WRITTEN BY LONDON SWAMINATHAN

Post No. 13,529

Date uploaded in London – 9 August 2024                 

Contact – swami_48@yahoo.com

Pictures are taken from various sources for spreading knowledge.

this is a non- commercial blog. Thanks for your great pictures.

tamilandvedas.com, swamiindology.blogspot.com

https://www.pustaka.co.in/home/author/london-swaminathan

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Adi Sankara in his Viveka Chudamani (VC) explains in detail the Sattva, Rajas Tamo Gunas (Slokas 110 to 112). It is a summary of Bhagavad Gita’s 14^th Chapter Guna Traya Vibhaga Yoga. Lord Krishna speaks about the three Gunas in men

Gunas are translated as modes and they are three, goodness/satva, passion/rajas and dullness/tamas. All of us are born with them.

One commentator gives good examples for the three Gunas from Ramayana:

Ravana – Rajo Guna

Kumbakaarna- Tamo Guna

Vibhishana- Sattva Guna.

All are bothers!

Sri Ramakrishna Paramahmasa (RKP) gives another story to explain it. Sankara just listed them like Bhagavad Gita.

Here is the story of R K P:

A merchant with some valuables travelling alone had to pass through a forest to his home in the city. He was waylaid by three robbers who took away all his possessions.

Then the first robber said, “Let us kill him! ”. The second robber argued, “Why incur the sin of killing him? Let us tie him up firmly to a tree”. The second robber’s advice was followed and they went away leaving him to his fate. After sometime the third robber returned, unbound him and took him to the edge of the forest along a road leading to the city which could be seen at a distance.

The merchant thanked the robber profusely for his kindness and earnestly requested him to accompany him so that he could suitably reward him on reaching home.

However the third robber said, “I cannot come with you to the city as I will be recognized as a robber by the police”.  

Sri Ramakrishna himself offers the explanation for the story.

The world is the forest. The three robbers are three gunas–Sattva ,Rajas, Tamas .

Jiva or the individual soul is the traveller; Self- knowledge is his treasure. Tamas wants to destroy him, while Rajas intercedes and binds him with the fetters of the world, but Sattva protects him from the  action of Rajas and Tamas.

By taking refuge in Sattva the jiva becomes free from lust, anger and delusion

But even the Sattva quality cannot go into the region of the Absolute. That is why the third robber said

Behold, there is your home . Then he disappeared .

So one has to go beyond Gunas and try to reach the God who is beyond Gunas.

Bhagavad Gita says

Lord Krishna states in Verse 14.9 of the Bhagavad Gita:

सत्वं सुखे सञ्जयति रज: कर्मणि भारत |
ज्ञानमावृत्य तु तम: प्रमादे सञ्जयत्युत ||

Sattva binds one to material happiness; rajas conditions the soul toward actions; and tamas clouds wisdom and binds one to delusion.

Thus, it is utterly important to rise beyond the three gunas to be near to God. Lord Krishna further states in Bhagavad Gita Verse 14.19:

नान्यं गुणेभ्य: कर्तारं यदा द्रष्टानुपश्यति |
गुणेभ्यश्च परं वेत्ति मद्भावं सोऽधिगच्छति || 

“When wise persons see that in all works there are no agents of action other than the three guṇas, and they know me to be transcendental to these guṇas, they attain my divine nature.”

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Three Types of Men- Stupid, Bookish, Sage

In another sloka, Sankara says

देहोऽहमित्येव जडस्य बुद्धिः
देहे च जीवे विदुषस्त्वहंधीः ।
विवेकविज्ञानवतो महात्मनो
ब्रह्माहमित्येव मतिः सदात्मनि ॥ १६0 ॥

deho’hamityeva jaḍasya buddhiḥ
dehe ca jīve viduṣastvahaṃdhīḥ |

vivekavijñānavato mahātmano
brahmāhamityeva matiḥ sadātmani || V C 160 ||

160. The stupid man thinks he is the body, the book-learned man identifies himself with the mixture of body and soul, while the sage possessed of realisation due to discrimination looks upon the eternal Ātman as his Self, and thinks, “I am Brahman”. 

Notes:

[Three classes of people are distinguished in this Sloka, of whom the Advaitist is of course given the highest place.

Mixture of body and soul—The average man thinks he is both body and soul acting in unison.]

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Seven branched Palmyra in Kallal, Tamil Nadu.

Tamil Classification of Men

Poets on Three  Trees

Tamil poetess Avvaiyar and Bhartruhari in his Neetisataka praise the sacrifice of the coconut tree. They say ‘Look at that tree and its message. It sucks water from the ground, stand in scorching sun to give human beings sweet water’

Another poet in Neethi neri venba classified the entire humanity into three kinds.

First type of men is higher in the ladder. They are like palmyra trees. Even if you don’t water it, palmyra gives you fruits. Men with fine qualities don’t expect anything from you and yet they help you. (Sattva Guna)

Next below in the ladder are middle class type. The coconut trees need periodical watering. Some people will help you only when you praise them sky high. Or they expect something from you as reciprocation. (Rajo Guna)

The lowest type of people is like the betelnut tree or banana/ plantain trees. They need continuous watering and then only they give you, their yields. Lowest people always expect something from you and then only come forward to help you.(Tamo Guna)

நன்றி ஒருவர்க்குச் செய்தக்கால் அந்நன்றி

என்று தரும் கொல்லென வேண்டா – நின்று

தளரா வளர் தெங்கு தாளுண்ட நீரைத்

தலையாலே தான் தருதலால்

–வாக்குண்டாம்

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மனிதர்கள் மூன்று வகை

உத்தமர்தாம் ஈயுமிடத்தோங்கு பனை போல்வரே

மத்திமர்தாந் தெங்குதனை மானுவரே  – முத்தலரும்

ஆம் கமுகு போல்வராம் அதமர் அவர்களே

தேங்கதலியும் போல்வார் தேர்ந்து

–நீதிநெறிவெண்பா

–subham—

Tags- Sattva, Rajo, Tamo Gunas, Three Robbers, Three trees, Three types of men, My Research Notes on VC -36, Ramakrishna Paramahamsa, Parable