines you. You maybe exceptionally talented, well-educated and have allthe opportunities but unless you consistently apply your effort wholeheartedly the goal will elude you. Sattvikashraddha is the consistency with which one pursues higher ideals. Rajasikashraddha is the frenetic quest of material, self-centred goals. Tamasika people live a laid-back life of ignorance. Krishna then categorises ahara-food, Yajna-sacrifice, tapa-austerity and dana-charity as sattva, rajasika and tamasika. tree Sattvika foods are tasty wholesome, nutritious and give long life, vigour, health and happiness. Youdo not become attvika by merely eatingsattvika food! Sattvika people value healthy food that is conducive for intellectual and spiritual growth. Rajasika people like excessively bitter, pungent, sour, salty food that causes discomfort and disease. Stale, tasteless, unclean food and leftovers are the natural choice of tamasika people. Sattvika sacrifice is done without desiring a reward. When sacrifice is undertaken with an ulterior motive for personal gain, reputation, name and fame it becomes rajasika. That sacrifice performed against scriptural mandate with no sharing of wealth, no higher ideal or charity is tamasika in nature. Krishna details three kinds of penance or tapas-that of body. speech and mind.This threefold austerity performed steadfastly with shraddha, desiring no fruit is sattvika. Rajasika austerity is done selfishly with the purpose of gaining respect, honour and reverence. That misguided, self-torturing austerity practised with deluded obstinacy, often to hurtothers, is tamasika. The heart must give, not the hand. Acts of charity benefit the donor as weasrecipient. A gift given without expectation of reward, to a worthy person atthe right time andplace is sattvikachaty. Given grudgingly, expecting persongain, is rajasika.And a gift given contemptuously to an unworthyperson atinappropriate time and place is tamasiEncourage sattva by rising early,dedicating actions to a highergoal anstifling tamas by going to bed early. Promote sattva through exposure to ethics and aesthetics-spiritual inpugood literature, classical music, fineand sport. Refine rajas by instilling the spirit of service and sacrifice andeliminate tamas by includingexercisin your daily schedule.
DISCLAIMER:
The views expressed in the Article above are Jaya Row kashmiribhatta.in is not in any way responsible for the opinions expressed in the above article. The article belongs to its respective owner or owners and this site does not claim any right over it.
Courtesy : Jaya Row speaking Tree and Times of India