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Sattva, Rajas and Tamas
The Lord said: “O best of men, I will now explain to you the effect of the three Gunas separately in detail. Listen to it attentively.
Sama (control of the mind), Dama (control of the senses), forbearance, discrimination, Tapas, truthfulness, compassion, memory, contentment, renunciation, absence of greed, faith, shame or shrinking from what is unrighteous, charitableness etc., (straightforwardness, modesty, respectfulness) and taking delight in the Self are the attributes proper of Sattva.
Desire, activity, pride, craving (greed), arrogance praying for comforts, idea of separateness, material enjoyment, excitement on account of pride, love of fame, affection, fun, power, violence and striving hard are the attributes proper of Rajas.
Anger, greed, untruthfulness, cruelty, begging, hypocrisy, fatigue, quarrel, grief, delusion, dejection, distress, sleep, hope, fear and indolence are the attributes proper of Tamas.
Now listen to the effects of their combination. O Uddhava, the sense of ‘I-ness’, ‘I am’, ‘My-ness’, ‘It is mine’ etc., is produced by the mixture of the three Gunas. All our dealings or transactions through the mind, objects, senses and Pranas are the effects of a mixture of the three Gunas. (You identify with the body and organs and say, “I am black, I am lean, I am blind.” You identify with objects and say, “This coat is mine etc.”)
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