In this episode of “5 Minutes,” Dr. Robert Svoboda explores the three gunas and their role in the Sankhya philosophy of creation and human experience.

First of all, let me reiterate, or for many of you introduce, that the three gunas are part of the Sankhya philosophy, the Sankhya explanation of how the universe evolves. They emerge from ahamkara, the principle of self-identification, and then continue to evolve into other aspects of creation.

Rajas does not evolve into anything other than activity, because activity is precisely what Rajas means. Sattva evolves into the thinking mind and the ten sense organs, while Tamas evolves into the subtle elements, the tanmatras, and then into the five gross elements, the Pancha Mahabhutas: earth, water, fire, air, and space.

Tamas is always moving in the direction of becoming more fixed. This does not necessarily mean becoming completely immobile, although that is true when Tamas is expressed through the earth element. More generally, Tamas represents inertia. There can be static inertia, like a mountain or the earth itself, which can remain unchanged for millions of years. There can also be dynamic inertia, such as a heavy train moving down the tracks. Even after the engine is turned off, the train continues moving because of the tremendous inertia created by its mass and momentum.

That is what Tamas represents. It is the tendency for whatever has been happening to continue happening. Sometimes this continuity is beneficial, but often it is not, because life requires change.

Rajas is the principle of change. This is why Rajas and Tamas are often regarded as the principal disturbances of the mind. When Tamas predominates, a person never wants to change. When Rajas predominates, a person always wants to change.

Sattva is different. The suffix -tva indicates the quality of possessing something, and sat means truth. Thus, Sattva means trueness, or possessing truth. It is the capacity to perceive reality accurately, relate to it appropriately, and know when Rajas should become active and when Tamas should provide stability.

Many people assume that Tamas is entirely undesirable and should always be avoided, while Sattva is always good and should simply be increased. However, one of the Upanishads makes a very important point. It says that while the egotism arising from Tamas is certainly harmful, it is even worse to become egotistical because you believe you possess the truth simply through having excessive Sattva. Pride based on one’s supposed purity or wisdom can be more dangerous than the dullness associated with excessive Tamas.

What truly matters is that the three gunas exist in harmony, just as everything else in the organism should exist in harmony.

We want enough Rajas to allow necessary change, but not so much that we become constantly restless. We want enough Tamas to provide stability, but not so much that we become rigid or resistant to growth. Stability should support change, not prevent it.

Finally, we want sufficient Sattva to discern when Rajas should become active, when Tamas should provide steadiness, and even to ensure that Sattva itself remains in balance.

The goal is not to eliminate any of the three gunas, but to cultivate a harmonious relationship among them so that they work together in supporting a balanced and healthy life.